12 Movies That Were Supposed to Be Amazing But Didn't Live Up to Fans' Expectations

Jessica Wilson
Jan 16, 2023
Jan 16, 2023

The world of cinema has produced many undeniably excellent films. Occasionally, a new film will come along and capture everyone's attention. Trailers demonstrate the film's premise's potential, and expectation builds as audiences hope the film will deliver an experience worthy of the hype.
Whereas some of these films nail the landing, others completely miss the mark, despite their enjoyment and curiosity.
Sometimes it's just another pointless sequel to an old favorite, a family movie with an unbearably annoying cast, an older actor who is known for his roles in serious dramas is now in a cringe-worthy comedy, and, of course, there's the generic action film that you'll want to watch just to see how ridiculous things can get. Maybe you'll feel like you've seen all of these movies before that make you wonder if originality is truly dead in the film industry.
So, some had all the ingredients to become a cult classic, but something went wrong.

#1 Halloween Ends (2022)

Source: © Halloween Ends / Blumhouse Productions and co-producers

The iconic franchise's conclusion should have put an end to Laurie and Michael Myers' long-running rivalry. However, audiences were let down because the film was poorly made and overly focused on minor characters.
I don’t know what this movie was but I am still waiting on the real final movie in the trilogy to be released. This was just a bad joke right? I kept watching hoping that it would get better and it just didn’t I had heard the final act was good and I was lied to. When it was over me and the girlfriend just felt crushed that it was such a bad movie. © sbob322 / IMDb

#2 Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)

Source: © Hocus Pocus 2 / Walt Disney Pictures and co-producers

The original Hocus Pocus, which was released 30 years ago, was a favorite of millions, with many making it a Halloween tradition to re-watch it. Unfortunately, the most recent sequel was widely considered a flop.
Took sheer willpower to get through the first 10 minutes it was like watching a middle school play. The 3 young witches were acting like they were waiting for us audience members to clap for how “cute” they were acting and it wasn’t cute. The first one felt grounded in reality within the fantasy of it, we could relate to the characters and it is such a great comfort movie I have watched every Halloween. I feel violated. © Hopedoesnotdie / IMDb

#3 In Time (2011)

Source: © In Time / New Regency Productions and co-producers

The film's beginning promised an unforgettable and thought-provoking experience. Time is the currency in this world. However, the film turned out to be just another chase film, and audiences were left disappointed.
This film has a very intriguing premise — that time is a commodity that can be bought or sold, allowing the rich to live indefinitely while time runs out for the poor. Sadly, this idea failed to materialize, the film spending most of its running time being little more than one long chase. © BA_Harrison / IMDb
I actually like the premise, which has the potential for lots and lots of suspense; it’s like having a ticking bomb strapped to your wrist. What could go wrong, right? Well, the answer is most things. “In Time” is an insipid, soulless Hollywood blockbuster. © Leofwine_draca / IMDb

#4 Ocean’s Eight (2018)

Source: © Ocean's Eight / Warner Bros. and co-producers

Ocean's Eight had all the features of a film that would be watched over and over again, being the sequel to a famous story with a stellar cast. In reality, it was just a pretty picture with a lot of plot holes.
I’ll give it 2 stars — one for the stellar cast and one for the truly fabulous dresses. Especially Sandra Bullock’s dress for the Met Gala. Absolutely stunning. But as a movie, this one really was pretty awful. © mailes22 / IMDb

#5 The Gray Man (2022)

Source: © The Gray Man / Netflix + and co-producers

The Gray Man also had all of the factors to become the beginning of a legendary franchise, with a reasonable budget and a stellar cast. However, viewers immediately noticed the plot's weakness and the protagonist's overly "super-heroic" abilities in fights and chases.
The Gray Man is mostly a collection of tired spy tropes, directed in a muddled and baffling way, that seemingly exists to set up what seems like will be a fairly unimaginative franchise.The dialogues were cringe and didn’t excite me at all. The only grace was seeing Ryan Gosling on screen. Being a big-budget film, The Gray Man is a disappointment to a greater extent, considering that the project had A-List actors, but a poor storyline. © pranayjalvi / IMDb

#6 The Lost City (2022)

Source: © The Lost City / Paramount Pictures and co-producers

The Lost City is a romantic comedy that includes a treasure hunt, kidnappings, chases, and a love story. With Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum in the starring roles, it appears that the audience will love it. Except, as the reviews quickly pointed out, there is no chemistry between the main characters, which immediately ruins the overall feel of the film. The appearance of Brad Pitt is the only consolation.
In short, this was a weak and humorless version of Romancing the Stone. Without any chemistry between the actors. One minute they’re in a city, then in the jungle, they’re in danger, then sleeping, then they’re walking miles and miles... You don’t know what is going on. © danew13 / IMDb

#7 The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

Source: © The Matrix Resurrections / Warner Bros. and co-producers

Fans of the iconic Matrix saga were ecstatic when the sequel to the trilogy was released. However, the high hopes were quickly replaced by disappointment: there were complaints about the acting, plot, and even the special effects, which were found to be worse than in the original, which was released in 1999. Some even claimed that the film had no right to be titled The Matrix.
In the first few minutes, I already knew that this movie would disrespect and soil the Matrix legacy (and frankly, the last one really toed the line). What were they thinking? This movie has no business bearing the “The Matrix’” moniker. © and_shove_it_up_your_**** / IMDb

#8 The Purge (2013)

Source: © The Purge / Universal Studios and co-producers

This is another film with a good idea but not the best execution, according to the audience. Not to mention the plot holes, such as “why wouldn’t the rich people just leave the country temporarily for that one day?”
The idea is intriguing. For twelve hours a year all crime is legal; do what you want and face no consequence. So what we’re looking at here is a film which, in different hands may have proved to be a controversial and stirring piece of work, but we end up with a flat, rather tame film, which is given some lift by its better elements, such as the performances and some of the fight sequences. Lacking bite, with a frustrating amount of exposition and not enough dissection of issues, ’The Purge’ falls short of what it should have been. © eonbluedan-1 / IMDb

#9 The Smurfs (2011)

The Smurfs was supposed to be a kid-friendly comedy that was amusing and easy to watch. But that proved to be impossible; the audience even criticized the promised humor for being forced.
I wasn’t expecting much from this film but it wasn’t even funny. It’s full of gratuitous random antics, toilet humor, and product placement that doesn’t even seem entertaining to children. There is barely a semblance of a story. © briancham1994 / IMDb

#10 Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

The studio has always taken care to maintain the high standards of its films, which has resulted in Marvel's superhero movies consistently filling cinemas and receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews. But the most recent Thor faced a problem. There was so much signature humor that it gave the impression that the movie was a parody and obscured all the serious issues the characters had to deal with regarding their lives and deaths.
I’m a huge marvel fanboy, and hardly ever have anything bad to say about the MCU, but this was a huge letdown. Ragnarok is easily one of my top 5 marvel films, so was very excited to see this one, but this was really really bad. It was none of the jokes landed for me. First time in a Marvel movie I really wanted to leave or wished it would end already. © ryrymadrid / IMDb

#11 Uncharted (2022)

Uncharted's creators attempted to make another Indiana Jones, but it just seemed like they tried to copy it and didn't do a good job of it. Fans of the Harrison Ford saga will recognize many references to the cult classic in the new film about relic hunters. However, the new film did not receive the same acclaim.
These are the type of films that make me want to give up my Cineworld card, which I’ve had for 16 years. Fast & Furious-style nonsense that bores me to sleep — literally. I hope they’re not planning on starting a new franchise cos they’ll lose millions & deservedly so. © aramsdale / IMDb

#12 Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

Many people expect the same level of quality from the director of The Fifth Element's next film. And, despite having the same sense of humor and high-quality special effects as Valerian, something went wrong — the film isn't memorable and leaves no impression.
Perhaps even worse were the two lead actors cast in the main roles, the people supposed to carry this movie. Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne had zero on-screen chemistry. © loco_73 / IMDb
When I first saw the trailer for this and being a huge fan of the Fifth Element, as well as Leon the Professional, I could hardly wait to see it. What a mistake! This was one boring, almost unfollowable story. The leads are pretty, but the inane dialogue waste’s them totally. I nearly fell asleep during the film. So sad, since there was some serious potential here. © mhorg2018 / IMDb

Share this article