Sam’s Top Ten WORST Movies of 2021
I know what list the people really want. You want to know about the garbage! The trash! The ABSOLUTE TRAVESTIES OF MOVIES THAT WERE RELEASED IN 2021 (OR AROUND THEN)!!! Well look no further, folks!!! I have the list for you. And I promise to go in on these movies as best as I can. To all five of my regular readers, thank you for reading me! I hope to continue to give you good creative opinions on movies!
Anyway, here are the worst ten movies of 2021 according to Sam!
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10. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Sometimes certain franchises ought to be left alone. Ghostbusters is one of those franchises. Every attempt at comedy or showing new monsters in Ghostbusters: Afterlife feels forced and like a bad copy of original material. I like Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, and Bill Murray. None of them are able to bring their brand of comedy to this movie. It seems no matter what you do, the quality of any entry in this series of movies is certainly going to be called into question by its fans or critics. The first movie might have been a flash in the pan and every subsequent attempt at making a Ghostbusters movie has failed to capture the same magic.
9. A Week Away
A kid goes away to a Christian summer camp for a week and his life is transformed. Honestly, I do not hate this movie. Everything just feels so misguided and forced as we follow our protagonist realize the unconditional love that Christ has to offer. To be clear, I have seen stories like this play out in front of me at summer camps I went to in high school. I know things like this happen. But those transformational moments are far more emotional and led by important conversations that teens have with authority figures like pastors or volunteers and friends who love them. Those moments never play out on screen here and the only person who cares about our protagonist’s spiritual health is a girl who has the hots for him. Plus the musical aspect of this movie is jam-packed with popular Christian tunes from the early 2000s that it is obvious the producers had no idea what kind of audience they were gunning for or what music is popular with the kids.
8. Dear Evan Hansen
In a year of great movie musicals like In the Heights and West Side Story, we have to have at least one bad attempt at a previous Broadway hit. Dear Evan Hansen is able to fill those shoes quite well. With multiple offensive and seemingly thoughtless depictions of mental health, the story here tries to say something positive about depression and suicidal tendencies and falls flat while doing it. But honestly, it all comes across tone-deaf. I do appreciate the cast of the movie, particularly Julianne Moore and Kaitlyn Dever, and a few of the musical numbers that are actually creatively shot and somewhat moving. But those positive elements are not enough.
7. Dangerous
Easily the most forgettable movie I saw this year. I am not even sure why people were trying to kill Scott Eastwood. The entire movie was built on people wanting to kill him, and I have no idea why. Was he some kind of secret agent? Was he a serial killer? Was he the bad guy? I don’t know. You don’t know. I don’t think the director and writer knew either.
6. A California Christmas: City Lights
The first movie was a surprisingly fun watch on Netflix. It was not anything to write home about, but it was a good time. This sequel has no unique direction or true understanding of the story it is trying to tell. The stakes are manufactured and unnecessary, and I am tired of rom-com sequels having the couple that was established in the last film make the same mistakes and screwing up as they did in the last movie. A California Christmas: City Lights falls into all of these traps.
5. Home Sweet Home Alone
I am choosing to believe anything after Home Alone 2: Lost in New York never happened. I am not sure how many sequels that includes, but none of them are any good except Lost in New York. The new Kevin McAlister kid is annoying in all the wrong ways (and that is upsetting because I loved him in Jojo Rabbit). The entire plot of this movie is one ridiculous misunderstanding that is even worse. I do enjoy the dynamic between Ellie Kemper and Rob Delaney, and it is enough to only slightly redeem this movie.
4. Cosmic Sin
DO NOT SEE ANY MOVIE WHERE BRUCE WILLIS IS THE MAIN CHARACTER IF IT CAME OUT AFTER 2000!!! The man does not care what movie he is in, he is there to get a paycheck and go home. I cannot remind what this movie is even about to be honest with you. I hate his acting. I hate the plot of this movie. I hate the terrible CGI. I hate the bad action. This movie could have legitimately been the worse movie of the year if the three movies below it had not been somehow even worse.
3. Music
Offensive. Ridiculous. Bizarre. Tragic. I do not know how this movie got a Golden Globes nomination for Kate Hudson. The former star of Almost Famous deserves infinitely better than this crap. A bizarre depiction of the relationship between siblings does nothing except bring up questions of how these writers and actors sleep at night. Honestly, Maddie Ziegler’s performance as the mentally-disabled Music is hurtful and backwards in so many ways.
2. America: The Motion Picture
Again with the offensiveness here. If you are going to try and do a Family Guy-esque movie while using the founding fathers, that is fine. Just make sure the jokes are actually and not just offensive or ridiculous. Say what you will about graphic and vulgar cartoons, but if they are funny they still work and maintain a fan base. This movie had potential to be hilarious, but the poor writing that stars like Channing Tatum, Jason Mantzoukas, Olivia Munn, Judy Greer, Will Forte, Simon Pegg, and Andy Samberg are forced to read is pathetic and beneath them.
And the worst movie of 2021 is…
Run, Hide, Fight
One step past second guessing yourself is first guessing. You did not think the wrong thing; rather, you were not thinking at all. The producers and writers behind this movie showed no regard for the unrealistic and disgusting way they depicted school shooters. Kids and teens who commit these terrible crimes are not insane young versions of Hans Gruber; rather they are depressed individuals who have lost touch with reality. Furthermore, trying to show teenagers that the best way to combat these mentally-ill individuals is to take them down John Wick style is incredibly wreckless. Not to mention the scandal surrounding the director of this movie. Great job, Ben Shapiro. lol
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Until next year, folks! Thank you for reading!