The most disappointing films you have ever watched in a theater. (1 Viewer)

[Bryan^H]

Name some of the movies you saw at the theater that left you completely disappointed, and saddened you wasted your money on them!

I'll start with a few of my picks:


Spider-Man 3
Unbelievably disappointing follow up to the wonderful second film in the series. This was so bad I think I erased it from my memory, and I'm pretty sure that is a good thing. Hideous film with absolutely no redeeming quality.


Back to the Future II
After waiting what seemed forever for this anticipated sequel, I could not believe how much I hated this film. The third film was better, but it doesn't make the second film any easier to watch. I saw the very first film twice in the theater (still one of my favorite films) and the second film only made things unnecessarily complex, depressing, and pointless. I hated every minute of this.

Where the Wild Things Are
This got pretty good reviews from movie critics of the time, and I loved the book as a kid, so I watched it. The book didn't translate well to film. I hated it, it was miserable!
And to this day I still feel bad for the little girl and her friends that had her birthday party watching this ugly film (there was little reserved section for them near my seat). When the lights came up they looked like they just witnessed a 90 minute car crash.

 

[Keith Cobby]

My top three:
The Deer Hunter
The Company of Wolves
Bewitched

 

[Lord Dalek]

Tomorrowland, a real hot turd that just about killed Brad Bird's career.

 

[Clinton McClure]

Right off the top of my head are some movies that disappointed me so much, I walked out of the theater and got my money back:

Transformers (2007)
Transformers 2
GI Joe
Star Trek into Darkness
Terminator Salvation
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

 

[jcroy]

Blade Runner

 

[Bryan^H]

Blade Runner

I like it now a lot better than my first viewing, but that is because there are so many options of the same film in which to view it.

 

[Joe Wong]

Right off the top of my head are some movies that disappointed me so much, I walked out of the theater and got my money back:

Transformers (2007)
Transformers 2
GI Joe
Star Trek into Darkness
Terminator Salvation
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Interesting list! If I may ask, if you walked out of Transformers, why did you go to the sequel?

 

[Wayne_j]

The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park was one of my favorite movies, I hated the 2nd one.

 

[Malcolm R]

Godzilla (1998) is probably the only film where I've actually been angry when it was over, that I'd wasted 2 hours of my life on that steaming pile.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Right off the top of my head are some movies that disappointed me so much, I walked out of the theater and got my money back:

Transformers (2007)

I was excited to see Transformers on the big screen and forced my 72-year-old dad to go as well. I was in Arizona to visit when it debuted and wanted to be there opening night. The Old Man was less than enthused but put up with it to be a good host.

If there’s one thing I hate, it’s to admit to my dad that he was right about something. Unfortunately, I couldn’t avoid such an admission as we left the theater. Actually, I think I just said “You were right. Let’s never speak of this again” and left it at that.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Back to the Future II
After waiting what seemed forever for this anticipated sequel, I could not believe how much I hated this film. The third film was better, but it doesn't make the second film any easier to watch. I saw the very first film twice in the theater (still one of my favorite films) and the second film only made things unnecessarily complex, depressing, and pointless. I hated every minute of this.

We've discussed this one recently in another thread, but yeah.

The 1st "BTTF" was one of my most exciting movie-going experiences. I was 18 and on my 1st-ever solo vacation.

I spent a week in LA between high school grad and college, and I saw "BTTF" at the Cinerama Dome.

Great experience in that wonderful theater, and an exciting, wholly delightful movie.

Couldn't wait to see "2" in 1989... and wanted to punch someone because it left me so angry.

Mostly - as noted - due to the cliffhanger, but also because it was so dark and "un-fun".

I've come to appreciate "2" since 1989 and understand my main complaints in 1989 were a) it was so different and I wasn't ready for that plus b) the cliffhanger.

So I now like the movie. But in 1989?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Another one discussed today: "Man of Steel".

Loved the Nolan Batmans and hoped that Superman would get an equally invigorating reboot.

"Returns" disappointed me because it was a rehash. I hoped "MoS" would give us a great new take on the character.

Nope. Messy, incoherent, and just plain awful.

 

[Bryan^H]

We've discussed this one recently in another thread, but yeah.

The 1st "BTTF" was one of my most exciting movie-going experiences. I was 18 and on my 1st-ever solo vacation.

I spent a week in LA between high school grad and college, and I saw "BTTF" at the Cinerama Dome.

Great experience in that wonderful theater, and an exciting, wholly delightful movie.

Couldn't wait to see "2" in 1989... and wanted to punch someone because it left me so angry.

Mostly - as noted - due to the cliffhanger, but also because it was so dark and "un-fun".

I've come to appreciate "2" since 1989 and understand my main complaints in 1989 were a) it was so different and I wasn't ready for that plus b) the cliffhanger.

So I now like the movie. But in 1989?

That gave me the idea for this thread.
I still hate BTTF2

 

[Walter Kittel]

Definitely on board with all of the disdain for Back To The Future 2. I've only seen it once (theatrically on opening weekend) and HATED it for many of the reasons discussed. The first film is so bright, fun, hopeful, and optimistic and that is all forgotten when we get to the second film. I might feel different about it now, but once in this lifetime is enough. I did take a chance on the third film theatrically and enjoyed the Western motif quite a bit.

Continuing in that vein, I'll add my inevitable (and oft repeated) castigation of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. To be fair there are a handful of moments that I enjoyed, and conceptually I did like some plot elements, but the execution was awful and a lot of the dialog was simply laughable. Part of my reaction to this film was due to how much I had enjoyed the earlier films in the franchise which led to a lot of disappointment. Once again an opening weekend theatrical viewing which fits the thread's topic of "most disappointing films you have ever watched in a theater" to a TEE. I have tried a few visits over the years at home, but it remains my worst Trek film ever.

I'm sure there are others, but those two come readily to mind.

- Walter.

 

[Chip_HT]

The one that comes to mind first is Men in Black 2. I don't think it was bad, per se. It was like a marshmallow -- fun while it lasts, but fades quickly and is instantly forgettable.

 

[Keith Cobby]

I like BTTF2, but would add Crystal Skull to my list.

 

[Joe Wong]

I understand the complaints about BTTF 2 - the darker stuff, the cliffhanger ending, etc.

But I liked that it advanced the story and tried something new, rather than a rehash of the original (which is what many sequels around then did). I loved the look at 2015 and all the futuristic stuff. I loved the time travel paradoxes and the consequences. I even liked the alternate 1985, as Marty slowly discovers what's happened. Only the return to 1955 was a bit of a letdown, as it seemed more routine (though I appreciated the filmmakers "recreating" scenes from the original). I really liked BTTF3, but it's also basically a rehash of the original, but set in a different time.

 

[Radioman970]

LOVED bttf2. Oh well. lol I don't think I saw it at the movies though.

In 1981 for mom's birthday, and since we were both big fans of Carol Burnett, I took her to see Chu Chu & the Philly Flash. Carol looked hilarious on the poster and Alan Arkin looked like Columbo so what could go wrong?? I've never been to a movie where most of the people left way before it was over. But we sat there and just watched. No laughter, no "boy this sucks", no nothing. People periodically filing out. On our way out during the credits mom is telling me "it wasn't that bad" I'm "yes it was" but she's being mom.

----------------

After Star Trek IV, one of the greatest movie going experiences I'll ever have, we went to see Star Trek V. All I could do is replay Statner's statement from his interview from one of the shows in my head over and over as Nimoy and Kelley looked on with blank faces, he said "I think it's the best one". "I think it's the best one." (As Kirk) " I THINK! IT! IS! THE! BEST! ....one...." One of the few time The Shat let me down. He's forgiven. They should have rewrote the thing to fit the budget.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

They should have rewrote the thing to fit the budget.

They couldn’t. The film had a release date locked in before shooting began, and then a writer’s strike happened during preproduction so the choice was to either go with what they had or cancel the film, and realistically there was no way Paramount was canceling their franchise film at that point in time.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

For me, the most disappointing films in theaters weren’t necessarily the worst films of all time. It was more about being at that pre-teen/teenage age where I was riding my bicycle solo to the theater for the first times, and how hard it was to scrounge up cash to go and how unpleasantly hilly the ride to and from the theater was. It was effort! And that’s also the age of the first great disillusionings, looking forward to movies that I expected to enjoy and then being let down by them, and that was a new experience for me. So put those things together and I still remember how disappointing that was.

The ones from that era that come to mind are The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Batman and Robin, Men in Black II and Tomorrow Never Dies. I loved the prior installments in all of those series so to have waited for those sequels and then put so much effort into just getting to the theater and leaving disappointed was a big blow. And though it’s not a sequel, Armageddon was a letdown in the same way.

I can leave a movie disappointed today but it’s not innocence-shattering like it was then.