As we near the end of the year, it's
time to start looking back on the year in movies. My lists of the
worst and best films of the year won't be coming for a few weeks, but
today I decided to do a different list. Why? Well, 2012 was actually
such a great year for movies that, when looking back on the films I
have seen this year (not counting any re-releases), I feel that I
have only seen one truly godawful film all year, meaning that I can't
really do a 'Top 5 Worst Films of the Year'. Unless I do see some of
the 'bad' films that came out this year, most of the films I would
have put on that list would have been films that I actually did like.
So, here are five films that had a lot of potential but in the end
failed to meet expectations. For the record, I didn't necessarily
dislike any of the films that are on this list, but in the end, they
just didn't work in some way. So, with that in mind, let's get
started as I count down the Top 5 most disappointing films of 2012.
Starting off this list is a movie that sadly came from one of the most respected film studios working today. Last year, they released what many call their first 'bad' movie and while this film received better reception, it still wasn't up to par with the company's greatest works. I am of course referring to...
5. BRAVE
It truly is sad for me to put this film
on this list, because I love Pixar. Their movies are not only great
for kids, but some of the routes that they take with their movies
also make them highly entertaining even for adults. Just look at the
opening sequence from 'Up' or the dark turn taken near the end of
'Toy Story 3' and you'll see what I'm talking about. But their last
two movies haven't been on the same level of quality as all of their
other works. I'll admit that I did like 'Cars 2', primarily because I
was a fan of the first film. So what went wrong with their latest
film Brave? Well, the film starts out really well with what is
probably the most mature story Pixar has ever done yet and it
establishes the lead character of Merida as a strong female
character. But then, once the second half of the movie starts, it
quickly shifts to a more kid-friendly story. The trailers implied
that Merida was going to change her own fate, but really it was her
trying to get along with her mother and then accidentally turning her
into a bear and trying to change her back before it's too late. To be
fair, the animation is still excellent and the film does have a good
message of mother-daughter bonding, but this one wasn't as
groundbreaking as some of Pixar's best. That is why it takes the
number five spot on this list.
4. CLOUD ATLAS
For the record, I never read the book
this film was originally based on, but even with some of the research
that I did beforehand (the trailer really didn't even explain what
the movie was actually about), I was still lost after watching this
near three-hour epic. No, I do not think this is a bad movie, because
I do admire the filmmakers' ambition and in terms of adapting a novel
that was deemed unfilmable, they actually did make it work on the big
screen. Really, the thing that loses me is how the six separated
story-lines in the film, set across time, are supposed to be
'connected'. The only way I felt that these stories were even
connected at all was because the members of the cast portrayed
different characters in each storyline. Again, this may be because I
didn't read the book, but to me this film just fell flat. On the
other hand, I actually recommend this movie because it is one of
those movies that you should see and give your own opinion on.
Adapting a Dr. Seuss book to the big
screen is a very hard thing to do seeing how the books are very
short, meaning that filmmakers have to add more to the plot to
satisfy a film's run-time. Now, I loved 'The Grinch', as it was one
of those films that I saw at a very young age. Sure, it's not
perfect, but it's always great around Christmas. As for the other
live-action Dr. Seuss movie, 'The Cat in the Hat'... the less said
about that film, the better. Thankfully, Blue Sky Studios finally
made a Dr. Seuss story work with 2008's 'Horton Hears a Who', which
was strictly an animated film. The way I see it, that's how all Dr.
Seuss stories should be... animated. So, what went wrong with
Illumination Entertainment's take on Dr. Seuss' economic tale of a
creature who 'speaks for the trees'? Well, the problem is the
material that the filmmakers added just to make it work on the big
screen in the first place. The best part of this whole movie are the
scenes that were actually based on the book, and Danny DeVito and Ed
Helms do great jobs as the Lorax and the Onceler. But as for the main
storyline of a kid named Ted trying to impress an older girl named
Audrey by trying to find a real tree, that part of the movie falls
flat. Really, this whole movie is just generic. Generic protagonists,
generic villain, generic sidekicks, etc. It's a film that is just not
worthy of being based on a Dr. Seuss story.
2. RED TAILS
Red Tails was the first film in years
to be made by Lucasfilm that was not associated with the Star Wars or
Indiana Jones franchises. With both franchises' recent efforts in
mind, I went into this film hoping that this would improve on what
George Lucas has made recently. However, in the end, Red Tails fell
to the same problems that plagued the Star Wars prequels; a weak
script and one-dimensional characters, including a 'villain' fighter
pilot who spoke nothing but cliched dialogue. Now, it is clear that
Lucas and company do have good intentions with making this movie and
have nothing but respect for the Tuskegee Airmen, the World War II
fighter pilots for whom this film is based off of. But, if we are
talking about the biographical aspect of the film, it didn't even
really go into much of the challenges that these men faced on their
way to becoming legends. Like the prequels, this movie was
entertaining but in the end, Lucas could have done a whole lot
better. Not a good way to start off 2012 (this was actually the first
movie I saw all year), but thankfully things got better.
I am both depressed and sort of angry
over how this movie turned out. I went into it having just watched
the entire Bourne trilogy, which is easily one of the best trilogies
ever made as all three films are well-written and very thrilling spy
movies. With this new film, star Matt Damon and 'Bourne
Supremacy/Ultimatum' director Paul Greengrass are both absent.
Instead, in the leading role this time is Jeremy Renner, fresh off of
this year's 'Avengers', and in the director chair this time around is
Tony Gilroy, who previously written all three Bourne films. The
trailers promoted this film as revolving around Renner's character
Aaron Cross as he goes against his superiors looking to finish what
Jason Bourne started. Sounds awesome, right? Well, I must have seen a
different movie because the one I saw was a bare-bones thriller. What
this movie was really about was that Aaron Cross was looking for his
medication which gave him enhanced physical and mental capabilities.
As for the whole Bourne thing, Matt Damon's picture is seen
throughout the film. That's it. As for action, pretty much every
action sequence was in the trailer. It is very clear why Damon and
Greengrass left the franchise if this is the route they're taking
now. Now, this film isn't all that bad. Jeremy Renner does prove that
he can lead a movie on his own, even if the character of Cross is a
little flat, and Rachel Weisz also does a great job as Cross' ally
Marta. But seriously filmmakers, if you have Edward Norton in your
film, actually use him. Don't promote him as the villain and just
have him stand over computer monitors and bark orders at people. No,
this movie isn't really that bad, but it's a severe letdown after a
terrific trilogy of films. That is why it is my pick for the most
disappointing film of 2012.
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