The Ten Terrible Films of 2021 The Ten Terrible Films of 2021

A number of excellent films, including Dune, The Green Knight, and Last Night in Soho, were released in 2021.

These are the films that could very likely be nominated for Academy Awards, and odds are good that you'll list them among the best ten films of the year.

However, as is customary in every year, there are certain films that fall flat.

These are the movies that are more likely to receive a Razzie nomination than an Oscar. It's possible that you've already encountered some of them.

Here is our list of the worst movies of 2021, however if you think we left out any that you think should have been on this list, feel free to leave a comment!

The Review Geek crew is proud to present its list of the 10 worst movies of 2021 without further ado.

The Bodyguard for The Hitman's Wife

Because Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson were a good acting team, The Hitman's Bodyguard was a mainly enjoyable film.

But there really wasn't a need for a sequel, and after watching this poorly written attempt, you'll probably agree.

The film's tedious plot revolves around a Greek terrorist leader (Antonio Banderas) who plans to disrupt Europe as a result of the EU's sanctions against Greece.

It goes without saying that the hitman, his wife, and his former bodyguard get involved in a scheme to foil him. Yawn!

There is not much of value in this. Both the action and the humour aren't as good as they were in the last film.

Very good actors are forced to work with a dull script, and the plot of the film is predictable.

A third instalment would be unwelcome, but given the way Hollywood works, you may anticipate seeing The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard's Next Door Neighbor in the near future!

Cinderella

Was there a true need for another Cinderella tale? Much less one that has James Corden. There have been several over the years, but none of them can compare to the magic of the Disney original from the 1950s.

Camilo Cabello plays Cinderella in this tedious and disorganised musical adaption, and here we are again.

There are differences even though this is only another retelling of the old tale. This time, Cinderella is a fashion designer seeking to launch her own company.

Actually, the ugly stepsisters aren't that hideous. Furthermore, the evil stepmother isn't actually that evil.

Of course, if you enjoy musicals, you could find this to be enjoyable. You might be content with the karaoke songs that are sung at regular intervals because the singing rarely stops.

They aren't sufficient, though, to cover for the overbearing screenplay that prioritises female freedom over any semblance of cinematic magic.

Unfortunately, despite my best intentions, the fairy godmother didn't transform this mediocre effort into a pumpkin!

Twist

This is another another version of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, as you can obviously infer from the title.

This most recent retelling of the tale is set in contemporary London, where Oliver (referred as in the film simply as Twist) is a graffiti artist.

Giving the story a modern context is not intrinsically wrong, but this is more of a Guy Ritchie caper movie than a Dickens adaptation. Not that Ritchie is the film's director.

Martin Owen is tasked with carrying out that duty. He makes an effort to appeal to a younger audience by dressing his characters in streetwear and setting up situations in which they must parkour around the metropolis. This wouldn't be a problem if the plot was compelling. It's not, sadly.

Dickens was a skilled storyteller, but it is obvious that the screenwriters of this film lack his abilities. This is a pointless endeavour with laughable dialogue and a very uninteresting tale that is very different from the well-known and beloved classic story.

It's unfortunate that the film is so terrible. Caine could have made a good Fagin with a decent script, but his abilities are lost here.

The remainder of the cast, which also includes Raff Law and Rita Ora, as well as Lena Heady, who plays the gender-flipped Bill Sykes, are dealt poor cards. You won't want more after watching this movie!

Music

Sia, an Australian musician best known for her music videos, attempts her first Hollywood film with this failed project.

It centres on Zu (Kate Hudson), who is asked to assume custody of her half-sister Music, who has autism (Maddie Ziegler).

This movie doesn't appear all that horrible at first glance. The production design for the dreamlike musical moments is generally superb, the dancing is passable, and the audio is good. All of this, though, is meaningless given how poorly done the remainder of the film is.

Despite Ziegler's ability as a dancer, her portrayal of Music suffers greatly from her extreme overplaying of the autistic characteristics that make up her character.

As someone with extensive experience working with autistic individuals, I can tell that in some ways, her act is plain disrespectful.

Of course, Ziegler isn't entirely at fault because Sia ought to have restrained her performance.

The screenplay is flawed as well, particularly in the scenes where constraint is employed to control Music while she is having a tantrum.

These poor handlings of autism are to blame for the intense debate surrounding Music, which ultimately led to the film's abject failure.

The motion picture Tom and Jerry

Another live-action/CGI hybrid with well-known cartoon characters from the past is available. And once more, we're dealing with a catastrophe.

It was pretty well predicted that this would be poor after the disappointing failures that were Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, and Woody Woodpecker, and the end outcome supports these expectations.

In this film, the well-known cat and mouse team engage in their customary antics while wreaking havoc in and around a Manhattan hotel.

While the animation is good, it doesn't quite fit the live-action backgrounds, which leads to significant issues anytime Tom and Jerry need to interact with the movie's human stars, Chloe Grace Moretz and Rob Delaney.

If the movie was humorous, all of it might be overlooked, but regrettably, it isn't. This is a terrible shame because the original cartoons were entertaining.

Every attempt at the slapstick humour of the duo's past fails, therefore there is nothing here to make you laugh. Watch the animated shorts of Tom and Jerry as a favour to yourself.

Earwig And the Witch

Famous for its hand-drawn animation and enchanted tales, Studio Ghibli is the creator of such great films as Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.

Hayao Miyazaki, who created the majority of the studio's works, is largely responsible for the success of the company, but regrettably, he only receives a "planning" credit for this most recent film, Earwig and the Witch. He is definitely missed!

This film is directed by Goro Miyazaki, the illustrious Hayao Miyazaki's son, and forgoes the customary 2D animation for which Studio Ghibli is renowned in favour of a fully 3D production.

On the one hand, this makes sense given the commercial success of Pixar and Dreamworks in popularising this type of animation.

Much worse, the plot lacks the charm that we have come to anticipate from the company, which makes things even worse. It's obvious that no love has gone into this because it doesn't even have a suitable ending.

It's hard to criticise the company for attempting to take a fresh new turn, but with a film this awful, they risk losing their reputation for strong animation and narrative.

Thankfully, Hayao will be doing another film after a brief retirement. We can only hope that it restores Studio Ghibli to its former splendour and that Hayao's son picks up some important filmmaking tips from his father.

After We Fell

The third of four "After" films (the fourth will be released next year), After We Fell is based on a series of novels that were first released on the fanfiction website Wattpad.

They are the young adult versions of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy and describe the lives of Tessa and Hardin, a young couple who fall in and out of love for reasons you are unlikely to care about. There are probably some people who like both these movies and the novels they were based on. However, this is still mediocre material, especially for those who prefer romantic comedies with clever scripts.

Cosmic Sin

This sci-fi disaster is terrible on so many ways that it truly lives up to its name. The acting is generally terrible, the special effects are subpar, and the writing is mediocre.

The weakest part of the performance is Bruce Willis'. This once-respected actor has developed a habit of showing up in low-budget films and snoring through them. Every single one of them this year has been as horrible as the last, and it is obvious that the actor no longer cares about his work or his devoted followers. It's safe to say that Willis' career has now effectively over, which is unfortunate given the calibre of the films he starred in during the 1980s and 1990s.

COVID-21: Lethal Virus

The Covid virus is already extremely harmful, but for some reason, filmmakers have chosen to further harm the planet by making films about it. Now, typically we wouldn't rip on low-budget films as much. There will undoubtedly be some snags along the way, and the acting will never be as good as that of its Hollywood equivalents.

However, this low-budget zombie apocalyptic thriller disastrously exploits the COVID pandemic. We simply had to include it on this list despite the project's atrocious VFX, equally bad editing (one scene depicts sunlight, the next night), and clunky plot.

Vanquish

Vanquish is without a doubt the year's worst film, in this writer's opinion. Unless you think you have what it takes to conquer your suffering as you sit through this disaster, avoid this lousy action movie with hardly any action and a plot that could be scribbled on the back of a cornflake. Another attempt to make Ruby Rose into an action star, she plays the caretaker to Morgan Freeman's ex-cop in the film. She is sadly mostly squandered here because she doesn't get to show off her acting chops or physical prowess.

After being blackmailed by Freeman, who kidnaps her daughter, our protagonist embarks on a number of escapades as part of the plot, what little there is of it.

There is no apparent justification for why he does this; the only thing that justifies it is the fact that he is not the heroic ex-cop that many people mistakenly believe him to be. Though the actor should have known better than to continue working with the director (George Gallo), the film is a sad waste of Freeman's talents. They previously collaborated on Poison Rose, one of 2019's worst films, and that was just as hard to see as this haphazard borefest.