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Hello, everyone! With the year of 2023 in full swing, it’s time to exam the “worst” and “best” movies of the year. It took me a little bit longer than expected to get this particular list done (longer than intended due to my back catalogue of 2023 movie reviews that needed to get done), but here we are and I’m happy to share it.
In truth, 2023 saw a number of pretty “bad” films. Whether by a flat story, bad acting, weak writing, or poor execution, these movies were just plan horrible with little to no interest in purchasing a ticket to see it theaters, buy / rent it for its home release a few months later, or even streaming it on the various platforms.
Naturally, I have a “Best” movies of 2023, but let’s get the bad ones out of the way first. Here’s my personal top ten worst movies of 2023. But before I begin, here are some other “horrible” (I mean dishonorable) runner-ups that almost made it on my top ten worst move list of 2023.
Runner Ups
(click on the picture for full review)
PRISCILLA
“Another side, another story”
TROLLS BAND TOGETHER
“A colorful, yet weak (and tiresome) threequel”
M3GAN
“Mechanically formulaic”
AND NOW…. MY TOP TEN!!!
10: Peter Pan & Wendy
Rating: 2.7 Out of 5
Review: Peter Pan & Wendy Review
The story of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan is the stuff of childhood memories, filled with endless adventures with pirates, fairies, lost boys, and famous “boy who wouldn’t grow up” mythos. Director David Lowery’s 2023 film Peter Pan & Wendy takes the iconic tale of the Peter Pan character (as well as Disney’s 1953’s animated classic) into a live-action treatment that captures the traditional manner of the narrative, while also interject a few new ideas and more grounded tale of realism. While the director’s signature style (directing and visual presence) is felt throughout and a solid performance from Jude Law, the rest of the movie feels quite underwhelming and lacks that magical spark of its source material, especially when considering a more realistic depiction of certain aspects, a rushed narrative progression, several odd creative decisions, and a few unmemorable characters / performances. Like all Peter Pan endeavors, the potential is there and there are some interesting bits to make it different from past projects, including a deeper narrative in a few parts, but the movie itself seem quite rushed and lacks the adventurous excitement that is customary to the tale. Everything just seems very hodgepodge and that’s disappointing. It wasn’t as terrible as 2022’s Pinocchio, but isn’t saying much. While Disney will continue to reinvent and reimaging some of their beloved animated classic, Peter Pan & Wendy takes a few steps forward, yet takes a few more steps back in its undertaking, with the feature stands as a somewhat cautionary tale for Disney when adapting their animated tale into new mediums. Sadly, this movie just simply finds a new deeper insight meaning in otherwise non-magical adventure.
9: 65
Rating: 2.7 Out 5
Review: 65 Review
There are movies that talk about history by gazing into the past and telling stories from different eras and time periods and then there are movies that takes a closer look at “predated” history by promising a glance into the prehistoric age of Neanderthals, cavemen, dinosaurs, and a menagerie of primal indigenous wildlife. There’s something fantastic about these types of movies, bringing a cinematic lens by pulling away the veil of ancient and primordial world into our own world, with the juxtaposition of life and survival during such dangerous times. The film 65 explores that time period, with director Scott Beck and Bryan Wood taking an interesting “what if?” scenario and runs with it by having an advanced civilization man let stranded on Earth during the prehistoric age and how he must survive in the classic “kill or be killed” scenario. However, a great majority of the film is undercooked and underserved by a lackluster script, a thinly sketched plot, and a derivate progression trajectory. The visual effects were okay, and I thought that Driver and Greenblatt were good in the movie, but such an interesting concept of “past meets future” is squandered with such blandness and derivate nature of survival on an alien world. There was potential in this project, but such potential is progressively diminished as the movie plows forward. In the end, 65, while promising with its gimmick concept, just comes off as an unmemorable and forgettable endeavor of a bareboned sci-fi exploration into Earth’s pre-historic past.
8: Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken
Rating: 2.5 Out of 5
Review: Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken Review
DreamWorks has produced some stellar animated projects over the years from Shrek to Kung Fu Panda and even How to Train Your Dragon, which have launched into their own franchise tags at DreamWorks. However, this cartoon studio has delivered several DOA (dead-on-arrival) endeavors that are rather forgetful and bland such as Boss Baby and Turbo. Sadly, DreamWorks’s 2023 release of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken falls into the latter category. While the animation was colorful, the themes admirable, and the voice talents welcoming, the film itself never rises to occasion and becomes problematic from the get-go, including a weak plot, rushed narrative, predictable / formulaic moments, and a cookie cutter characters. It’s not completely terrible per say, but it’s rather below average throughout the whole viewing experience, but everything about the movie felt like it’s been done before in better narratives and presentations. It’s definitely not the best that DreamWorks has come up with. Perhaps, if released years ago, (somewhere in the early 2010s era) the movie could’ve found a better reception. As it stands, it pales in comparison to other cartoon movie releases of 2023 (The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Nimona). In the end, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, while having its intent and heart in the right place, ends up being a rather generic and recycled fanfare for an underwhelming and forgettable animated feature.
7: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Rating: 2.4 Out of 5
Review: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Review
The DCEU showcased plenty of promise when it first began in 2013 with the release of Man of Steel, launching a cinematic superhero universe that was populated with some of the famous comic book heroes in DC’s arsenal. In 2023, the DCEU reached an unsatisfying conclusion with its final releases coming out, with the very last one being Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. While the movie has some interesting ideas in a few good moments, a great art direction presentation (as well as solid score), and a familiar cast of returning players from the first Aquaman feature (a great chemistry between Momoa and Wilson), the film itself is quite the unbalanced and derivate by borrowing elements from other superhero themes and motifs, having a rushed narrative, a clunky script, and too much comedy. The truth of the matter is that the movie is too self-aware of its humor and goofiness, clunky in how it handles narrative progression and exposition dumps, and too fragmented within its paper thin characters. For a follow-up endeavor to the 2018 film….it’s a bit underwhelming and undercooked, which is quite the shame, especially since this would be the last outing for both Jason Momoa’s Aquaman (presumably) and the last entry in the DCEU series. I have very little interest in revisiting / rewatching this movie….it just doesn’t have much to view it again. In the end, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a follow-up sequel is a visual superhero romp that, while amusing at times, is an endeavor that is too self-aware for its own good and ends up being a rather disappointing presentation for the proclaimed protector of the sea.
6: My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
Rating: 2.3 Out of 5
Review: My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 Review
Belated movie sequels continue to be a commonplace practice of recent years, with multiple titles being produced in recapturing the original source material through projects that advance the narrative forward or go back into the past to uncover unexpected origins. In the case of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, the follow-up successor to the 2017 film and third installment in this franchise, this particular belated sequel does little to advance plot nor show the relevance in this tired-out series. While the movie still offers plucky story and quirky fun as well as solid visual presentation, the film itself is riddled with poor execution, especially from its inexperienced directional work, a jumbled script, poor pacing, mostly stale humor, the underutilization of its cast and the lackluster (and unfinished) characters. The whole endeavor feels too disjointed, too rushed, and too crammed to make a wholesome / cohesive project. It was fun to see the cast again, but (again) there was too much going on and too little time to spend with most of them. If this movie is to close out the franchise, it ends on unsatisfying note, which is disheartening to say the least. Overall, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 tries to emulate the same type of “Greek magic” of what made story of the Portokalos family so loveable, but unsuccessfully executes its tale with too many vagueness and a mashed together story for a disjointed and forgettable threequel presentation.
5: Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire
Rating: 1.9 Out of 5
Review: Rebel Moon: Part One – Child of Fire Review
The Star Was universe is a big sandbox to play, expansive not just for its cinematic representation, but for how much it has branched out to other mediums and media outlets to delve deeper into its mythos and lore. It’s something that not many other franchise series have been able to do. In 2023, director Zack Snyder tried to carve out his own slice of sci-fi space opera storytelling with the movie Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire but failed in his attempt. The problem? Well, the film itself ultimately fails to connect with its audience, which is mostly due to the part of the film’s derivate nature, lackluster narrative, generic dialogue lines, numerous expositional dumps, rushed story progression, spotty visual effects, and forgettable stock-like characters from a recognizable, but wasted acting talents. It’s mostly a derivate piece of work, which has been done far better in other similar endeavors. I can definitely see where Snyder was trying to go with the story and the movie in general, but such aspiration flounder in such unoriginal and uninteresting elements that make up the movie, which is truly a shame. This was one movie that definitely was not worth the hype….and I think many will agree with me on that. In the end, Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire is a failure on multiple levels, with its anticipation not reaching the lofty aspirations that Snyder was hoping for and just utterly being a soulless and completely derivate space opera bore.
4: Expend4bles
Rating: 1.7 Out of 5
Review: Expend4bles Review
Much like what I mentioned above about belated sequels, the Expendables film series started pretty strong, reminiscing to the classic and gritty action movies of yesteryear with big-time action stars. What started out as a throwback to that genre, snowballed into something that failed to connect with audiences in some of the latter attempts, which rendered the Expendables franchise closed. However, that wasn’t the case as 2023 saw the return of the series with Expend4bles and this once again provides that the franchise needed to end a long time ago. Majority of the feature hits the ground and falls flat on its face, which is mainly due to Waugh’s direction, a derivate plot / story, clunky dialogue, terrible CGI renderings as well as several stale action bits, uninteresting new characters, and wasted potential on some of the returning veterans. To be fair, I really didn’t expect a whole lot from this movie, but I was expecting something far better than what was presented. Everything about this movie felt subpar and utterly derivate. Some might say that’s part of the “appeal” of the Expendables movies as a “classic gritty and mindless action” flick, but one cannot overlook how lazy and bland this movie is…collectively speaking. In short, Expend4bles is quite the lackluster and disappointing endeavor that fails to deliver on its action premise potential in a lazy, tasteless, and totally expendable sequel.
3: Meg 2: The Trench
Rating: 1.6 Out of 5
Review: Meg 2: The Trench Review
The Meg was sort of a surprise hit back in 2018, with the feature, while not inherit spectacular, was able to garnish quite a large sum of revenue at the box office worldwide. Flash forward several years later and The Meg 2: The Trench, the follow-up sequel, came to theaters in 2023 and it far from a stellar next chapter in this tale of “man vs. beast” action survival endeavor. Why? Well, the movie itself underwhelmingly bad and tasteless with very little bit, especially after factoring Wheatley’s direction, a bland story, wonky third act narrative, superfluous subplots that don’t go anywhere, formulaic plot progression, too much goofy absurdities, bad attempts of humor, and undercooked characters. I knew that the movie was probably going to be this way, so my expectations for this sequel to be quite low. The abundance of such cheesy scenes was also a bit too goofy and cheesy and (to me) lacked any type of fun that the film was trying to project. I didn’t particular care for the first Meg movie, but (at the very least) is far superior in being coherent and put together than this follow-up installment. If you like predator survival type features, you can find something better than this particular endeavor. Even if you are a fan of Statham, you’ll enjoy one of his other movies out there than this one. In the end, The Meg 2: The Trench tries to find its footing with absurd nature of shark encounters and deadly survival prowess, but it ends up being a rather dull affair with plethora of unhumorous bits and a patchworked shark frenzy sequel.
2: Shotgun Wedding
Rating: 1.4 Out of 5
Review: Shotgun Wedding Review
Singer / actress Jennifer Lopez has made a name of herself throughout the years, with the superstar finding a special niche corner in the filmmaking world with variety of romantic comedies every often. In 2023, Lopez geared up for a more action-comedy project with the release of Shotgun Wedding and it did not bode well. The movie itself suffers greatly from a below average blandness and being too much on autopilot, including poor direction, an incredible unoriginal and bland script, an unfunny and corny jokes that don’t go anywhere, a generic plot that’s utterly derivate, a waste of the acting talent, and a lackluster characters that really do much beyond their stereotypical caricature wedding personas. This is one of those movies that sounds good on paper, but comes off as poorly conceived in its execution. The potential is clearly there for a memorable romantic comedy feature, but everything about the project is just formulaic and bland as they come. Such a disappointment. Save your money (and your time), you’ll thank me for it. And if you are a fan of J-Lo…. just watch The Wedding Planner or Marry Me. Trust me, you’ll get far more mileage and enjoyment from either of those two movies than you do with this one. In the end, while the romantic comedy premise of weddings and marital bliss will continue to be a narrative forefront for the genre, Shotgun Wedding is a clear and present reminder that not all films are created equally and that this particular project is a “bullet to the brain” bore.
1: Freelance
Rating: 1.3 Out of 5
Review: Freelance Review
So, what could beat out a boring Peter Pan adaption, an ambitious (yet utterly derivate) space opera, a terrible misfire of a J-Lo romantic comedy, and a bland superhero sequel blockbuster….one word Freelance. Yes, 2023 did indeed see a lot of “bad movies”, but the film Freelance was definitely scrapping the bottom of barrel of cinematic productions out there.
Directed by Pierre Morel, this latest film takes a more comedic approach to his action genre filmmaking style, with a narrative that tries to mix the two together for a romp of military action style sequences that rubs up against goofy angst and comedy quips abound, while also focusing on the “underneath” layer of characters amongst the main roster of heroes and villains. While the movie does try to elevate its story with a recognizable acting pool of actors / actresses and tries to give a credence measure of comedic points and character-based moments, the movie itself is quite abundantly poorly conceived and poorly executed, especially with Morell’s direction, a derivate (and generic) script, bad dialogue, terrible (and dated) comedy jokes / gags, clunky progression, dated CGI renderings, bland throwaway characters, and severely underdeveloped pull from the cast involved on this project. There was definitely some potential within the first twenty or so minutes of the film, but after that, the movie fizzles out rather quickly, becoming more of a dumpster fire chore to watch. Everything about this movie is so derivatively cliché….and not in a good way. It was a very dull story, duller action, DOA (dead on arrival) comedy, and practical waste of acting talent, with many recognizable names not properly utilized. I didn’t expect much from this movie, so I wasn’t expecting anything grand or mind-blowing, but I was definitely expecting a far better movie than what was presented as the final cut of the film. If you like action, get your adrenaline filled kicks elsewhere. If you like comedy, you’ll get better chuckles on other endeavors. If you were interested in the cast attached, you’ll find them on some of their other projects. In short, Freelance is jumbled “hot mess” of a movie that is quite limp and flat production that never gets off the ground and is far less effective picture of the action-comedy variety.
And is for that reason why Freelance is (by my opinion) the worst movie of 2023.
There you have it…my top ten worst movies of 2023. Of course, I did skip some movies in theaters, so there some bad movies of 2023 that I didn’t see. So, what do you guys think? What was your top ten worst movies of 2023? Check back soon and I’ll be posting my personal top ten best movies of 2023…
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