There’s by no means been a summer time film season and not using a few turkeys to associate with all the blockbusters. The summer time of 2024 was no exception. After rebounding from a delicate begin in Might, the film studios had an excellent summer time on the field workplace. However now that the season is coming to an finish, it’s time to look again on the 5 worst summer time 2024 films as nicely.
A few of our picks barely made an impression throughout their brief keep in theaters. And the highest two selections beneath solely got here out throughout the final two weeks earlier than they instantly earned their respective locations on this listing. In truth, the road between the 2 worst films of summer time 2024 is so skinny that swapping No. 1 and No. 2 wouldn’t be out of the query. Regardless, we stand by our rankings of the 5 worst summer time 2024 films.
5. Tarot
Sony Photos Releasing
To be truthful, Tarot would have been a horrible film at some other time of the 12 months as nicely. It simply occurred to return out in the course of the first weekend of the summer time. It’s primarily a low-rent Ultimate Vacation spot riff, as a bunch of engaging younger pals, together with Haley (Harriet Slater) and her ex-boyfriend, Grant (Adain Bradley), mess around with some cursed Tarot playing cards. And the following factor you already know, every member of the group is being stalked by a determine from the Tarot deck who has come to life.
This movie can’t appear to seek out the power to be both scary or attention-grabbing, and its comically inept at being a horror film. And but it nonetheless made much more cash than both the highest two movies on this listing might ever handle.
4. Harold and the Purple Crayon
Sony Photos
Final 12 months, Zachary Levi headlined Shazam! Fury of the Gods, one of many worst superhero flicks of 2023… and that’s saying one thing! Levi’s not having a lot luck in 2024 both, because of Harold and the Purple Crayon. This adaptation of Crockett Johnson’s traditional kids’s guide forged Levi as Harold, as he enters the true world to search for his father/creator alongside Moose (Lil Rel Howery) and Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds).
The issue is that Levi’s man-child routine was already previous in Fury of the Gods, and Harold and the Purple Crayon lacks the attraction it must work as an actual story. If Levi stays on this chilly streak, then he gained’t be getting many extra main roles after this.
3. Poolman
Vertical
Chris Pine, don’t stop your day job… no matter that’s. Pine starred in, co-wrote, and directed Poolman, a movie that looks like it got here into being when the actor noticed the Coen brothers‘ The Huge Lebowski and Roman Polanski’s Chinatown earlier than deciding that he wished to try this too.
Pine’s character, Darren Barrenman, is like an environmentally acutely aware model of Jeff Bridges’ Dude, who’s thrust into an obvious land and water scandal in Los Angeles. It’s the sort of story that’s been instructed earlier than, however this movie lacks the instruments to make this remix worthwhile by itself deserves.
2. Borderlands
Lionsgate
Who’s chargeable for making such a large number out of Borderlands? Is it Eli Roth, the director of report? Or is it Deadpool helmer Tim Miller who got here in to direct the reshoots? Both method, that is an terrible film that completely squanders an amazing forged together with Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, and Jamie Lee Curtis. At the very least Jack Black will get a number of humorous strains as Claptrap.
Maybe Borderlands might have labored as an R-rated movie, because it was initially supposed by Roth. As a PG-13 flick, it comes off as a seventh-rate Guardians of the Galaxy knock-off, which appears much more inferior when it ran up towards Deadpool & Wolverine. It additionally doesn’t assist that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 got here out simply 15 months in the past, so it’s not like the unique mannequin wasn’t contemporary in our minds. If this film had even been half pretty much as good as Marvel’s sequel, then we might have forgiven a number of its flaws. As a substitute, it’s an epic box-office catastrophe which will lose someplace round $100 million for Lionsgate and the remainder of the manufacturing corporations behind it.
1. The Crow
Lionsgate
Someone at Sony ought to ship Lionsgate a fruit basket. Between Borderlands and The Crow, Madame Internet is not the worst film of 2024. In truth, it’s not even the worst comic-book film of 2024 now that The Crow has desecrated the reminiscence of the 1994 authentic film. Keep in mind how spectacular the late Brandon Lee seemed in his full Crow make-up? Are you able to recall how intimidating the Crow was when Eric Draven got here into his powers? There’s none of that on this film, and Invoice Skarsgård appears to be like like simply one other juggalo as a substitute of a supernatural avenger of the evening.
On paper, casting the star of Stephen King’s It feels like a incredible thought. Skarsgård was terrifying as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, and but his incarnation of Eric Draven doesn’t even come off because the Spirit Halloween cosplay model of Lee’s Crow. It’s simply Skarsgård’s worst revenge epic of the 12 months. All of the sudden, Boy Kills World doesn’t look so dangerous by comparability.
As a lot as we’re harping on Skarsgård’s efficiency and look, it’s not all his fault. Director Rupert Sanders and the screenwriters personal this colossal misstep that manages to empty the originality out of The Crow. As a substitute of a mortal villain, the dangerous man, Vincent Roeg (Danny Huston), is actually somebody who’s sending souls to hell. And the film stops lifeless in its tracks for an prolonged romance montage with Eric and Shelley (FKA Twigs) as in the event that they’re fully oblivious about Roeg focusing on her. There’s actually nothing that redeems this film, and it makes a powerful case that The Crow ought to be retired once more… perhaps completely.
