For my money, 2024 was a great year for film, so much so that I had a hard time coming up with a pure worst films list from the films I saw. There were, however, a few films that I had high expectations for that fell quite short of what I’d hoped. We’ll start with the disappointments and end with the worst. Disclaimer for the disappointing films: the films are not horrible or hard to watch. Their greatest flaw is not living up to the potential I believed they had. With that, let’s get into the list.
5. Kung Fu Panda 4
As what seems to be the case with more and more franchises –- there is a beginning, middle, end and sequel. After arguably the most fitting conclusion to the trilogy of films with Po having mastered mind, body and soul comes “Kung Fu Panda 4”. I was initially interested in the film because the trailers gave the impression that Po would be making the transition from warrior to teacher, a transition not often seen in film.
Po would be passing on the mantle of the Dragon Warrior to another person. The trailers and marketing did their job to get me progressively more excited to see how they would execute the transition. Unfortunately, the film felt fairly unremarkable, lacking in much of the charm and heart of the previous films. Glaring by their omission were the Furious Five, taking with them any tension of Po having to select one of his five friends to replace him, or their anxieties over not being picked again.
A great deal of rich character drama was left out. Instead, a new character is introduced, who right from the start is very clearly going to be the Dragon Warrior because they are the only other primary character besides Po making the final selection flat. The villain also lacks any kind of real menace or gravitas compared to the previous villains, instead using previous villains’ powers to accentuate her own.
Her threat is undercut by the fact it’s implied toward the end of the film that Po could’ve stopped the villain the entire time and only didn’t give the new Dragon Warrior a chance. I was left dissatisfied with the fourth outing in this world.
4. Disappointment — Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Anime and Lord of the Rings are two things I love, so imagine my enthusiasm when I first heard the two were being merged. I may have let both my imagination and expectations get the better of me because this film ended up being pretty forgettable, sporting a trodding plot and an okay story. No moment left a great impression upon me, no battle or character moment that sparked a passionate response. On the animation side, it failed to wow me or have a distinct style other than what a generic anime might look like, ultimately failing to bring me back to Middle-Earth.
I wasn’t sure what the characters were meant to accomplish or what their goals exactly were, leaving them all feeling flat. The characters and by extension the story felt like an excuse to reference stories that would happen after this one, which was a weird choice. This film, given my bias toward the two elements it was merging, didn’t have to try hard to impress me and yet it instead left no impression.
3. Joker Folie à Deux
What was easily my most anticipated film of 2024, ended up being the most disappointing and at times aggravating film of the year. Before completely tearing into it, what I will say in its favor is I respect the director and writer’s dedication to the themes and story they wanted to tell. I could see there was a clear, deliberate attempt to tell an interesting story. Moreover, the technical aspects of the film were very polished and some shots were downright beautiful. I will always appreciate a massive swing and a miss over a forgettable nothing movie.
Billed as a musical, I thought they would use the genre to their advantage, heightening Arthur’s already vivid delusions, and in the process offer a greater contrast between reality and fantasy. Sadly, the filmmakers only utilized the idea once, wonderfully highlighting Arthur’s reality against what he wanted the situation to be like. Every subsequent use of a musical moment is confused and detached, each one feeling more and more unnecessary. Instead of the musical feeling like a fresh twist on the increasingly more crowded comic-book film landscape, it came across as a futile attempt to be different.
Lady Gaga’s inclusion into the cast initially had me very excited. Pair her inclusion with the film being a musical and I had very high expectations. Sadly, the script and the music gave her little to do save being a mouthpiece for the theme. The songs she does get to sing aren’t very memorable either, leading to her role being underwhelming. The conversation concerning Arthur and Joker as dual personalities was fascinating –- the script calls into question if they are different people.
If the Joker is a trauma response or something more evil. Watching the switches between Arthur and Joker was well executed, especially the last time we see Joker before things go to hell. I think I still like this film more than most, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth. I would have much preferred I loved this movie, but instead, it gets to live in my head as a piece of media more interesting to think about than watch again.
2. The Damsel
The princess saves herself in this one and that is the first and last thing of any interest this film does. In an attempt to be different or subversive, the result ends up being a mediocre fantasy film that’s just a boring version of the knight slays the dragon. Actually, it’s more accurate to say the princess befriends the dragon to kill the real enemy: the evil queen. Really, besides the hook of subverting a classic fantasy trope, there isn’t really too much of a note going on. It trades one trope for a myriad of boring ones that aren’t very interesting. I think this film serves as an example that just because you subvert expectations doesn’t automatically make the story interesting, any trope can be well executed if propped up by engaging characters and a well-crafted story. I am glad I didn’t pay to watch this Netflix film in a theater.
And for the worst movie of 2024…
1. Madame Web
“Madame Web” is so terrible, it dissuaded me from watching the other Sony spin-off films that came out later in the year. I couldn’t believe how empty of a film this was, or how every attempt to be entertaining failed. I couldn’t take what I was watching seriously because it seemed like the people who made it weren’t taking it seriously.
Every wide-release film is made with the intention that it will make some money back, Hollywood deals at the intersection between art and commerce, yet this feels like a corporate cash-grab with no soul. I am glad this universe of films are being discontinued and that Sony hopefully learns these are not the kinds of films people want to see. Here’s hoping 2025 has better comic book film offerings, taking them from the gutter back to the limelight.
