The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t the only disappointing thing to come from 2021. There was also a handful of movies so tragically dire and unimaginative that subjecting yourself to these two-hour-long train wrecks can be classified as a modern-day torture method. According to the review aggregation website Metacritic, these rankings accurately list all the 2021 releases from best to worst. We Got This Covered has addressed the candidates for the very best movies of the year, so to maintain balance, we’re taking stock of some of the very worst. This list begins with movies one could consider “less bad” to those that are “downright unwatchable.”
Diana: The Musical
Granted, Diana: the Musical isn’t a feature film, but a recorded performance was added to Netflix; therefore, it makes the list. Diana: The Musical chronicles the life and death of Diana, Princess of Wales, but according to critics, the theatrical display was less of a well-rounded tribute and more like walking into a performance of The Play That Goes Wrong. Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair wrote this: “This is not a considered look at someone’s life; it’s a cash-in that just wants to get to the tragic end, hoping that the audience will convince themselves that they felt something along the way.”
Infinite
Mark Wahlberg is notorious for his involvement in a wide range of movies and genres, but Wahlberg-led flicks seem to possess a common denominator: they either suck or they’re great. There is rarely an in-between reaction when indulging his latest endeavor. We all remember the Ted franchise. Infinite garnered unfavorable comparisons to similar films such as The Matrix and received heavy criticism for its performances and screenplay. Alison Willmore for Vulture wrote: “Infinite feels like a depressing fable about the movie industry.”
Blithe Spirit
Blithe Spirit was based on the 1941 play of the same name by Noël Coward, and upon its release, many critics seem to think that Coward’s work should have remained untouched. Considering Blithe Spirit‘s promising premise and cast, it failed to live up to the expectations set by its source material. Jenny Nulf for The Austin Chronicle wrote: “Completely miscast with uninspired production, this remodeling of Blithe Spirit is a faint shadow of its [Noël] Coward roots, a resurrected retired poltergeist without its same purpose or vigor.”
The Misfits
James Bond alum Pierce Brosnan spearheaded The Misfits, a heist action film set in the Middle East. Despite a favorable cast, The Misfits left a bad taste in the mouths of critics. It can safely be said that The Misfits doesn’t live up to Brosnan’s reputable portfolio and the Bond glory days are far behind him. Brian Tallerico for RogerEbert.com wrote: “The characters are bland, the dialogue is atrocious, the action is mediocre, and even the heist is a boring bust.”
Breaking News in Yuba County
Even Allison Janney, acting legend and recipient of numerous accolades, couldn’t prevent the commercial and critical failure of Breaking News in Yuba County. Following Janney’s role as LaVona Harding [Golden] in I,Tonya, there were high hopes for Janney to continue her winning streak and snatch another Academy Award, but the comedy crime-drama flopped at the box office. Ryan Lattanzio for IndieWire wrote: “It’s the kind of movie that seems to suck your soul out while you’re watching it, variably crass and slapstick humor landing with a bloody thud.”
American Skin
As the Black Lives Matter movement dominated news stories and social media, American Skin made its debut. Following the George Floyd incident, there seemed to be a global uproar against law enforcement — particularly in America. Interestingly, despite its ranking on this list, American Skin was voted the “Best Film” in the Sconfini Section of the Venice Film Festival. Tim Grierson for Screen Daily wrote: “Infuriatingly manipulative and insufferably preachy, American Skin examines the cultural issues tearing apart U.S. society and reduces them to cheap theatrics.”
Midnight in the Switchgrass
Randall Emmett’s directorial debut Midnight in the Switchgrass, which stars an ensemble cast led by Megan Fox, promised great things but couldn’t deliver. The American crime thriller based on a real Texas serial killer falls short of other like-minded biopics and dramatizations by favoring generic action and trying to profit on the buzz provided by co-stars Megan Fox and Bruce Willis. Ferdosa Abdi for Screen Rant wrote: “Although the film’s narrative is passable at best, it struggles to maintain any momentum due to uninteresting characters and predictably bad writing.”
The Virtuoso
For a household name like Anthony Hopkins, such a poorly-received film reflects badly on the actor’s stalwart reputation. The Virtuoso is a long way from The Silence of the Lambs, and maybe Hannibal Lecter shouldn’t have retired so soon. Co-stars Anson Mount and Abbie Cornish are too forgettable to be a powerhouse marketing duet. Peter Debruge for Variety wrote: “[Anthony] Hopkins isn’t awful in The Virtuoso, but the movie that surrounds him is.”
Music
Singer-songwriter Sia makes her directorial debut in Music, an aptly-titled musical drama. Unfortunately, the poor reception makes it evident that Sia should stick to songs and leave filmmaking to the professionals. Music was nominated for four Golden Raspberry Awards, winning Worst Actress for Kate Hudson, Worst Supporting Actress for Maddie Ziegler and Worst Director for Sia. Bilge Ebiri for Vulture wrote: “An old-fashioned piece of shameless hokum, Sia’s Music might be hilarious if it weren’t so offensive.”
Vanquish
Given the historically successful roles of leading stars Ruby Rose and Morgan Freeman, action thriller Vanquish falls surprisingly flat on its back. Undoubtedly, deeming the movie one of the worst films of 2021, Peter Sobczynski for RogerEbert.com hammered the final nail in the coffin, when he wrote: “a rehash of genre cliches that is so dull, threadbare, and bereft of thrills that the one time that its one moment of genuine excitement comes when our heroine enters a bar where danger is allegedly afoot, and the television in the background is showing curling.” He added, “the kind [of film] that almost makes the DTV drivel that Steven Seagal has been churning out for the last couple of decades seem focused and committed by comparison.”
