It's that time of year again, folks. Lists will be feverishly populating the internet as every pop culture based website quickly finds themselves at the end of another 365 days of terrible film. 2019 definitely had some great releases that hit both the cineplexes and the streaming services. But there were plenty of horrendous movies as well. These are the editor's pick for the worst of the year at The Movie Sleuth in no particular order. We're sure many were missed. But these were the few that came to mind right off the bat. Enjoy.
Please comment below on what you think were some of the most terrible movies of the year!!!
 |
| Tarantino is going to kill us. Soon. |
The Haunting of Sharon Tate
Revisionist history can be fun when done right. Take the other movie that cleaned house this year. Tarantino's excursion into the Tate murders was done with absolute taste and verifiable cinematic style. On the other hand, The Haunting of Sharon Tate was an exploitation horror style film that truly had nothing to offer other than Hilary Duff's amazing performance. Other than that, the supernatural elements and violent murder scenarios were more than we ever needed. This was easily one of the most terrible movies we had the experience of watching in 2019. The director of this project is a really great guy, but he needs to switch formulas. His upcoming movie is a spin on the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson. Some things shouldn't be treated this way. Respect should be paid.
Yesterday
We've long been fans of Danny Boyle. From Trainspotting to 127 Hours, the man has done tons of illustrious work. Yesterday is not his best. Switching from the adult oriented drama that he's more accustomed to, Yesterday is a poorly executed work of an excellent premise. Sure, we all love The Beatles, but the fantastical world in which the band is forgotten about and one man takes up their legacy as the greatest song writers ever was terribly edited, drawn out too long, and doesn't know when to end. Categorically, this falls into the worst batch of the year and one that didn't get a high mark from us when it released.
Last Christmas
Trying to cash in on some of that Love Actually vibe, this was in theaters way too early and didn't really have a chance to line its pockets with some of that cold hard Christmas cash. Another chick flick that played heavily to standard tropes about sticky sweet, gooey love ended up being a flat footed affair that took Emilia Clarke down another notch on the food chain. Every new movie that tries to force her out of the Game of Thrones shell proves to be another epic or meandering flop. Last Christmas is just plain bad. It belonged on the Hallmark Channel, not in theaters. Clarke needs to get her house in order. Get a new agent. Seems the time is ripe.
 |
| Stop staring at my back like that. I know it's sexy. |
Serenity
When you try to mix an amazing cast of skilled actors with a terrible story, you get a pile of cinematic dung. Serenity is an ill conceived story that tries to blend '80s style domestic thriller with some strange content about alternate realities or whatever it was they were trying. Although its cast rises above the material they were provided, this thing was hard to sit through. Overlong and boring, with melodramatic performances from McConaughey and Hathaway, Serenity sits atop a throne of epic failures.
Men in Black: International
Where to start. Why? That's the question. Why? When you start a franchise with two dynamic lead men like Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones and you succeed at creating three massive box office hits, sometimes spinning off isn't such a great idea. Sure, Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth have this insane amount of tangible chemistry, but that's not enough to carry the torch for something that was extremely successful in the past. This was just another one of those ideas that didn't work. Sorry. It didn't. Make it stop. Unless the original cast can come back for another sequel, it's time to put this one to bed.
 |
| Brother, these TMS guys really hate us. They must not be about family. |
Hobbs and Shaw
This was probably my worst reviewed film of the year. I despised this train wreck. The problem is, is it really a film? The Fast and the Furious started off strong with this really slick story about fast cars and family. It's devolved into a special effects driven, box office juggernaut that's become a lame James Bond copycat franchise. Hobbs and Shaw was a HUGE money maker that will surely spin more sequels, prequels, and more new movies about side characters. But is it quality? No. This abomination of terrible visuals was hard to sit through and literally made me want to leave within the first fifteen minutes. Being that I love the Rock and Statham, this one hurt my brain.
Annabelle Comes Home
The Conjuring franchise continues to rake in dough. Each year, we're being given a new entry that further devolves how this entire thing started. The first film was a throwback to earlier times when evil lurked in the dark. We weren't always shown every bit of the scare factor. Annabelle Comes Home takes everything we loved and tosses it out the window for a movie that trades fear for cheese. Casting unleashed monsters at the screen repeatedly while teenagers flee for the lives just didn't work. This was a boring extension of a series that needs to go back to its core.
 |
| Take me back to Hawkins. Things are stranger but better there. |
Hellboy
We haven't seen this one popping up on many lists yet. And we're surprised. This rebooted Hellboy was a literal task to sit through. David Harbour does a phenomenal job as the hell spawn, but studio meddling, on set arguing, and total disregard for the fandom spun this thing out into a less than mediocre relaunch that really needed a better script and a tighter edit. Also, the special effects were nowhere near as good as the Del Toro films. Get with it.
Midway
Do us a favor. Keep Roland Emmerich away from big budget movies about war and destruction. He just can't help himself. Staying clear of any character development or story arc, this WWII movie gets it ALL wrong. Resting on the "star power" of Ed Skrein was the second mistake they made. No disrespect to anyone that was in the war, but this take on Midway is not anywhere near the quality of the original 1976 film that starred a who's who of top tier talent. This was a misfire and a bomb that truly should have stayed in the early development phases.
 |
| This caption says whoa. |
Replicas
For every awesome Keanu Reeves flick, there is an equally bad flick. Initially launched in 2018, this one saw its U.S. release in 2019. Replicas is one of those movies that begs, borrows and steals from every science fiction project under the sun. Nothing about this movie is believable including the performances, the story, the effects, and casual way it throws an every man into some inexplicable situation. We're fully on Team Keanu, but this sad sack of a movie really did its best to grate on every last nerve as it expelled its lackluster budget all over the screen with sheer dullery.
-CG