2021 was another tough year for much of the world as we are still in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. That being said, the world has seen great strides as vaccines have become widely available as it continues to try and move on as movie theaters have consistently made a comeback and film festivals have made a resurgence though the recent omicron variant has threatened this progress. At the end of the day, this year still saw its fair share of films, some new and some holdovers from 2020, but what did I think of what this year had to offer? Check out my picks for the top 10 worst films of 2021 (along with information on how to watch/stream them in Canada and the United States)
- Space Jam: A New Legacy
Warranted or not, this year saw a reboot of 1996’s Space Jam entitled Space Jam: A New Legacy. Essentially the same plot and characters though with a more current NBA superstar in the form of Lebron James, the film is more or less a sub 2 hour ad for Warner Bros. and it’s HBO Max streaming platform. Simply trying to cram in as much as possible, it’s easy to forget that there was a story there if it could even be considered one. All of it amounts to a dull and overlong not to mention unfunny mess that is just lazy more than anything else. Lebron James can’t act and why did Don Cheadle ever agree to do this? (Now available on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in the United States)
- He’s All That
Another unnecessary reboot to come out this year was He’s All That, a gender-swapped version of 1999’s She’s All That. Obnoxiously pandering to the millennial generation, this predictable and unfunny watch will surely be a test for most viewers thanks to its character who are the absolute worst in spite of the film’s weak attempts to make them relatable. Though the material may be incredibly mediocre, at least its leads did bring some charm to the table, rising above if not marginally. The teens will flock to it but anyone older will simply be rolling their eyes as the film is destined to disappear in the infinite chasm that is Netflix’s catalog. (Now available on Netflix in Canada and the United States)
- Snake Eyes
The G.I. Joe action film series may never have been the best of films but it still has a fan base therefore the opportunity to leverage the property into more dollars via ticket sales or merchandise is there whether it deserves to happen or not. How do you make the origin story of a character who can’t talk? Snake Eyes goes back to the beginning and in the process, kills the charisma of Henry Golding with a dull and derivative mess full of origin story tropes made worse by terrible editing and camerawork and laughably-bad dialog. An action prequel with no interest in delivering a compelling story or action, the film tried to force a franchise out of it that just wasn’t there and hopefully will not be. (Now available to rent on most major platforms in Canada and the United States)
- Cherry
Tom Holland can’t be Spider-Man forever and the Russo Brothers won’t be directing MCU films forever but Cherry was probably not a good choice for either of them. While it’s a story deserving to be told, they were probably not the best choice to tell it. Though Holland was clearly too young and the Russos misguided and pretentious directing did not do it any favors, its terrible script was the true nail in the coffin. Apple TV Plus’ original film slate hasn’t been all bad, however, this film is certainly its worst offering so far. Holland does have it in him. That being said, he has to pick better roles. (Now available on Apple TV+ in Canada and the United States)
- The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard
The original Hitman’s Bodyguard was some stupid fun thanks to the chemistry of Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson but stupid fun has a shelf life as filmmakers can only tap into that well so many times. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard proves that adage. What was stupid fun has become just stupid and while that could very well still be enough for some viewers, this made this sequel a tougher and irritating watch. Doubling down on the insanity, the film’s lack of story allowed Reynolds, Jackson, and Salma Hayek to essentially riff off of one another. However, it just wasn’t funny and their characters are simply despicable. (Now available on Netflix in Canada and Spectrum Cable in the United States)
- Infinite
How does one begin to talk about the first Paramount+ original film? Infinite is your run-of-the-mill generic sci-fi action film with absolutely no energy or personality whatsoever, making for a dull and unintentionally-hilarious at times watch overall. Though it certainly has a budget behind it, who cares since the film’s writer, director, and actors certainly did not with the latter group merely treating the film as a paycheck. The exception to that was Chiwetel Ejiofor who camps it up as the film’s villain while Mark Wahlberg as the lead is basically sleepwalking through it. (Now available on Paramount+ in Canada and the United States)
- Tom & Jerry
Speaking of bland reboots and reimaginings, the live action Tom & Jerry film was easily the worst, amounting to torture. One just can’t help but feel bad for all involved as they mostly appeared to be there against their own free will. While something that is sure to appeal to younger viewers, the film is blandness personified, beating viewers over the head with stale slapstick humor and a dull story line with cringey and laughably-bad dialog which mostly sidelined the titular pair which would seemingly be the opposite goal of a film called Tom & Jerry. At least the 2D animation was sort of cool. (Now available on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in the United States)
- Awake
When it comes to Awake, that title is an oxymoron as viewers are likely to be the opposite while watching if they don’t find themselves laughing at this unintentional comedy. This ridiculous story is an absolute train wreck in pretty much every sense. This apocalyptic thriller is simply ridiculous while the derivative and thin story line certainly didn’t do it any favors. Putting a family front and center, it was hard to care about any of them but that being said, the actors weren’t exactly put in a position to succeed with horrendous dialog. Those looking to have fun may find some here but at the end of the day, it was just sad. (Now available to stream on Netflix in Canada and the United States)
- Don’t Breathe 2
The original Don’t Breathe had a cool premise, using sound as a tool for some psychological horror but it didn’t need a sequel. Nevertheless, here we are with Don’t Breathe 2, a film that put the despicable man that was Stephen Lang’s Norman Nordstrom front and center which was already problematic. A film that is nothing like the original, the film served as a redemption story of sorts but failed to give viewers any reason whatsoever as to why this should be the case. The film was essentially a lazy, directionless, cash-in with a groveling lead character so just don’t bother with this one. (Now available to rent on most major platforms in Canada and the United States)
- Thunder Force
If anything, Thunder Force proves that Melissa McCarthy should divorce her husband professionally and why did Octavia Spencer ever agree to be in something like this unfunny torture? (Now available on Netflix in Canada and the United States)
*still courtesy of Netflix
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.
