The world of action movie filmmaking is full of air-touching highs and subterranean lows. For every Mad Max: Fury Road or The Raid: Redemption, there are dozens of mediocre action flicks that fade from moviegoers' minds as soon as they leave the theater. While the sea of poorly received action movies is primarily full of productions that most individuals would see as "dead on arrival," sometimes an action movie comes along with a story hook that makes it stand out from the pack.
No one will remember a bad movie with a mediocre premise. Still, a disappointingly executed story with a fascinating core idea could linger in viewers' minds for years. From the promising big blockbusters to one's driven by star pairs, action films known as "disappointing" are considered so for various reasons.
10 Battle: Los Angeles
2011
While hardly a truly revolutionary premise, there were many reasons for audiences to be excited for the 2011 sci-fi action flick Battle: Los Angeles. It may've had lack the star power of other similar films. Still, its marketing was exceptionally well done, reminding audiences of the advertisement built around other science fiction films like Cloverfield.
Lamentably, Battle: Los Angeles failed to impress critics and audiences alike. While hardly the worst movie of its kind, the baffling decision to film all the action sequences through nauseatingly sporadic cut-filled camera work made it near impossible to enjoy anything. It had some impressive moments, but the direction and cinematography turned Battle: Los Angeles into a choppy mess.
9 Hancock
2008
There was a time during the early a mid-2000s when Will Smith was a box office juggernaut. Consequently, anything starring Academy Award-nominated actor seemed destined for financial and moderate critical success. So when he took the lead role in the unique "superhero" film Hannock, expectations were high.
Despite the promise of a superhero movie featuring a main character who completely went against the core ideas of the genre, Hancock failed to leave a mark. While Smith and Charlize Theron give great performances, the script fails to live up to the idea's promise. Coupled with poor pacing, Hancock is only remembered as a forgotten oddity of the genre.
8 Mortal Kombat
2021
During the 90s and early 2000s, the world of video game adaptations was a dark and depressing medium. Hollywood couldn't make a good video game movie for years if their life depended on it. 1995's Mortal Kombat was seen as one of the better early video game movies. However, many felt it failed to match the popular game-fighting franchise.
2021's Mortal Kombat was a vast improvement over its 1995 predecessor. However, the decision to bring on a director who never made an action movie holds back many of the movie's best elements. Between the cut-heavy fight sequences and the messy way the writers chose to translate the game's universe, 2021's Mortal Kombat is another movie that could've been so much better than it was.
7 Jumper
2008
Of all the actors who took roles in Geroge Lucas's much-maligned Stars Wars Prequel Trilogy, Hayden Christensen might've come away with the most damage dealt to his career. While hardly all his fault, his bland and wooden performance as Anakin Skywalker has become well-known through memes and general bad film history in the social media age.
2008's Jumper allowed the actor to star in a film with an exciting sci-fi story about people called "Jumpers" who could teleport around the world. Coupled with director Doug Liman, this was the perfect way to get Christensen's career back on track. But, unfortunately, he failed to deliver an engaging performance, and the screenplay didn't fully commit to its unique hook.
6 Assassin's Creed
2016
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed franchise is one of the most recognizable and long-running IPs in all gaming. While the series is less critically acclaimed than it was during its early days, it continues to be a successful money-maker. So when it was announced that actor Michael Fassbender would star in a film adaptation, it was easy to see how awesome this movie could've been.
Directed by Justin Kurzel (best known for his excellent Macbeth adaptation), it seemed like Assiassn's Creed was set to break the long dreaded video game movie curse. Unfortunately, despite the talent, the screenplay was a jumbled mess that did a poor job of translating the world of the games, along with some sloppy action sequences; Assassin's Creed failed to hit the mark.
5 The Gray Man
2022
The directing duo of Joe and Anthony Russo essentially had free rein to make any movie they wanted following the release of Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Coming off one of the most financially successful movies ever made, the brothers looked to step away from the superhero genre. This brought them to direct 2022's The Gray Man.
Starring an all-star cast including Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana De Armas, The Gray Man was one of Netflix's biggest productions in their history. While moderately successful, The Gray Man failed to make the impact Netflix hoped, with criticism directed towards its messy plot and underdeveloped side characters. Considering the Russos' previous works, it's hard not to view The Gray Man as underwhelming.
4 Clash Of The Titans
2010
The early and late 2000s were dominated by studios trying to create multi-billion dollar film franchises. With the immense success of the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter movies, rival studios were desperate to form their long-running series. Studio Legendary Pictures decided to remake the 1981 fantasy epic Clash of the Titans in an attempt to build a fantasy franchise epic.
Clash Of The Titans generated a surprising buzz before its 2010 release, boasting impressive acting talent and a large budget. However, when the movie came out, critics blasted it for its wooden acting, terrible direction, and mind-numbing writing. While financially successful enough to earn a sequel. After Wraith of the Titans had an even worse reception, this potential series died a sudden death.
3 Uncharted
2022
Naughty Dog's Uncharted franchise is one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed IPs in all of gaming. The adventures of treasure hunter extraordinaire Nathan Drake have become one of the high watermarks of video game storytelling. As such, a movie adaptation always seemed inevitable. What wasn't as easily predictable was the production nightmare the movie would go through.
Over almost a decade, the Uncharted movie switched directors and writers while going through endless reshoots. There was every warning sign that the movie would disappoint. From the baffling decision to cast Tom Holland as Nathan Drake to the movie having to scrap entire scenes on the fly, it was little surprise when the movie limped into theaters and failed to make any impact.
2 Bright
2017
It's hard for anyone to make a unique universe. But, each year, people find ways to introduce more fictional universes, from the fantastical to the futuristic. So when Netflix secured the rights to produce Bright, it seemed like a massive win for the streaming service. Set in the modern world where humans live among fantastical creatures, Bright appeared to have the making of a big film franchise.
Unfortunately for Netflix, the film was blasted by critics. Its screenplay, which tried to focus on essential topics of racism and police corruption, was as heavy-handed as a bull in a China shop. Despite being one of Netflix's most streamed originals ever, the complete bashing Bright received has put a potential sequel much lower on Netflix's list of priorities.
1 Army Of The Dead
2021
Few filmmakers sparked such intense social media discussion as Zack Snyder. Despite being at the head of DC's utter failure to copy Marvel's winning formula, the director still has a vocal fanbase. While Snyder will never get to finish his terrible vision for DC, Netflix allowed him to make another big-budget movie.
2021's Army of the Dead focuses on mercenaries who must pull off a casino heist in a zombie-overrun Las Vegas. Snyder had complete control over nearly every aspect of the production. Army of the Dead was heavily criticized in nearly every aspect. From its screenplay being a poorer version of Aliens to the horrendous pacing and baffling camerawork, Army of the Dead is a prime example of a fun premiss being wholly fumbled.