Failed Films With Potential

[WarBlade]

I'd say Waterworld is a good example.

Beat me to it. Stories of a storm destroying a set and Costner sinking $25 million USD into it to keep it afloat made this project more famous than the movie itself.

Ghost Rider is a personal sore point for me. It should have rocked, but it was just wrong!

Alien³ was famously troubled from concept to execution.

King Kong (2005) had clumsiness throughout. Plot decisions created pacing problems and even the 35mm film prints had reel joins mid-scene!!! W - T - F... Okay, so not exactly a complete face-plant, but should have been better.

Perfect Creature. There's a reason why this name doesn't ring any bells. And it's not because they cut my scene either.

Spider-Man 3. There, I said it. The idea had promise right up until some knucklehead thought Venom would be a good idea. Even then, the non-Venom content was pretty crappy and when your hero becomes an ******** performing Flashdance in the street, your movie could well have problems beyond studio interference.

Doctor Who (1996), need a better sonic screwdriver to switch it on.

What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? (1999), the little-known sequel to Once Were Warriors. Actually, maybe a sequel was a bad idea in the first place.

Terminator 3. Terribad. When the director abandons the road metaphor and the survival-of-life themes for a plotless collection of action scenes, then the director has failed to even see the target.


Time to stop before the list gets depressing.

 

[James]

What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? (1999), the little-known sequel to Once Were Warriors. Actually, maybe a sequel was a bad idea in the first place.

Turning Jake the Muss into a hero was never a good idea.

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

GATTACA

I first caught it years ago on HBO and loved it, very interesting look at how society in the future would treat people born genetically over people born the natural way.

I'm not really good at reviews you'd just have to rent it.

Gattaca didn't failed. It is critically acclaimed.

 

[moviedoors]

Battle Angel directed by James Cameron

That could still happen after the Avatar sequels. There's nothing official, but I know he's said he's still interested.

 

[co2]

Though not financial failures, these three hack me off because they should have been a slam dunk, but they were misguided, epic failures. I just try to ignore their existence. They all feel like sequels that took a piss on the mood and direction of their predecessors.

Alien Resurrection
Terminator 3
X-men 3

 

[Xtroid]

- Watchmen by Paul Greengrass. Unlike Snyder's version, this would actually have been interesting...

- Return of the Jedi by David Lynch.

I don't think Spiderman 3 was as bad as people made out.

It was still better than the first imo.

 

[Octoberist]

I second that. :|

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

The action in Spider-man 3 was far superior to that of Spider-man 1, but I don't think the drama was. Although I do think that the drama in SM3 was not as bad as folk make out, so i can see why someone would prefer it, if they don't think there is much there between them in that regard.
edit: the origin story was the strongest part of SM1, but as a result the story of him and the Goblin seemed rushed through to an extent. Just one of the pitfalls of the origin movie, you don't get as much of the actual sh story.

Paul Greengrass' Watchmen, yeah, it would have been interesting to see, but it would not have been a very good adaptation of the book.

I read a fair bit about it when it was being put together, there was a visit made to the pre-production offices by Empire magazine, and I read that online.
There was to be no 1985 setting, Dr Manhatten looked like a Tellytubby who had walked out of a lyposuction operation halfway through the procedure, and I don't think Paddy Constantine would have been a good fit for Rorschach. He is a good actor, so might have pulled of something decent, but nowhere as good as JEH, who is a major draw of the Snyder adaptation.
I'm pretty sure the script was based on one of the drafts that deviated from the book far too much.
I'd rather see an adaptation that was perhaps too slavish to the book, than one that disregarded much of it.

 

[Octoberist]

You can feel that Spidey 3 had...issues behind the scenes just by the weird tone. Also they dropped re ball with Venim, Harry's arc and I hated his butler, Mr. Exposition.

 

[Fanticon]

I'm surprised no one has yet to mention the Matrix trilogy...

I was completely satisfied with Reloaded but hated Revolutions. Sure a lot of the FX in part 2 look dated now but overall I think they just needed more time in post with number 3.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

You can feel that Spidey 3 had...issues behind the scenes just by the weird tone. Also they dropped re ball with Venim, Harry's arc and I hated his butler, Mr. Exposition.

There was some wonky directing in the 3rd film for sure. I agree the conclusion to Harry's arc should have been better, but it still had some great moments, and I thought Brock was more interesting here than in the comics.
The butler scene, c'mon, bringing that up is like bringing up the fact we all like to flush the toliet, no-one liked that scene, it was just one scene though.

 

[chamber-music]

Lost In Space - It was a fun Sci-Fi movie. Gary Oldman was solid and entertaining as always and Matt Le Blanc surprisingly didn't do too bad with the action hero role. William Hurt, Mimi Rogers and Heather Graham were also solid. Would of been cool to have seen the sequels they had planned.

Solomon Kane - Surpriesed it couldn't get a theatre release in the U.S. its the movie Van Helsing should of been. I have seen far worst movies get a cinematic opening. It got 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and I would give it 7/10. The 2nd half of the movie is a slight let down and a bit cliche also it didn't really need to be an origin story in the first film. Solomon Kane is like the man with no name travelling around kick ass you could say who he is in a sequel. His fellow Robert C. Howard character Conan is getting a release so perhaps that will generate intrest in folks checking out his other creations movie.

 

[Pittman4Two]

Judge Dredd.

I believe Stallone was a great casting for the role, but the liberties they took with the character were a little much.

 

[chamber-music]

Jumper would have been fantastic had it focused on Jamie Bell's character. He was freakin great in that movie

Yeah his character Griffin was a badass. Hayden's caharacter was unlikable. Tom Sturiddge was orginally cast in the role but was replaced at the last minute because Fox got cold feet about casting a relatively unknown actor in the role.

sunshine was awesome.

I also think Sunshine is great but I can understand why people don't like the third actor of the movie.

 

[Mace Dolex]

Gattaca didn't failed. It is critically acclaimed.

Well it failed at the B.O. I meant to reiterate.

Judge Dredd.

I believe Stallone was a great casting for the role, but the liberties they took with the character were a little much.

I actually started reading Judge Dredd comics because of the movie, it's just so over the top that it's become a guilty pleasure especially if you've seen The Nostalgia Critic's review on it.

 

[DACrowe]

You didn't like Burn After Reading?

I'd say Waterworld is a good example.

Not one of my favorites.

 

[Metallo]

- Return of the Jedi by David Lynch.

Dune by Ridley Scott. I've always wondered what could have been. I actually like Lynch's version but still...

 

[Octoberist]

Green Lantern? Wha?...Too soon?

 

[8wid]

Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods by Frank Darabont. No Mutt, no mac, no lackluster Marion.

 

[Octoberist]

Yeah, Indy 4.

BTW someone listed 'Temple of Doom' here and I love that movie. I like its take it or leave it tone and it destroys Indy 4.

 

[Doctor Jones]

And yet the script was uninspired in areas. It brought nothing much new except what stayed in the final film.

Batman Forever - whenever I think of missed opportunities I think of this. Do the research and you'll know why. It could have been the best Batman film before BB.

Return of the Jedi by Steven Spielberg - I don't even have to explain this

 

[Octoberist]

I did like the Return of the Jedi that we got, though it had some script problems. Like how Han and Lando automatically made-up during the Sarlac pit scene.

Or how Boba Fett died like a fool. I hated that even as a kid.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Yeah, and considering Han was the one who had to save Lando.

Yeah, and Fett could have gone some other way. But his character was more hyped up than what he really was going to be anyway.

Either that or he could have died by Ewoks.

Actually it would have been cooler if he had been on Endor. Maybe Han faces off against him or something.

 

[Metallo]

Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods by Frank Darabont. No Mutt, no mac, no lackluster Marion.

I've read for years that Lucas was the sole hold out on some of those scripts, including that one. Why am I not surprised?

And yet the script was uninspired in areas. It brought nothing much new except what stayed in the final film.

Batman Forever - whenever I think of missed opportunities I think of this. Do the research and you'll know why. It could have been the best Batman film before BB.

You mean the Batman Forever before Burton and Keaton left or Schumachers Batman Forever before it got hacked to pieces in the editing room? I'd loved to have seen either one instead of what we got. Marlon Wayans as Robin though...hmm

 

[8wid]

And yet the script was uninspired in areas. It brought nothing much new except what stayed in the final film.

Batman Forever - whenever I think of missed opportunities I think of this. Do the research and you'll know why. It could have been the best Batman film before BB.

Return of the Jedi by Steven Spielberg - I don't even have to explain this

There probably would have been Wookies on Endor enslaved to build the Emperor's new custom star destroyer to tempt Luke with, Han and Leia would have been put there after escaping Jabba's Palace, Luke goes to the volcanic core of Coruscant to meet the Emperor, Ben Kenobi comes back to life for awhile to fight the Emperor, Vader sacrifices himself in a pool of magma to destroy the Emperor.