The film industry has had a long and storied history of producing fine art, fun shlock and just plain horrible garbage, in equal measure. For every Citizen Kane, there is a The Room, and for every Die Hard, there is an unwatchable Die Hard rip off. While 2021 had some truly fantastic films, like The Power of the Dog, The Green Knight, Dune, Titane, etc. audiences were also treated to some real stinkers. In this article, we are going to take a look at three terrible films that dropped in 2021.
Space Jam 2: A New Legacy
In 2021, twenty-five years after the release of the original Space Jam, Warner Bros. treated us to a sequel. Space Jam: A New Legacy, sees LeBron James take up Michael Jordan’s mantle, and play a game of basketball alongside the classic Looney Tunes, such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, etc. The original Space Jam was not a good film, but it remains a nostalgic part in many people’s hearts. Basketball is one of the biggest sports in the world, both in terms of fans and punters, as one could plainly see on this page. And there is not a person alive who has not heard of Bugs Bunny. Yet, the film’s flopping at the box office came as no surprise. Most people were unenthusiastic to start with, as it would seem that Hollywood greatly overestimated the amount of nostalgia that people had for the original. And without that, Space Jam: A New Legacy ends up being little more than an overpriced commercial.
Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage
The first Venom movie, starring Tom Hardy, was received with a general consensus of “meh”. While some enjoyed the comical nature of the relationship between Eddy Brock and the Symbiote, some found the comedy to be a bit overplayed. So, it shouldn’t surprise the studio to find the generally terrible reviews the sequel was met with, when the quippy, Joss Whedon-style comedy was ramped up to 11, leaving very little room for serious moments, and character progression. Let There Be Carnage.
Unlike Space Jam 2, Let There Be Carnage has, at least some redeeming qualities, which made it stand out among audiences. The story isn’t serious, and it knows it. At no point does the film take itself seriously, and as a result, it is, at the very least, an enjoyable mess. If you are looking to turn your brain off, and have some fun, you can do much worse than Let There Be Carnage. For example…
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins
The history of the G.I. Joe franchise in cinema has not been a positive one. Yet, the original 2009 Rise of Cobra movie has its defenders. In 2021, the latest instalment in the series hit theatres, and disappointed the few fans that the franchise had left. Snake Eyes is one of the most popular G.I. Joe characters, which makes the film’s sting all the more painful. The worst part about the film, is that it tries so hard to divorce itself from everything that makes G.I. Joe so likable. The action, weapons, vehicles and colorful characters are all taken out of the film, and replaced with generic action sequences and a boring plot.
