8. The Matrix Revolutions
The second sequel of the mega-critical and audience hit The Matrix, The Matrix Revolutions received mixed to negative reviews, unlike its two counterparts, especially the first film in the trilogy, which is now considered a classic. Some people considered the ending of the film to be anti-climatic.
Additionally, some critics regard the film as less philosophically ambiguous than its predecessor, The Matrix Reloaded. Critics had difficulty finding closure pertaining to events from The Matrix Reloaded, and were generally dissatisfied.
Like many films on this list, it was financially successful, raking in $427 million worldwide, against a $150 million budget. The film was hyped as the epic conclusion of an epic trilogy, but The Matrix Revolutions did not live up to this hype, and it has been thought of as the weakest in the trilogy.
9. Godzilla (1998)
A reimagining of the incredibly popular Japanese monster movie of the same name, Godzilla, German director Roland Emmerich’s version, reimagined the entire character among other things. The criticism that highlighted the film included the film’s script, acting, and directing. The main focus of the criticism was focused on the drastic reinvention of the monster himself, deviating from the source material of the Japanese classic.
The planned sequels were canned and even the director and producers admitted the film had plenty of faults, and Emmerich was “never a big Godzilla fan”. On a positive note, Godzilla made $379 million. However, audiences, the critical mass at large, and the original creators of the Godzilla monster hated it and it did not live up to the hype.
10. Alien vs. Predator
Alien. Predator. Two classic monsters who dominated the big screen, brought together in one movie? Are you excited? So was everyone else. However, in the hands of director Paul W.S. Anderson, the matchup featured dull dialogue, cardboard characters, a surprising PG-13 rating, fast-paced editing during the fighting sequence, and poor lighting, among other complaints.
The film even received a Golden Raspberry nomination for worst remake or sequel. Positively, Alien vs. Predator earned $172.5 million and a sequel was made The collaboration of two classic horror figures was highly anticipated, but it did not live up to the hype.
11. J. Edgar
An Oscar nomination for Leonardo DiCaprio. That was expected for his portrayal of the hard-nosed leader of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover. He did receive that nomination, even though his performance was praised and deemed one of the saving graces of the film, the film itself received mixed reviews. Some critics called the film one of the year’s best, while others knocked it for its clunky make-up design and poorly paced plot.
J. Edgar was supposed to be an Oscar contender, but instead the film squandered into obscurity. The film is far from flawless, but it is not bad by any means, it was at that point, Clint Eastwood’s best film since Letters of Iwo Jima, but with such hype of the partnership of Eastwood and DiCaprio, and a script written by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black, it seemed like a sure thing. It wasn’t, and it did not live up to the hype.
12. Twilight
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson were virtually unknown until this adaptation of the massively successful set of novels by Stephenie Meyer. Now they are global superstars. In the months leading up to the film’s release, you could not walk down a school hallway without seeing at least one student reading Twilight.
Even without huge stars or a massive budget, the film sold itself. Even if you hadn’t read any of the addicting books, your girlfriend or your mom probably dragged you to the theater to see it. The film was financially successful, raking in $392 million at the box office.
It also spawn four sequels, based on the other books in the Twilight franchise. However, unless you were a kid, or a teenage girl, chances are, the movies didn’t do it for you. The first film received mixed to negative reviews, and the ratings only went down as the sequels kept coming. Unless your little teenager heart was waiting for the next step in Bella and Edward’s relationship, these films did not live up to their hype.
13. The Great Gatsby (2013)
The Great Gatsby. The book, especially for young people, harkens back to when we were forced to read it in high school. Then Baz Luhrmann and his special blend of A-list actors and A-list designers made the film look like the only party to go to. That was the trailer of course.
The Great Gatsby had a modern soundtrack produced by Jay-Z, with a buzz single “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey. The film also had costumes that inspired a line at Brooks Brothers and jewelry that inspired a line at Tiffany & Co. The all-star cast, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, and Joel Edgerton, peaked the interest of mainstream audiences.
Some even thought that Dicaprio would receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Gatsby. This adaptation, however, was style over substance and although financially successful, received mixed reviews and inspired some misguided parties.
14. Pearl Harbor
Straight from everyone’s favorite explosion with a movie camera, Michael Bay, Pearl Harbor was hyped up to be the next historical disaster, love story hybrid success, right after Titanic. Titanic was and continues to be successful, Pearl Harbor, while financially successful, was ravaged by critics for its shallow storyline, abundance of explosions, and boring love story.
The film was also found to be historically inaccurate on multiple fronts. However, the trailer brought amazing effects, brutal imagery, and a haunting voiceover. After watching that, audience thought this would be the next great American epic.
On top of the exciting trailer, Michael Bay, pre-Transformers franchise Michael Bay, and Jerry Bruckheimer, who previously packed theaters with Armageddon, were collaborating on this film. Similarly to Armageddon, Pearl Harbor won the box office battle, to the tune of almost $450 million, but the film lost the war with critics, and failed to live up to its epic hype.
15. Fifty Shades of Grey
With the most watched movie trailer of 2014, Fifty Shades of Grey was the talk of Hollywood and around the world for months. Based on the bestselling novel, the first of the Fifty Shades trilogy, Fifty Shades of Grey starring Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele and Jamie Dornan as the eponymous Mr. Christian Grey.
Their casting choices were part of the hype of the film, as fans were not so happy with the choices, and then there was the Charlie Hunman situation. Hunman was supposed to star as Grey, but he pulled out last minute.
People were looking forward to the adaptation for several reasons. Some wanted to know how hot it would be. Others wanted to know how shocking it would be, and some just wanted to know how stupid it would be. The film was released the day before Valentine’s Day 2015, a pretty down time for films during the year.
It was incredibly financially successful, breaking several records and earning over half a billion dollars. In the realm of public opinion and the minds of critics, it was a fail. Many were not expecting Fifty Shades of Grey to be all that good, but it certainly did not live up to any of the hype the film received.
Author Bio: Ryan Anderson is a sophomore at Miami University in Oxford Ohio, where he is studying Zoology and Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies. His love of classic cinema and film history keeps his love for film strong and ever-present in his life.