Don’t Look Up & 9 Other Star-Studded Movies That Critics Hated

Don’t Look Up was one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2021, but after its release on December 24th, the reviews were disappointing. With a star-studded cast consisting of multiple Oscar nominees, there was the certainty that the Netflix release would rocket into many “Top 10” lists, but sadly that hasn’t been the case.

However, Don’t Look Up isn’t the only major movie to be populated by big names but still be lambasted by critics. Stars have been crammed into a single project many times before, with varying results. On a couple of occasions, critics totally hated the end result, even when fans appear to have been thrilled.

Cats (2019)

Based on the 1981 musical of the same name, Cats revolves around a group of felines competing in the annual Jellicle Ball for a chance for a new life. Its long list of A-listers includes Judi Dench, Idris Elba, James Corden, Jason Derulo, Taylor Swift, and Rebel Wilson. Currently, the musical has a score of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes and 32% on Metacritic.

It only takes the first few minutes for the average viewer or critic to see what’s wrong with Cats. The special effects aren’t particularly pleasing, which is surprising for a movie with such a huge budget. For the most part, the feline characters look too huge or too tiny in proportion to their environment. The plot doesn’t leave a lot to be desired either.

The Expendables 3 (2014)

The third installment tops the first two in terms of star power by throwing in more tough guys. There’s Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Antonio Banderas, Jet Li, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, and Wesley Snipes. But there’s also a 32% critic score on the two most popular review aggregator sites.

While the action sequences are good, the movie is full of ’80s and 90’s action movie tropes that definitely don’t fit in the 2010s. Critics also felt that the narrative felt dull compared to the first two movies.

Suicide Squad (2016)

A team of dangerous imprisoned supervillains is assembled in order to conduct black-ops missions. Starring Will Smith, Jared Leto, Viola Davis, Margot Robbie, and Scott Eastwood, there were high expectations, but the movie only managed scores of 26% and 40% on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic respectively.

Proof of Suicide Squad‘s disappointment lies in the fact that it’s also in the rare category of movies that were so bad they had to be remade with a mostly new cast. There were multiple problems, including the fact that The Joker was heavily marketed as the lead character, only for him to have limited screen time. The dialogue was thought to be quite generic too.

Daddy’s Home 2 (2017)

Two fathers have their Christmas plans ruined when their own dads show up unexpectedly in Daddy’s Home 2. The comedy has stars like Will Ferrell, Mel Gibson, Mark Wahlberg, John Cena, Liam Neeson, and Bill Burr, but only scores a 21% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 30% on Metacritic.

After the first movie attained cult status, it was obvious that a sequel was always going to be made. Sadly, lightning refused to strike in the same place twice. Critics felt that the sequel lacked the free-flowing humor that made the first movie brilliant. Mel Gibson and Mark Wahlberg give performances that are rather laid back and they were punished by receiving “Worst Actor” nominations at the Golden Raspberry Awards.

Batman & Robin (1997)

Joel Schumacher decided to cast George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenneger, Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone, Vivica Fox, and Michael Gough in his second movie about the Caped Crusader, but critics didn’t like the effort. Batman & Robin is still the most hated Batman movie to date, with 12% on Rotten Tomatoes and 28% on Metacritic.

One of the reasons it is considered one of the few superhero movies no one needs to watch twice is Schwarzenneger’s frozen performance as Mr. Freeze. Behind-the-scenes factors didn’t help either, as Schumacher confessed that Warner Bros had pressured him to make the movie family-friendly, as reported by Vice. Consequently, all the dark themes that made Tim Burton movies huge hits were erased.

Scary Movie 5 (2013)

The fifth installment of the Scary Movie franchise focuses on a husband and wife, who bring their newborn home and realize they are being stalked by a demon. It has Terry Crews, Charlie Sheen, Snoop Dogg, Lindsay Lohan, Mike Tyson, Usher, and Bow Wow. Given the talent, its 4% score on Rotten Tomatoes is baffling.

Scary Movie 5 has one major problem in that it sprinkled in too many pop culture references in its jokes, but none comes off as hilarious. Additionally, there is often confusion on whether events are meant to be funny or scary. The stars aren’t given much material to work with either, hence their performances feel unsatisfactory.

Pearl Harbor (2001)

Two best friends, Rafe and Danny, are World War 2 soldiers who get caught up in the tragedy surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbour and the love of an army nurse. The Michael Bay movie has a 24% Tomato score despite having a strong cast, namely: Ben Affleck, Alec Baldwin, Jon Voight, Cuba Gooding Jr. Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett, and Jennifer Garner.

It’s considered one of the least realistic World War II movies because it attempts to downplay the seriousness of the attack by focussing too much on romance. Nonetheless, there’s still much to keep fans entertained, including the well-choreographed action sequences and the numerous explosions that Michael Bay is known for.

Valentine’s Day (2010)

With a simple storyline that involves several people trying to find love, Valentine’s Day has a cast that includes Jessica Alba, Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Kathy Bates, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, and Taylor Swift. On Rotten Tomatoes, the score is 18% while on Metacritic, it’s 34%.

Valentine’s Day fails to make good use of its stars by giving them basic dialogue and simple arcs. There is also an overabundance of rom-com tropes, something that fails to differentiate the movie from others in the genre. And for a movie about love, there is a lack of dramatic moments that trigger positive or negative emotions in the audience.

Justice League (2017)

Before the Snyder Cut corrected things, there was 2017’s Justice League, which was supposed to match up to The Avengers. Unfortunately, performances from Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot, Amber Heard, Amy Adams, Ezra Miller, and J. K. Simmons couldn’t stop the movie from scoring less than 40% on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.

The CGI was one thing that was singled out the most for criticism, with even Henry Cavill’s chin appearing weird. Behind-the-scenes drama can allegedly also be blamed for the mess. There were suggestions that everything would have gone on well if Jose Whedon hadn’t taken over and tried to erase everything Zack Snyder had done.

Don’t Look Up (2021)

The December Netflix release revolves around two scientists warning the world of a meteor strike. Among the behind-the-scenes facts about Don’t Look Up is that eight of the cast members are Oscar winners, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Rylance, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and Cate Blanchett. Sadly the movie only has a score of 55% on Rotten Tomatoes.

A weak script is what lets Adam McKay’s project down, according to critics. While the movie is structured as a comedy/sci-fi, there are very few solid jokes. And apart from Jonah Hill, most of the cast members aren’t known as comedic actors either.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1222 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

More From Philip Etemesi