People Criticized These 20 Movies That Should Have Been Amazing But Were Actually Completely Disappointing

Some movie ideas sound like instant hits, especially when the cast, trailer, and premise all line up. That is why it stings so much when a film with real potential ends up feeling flat, rushed, or just plain disappointing.

In this story, Reddit users shared the movies they thought should have been amazing but were let down by weak execution. From big-budget fantasy to sci-fi and comic book adaptations, the frustration was the same, great concepts, disappointing results.

Here are the films that left viewers wishing the final cut had lived up to the hype.

#1 Wonder Woman made her walk out and continued watching at home.

Reddit/KNoturUserName

#2 The marketing did a great job, but the rest of the team in the Downsizing film did not.

Reddit/420blzeht

#3 Hopefully, the Percy Jackson series will be much better.

Reddit/TheseConversations

That disappointment shows up fast when a movie misses the promise of its own trailer.

#4 Mortal Engines ruined Hester's character.

Reddit/Outrider357

#5 Eragon: expectation versus reality.

Reddit/GoombaStompah

#6 Justin Timberlake and the plot were amazing in the movie In Time, but the film was middling.

Reddit/gogojack

#7 The Last Airbender

Reddit/YaumeLepire

#8 Splice went horribly wrong.

Reddit/dreameRevolution

Some of these titles had all the ingredients, but the execution still missed the mark.

#9 The Lovely Bones book was overwhelming, but the film was the opposite.

Reddit/milkteapuppy

#10 Death Note does not deserve to be messed up like that. They could have changed the backstory instead of poorly retelling it.

Reddit/Newtracks1

#11 Old but not gold.

Reddit/FloopyDoopus

#12 Bright started strong but turned dim along the way.

Reddit/ImAPixiePrincess

#13 Tomorrowland lost its way.

Reddit/oblio3

By this point, the pattern is hard to miss, strong ideas, weak payoff.

Kind of like the stranded airport OP demanding reimbursement after friends canceled a group vacation.

#14 Jupiter Ascending had so much potential, yet the studios squashed that.

Reddit/trippedwire

#15 If the producers of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies could have decided what kind of movie they wanted it to be.

Reddit/Hereatrandom

#16 Hancock could have been an underdog version of Deadpool.

Reddit/BloodNinja2012

#17 Waterworld should be much more interesting than just a shipwreck.

Reddit/FeelingYesterday

#18 Changing the point of view in Passengers might have made it more understandable and engaging.

Reddit/FranzAllspring

The complaints keep circling back to the same problem, a great premise that never quite lands.

#19 The Purge should explore the idea of other crimes being legal and show how the rest of the city is dealing with it.

Reddit/sillybelcher

#20 Artemis Fowl, one of the people's favorites, was ruined.

Reddit/No-Rich5357

They could have done so much better than ruining the story and the film's potential. However, this does not mean that it is too late to release better versions to do justice to these concepts.

Next time you watch a film, consider looking for reviews or asking for recommendations from family and friends to ensure you are not wasting your money and time. Like and share for more interesting stories!

Some movies never recover from a bad first impression.

For a similar fairness fight, see why this AITA post about friends bailing on concert tickets sparked debate.