5. Star Wars (1977)
George Lucas has had an odd career. From budding racing driver to film director by a near fatal car crash, he was regarded as one of the worlds best directors up until the start of the 21st century, when things famously went sour. The first entries in his back catalouge, THX 1138 and American Graffiti, are both solid films in their own right, but pale in comparison to Star Wars. The unbeatable space opera was then a directing hiatus for 22 years and when he returned with the Star Wars prequels, it was like there was a different man behind the camera. You can argue that on the later two films in the original trilogy, as well as in the Indiana Jones series he was also calling the shots, but in those cases there was the director present to steer him clear of going too overboard. Now I dont think the prequels are as half as bad as their reputation suggests, but they are really just average blockbusters against the majesty of the original Star Wars. Its incredibly easy to pinpoint what went wrong. Lucas surrounded himself with yes men, people who wouldnt dare criticise his concepts. Watch any behind the scenes footage from the prequels and everyone appears spineless; too in awe of George to tell him his ideas are terrible. Star Wars may be an odd film to call a fluke, the title stemming from Lucas going mad with control, but the drop in quality certainly justifies entry on this list.