The summer movie season is over for another year (unless you're somehow expecting anything decent to come out of Hitman: Agent 47), and like every year, it's full of its share of ups and downs. Some movies blew all expectations out of the water (Mad Max: Fury Road for one), some movies delivered exactly what we expected (Pitch Perfect 2), but some sadly fell rather short of their promise. Now, some of these films, from the long-awaited returns of beloved directors to down-the-line genre films, absolutely gave off warning signs ahead of release, while others were undeniably decent films, but still couldn't quite measure up to the weight of expectation that they invited. From the blandly generic to the entertaining and uninspired and then the flat-out, undeniably awful, here are the movies that left audiences wildly underwhelmed and hoping for much, much more.
14. The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Why It's Disappointing: Adapted from the classic 1960s TV series, this spy caper has director Guy Ritchie on stylish form and boasts a game cast, but it's also a low-effort affair that suffers from a limp, generic plot, unimaginative action sequences, underdeveloped characters and an overall "been there, done that" feeling. It's hardly a terrible film, but given the talent on board, this one really should've tried so much harder. Instead, it's yet another forgettable effort from the talented director, memorable largely for the gorgeous Alicia Vikander (who's on the cusp of blowing up huge right now) and Henry Cavill's dodgy American accent but not a whole lot else. How To Improve It: Fashion a plot that's actually worth remembering, enhance the banter between characters, give Hugh Grant more to do (he's barely in it), cut the film down by about 20 minutes, and beef up the action sequences.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
