20 Worst Movies Of 2016
2016: The year of the turkey.
Well, that wasn't the greatest year cinema has ever had was it? What was mooted to be one of the biggest years ever for blockbusters turned out to have more than a few missteps along the way with movies containing characters as beloved as Batman, The Joker, Zoolander and Adam Sandler all critically panned from several directions.
Sure, it was the year that fandoms claimed to take back the multiplex, derailing flagships like Ghostbusters and rejecting the critical response to Suicide Squad, but that is no more reflective of the actual quality of the movies involved than Trump being president is a reflection of his ability to be President.
There were high-points of course, with excellent tent-pole releases like Captain America: Civil War, Kubo & The Two Strings and Arrival, and there is certainly a lot of developing talent coming through, but the overall picture of the year feels like it was packed with more turkeys than shining gems, and that is difficult to stomach. It also definitely feels like we've reached a watershed moment where marketing for films is now actively trying to trick us into seeing the, rather than gently persuading.
With that in mind, it's no wonder the studios don't feel they need to deliver to the same high standards as previous years.
These are the worst movies of 2016...
20. Ghost Team
Ghostbusters may have been a mess that failed to deliver on its first, excellent 25 minutes or so at the opening, but it wasn't the worst ghost comedy with genetic debts to the original classic supernatural ensemble. That distinct accolade instead goes to Ghost Team, Oliver Irving's disastrous ensemble indie comedy starring Jon Heder (still following his career trajectory down from Napoleon Dynamite) and Justin Long among many others who should know better.
It's basically like Scooby Doo without the intellect, complete with a third act twist that would have been vaguely interesting if it had been matched at any point by some quality film-making. It lacks magic, scares, any smart dialogue and any of the laughs that the actors clearly signed up for. Or thought they were signing up for - because they must have read something in the project that really didn't come through in the final insipid product.