16. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
George Lucas returned to the director's chair after 22 years with what was at the time the single most anticipated movie ever. First rumored back in 1993, Lucas was now convinced that visual effects technology had sufficiently caught up to his vision to make the prequel trilogy a reality. What we got was one of the most disappointing movies ever made, and one that almost ruined a generation's cherished childhood memories. Enough has been written about the shortcomings of Episode 1 that I'll try to keep things brief. Lucas made a very lucrative career for himself out of one great idea, but his strengths have never been as a writer or director. Yes, the pod race sequence and the climactic lightsaber duel remain standout action sequences and the visual side of the movie is impressive, but the dialogue is stilted and the performances wooden. Lowest marks go to Jake Lloyd for showing us that one of cinema's most iconic villains began as an annoying little brat, and of course the abhorrent Jar Jar Binks. Nonetheless, any Star Wars movie is a guaranteed smash hit, and Episode 1 broke numerous box-office records on its way to a worldwide gross of $924.3m, which made it the second-biggest movie ever at the time. Thirteen years later, the 3D re-release somehow enticed people to return to the theater to watch the movie again, adding over $100m to the coffers and taking it past the billion dollar mark. At this point, Episode VII is almost a lock to become the most lucrative Star Wars movie ever when it hits theaters in 2015. Hopefully it's a lot better than this.