Because these films sucked the life out of me last year, it is only fitting that I put together a list of the movies that I absolutely hated in 2013. I will say, while I really hated Spring Breakers, that movie is slowly growing on me in repeat viewings.
I usually despise watching films where I cannot stand the protagonist especially when they are based on real life people and the film fails to show the real world consequences of their actions. Yes you can say movies like The Bling Ring and The Wolf of Wall Street are “making fun of their subjects,” but in reality it’s Hollywood turning sleazy people into Anti-Heroes.
I have no issue with films where the lead character is unlikable as long as there is substance behind it and we really understand what makes them tick or why they are doing the things they are doing – Goodfellas, Scarface, Casino, New Jack City, etc. I don’t like that they glorify the mob and drug dealing but we at least get to see why these villains do what they do and actually see the impact of their actions on their victims. I would even argue Spring Breakers is pretty well balanced.
With that said here is my list of the worst of the worst.
- The Bling Ring
- Spring Breakers
More style and sizzle than substance. May have liked it more if the director wasn’t trying so hard to scream “Look at my fancy editing and camera work.” - Trance
A confused mess that thinks it is smarter than the audience. - Star Trek: Into Darkness
JJ Abrams is a lousy director. The first Star Trek was in my top 3 the year it came out and this was one of the few films I had high expectations for, it failed on almost every level. - The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Too damn long and utterly pointless. - Only God Forgives – Is Ryan Gosling capable of saying more than a few words in a movie?
- Iron Man 3
First 2/3rds of this are fantastic, but even without the big FU reveal the 3rd act is a cluster f of epic proportion. - Man of Steel
Superman does not kill and is not some emo Batman wannabe, beyond that the direction and story are just awful - Wolf of Wall Street
Not a single redeemable quality about any character on camera.