Mean Girls
This year’s musical remake of Mean Girls was one small drop in the sea of half-hearted remakes that have been plaguing cinemas.
Multiple, very confusing, choices were made surrounding the music; also known as the one thing that cannot afford to suffer in something categorized as a musical movie.
Angourie Rice, an actress with no professional singing experience, was cast to play the lead of Cady Heron.
Most of the time she could hold a note decently, but her inexperience was still noticeable.
It should be mentioned that the movie didn’t completely butcher the musical aspect. Renee Rapp and Auli’i Cravalho brought the house down with their respective performances.
Additionally, a few funny moments, such as Regina’s “Reginald George” comment, and Damian’s iCarly scene, gave most audiences a genuine laugh.
Still, modernized jokes couldn’t save this project. Mean Girls disappointed loyal fans of the cult classic comedy, and the movie was mostly forgotten after a couple of months.
Madame Web
With ten major Spider-Man movies being released in 22 years, audiences have been craving more live-action content of Peter Parker and related characters. So, it’s no surprise that fans of the web-slinger were excited when it was announced that other Spider-People from the comics would be making their live-action debut in Madame Web.
Unfortunately, the movie fell short. Extremely short.
The number one killer was the script with its trite dialogue and attempts at seamless exposition that were as discreet as a car alarm at midnight.
Also, the movie’s heroes were only seen in their superhero costumes for two fleeting scenes.
Madame Web had a chance at redemption with the big, final fight scene, but even that was poorly executed and confusing.
The potential for more live-action Spider-Man characters was an exciting idea that was harshly stomped on by the abysmal Madame Web.
Megalopolis
Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis sounded promising on paper, given the legacy of the director along with a star-studded cast including Adam Driver, Shia LaBeouf, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Aubrey Plaza.
However, not even a good cast could save the messy writing and low-quality visuals.
Megalopolis felt like walking into a Thanksgiving dinner with dozens of tables and endless plates of food. You walk through the display, expecting turkey, and by the time you get to the end, you realize there is no turkey.
The movie lays the groundwork for multiple side plots and exciting ideas that never come to fruition, much to the frustration and confusion of audiences.
Then there was the political commentary that was a little too on the nose. Coppola attempts to use the fall of Rome as an analogy for modern-day America, but it feels elementary.
As for effects, a sickly pale yellow plagued the entire movie, which made the setting seem hazy and gross. This, along with amateur greenscreens, made for a cheap-looking film.
Much to everyone’s disappointment, Coppola’s swan song came out as nothing more than a weak whimper.
Joker: Folie à Deux
After the $1 billion success of Joker (2019), fans were ecstatic to hear that a sequel was on the way. With Lady Gaga joining the cast as the beloved Harley Quinn, the movie seemed to be on the right track.
By the time Joker: Folie à Deux finished its first day in theaters, the unfortunate news had hit social media. The film was a strange, disappointing hybrid of a courtroom drama and musical.
This strange genre mix, along with a slow, almost cringe-worthy script harmed the movie.
Audiences also noted that the movie brought up serious topics such as the justice system and mental health, but made no attempt to deliver a comment on these issues.
Joker: Folie à Deux had the chance to deliver a legendary musical drama, but the movie spread itself too thin and misused the talents of lead actors Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.