Top 5 Most Disappointing Films of 2018

Well lads it's December again, which means it's time once again to reflect on all the high points in cinema throughout the year. Well, almost time. Before we get to the good stuff in a couple of weeks time, I think it's important to look at the duds, the films that didn't quite hit all the right bars. That's right my friends, it's time for me to reflect on my top 5 most disappointing films of 2018.

2018 has thus far been a brilliant year for cinema, but unfortunately there have been a couple of films that fell flat amid all the good stuff. Not all of these are necessarily awful films per se, but what they have in common are a number of expectations that unfortunately were never met. As always, this is just my personal opinion, so if there's something here you disagree with or if you think I've missed out on something then please, let me know in the comments. Let's get started then, shall we?

5. Solo: A Star Wars Story (Ron Howard)

On paper, a Han Solo prequel/spin-off should definitely work. While Han's past has been discussed time and time again in the Star Wars films, we've seen very little of it onscreen considering how popular a character he is. A Solo prequel seemed like an excellent opportunity to delve into the seedy criminal underbelly of the Star Wars universe, while also providing plenty of exciting moments and sharp quips along the way. Unfortunately, Solo never really delivers on much of this, and instead amounts to just another forgettable entry into the ever-expanding Star Wars canon. The entire film feels as though it's playing things far too safe, afraid to push any boundaries or delve into the darker side of the Star Wars universe. Even Han feels severely watered-down, despite Alden Ehrenreich doing his very best to take on Harrison Ford's iconic mantle. While the film constantly tries to convince us that he is a roguish antihero, he's actually one of the films most morally-just characters, and feels like more of a boy-wonder than a criminal. As for the action sequences, well, let's just say the much discussed Kessel Run story feels a lot less epic after seeing it happen on film, which is a damn shame. Perhaps we should have known how flat this film would fall following its troubled production history, and even with its brilliant special effects and production design, it can never amount to anything beyond mediocre. At least it gave us Donald Glover as young Lando though, an inspired casting choice to say the least.

4. The Cloverfield Paradox (Julius Onah)

Announced during this years Superbowl and released via Netflix straight after the game, it's safe to say nobody saw The Cloverfield Paradox coming. However, expectations were immediately high considering the success of the previous two entries in this J.J. Abrams-produced, sci-fi anthology series. With a strong cast including Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Daniel Bruhl, and Chris O'Dowd, as well as the overarching connection to the Cloverfield universe, what could go wrong here? Turns out, a lot. What seemed like a pleasant surprise turned out to be a dull stranded-in-space type film, that lacks any sort of suspense or solid ideas to keep it afloat. There are times when you think "Oh, it's like Event Horizon" or "Oh, it's like Prometheus", but unfortunately it never gets as interesting as either of those films. It was a real let down considering how tense both Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane were, and with such a solid cast and promising set-up, this really had the potential to be a lot better. The film never really manages to engage with you or get you heavily involved, and bar Mbatha-Raw, most of the talent here feels wasted. While the hype was fairly limited surrounding The Cloverfield Paradox considering its immediate release, its place in the Cloverfield franchise meant that there would naturally be pre-conceived expectations with it. Unlike its predecessor however, The Cloverfield Paradox simply does not live up to them.

3. The Nun (Corin Hardy)

We really should stop putting our faith in these Conjuring universe spin-offs, but with a director like Corin Hardy (The Hallow) attached, it was hard not to be at least intrigued by The Nun. Sadly, not even Hardy's talented direction could save this uneven horror flick, whose titular baddie (played once again by Bonnie Aarons) has an extremely limited onscreen presence. I was particularly frustrated by The Nun because there were certain aspects that I felt really worked, the beautifully gothic production design, the sinister score, and several B-movie-esque moments. The film never takes advantage of these however, and instead of expanding on the aspects that worked really well, it opted to take the simple route of being just another dull Conjuring spin-off. It hits harder when a bad film has certain aspects that work, because they're just a constant reminder of what could have, and what should have been. The plot is thin, the characters are even thinner, and any "scary" moments just become far too predictable far too quick. Sure, it wasn't Annabelle-level awful, but much like that film it never does enough to justify its own existence. Maybe if the film fully embraced its own Hammer Horror-style gothic nature then it would have been a lot better, but unfortunately it just wound up being yet another forgettable mainstream horror film.

2. The Predator (Shane Black)

Predators are by far some of the coolest movie monster in the modern era, so anytime they get themselves a new feature there's naturally going to be some hype attached. With a director like Shane Black (who also had a role in the original Predator) on board as well, fans were expecting something truly special, with Black being known for blending sharp comedy with dark subject matter. It came as a surprise however, when Shane Blacks The Predator was a bit of a dud. With its fluctuating tone, underwhelming CGI, and plethora of tourettes jokes (sigh), this ended up being a very uneven monster mash from start to finish. At times you think its going for a more family-centric approach, with Jacob Tremblay's character having a central role and the heavy reliance on humor, then the violence kicks in however, and you ask yourself "who is this film aimed at?" Considering Black's track record (just look at The Nice Guys) it comes as a surprise that the jokes never really land either, especially those involving Thomas Jane's character having tourettes. Between that and the ugly CGI predator-dog-things, you'll find yourself losing your patience with The Predator fairly quickly. An outright mess of a monster-mash, The Predator had the potential to breathe new life into this ageing franchise, but it can barely even save itself, let alone an entire series.

1. Venom (Ruben Fleischer)

When a Venom solo film was announced with Tom Hardy set to star and Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer attached to direct, fans were eager to say the least. However, after an underwhelming series of trailers, that terrible Eminem tie-in song, and a PG-13 rating was slapped on, things weren't looking too well for Sony's spidey spin-off. Ultimately Venom wound up being painfully dull, packed full of questionable CGI, derivative plot developments, and instantly-forgettable action setpieces. Tom Hardy does his damn best to hold the film together however, and you can tell how much dedication he put into this performance, but despite all his efforts the film just crumbles around him. Considering the amount of time this film was in development for its surprising that this is the best they could come up with, possibly the most watered-down way of telling a Venom story if there was one. It feels painfully constrained by its PG-13 rating, and even star Tom Hardy stated that his favourite parts of the film were left on the cutting-room floor. This is a film that was initially sold as a horror-type film, akin to the likes of Carpenter and Cronenberg, but instead it feels more like Nic Cage's Ghost Rider than The Thing. Ranging from flat-out boring (the entire first half), to just plain what (the scene with curvy-lady-Venom), Venom is by far the strangest superhero film of the year, but for all the wrong reasons.