The Mosley Review: Worst films of 2021
Well we've made it to the 2022! Even if the world shutdown for a bit, that didn't mean that once the world got back to normal that we wouldn't have the cinematic turds float back to the top. That's right ladies and gentlemen. There were great films, but there were some absolute garbage films in 2021. I'm here to help you avoid these films and save you the hours that you'll never get back. Lets not delay the inevitable any longer. Here's my list of the worst films of 2021! Click the title of each film if you want my full review of each film.
The Last Duel: Here me out. I love the legendary director Ridley Scott and for decades he was the king of making medieval films that are among classics like Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven. Recently he has been hit or miss and well, this was the hugest miss he's ever had. The storytelling was compelling in the way it was told from 3 different perspectives, but its the lack of attention to detail and terrible acting is what drove me up the wall. The entire cast is full of great actors and only one of them actually had an accent in a French period drama. The story was executed in a very boring way and I was just taken out of it by the out of place actors. Jodie Comer was the best part and with this much talent on screen behind the camera, it was a sad waste of time.
Without Remorse: The Tom Clancy film franchise have actually been more absent recently. If there's a reason why, this film is a shining example of it. We as a society have become a little too smart for the standard soldier vengeance story that doesn't really have anything new to offer. You have one of the best leading men in Hollywood delivering a one note performance in an action movie that deserves to be at the bottom of a bargain bin. The story was so predictable and the action was so stiff, I almost turned off the film. If it weren't for the lead and the OBVIOUS villain, I don't think I would've made it through this disaster. The Tom Clancy brand is thriving in video games and television, but there needs more respect on his stories when it comes to adapting his stories to film.
The Matrix: Resurrections: Oh man. This one hurt. As a massive fan of The Matrix franchise, I went in with way better theories than what I was presented with in this absolute disappointment of a film. Right from the beginning there were so many great ideas, but they quickly get destroyed by shifting the focus away from what made the past films great. The decision to go meta could've been great, but it was used to tell the audience that this film was made by force and not with love. That broke my heart and I just wish this film would be like the programs on the train with the Train Man, deleted.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw: To be honest, I checked out of the Saw franchise after the third film and I eventually watched all of them up to last titled film, but it was out of curiosity of how much worse the storyline could get. I was drawn into this film because of the cast and the idea of starting a new branch that could've been interesting. What came out of this film was an even worse and boring torture porn film that just did nothing for the franchise or the actors in it. I'll give you this, the trademark creativity to the death traps was intact, but they are still not survivable. Just goes to show that this franchise will never remember the message Jigsaw tried to relay.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage: Sigh. Why can't Marvel villains and anti-heroes get the respect they deserve? They are violent, bloodthirsty and sometimes downright monsters and we still are giving them a PG-13 rating when they are beyond R rated?! I thought the first film was alright at best, but a huge disappointment. This film was an EPIC disappointment! Carnage is the most violent and psychotic villain in Marvel history and you give the him and his host a kids movie styled action movie. I hated the fact that there were no body parts, no blood and no carnage to be had. This was a colossal waste of time and I have grown to hate Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock even more after this awful film.
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins: Well this was surprise. I had a small amount of hope for this film to set the G.I. Joe franchise in a better direction, but man was I a fool in believing. The action in this film was almost unwatchable and the story was bonkers in the wrong way. If you're going to have your titular character have ulterior motives, then do it with the intent of redeeming him. This film made one of the most iconic heroes of the Joes the villain of his own origin story. Why would I want to stand behind a character who destroyed their bestfriend's home, stole their birth right and has more in line with a Cobra Agent? What were they thinking?
Jungle Cruise: Out all of the attractions at Disneyland, why was this the choice to made into a feature film? It all depends on how entertaining the Skipper is as you go through "The Amazon" and how they deliver the puns. Well, this film had a terrible Skipper and the story wasn't even all that great. There was a great idea in the middle of the film, but it felt like a lesser version of the other more successful attraction turned film franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean. We the audience are craving a great adventure film, but not this crap.
Coming 2 America: Do you wanna know why its a bad idea to make a sequel to an already perfect film that had a perfect ending? Look at this film for the answer because it was just so bad and backwards from the progressive story of the first film. The film constantly references the original to keep you interested but once the real story begins, its just a terrible rehash and makes Akeem the worse part. He was going to be his own King and rule under his own ideals, but he ended up becoming his father which was a terrible decision. What a disgrace of a sequel.
Space Jam: A New Legacy: I believe 2021 was the year that Warner Brothers decided to go meta in some of their major releases. Now I did grow up with the original film like the majority of you and upon a rewatch, it wasn't a great film. It did have a certain charm and innocence that this sequel lacked. This film was just terrible all the way through and features one of the worst acting performances I've ever seen! LeBron James even called himself out in the film. He was the worst on screen father figure to ever exist and I just hated him inside and out. This film was over long and a low rent version of the best parts of Ready Player One with all of Warner Bros. characters on screen. Not even the Looney Tunes could save this abysmal piece of garbage. Don't watch this movie.
Now comes the moment you've all been waiting for. All of the films I have listed are all horrible, but the shiniest, golden turd of them all is here. The absolute worst film of 2021 is....
Mortal Kombat: For over 30 years, this franchise has evolved the fighting game genre and the storytelling within it has become top notch. With over 100 characters to its roster, there are so many possibilities for a compelling story staring any of them.. Unfortunately, this film decides to completely disregard the lore that has been created to tell you a story that has no relevance whatsoever. Every character in this film is the worst on screen adaptation except for Kano and Kung Lao. I don't think I've experienced a film that perpetually made me angrier as the film progressed. Why introduce a character who never existed in any of the games and give him a story that was best served for Johnny Cage? I hated what "Outworld" looked like. I HATED that they made Liu Kang a little bitch boy. The fight scenes were horribly shot with that stupid shaky cam style and if you're gonna have Mileena in this story, where the hell is Kitana? This film calls itself "Mortal Kombat", but there is no tournament! As a massive fan of the series, this film spat in mine and millions of others faces. I usually don't curse in my reviews, but this film deserves it. FUCK THIS MOVIE!!!!
And that's it ladies and gentleman. That is my list of the worst films of 2021 and the films you should avoid at all cost. I hope that 2022's list is much shorter and not full of so many soul crushing disappointments. Tell me your list of worst films or your thoughts of my list in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
