SCSaya06
Observer
It doesn't have to be a movie released in recent years; it just has to be something you saw recently. Of course, expect lots and lots of spoilers on my list.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) takes my number one spot. Granted, the film is in no way a bad film and in some ways, I can see it as a decent summer entry point and it's at least better in terms of structure than some of the others in this list. However, I'm placing it first because it had a lot of hype with the marketing even touting the fact that the source material was banned. So with that much hype, my expectations were high. It...under-delivered on the horror premise. The 'scary stories' were campy; I have read r/nosleep stories much more terrifying than these stories. The CGI was terrible and the characters were a lot on the cliche side. I don't know. Maybe I'm not the target audience anymore. I think the retro setting killed it for me. What was scary then just isn't terrifying now in the modern age.
Rise of Skywalker (2019) comes next. I'm not like the biggest Star Wars fan but it is a franchise I can put on as background noise for some mindless fun action. This movie though...was just a mess. Excessive Easter Eggs, very little thought on plot. The villain is weak and lines were cheesy. I suppose its predecessor set a high hook to aim for at that movie's conclusion but RoS isn't something I'll be putting on even as background noise.
The Cleansing Hour (2019) was just bland. Okay, it is a horror that at least tries to get on with the modern era. But it was bad for me. The girl's acting was a bit creepy but the CGI shenanigans killed it for me. Actually, the whole moment where the "demon" emerges is the part where my eyes rolled. Look, unless you're going for apocalypse style action like Constantine or Supernatural, keep your demons confined in the other plane. Showing them in the open is not scary. We're not dumb. We understand that stuff is the work of a demon in the movie without having to see an infernal, horned CGI monster on the screen. Exorcism of Emily Rose showed us a black shadow and black streaks on icons. The original Exorcist had just the flash of a face but otherwise relied only on imagery.
Brightburn (2019). I may have seen way too many horror titles. XD Anyway, the idea of the story had a lot of promise. What if Superman was bad is an interesting what if to ponder about. Unfortunately, this movie is less interested in its own premise and much more interested in showing violent scenes. Characterization is weak and there was practically no suspense which I think is crucial for this genre. The earlier Chronicle (2012) is a much better execution of this premise for me.
So how about you guys? Any underwhelming films you've seen lately?
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) takes my number one spot. Granted, the film is in no way a bad film and in some ways, I can see it as a decent summer entry point and it's at least better in terms of structure than some of the others in this list. However, I'm placing it first because it had a lot of hype with the marketing even touting the fact that the source material was banned. So with that much hype, my expectations were high. It...under-delivered on the horror premise. The 'scary stories' were campy; I have read r/nosleep stories much more terrifying than these stories. The CGI was terrible and the characters were a lot on the cliche side. I don't know. Maybe I'm not the target audience anymore. I think the retro setting killed it for me. What was scary then just isn't terrifying now in the modern age.
Rise of Skywalker (2019) comes next. I'm not like the biggest Star Wars fan but it is a franchise I can put on as background noise for some mindless fun action. This movie though...was just a mess. Excessive Easter Eggs, very little thought on plot. The villain is weak and lines were cheesy. I suppose its predecessor set a high hook to aim for at that movie's conclusion but RoS isn't something I'll be putting on even as background noise.
The Cleansing Hour (2019) was just bland. Okay, it is a horror that at least tries to get on with the modern era. But it was bad for me. The girl's acting was a bit creepy but the CGI shenanigans killed it for me. Actually, the whole moment where the "demon" emerges is the part where my eyes rolled. Look, unless you're going for apocalypse style action like Constantine or Supernatural, keep your demons confined in the other plane. Showing them in the open is not scary. We're not dumb. We understand that stuff is the work of a demon in the movie without having to see an infernal, horned CGI monster on the screen. Exorcism of Emily Rose showed us a black shadow and black streaks on icons. The original Exorcist had just the flash of a face but otherwise relied only on imagery.
Brightburn (2019). I may have seen way too many horror titles. XD Anyway, the idea of the story had a lot of promise. What if Superman was bad is an interesting what if to ponder about. Unfortunately, this movie is less interested in its own premise and much more interested in showing violent scenes. Characterization is weak and there was practically no suspense which I think is crucial for this genre. The earlier Chronicle (2012) is a much better execution of this premise for me.
So how about you guys? Any underwhelming films you've seen lately?