TOP 15 worst films from the best directors according to Rolling Stone magazine (15 photos)

So, take a deep breath. Now exhale. Remember, everything will be fine. Yes, there may be films in this selection that you like. But the stars in the sky aligned in such a way that they became the most unsuccessful in the careers of truly cult directors. Of course, their failures are much better than the huge number of frankly trash films. However, even the directors themselves acknowledge the failure. And there is nothing wrong with this, because even geniuses can make mistakes. The editors of the American magazine Rolling Stone have compiled the TOP 15 worst films from the best directors. Let's see what films were there.

Bicentennial Man (1999)





Chris Columbus's worst film.

The director of the first two parts of “Harry Potter” and “Home Alone” knows how to create a lamp atmosphere and tear-squeezing comedy. Just before moving to Hogwarts and creating the wizarding world, he made a film about a robot played by Robin Williams who suddenly realizes that all his friends will eventually die. The film is very beloved by the public, but at home it is considered extremely sentimental.

Jupiter Ascending (2015)



Worst film by the Wachowski sisters.

After the success of the “Matrix” trilogy, the duo of directors could afford any project of their choice, and if “Cloud Atlas” turned out very well, and “Speed Racer” was bad, but with the wording “well, it happens,” then “Jupiter Ascending” was so terrible that it resembled the brainchild of first-time directors trying to imitate the Wachowskis.

Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)





Worst Sam Raimi film.

The creator of the cult trilogies “The Evil Dead” and “Spider-Man” (with the father of all spiders, Tobey Maguire) took on the prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” in 1939 and clearly made a mistake. The film is criticized for its weak plot, unimportant acting by James Franco, weak effects and is generally called “a two-hour piece of cake.”

Train to Paris (2018)



Worst Clint Eastwood film.

The film is based on real, heroic events: in 2015, three young people (an American, a British and a Frenchman) neutralized a terrorist on a train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris.

Clint Eastwood, having decided to make a movie about this, made an amazing decision - he cast the three main characters... these same three guys! Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler and Alek Skarlatos. The guys are real heroes, but they are not actors. And this is very clearly visible. In addition, the moment of their feat lasted only a few moments, so Eastwood decided to show the life of each of them before the incident and after. Which looks a bit boring.

Thus, a lover of austerity and production economy, Clint Eastwood went to extreme lengths in his search for a minimalism that could achieve dramatic impact. And people didn’t appreciate this.

Juno and the Peacock (1929)



Alfred Hitchcock's worst film.

The young Hitchcock, known in the 1920s for his successful silent films, like many, did not immediately adapt to the advent of sound in cinema. This is most evident in Juno and the Peacock, where the director takes Sean O'Casey's successful play about a family surviving the Irish Civil War and simply films it as a stage play. Sometimes you get the feeling that the film is being shot on a tripod, and not by a live operator, since the camera does not move an inch.

Already 4 years later, Hitchcock began making sound hits, and this film remained in his filmography, as the director himself put it, “photographs of people talking.”

Death Becomes Her (1992)



Worst Robert Zemeckis film.

Not the most obvious comedy stars Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis tell the story of two self-centered women who drink the potion of eternal youth. There were few funny moments, the special effects were terrible even for 1992, and the reviews were dismal.

The trio of actors from this film bounced back quite quickly, leaving this film as just a half-forgotten footnote in their filmography. And Zemeckis himself was further awaited by the super-successful “Forrest Gump,” which was both funny and won an Oscar for special effects.

Good Year (2006)



Worst Ridley Scott film.

The director, known for creating sci-fi and historical films with panache and breakthrough special effects, suddenly decided to make a romantic comedy.

That's the whole poem.

Critics agreed that both Scott and the leading male actor, Russell Crowe, came out of their genre without really understanding the laws of the genre in which they took up. As a result, the film is described as glossy and lifeless.

Alien 3 (1992)



Worst David Fincher film.

Famous story. Fincher's very first film immediately turned out to be a continuation of the two legendary Aliens from Ridley Scott and James Cameron. And here that evil card played with the rewriting of the script many times and the active (unnecessary) involvement of producers in the process. Here's what Fincher himself said:

A lot of people hated Alien 3, but no one hated it more than I did.

Bertha aka Boxcar (1972)



Worst Martin Scorsese film.

Martin Scorsese's third feature film was a sexualized copy of Bonnie and Clyde on a shoestring budget. The young director could not refuse this project and tried his best to balance its artlessly aggressive tone, but the result was only a warm-up film, preceding the master's first real hits.

Gentleman's Games (2004)



Worst Coen Brothers film.

Joel and Ethan failed to deliver an intriguing remake of the 1955 black comedy classic "Soak the Old Lady," and even an atypical Tom Hanks as the villain didn't help. As they write, while filming this remake, the brothers forgot the most important thing - to make it funny.

Star Wars. Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999)



Worst film by George Lucas.

An interesting fact that you might not know: Lucas has only directed 6 films as a director (he primarily produces, writes scripts, and develops stories). Three in the 1970s, including only one from the original Star Wars trilogy (the very first), and then, 22 years later, he suddenly decided to direct the entire prequel trilogy himself.

And the first part leaves many questions: did we really need to meet nine-year-old Darth Vader? Did Lucas really think audiences would be captivated by Jar Jar Binks' antics? Well, what is this midichlorian dregs? Why did the nature of the Force suddenly need to be explained using local pseudoscience?

To be fair, the final film of the trilogy was very good, but the story of Anakin Skywalker's rise started from a weak position.

Piranha 2: The Spawning (1981)



Worst James Cameron film.

This is not entirely fair, but the authors of the rating include the film debut of Cameron, who was just a co-director of this disastrous horror film. The budget was meager. James had nothing to do with the ridiculous script about flying piranhas and was not involved in the final editing. However, the film's credits said "James Cameron" in big letters, so there's that.

Planet of the Apes (2001)



Worst Tim Burton film.

The original 1968 Planet of the Apes is a masterpiece of science fiction. The series of films reimagining the original that have been released since 2011 have turned out to be surprisingly good. And between them there was also this Tim Burton film - destroyed by everyone in the world.

It is important to take into account how much this project was anticipated, because the well-established director was filming a remake of the legendary film. But the expectations were not met. All that viewers remember about Burton’s “Planet of the Apes” is the ridiculous ending with the statue of an ape-like Abraham Lincoln.

To throw critics off the scent, Burton made several more terrible films, but he could no longer overcome the disappointment of Planet of the Apes.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)



Steven Spielberg's worst film.

The fourth film about the adventures of Indiana Jones had one important minus built into it - it was not worth making. It was 2008, almost 20 years had passed since the threequel, and it ended as beautifully as possible.

But Spielberg succumbed to public pressure and made another film: with Indy’s son played by Shia LaBeouf, Soviet spies, a nuclear explosion in a refrigerator (those who watched it will understand) and ALIENS.

Here you can really choose why this film can rightfully be considered a failure of the great Spielberg.

Jack (1996)



Francis Ford Coppola's worst film.

The absolute titan of world directing suddenly decided to make a comedy-drama about a boy who looks like an adult man due to a special disease. The main character has fun with his classmates, buys them porn and waits for the day when he dies young. The film ends with how, 7 years later, an extremely elderly Jack (the hero ages 4 times faster than an ordinary person) gives a speech at his graduation.

Oh, how the audience and critics didn’t like all this. Both the film itself and the fact that it was directed by the creator of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. Coppola himself, by the way, always defends “Jack,” saying that he always wanted to work with Williams and was never against making such a Disney project.