The present-day cinema industry is populated by many directors and writers. Throughout their careers, they've made films that have shaped the modern definition of pop culture, and proof of their influence can be seen everywhere. From genre-defining classics, such as Apocalypse Now, to literal genre-creating masterpieces, such as Star Wars, throughout the years, various filmmakers, with different ideas and outlooks, have decorated the history of cinema.
Directors like Alfred Hitchcock and Steven Spielberg have more than proved their brilliance through their works of art, but every now and again, even the most masterly of artists stumble a little. This list looks at 10 such cases.
Guillermo Del Toro - Mimic (1997) - 62%
Guillermo del Toro is known best for his Alien.
It tells the story of genetically modified insects which were initially created to exterminate cockroaches, but have now evolved and are trying to get rid of humanity.
Clint Eastwood - Hereafter (2010) - 47%
Clint Eastwood is a shining example of an actor-turned-director who has made notable accomplishments in both the acting and directing department. His critical and commercial include hits like American Sniper and Million Dollar Baby. Although he has much experience across a variety of genres, his film Hereafter failed to impress audiences and critics.
Starring Matt Damon, the drama flick tells the story of three different people who are affected in the personal lives by death in similar ways. Despite the best efforts of the actors, the storytelling comes across as weak and messy.
Sam Raimi - For Love Of The Game (1999) - 45%
Almost every director out there as at one point or another tried their hands at a sports-related film, (usually always boxing or baseball) and For Love of the Game was Sam Raimi's attempt in this subgenre. Horror fans know him for the Evil Dead films and his most noteworthy work will always be the original Spider-Man trilogy, but what he is not known for is sports films, and this movie is the reason.
It was a commercial failure, grossing less than what it cost to produce and Kevin Costner's performance was bad enough to earn him a nomination for Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor.
David Fincher - Alien 3 (1992) - 44%
David Fincher holds the credit for creating some of the most Seven. But what many don't know is that his directorial debut was a complete disaster, and it was nothing short of a miracle that it didn't end his career before it had begun.
The first two Alien movies are regarded as two of the greatest sci-fi movies in history, and although the third film made use of all the same gimmicks, it failed to reach the critical height of its predecessor.
Steven Spielberg - 1941 (1979) - 42%
Steven Spielberg's 1941 was released right after some of his biggest hits, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and his attempt at a screwball comedy remains his worst film ever according to critic ratings.
The plot told the story of the people of Los Angeles panicking amidst the fallout of the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Although Spielberg has tried his hand at directing in almost all cinematic genres, comedy seemed to agree with him the least. Initially unfavoured by critics, the film went in to achieve a cult following after an extended version was released in a later year.
Alfonso Cuarón - Great Expectations (1998) - 37%
Alfonso Cuarón's film from 1998 shares the same name as Charles Dickens celebrated romance novel, but that's only how it appears on the surface. Although the movie is said to be an adaptation of the book, the similarities between the two are few and far between. Alfonso Cuarón is the Academy Award-winning director of films like Roma, and his skills were basically wasted behind this modernized adaptation of the 1861 novel.
It remains the worst-rated film of Cuarón's career, although the lead actor, Ethan Hawke, said that a primary reason behind it being unsuccessful was that it was unfortunately released around the same time as Titanic.
Woody Allen - Wonder Wheel (2017) - 31%
Woody Allen's career as a comedian and director spans more than 60 years, and in that time, starting with his directorial debut in 1969 leading up to the present, he has released a film almost every year.
Having directed nearly 50 films, it is no surprise that some of them happened to equally criticized.
Ridley Scott - A Good Year (2006) - 25%
Ridley Scott is most well known for introducing blockbusters like Alien and most noteworthy feats in both of their respective careers. Six years after Gladiator, the two of them reunited for another film, a film quite drastically different in nature and plot from their previous t effort.
The "sappy romance comedy," as a critic described it, tells the story of an investment broker who inherits his uncle's vineyard in and learns to lead a more simple life.
Francis Ford Coppola - Jack (1996) - 18%
Francis Ford Coppola holds the credit for directing and writing, by the opinion of many, some of theThe Godfather or Apocalypse Now, since the turn of the century, his credibility as a director cannot be questioned.
Despite having a talented actor such as Robin Williams, the plot about a 10-year-old boy who physically looks four times older than he really is due to a health condition, was considered too childish and poorly executed.
M. Night Shyamalan - The Last Airbender (2010) - 5%
Although M. Night Shyamalan has proved his worth as a director with classics like one of the worst films ever.
Suffering from a plethora of problems, such as poor writing, directing, and acting, the film also featured one of the most notable cases of "racebending," and was deemed as being unfaithful to the original animated show.
