Hey everyone, Jack Drees here! It is time to count down my top 10 MOST DISAPPOINTING movies of 2025. Note the choice of words. These are not my least favorite or worst films of the year. I already made a list dedicated to that. These are not the films that I found the be the most intolerable, but rather the ones that I went into with high expectations, only to have them not be met. Spoiler warning, some of the films on the worst list make their way here. Sometimes a film is just plain bad, like I would anticipate it to be. I look forward to seeing every film that comes my way and hope for the best, but even with that in mind, I have to be a realist. If a trailer or poster does not impress me before seeing the film, it automatically lowers my expectations. That might as well be a long-winded way of saying “A Minecraft Movie” is not on this list. But sometimes a film, like ones that find their way on this list, are surprisingly unwatchable. Do we understand? Okay. Rant over.
That said, some ground rules apply to this list. This is completely subjective. Chances are we are not going to agree on what movies belong on this list. It only makes the world more interesting. Also, I have not seen every single film released in 2025. So, if there is a film that disappointed you that did not make the list, chances are I did not catch it, or I did not find it as underwhelming as you. Also, all of the movies here are theatrical releases. I do not count films that are straight to streaming, DVD, or television. In the spirit of disappointment, I apologize, but if you were looking forward to seeing some honorable mentions, you set your expectations too high. We are diving straight into the main event. These are my top 10 MOST DISAPPOINTING movies of 2025!
#10: Riff Raff
Starting off this list is “Riff Raff.” I am not going to pretend I knew a ton about “Riff Raff” months before seeing it, which is part of why it is one of the superior spots on this list. Although the main reason why “Riff Raff” made this list is because I thought it could have utilized its ensemble cast a lot better than it did. You have Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris, Bill Murray, Pete Davidson, Gabrielle Union. Some of these people are straight up icons! While it is fun to see a group like this one work together, part of me wishes they could have been in something far better. The film does have a laugh or two and it does get a bit twisted, but I think the positives in this film are quite bare. It is hard to say that I find the redeeming qualities of “Riff Raff” to stand out significantly. The film has some halfway decent comedy and drama, but I ended up forgetting a ton of it upon leaving the theater. That said, at least it is not the worst thing Jennifer Coolidge starred in this year. As much as I admire her, I cannot stand “A Minecraft Movie.” It is not good.
This film made my worst list, but now it is facing double trouble! “The Phoenician Scheme” is just plain insufferable, and it is only made worse because it is helmed by a well-known, respected director. I have a soft spot for Wes Anderson. I got a kick out of “Bottle Rocket.” “Moonrise Kingdom” is a solid flick. I even dug “Isle of Dogs.” But this? No no no. This is not quite doing it for me. The only scheme I see here is the one where this movie steals your money. Another reason why this film made the list is, like “Riff Raff,” because of the cast. And while that film had quite a few big names, it is nothing compared to the amount of superstars that make up the ensemble in “The Phoenician Scheme.” Everyone from Scarlett Johansson to Benecio del Toro to Benedict Cumberbatch to Tom Hanks to Richard Ayoade to Jeffrey Wright… I love all of these people, but again, I wish they all came together to star in something worth watching. This is also the second Bill Murray movie on this list. Not surprising though, he and Anderson have worked together several times. Why not one more?
Benny Safdie does not have the legacy of Wes Anderson, but he has proven to be a solid filmmaker alongside his brother Josh. While the latter ended up directing the terrific “Marty Supreme” this past year, the former unfortunately helmed “The Smashing Machine,” which I thought could have been better. This film, going into it, as well as coming out of it, reminded me of how I felt experiencing “Uncut Gems,” which the Safdie Brothers previously directed. Both films star actors in a main role you probably would least expect them to take on. In “Uncut Gems” you have Adam Sandler, and in “The Smashing Machine,” you have Dwayne Johnson. I am happy to say that Johnson aces his role, and so does Emily Blunt in hers. But those are the only two positive standouts of the film for me. I thought the story was surprisingly boring and forgettable. The film did not feel as experiential as I thought it would be. I remember walking out of “Uncut Gems” kind of anxious. I walked out of “The Smashing Machine” ready to move onto the next movie.
#7: Tron: Ares
Fun fact, I saw this next film in IMAX 3D. So, I got an extra dimension of disappointment. “Tron: Ares” is a digital mess. I am a sucker for “Tron.” Before going to see “Tron: Ares” I watched both of the previous installments back to back and those two are easily more memorable than this threequel. The film also feels like wasted potential. I thought it could have been cool to see what would happen if characters and concepts from the digital world in “Tron” entered the real world, but the execution of that concept ends up fizzling. This film stars Jared Leto, who seriously cannot catch a break. I do not think he is a bad actor by any means, but for whatever reason, he always ends up in the least watchable projects between “Suicide Squad,” “Morbius,” and now this. I barely remember any of the characters from this film, other than the fact that they sometimes spewed some of the cheapest dialogue of the year. Technically speaking, this film rocks at times. That does save it. The sound mixing is unbelievable. The visual effects are spellbinding. Nine Inch Nails has some good music throughout. And again, I saw this film in IMAX 3D. While I am not a huge 3D fan, the 3D in this film was kind of fun.
#6: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
At #6, we have “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” or the third film in the “Knives Out” franchise. Like the two previous installments, this one is directed by Rian Johnson. I thought the first “Knives Out” may have been his all time best work, and the second is also quite fun. This third one, like the others, is good, but not great. The cast, like the other movies, contains some big names, but this film seemed to be lacking in the what I would call “the performance.” By that I would mean the performance that I would continue to think about for days after watching this film. In “Knives Out” those were Ana de Armas and Chris Evans. In “Glass Onion,” those were Kathryn Hahn and Dave Bautista. It was hard for me to put a finger on the one actor that gave a performance like those four. Sure, like the other movies, Daniel Craig is fantastic as Benoit Blanc, and he is clearly having a ball. But the rest of the cast almost pales in comparison.
#5: M3GAN 2.0
While it is not my favorite horror film of all time, I appreciate the original “M3GAN” for its fine mix of scares and commentary. That film remained on my mind long after seeing it. So, when “M3GAN 2.0” was coming out, I knew I had to see it. Or at least I thought I knew… This is sequel that takes the vibe, tone, and familiar elements of the original “M3GAN” and puts them in a bold new direction. I have no problem with this. Just because one thing is not like the other, it does not mean that both things cannot be good. Except this second installment is not that good in the least. Instead of laughing with the movie, I found myself laughing at it because of how ridiculous things ended up getting at certain points. The action in this film is decently laid out, but not really much else in the film stands out for me as a positive. I do not mind the M3GAN character, although chances are this film did so poorly that I think it may have killed the chances of us getting a major project with her anytime soon.
#4: Love Hurts
We have yet another film with a solid cast, but for whatever reason, things did not quite work out. That film, my friends, is “Love Hurts.” And boy, did the experience of watching this hurt. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” was a massive comeback for Ke Huy Quan. I am glad to see him keep finding work in movies. He was just in “Kung Fu Panda 4” and after this film released he was in “Zootopia 2.” While Quan may be on a roll when it comes to voiceovers, I wish this live-action effort had more of an oomph. He is great in the movie, but the film itself does not live up to his charisma. The action scenes are often well choreographed and planned. I could see myself going on YouTube at some point just to watch certain sequences of the film a second time. As for the whole movie, I cannot see myself watching it again. If I were to watch it again, maybe I would mute it. The script and dialogue in this project are no match for the visuals.
#3: Materialists
A lot of the films on this list have nice casts that are totally wasted, great directors who do not showcase their full potential, or in the case of “The Phoenician Scheme” and “Wake Up Dead Man,” both. Turns out “Materialists” is yet another case of both being an issue. While this film’s cast is not as large as some of the others on this list, the star power is nevertheless strong here. You have Dakota Johnson, who has talent, but much like “Madame Web” in 2024, she felt kind of flat here. Joining her is Pedro Pascal, who quite literally was in a much more “fantastic” project released later this year. Completing this love triangle is Chris Evans, who does his best here, but it is not enough to make a good movie. The film sounds promising, but it ends up being kind of a waste. I had high expectations going into this film not just because of the cast, but because Celine Song ended up helming it. I could see why the three recently mentioned stars took on the project. If you have not seen Celine Song’s excellent 2023 film “Past Lives,” you are missing out on one the most heartwarming, emotionally striking films of the decade. It is sad to see that this is how she followed up that masterpiece. The film deals with fascinating ideas and topics about love, money, and why certain partners stick together, but for whatever reason they could not stick the landing. I would love to see what else Celine Song has up her sleeve, and I hope that this is just the one dud in her career. I think she has a promising future, but this is not the outing I anticipated following “Past Lives.”
#2: Captain America: Brave New World
I have established many times on this blog that I liked every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie that has come out since “Avengers: Endgame.” Unfortunately, that streak stopped in February 2025 with the release of “Captain America: Brave New World.” This film did not know what it wanted to be. While it is called “Captain America” and places its titular character front and center, the script shoehorns so much extra material to the point where this becomes a crappy sequel to the 2008 “Incredible Hulk.” Marvel movies are known for their visual effects. While they often tend to be a positive in these projects, they have been taking a bit of a downturn as of late depending on the situation. “Captain America: Brave New World” feels like the lowest of the low when it comes to visual effects in the MCU. The action scenes did not even stand out to me that much. For a Marvel movie, the core elements that are typically positives surprisingly fail to live up to their true potential. At times, the movie looked and felt like something that was supposed to go straight to Disney+. Then again, the film made a lot of money at the box office, so maybe dumping it onto streaming would have been a poor choice. The film also feels tonally inconsistent. While I wish nothing but the best for the future of Danny Ramirez as an actor, I do wish his character, Joaquin Torres, were less of a cartoon. Maybe he could have worked in something like “Guardians of the Galaxy,” but “Brave New World” feels mostly grounded, that is until Torres starts talking. If the film proves anything as a positive, it is that Anthony Mackie is incredibly charismatic and I would not mind seeing more projects where he can play the lead. I love him as Falcon and I am happy to see the character get their own movie, but I wish this film lived up to some of the adventures of Steve Rogers. Also, as much as I love Harrison Ford, Red Hulk was kind of wasted.
#1: Fackham Hall
My number 1 biggest disappointment of the year for cinema is “Fackham Hall.” Yes… That is the actual title. I do not make the rules, I just facking enforce them. Expectations are a funny thing, because the reality is that me disliking this movie could debatably be my own fault. I did not make a most anticipated movies list going into 2025. However, if I knew this movie were a thing at the beginning of the year, chances are it would have ended up on it. For starters, the trailer for this movie blew my socks off in every regard. I found almost every line in the film’s red band trailer, which I had seen for the first time in theatres, to be ridiculously hilarious. “Fackham Hall” is easily one of the funniest trailers I have ever seen. Sadly, the movie is nowhere near as comedic. Or, at least to me it is not. For all I know, I might have given the movie a more positive review had I not watched the trailer on YouTube several times after seeing it in the cinema. For the record, when it played in the cinema, it was not online yet. I kept waiting for the day it would finally drop, and when it did, I was one happy dude. Also, Jimmy Carr worked on this film. I do not think everyone reading this would be familiar with that name, but he is one of my favorite comedians and game show hosts. He happened to be writing this film along with a few other people, including his own brother, Patrick Carr.
Speaking of Jimmy Carr, he is also on screen as a vicar. He essentially has one joke in the movie done on repeat. I have massive respect for Jimmy Carr as a comedian, and if I wanted to hear Jimmy Carr not only tell more jokes, but also a greater variety of jokes, I will just go watch him in one of his specials or even on shows like “8 Out of 10 Cats.” I found him to be wasted here.
“Fackham Hall” is essentially “Downton Abbey” done in the spoofy spirit of “Naked Gun” and “Airplane.” I enjoy both of those movies. But “Fackham Hall” tries its best to make fun of its source material, but only takes the laughs so far. At times, the film feels like it was written by young adults who just learned adult humor but they have not heard enough complicated adult humor. In fact, the film has quite a bit of toilet humor that sounds like it comes out of a more mature Illumination movie. If you think the word “penis” by itself is funny, and that is the pinnacle of comedy for you, chances are you wrote this movie.
And before I forget, this film, while not the worst narrative of the year, at times feels kind of unstructured. While the film does advertise its murder mystery plot ahead of time, its placement in the final product feels rather out of the blue. Does it make sense? Sure. Should the film get rid of it? One could argue that it probably should not. But at the same time, its timing feels rather unexpected.
Prior to watching “Fackham Hall,” I had not watched the “Downtown Abbey” series, nor have I seen any of its feature films. I know enough about the series to understand it to some degree, but it is not for me. But for whatever reason, when the trailer for this film dropped, I lost my mind and I thought it made for an interesting concept. But the execution could not reach my high expectations, even if one could argue that said expectations were unfair. “Fackham Hall” may be cool title, but when it comes to the past year in cinema, there are so many fackin’ better uses of your time and money. “Fackham Hall” is my most disappointing movie of 2025.
Thanks for reading this countdown! So, we did the worst list and now, the most disappointing. Two negative lists in a row… I think it is time to go in a more positive direction. My next list is going to be for my top 10 BEST movies of 2025! I cannot wait to share these picks with you all, it is going to be fun.
Also, before we go any further, I just dropped a new poster for Celebrity Movie Requests! For those of you who saw my previous poster on Thanksgiving, you may think it looks exactly the same. There are some subtle differences though if you look close enough… Celebrity Movie Requests is an upcoming series where I review and talk about movies based on the requests of ten prominent people. I talked to them in 2025 and got their ideas on video to share with you all. I cannot wait to reveal who the special guests will be further down the road, along with the movies they asked me to review. Stay tuned for sometime later this year for more updates!
If you want to see the upcoming best list and more from Scene Before follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, what are your most disappointing movies of 2025? Do you agree with this list? Do you think I missed a movie? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!
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