In a year packed with ambitious releases, 2025 delivered more than a few films that couldn’t live up to their potential. Disappointment doesn’t always come from bad movies. Sometimes they’re good. Many times they’re average. Other times they are indeed terrible.
This list isn’t ranked in any particular order. Instead, it highlights the movies that didn’t meet expectations for a variety of reasons.
These are the most disappointing films of 2025.
‘28 Years Later’
There’s plenty of zombie action showcased in “28 Years Later.” Flesh and blood – and lots of nudity – are thrown around in a fast-paced, energetic style.
Despite this, the film tries to do too much. There are too many ideas. Too many characters. Too little identity.
“28 Years Later” is able to justify its existence in moments. Ultimately, however, it feels more like a reel of disconnected sequences rather than a complete feature.
‘Jurassic World Rebirth’
After a disastrous first hour, “Jurassic World Rebirth” briefly recaptures the spirit of the original. These moments prove to be few and far between, however.
Because of this, the film is inconsistent in its pacing. The first half is full of bland dialogue and lifeless introductions, while the second hour comes complete with more dinosaur-fueled chaos.
This is yet another step in the wrong direction for the “Jurassic” franchise.
‘Wicked: For Good’
Did this story warrant two parts? A definitive answer to that question is given in “Wicked: For Good.” And it’s a resounding no.
This installment drags out nonessential moments and speeds through important ones. Not only is the movie’s emotional core hollow because of this, but the entire journey feels forced.
Still, it does feature tremendous cinematography and great performances from Ariana Grande (Glinda) and Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba).
In virtually every aspect, “Wicked: For Good” is unable to live up to its predecessor. The magic is still there, just not as much of it.
‘Frankenstein’
While “Frankenstein” is breathtakingly stunning, beauty doesn’t always mean masterpiece. The film’s visual prowess is wasted in a plot that feels both sluggish and rushed – often at the same time.
Rather than capitalizing on its heightened thematic elements, this speaks directly towards the audience. This takes much of the emotional weight away from the core conflict.
With a half-baked approach, “Frankenstein” misses the mark.
‘Black Phone 2’
There is no reason why this needed to be made. “Black Phone 2” is the definition of greed.
Taking this story into full-blown supernatural territory, “Black Phone 2” takes many liberties – both through the characters and the plot itself. Taking idea after idea from horror classics, it’s never able to craft its own identity.
“Black Phone 2” is unnecessary and uninspired. It doesn’t continue the plot in any meaningful way, rattling off endless clichés… all to make a quick buck. This is the worst kind of movie.
‘The Smashing Machine’
When embracing its core themes, “The Smashing Machine” is at its best. The ideas of failure, overcoming adversity and the cost of ambition all lie within the nature of the title itself.
Despite this, the film becomes abundantly repetitive. Similar plot points are “smashed” over the audience’s head time and time again, outweighing the well-shot fight sequences and influential messaging.
Dynamic performances from Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt keep it afloat, but “The Smashing Machine” isn’t able to extend beyond average.
‘Die My Love’
An endurance exercise from start to finish, “Die My Love” never lets up.
The film features a phenomenal cast, with Jennifer Lawrence (Grace), Robert Pattinson (Jackson) and LaKeith Stanfield (Karl) all involved. Star power can’t save a bad movie, though.
It’s constantly scatterbrained, jumping from scene to scene with little to no explanation in between. This causes it to come across as pretentious over anything else.
“Die My Love” chooses the best actors but the worst characters. It’s successful in causing discomfort. Any enjoyment whatsoever, however… not so much.
‘Wolf Man’
The biggest problem with “Wolf Man” is that it tries to be something that it’s not. The film attempts to explore serious themes, but completely forgets about them by the time the story reaches its conclusion.
Still, “Wolf Man” can take pride in one thing: its whiplash scares. Rotating camera movements and an infrared creature point of view add immersion to the viewing experience.
“Wolf Man” adds a couple of twists and turns into the mix, but they’re largely predictable. The story never comes together, and at times – it doesn’t even feel like a fully-fleshed tale at all.
‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’
This is neither big nor bold. “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” isn’t even much of a journey at all.
It remains watchable because of the performances from Margot Robbie (Sarah) and Colin Farrell (David). Unfortunately, however, the film relies on its stars way too much.
Made up of moments, “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” only cares about how to get from point A to point B. The in-between subplots are of little interest, leaving viewers with nothing to latch on to.
“A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” only lives up to one word in its title – beautiful. Otherwise, it’s a mashup of pieces that are never able to come together.
‘Opus’
Putting its focus on music, “Opus” had the opportunity to do something unique within the horror genre. Too bad this isn’t its actual priority at all.
The film converges into a generic plotline and never looks back – ultimately turning into a mainstream picture with little creativity.
“Opus” does embrace its tropes in the final act, resulting in an untraditional ending. The rest of the movie is still very much traditional, however.
It’s a by-the-numbers experience that will likely leave viewers wanting more by the time the credits roll.
