Reboots are intended to refresh, modernize, or revitalize beloved stories, yet not all reboots manage to recapturethe magic of their originals. Some miss the mark entirely, either by mishandling what made the originals special or by veering too far into unexplored territory. Whether it’s due to poor direction, miscast leads, or an over-reliance on CGI,these movies highlight the difficulties of reinvigorating a successful franchise or character.
With this in mind, the following list covers some of the worst offenders in the world of reboots. These films are marked not by their innovation but by their shortcomings, with attempts at reinvention that seem forced, misguided, or out of touch with audience expectations. While some may find aspects of these movies entertaining, they ultimately serve as prime examples of how rebooting a classic can go terribly wrong.
10’Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' (2014)
Directed by Jonathan Liebesman
“Let’s just say, we’re four brothers from New York.” With 2014’sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jonathan Liebesman tried to bring the heroes in a half-shell back to the big screen with a modern CGI-heavy makeover. Story-wise, the movie follows Leonardo (voiced byJohnny Knoxville), Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), Donatello (Jeremy Howard), and Raphael (Alan Ritchson) as they fight against the sinister Shredder (Tohoru Masamune) and his Foot Clan to save New York City.Megan Foxjoins them as April O’Neil, who becomes swept up in their mission.
There was a lot of potential here, and fans were hyped, but the finished product was a major disappointment. While the characters and scenarios are familiar to fans of TMNT lore, the movie as a whole feels lifeless. Instead of genuine heart, it serves up endless pop-culture references and lame one-liners. Visually,the use of motion capture and a shift towards photo-real animation results in rather unsettling heroes. Consequently, the new, overly muscular CGI turtles felt jarring to many fans.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
9’Planet of the Apes' (2001)
Directed by Tim Burton
“Get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty human!“Mark WahlbergleadsTim Burton’sPlanet of the Apesas Captain Leo Davidson, an astronaut who crash-lands on a planet where apes rule and humans are enslaved. His mission to liberate humanity and return home is filled with conflicts, betrayals, and a confusing twist ending that left audiences scratching their heads.
Overall,Burton’s reboot tries to build on the 1968 classic but ultimately falls short in terms of both plot coherence and emotional depth.He was an odd choice for the franchise; while he conjures up impressive visuals here, his general storytelling vibe is at odds with the tone of the series. Perhaps for this reason, the movie simply lacks excitement and creativity, coming across as largely dull and uninspired. Much of this is due to the flat performance from Wahlberg, who is far from his A-game. Fortunately, the series righted itself a decade later with the 2011 re-reboot.
Planet of the Apes
Astronaut Leo Davidson whips through space and time to a world where apes and gorillas rule the humans. Captured, he is nurtured by Ari and hunted by General Thade as he leads a rebel group of humans and chimpanzees in search of his downed craft. This is his only hope of escape and, ironically, the planet’s only hope of shaking off the tyranny of the gorillas, allowing peaceful humans and chimpanzees to co-exist.
8’Dolittle' (2020)
Directed by Stephen Gaghan
“Are you Dr. Dolittle? We’re in desperate need of your help.“Dolittlereimagines the classic story of the doctor who can talk to animals, with Robert Downey Jr. stepping into the title role. This time around, he’s on an adventure to find a rare, mythical cure to saveQueen Victoria(Jessie Buckley), joined by a cast of animals voiced by a star-studded cast.
This movie was the third iteration ofHugh Lofting’s character, following the 1967 musical withRex Harrisonand the late ’90s version starringEddie Murphy, and it’s easily the weakest of the three.Stephen Gaghan’s direction struggles to strike a balance between humor, fantasy, and adventure. Downey’s performance, including an unusual accent, feels oddly detached, and the CGI animals, while cute, don’t bring the intended warmth to the story. The caliber of the supporting voice cast is ridiculous, with a murderer’s row of big talents appearing, and yet the movie can’t orchestrate them into anything especially entertaining.
7’Snake Eyes' (2021)
Directed by Robert Schwentke
“Loyalty is everything.“Snake Eyesserves as an origin story for the iconicG.I. Joecharacter. After witnessing his father’s murder, Snake Eyes (Henry Golding) grows up with a single-minded pursuit of vengeance. He is taken in by the Arashikage clan, where he hones his martial arts skills, forms friendships, and faces moral dilemmas that shape his identity. Golding’s alright in the part, though he’s far from the charismatic lead he was inCrazy Rich Asians.
It’s not completely awful, with decent production values and some well-executed action sequences, but the narrative is slow, the storytelling is clumsy, andthe excessive shaky cam quickly becomes nauseating. Plus,Snake Eyesdoesn’t really embrace the fun spirit of the original toy line.Then there’s the dialogue, which is frequently ridiculous. For example, one character solemnly declares, “For 600 years, our ninjas have brought peace and stability to Japan.” Even by the standards of movies based on toys,Snake Eyesis subpar.
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins
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6’The Mummy' (2017)
Directed by Alex Kurtzman
“Welcome to a new world of gods and monsters.“The Mummyreboot, starringTom Cruise, was a shaky attempt to kickstart Universal’s “Dark Universe. He plays Nick Morton, a soldier of fortune who accidentally unleashes the ancient princess Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella), sparking a supernatural struggle.The 1999 versionwithBrendan Fraserwas highly entertaining (albeit goofy) but Cruise’s version is pretty boring.
The movie exhumes tired tropes from earlier flicks, failing to imbue them with any freshness or energy. This extends from the directing to the acting, with most of the cast members looking bored and uncommitted. EvenRussell Croweis lame as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, which should have been a fun role. For all these reasons, most critics savagedThe Mummy, with many calling it one of the worst projects in Cruise’s whole career. So negative was the reception that Universa promptly scrapped its plans for a new shared monster cinematic universe.
An ancient Egyptian princess is awakened from her crypt beneath the desert, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.
5’Hellboy' (2019)
Directed by Neil Marshall
“I’m the guy who slaps people around.” Representing a major step down fromGuillermo Del Toro’s two enjoyable movies, 2019’sHellboyreplacedRon PerlmanwithDavid Harbour. The film aspires to be a darker, more mature project than the predecessors, with more brutal violence and an attempt at character study. Harbour rises to the challenge with a decent lead performance. Unfortunately,the rest of the movie is bogged down by excessive gore, a weak script, and run-of-the-mill fight scenes.
The end result is a mess of origin-story pablum, lacking the intelligence or passion for the source material that made Del Toro’s version compelling. By the time the credits roll, the plot has wandered through so many convoluted narratives that the viewer is likely to feel relief rather than satisfaction. Even directorNeil Marshallhas admitted the movie was a disaster, going so far as to disown it. He blamed studio interference,saying, “It was just God awful. It’s not a film that I would consider to be part of my canon.”
Hellboy Reboot
4’Conan the Barbarian' (2011)
Directed by Marcus Nispel
“I live. I love. I slay. And I am content.” With this one,Jason Momoasteps intoArnoldSchwarzenegger’s intimidatingly big shoes, taking on the role of the warrior seeking revenge against the warlord Khalar Zym (Stephen Lang). He looks the part, but Momoa fails to muster Arnie’s star power. This is just one of many flaws in this misfire, sadly.The overall aesthetic is low-budget and the script is dull, feeling very disconnected fromRobert E. Howard’s novels.
Rather than going for faithfulness to the source material and compelling characters, the studio opted for a shallow narrative, excessive fake blood, andgimmicky 3-D tacked on in post-production. Similar toHellboy, this was a movie that frustrated its director.Marcus Nispelsaidshooting it was “the worst experience that I had and I was as unhappy with the result”, calling the project “a dog on many leashes.” Unsurprisingly,Conan the Barbarianmade a major loss at the box office.
Conan the Barbarian
3’The Transporter Refueled' (2015)
Directed by Camille Delamarre
“I’m done transporting criminals.” InThe Transporter Refueled,Ed Skreintakes overJason Statham’s iconic role as Frank Martin, a professional driver with a strict code. This time, he’s pulled into a heist involving a group of women seeking revenge on a powerful criminal syndicate. Though it strains to replicate the slick, fast-paced action of the original films,the reboot sorely lacks Statham’s magnetic presence.It doesn’t help that the story is generic and hollow.
Predictably, the movie degenerates into a series of car chases, abandoning the focus on character and cool ‘lone wolf’ vibe of the original. There’s more of a team approach in this one, which is fine, but doesn’t fit with the rest of the franchise. Again, this is a reboot that winds up being lackluster, struggling to hold the viewer’s attention. Indeed, despite the title,The Transporter Refueledis decidedly low-octane. Nevertheless, even when these problems, the movie still performed strongly at the box office, suggesting more installments to come.
The Transporter Refueled
2’Fantastic Four' (2015)
Directed by Josh Trank
No one expected this movie to beThe Dark Knight, butFantastic Fourshould have at least been spirited and whimsical. It’s not.The movie is a slog, lacking all the fundamental ingredients of a decent superhero flick.The 2005 movie was no masterpiece either, but Trank’s version somehow ends up even less enjoyable. What a disaster. Its critical and commercial failure immediately killed the planned sequel.
Fantastic Four
Four young outsiders teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe which alters their physical form in shocking ways. The four must learn to harness their new abilities and work together to save Earth from a former friend turned enemy.
1’Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li' (2009)
Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak
“The stronger you become, the more enemies you’ll face.” When it comes to the worst reboots ever, it’s hard to topStreet Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. It tells the origin story of the title character (Kristin Kreuk), as she embarks on a journey to avenge her father’s kidnapping. None of theStreet Fightermovies is particularly good, butThe Legend of Chun-Lireached new depths.
The story is convoluted and nonsensical, and the script is incredibly ridiculous. The characters deliver a bevy of cheesy and/or unintentionally funny lines, like when one says, “Bomb! Get out, now!”, which plays a statement on the film itself. Then there are the tepid, weakly choreographed fight scenes, which don’t even generate a modicum of excitement. (Weirdly, there’s very little actual street fighting to be found here.) It adds up to a smoldering trainwreck of a martial arts movie, not only one of the worst reboots but one of the shoddiest video game adaptations of all time.
