Nothing gives you the happy goosebumps more than a fabulous work of art. Film is one of the greatest forms of art that there is.
When a film comes together at every facet to create a world that envelops us, it can leave a lifelong impression. Great characters, exciting writing, lavish scenery, detailed direction, inspiring acting.
And it all starts with one brilliant idea. A morsel of thought that a writer painstakingly brings to the world. It's been done tons of times throughout history.
That is why it can be heartbreaking when the brilliant idea is taken, set on fire and destroyed. Nothing is sadder than watching a film and thinking..."how do you take such a great idea and create this unholy mess?!"
Redditor u/TripleDeckerJumboJim wanted to compare notes about some of cinema's biggest misses, by asking:
What's a movie with a great premise but a terrible execution?
I have three words for you... "Dear Evan Hansen." That is all. Well not all, but if I get started we'll be here all night.
So Vanilla...
Russell Crowe Gladiator GIF by MOODMAN
Giphy
"The Robin Hood movie with Russel Crowe. It was written to be told from the Sheriff of Nottingham's viewpoint in "the villain was right" style. Then the studio chickened out and made ANOTHER Vanilla Robin Hood movie."
Don't be dumb...
"Percy Jackson. They literally had all the great source material in their hands, and threw it all aside to make their own dumb movie with just the same character names."
"See, the first one was at least bearable. They changed up quite a bit, but it was salvageable. Then they took everything they could have fixed and said f**k you were doing the opposite. Movie 1 was fine but not great, movie 2 was a soulless cash grab."
Fumbled...
"Valerian and The City of a Thousand Planets. Like you're telling me that with all of the source material- that inspired tons of well known scifi franchises today- and a 177M$ budget, they f**ked it up with miscasting the leads and an unfocused plot?? (I'm also a huge fan of the Valérian & Lauréline comics so it bummed me out how they fumbled the one chance at a live action film)."
- LMCO890
Such a Comedian...
"Man of the Year... A comedian launches a third party bid for the presidency and wins. Despite a solid performance from Robin Williams, a thoroughly forgettable movie with a lame script. Could've had a lot of heart and a lot of laughs."
"Ooh this is a good answer. Yes the premise that was advertised (a Jon Stewart-type comedian becoming President) looked so good I went to see it. Turned out the plot was really about a computer bug that accidentally makes a comedian President. Such a letdown."
Night Only
Horror Films Vampire GIF
Giphy
"Daybreakers was a pretty cool look at a vampire society but the second half about the cure was so dumb."
I am still stunned at how you turn a classic like Robin Hood, with a cast like Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, into something that makes people want to burn down a theater. Sad.
Bless You
fun horror GIF by visitorlando
Giphy
"The Nun, great setting, great premise, even had a good story imo but the climatic fight with the main antagonist (spoiler alert, the nun) was really stupid and kind of let it down."
Dark is Rising
"Seventh Son. It's based on The Last Apprentice book series by Joseph Delaney, which are fantastic books. The movie on the other hand is terrible and was a big flop. Whoever thought to have Jeff Bridges do that accent was an idiot."
- Rpg_11
"I went and read a little about this and was shocked that it has such similar ties to the Dark is Rising Sequence, which was a staple of my childhood, but they're based in the same mythology so I suppose I should be less surprised than I was. I have no idea if the writing is similar and whether you would enjoy it but The Dark is Rising series is fantastic and well worth a read, and ironically also had a lackluster film that should have been great . :("
But I love Edris...
"The Dark Tower. Source material (Stephen King book series) is amazing. Movie is crap."
- Lexrst
"I wanted to like this movie so much. I love Idris Elba as an actor and had no problems with his casting as Roland. His dynamic with Jake is one of my favorite aspects of the first book. There's a line, really early in the movie where Jake says something like "you're a gunslinger" and Roland says "There are no more gunslingers" and I just... turned the movie off."
"I understood that this was another reiteration, but I could not conceive of a version of Roland Deschain who forgets the face of his father and denies that fact that as long as he is alive, he is a Gunslinger and has a duty to fulfill and he carries all the names of those he lost on the journey, so the Gunslingers are alive as long as he is alive. I get it was a throw-away line but it just sat wrong with me."
So bad...
"I will forever stay mad about how badly Eragon turned out."
"Came here to say this. Went back and rewatched recently and found the sound track to be a large part of why it fell so flat and made the acting seem phoned in."
I am Number Four...
"Jumper. I still actually enjoy the movie a lot because the premise is so cool and it has its moments, but it could've been better for sure."
- dn35
"Once a quarter I text the same friend "dang I wish they made a jumper sequel". It was one of those movies made at the time when everyone was so desperate for a franchise that could appeal to teens and adults that the first movie focused so hard on being the first in a trilogy that it forgot to be fun. The plans for the trilogy sounded awesome. I am Number Four did the same thing."
Oh Will
will smith hancock GIF
Giphy
"Hancock. It's half of a great movie with a different, terrible movie for the second half."
I think there are a few Will Smith films we could have long chats about. But starting at Hancock is smart. What a mess. And here's another one... "Nomadland." I still don't get it.
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Ticket scalpers. How do you the audacity to say that's a job?
Actual burglars have more empathy.
Disrespectful
Out Of Office Summer GIF by Merge MansionGiphy"There are debt collectors who call relatives of the deceased to pay off their debts when they are not legally obligated to."
Top_Gun_2021
Shady. Shady.
"Australian Real Estate Agents. Laws don't seem to apply to them. Just as dodgy in sales and rentals alike. Never seen anything like it overseas."
snave_
"I'm in the US, it can vary state by state but my state is pretty strict on realtor laws. Some states require attorney review and there are definitely penalties for being reported for shady sh*t. It does require consumer reporting though."
ilostmytaco
Etransfer
"Where I live, tax info was leaked and now scammers are targeting low income individuals/families (people earning under 30,000 per year) with etransfer scams. I got one the other day that was an etransfer warning that 240$ 'a family member sent me' was about to expire."
SnowyInuk
"That’s disgusting. The scammers know what they’re doing, they know the harm they cause people and yet they don’t care."
surelysandwitch
Should be illegal...
"MLM managers. Not the low level idiots that get suckered into it, they suck too for trying to bring new people into that sh*tshow, but the people who create them know exactly what they are doing and are pretty much the only ones who profit off of it. Should be illegal. Pyramid schemes are illegal. None of them ever get the just desserts except occasionally by vigilantes I assume."
Wereno
I hate debt collectors. Yeah, you calling me one hundred times a week is going to miraculously make money appear.
Animals
Giphy"Paparazzi."
VictorBlimpmuscle
"I met Jack Gleeson (King Joffrey from Game of Thrones) at a bus stop in Dublin. Really nice guy but he said he quit acting due to people being nasty online and constant hounding from paparrazi. He's happier now but it sucks that he was pushed away from a career he was quite good at."
goobi94
Scumbags
"The pastors at mega churches whom ask their followers for money for private jets. Absolute scum to abuse others faith for your own greed."
ichancho
"Brian Tamaki is a greedy freaking pig, he takes advantage of so many people who are already struggling. Every time he’s in the local news (which btw is often) I get more and more pissed off at him and his wife. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tamaki "
surelysandwitch
it’s a thing???
“'Dating Expert.' Sadly it’s a thing. It’s basically a self appointed title that requires no training or qualifications. What’s worse, is that I have a female friend who uses one. It’s very much a blind leading the blind situation."
Mean_Manufacturer_61
"Most of the self proclaimed “dating coaches” I know are women in their late 30s or early 40s who have never been married or had a longer relationship."
ipozgaj
EVIL
"Poachers. Especially big game poachers who purposefully hunt nearly extinct animals from species they know they are on the brink."
"I know there are poachers that come from rural villages who are trying to just put food on the table, which has my sympathy but poachers who come from money and hunt down animals minding their business in most shelters or restricted areas just to put a head on their wall as a trophy are absolutely heinous."
GetterdoneObiwan
I See It All
miss cleo fraud GIFGiphy"Psychic Mediums. Specifically those who prey on the grieving."
JamesDeadite
"I've always found it interesting how many magicians go after people like this. I think it's because they know what it takes to trick people for the art. The slight of hand and mentalism. And they abhor people who use these tactics for such sh*tty purposes."
34HoldOn
I want so bad to believe in psychics and mediums. What say we on that topic?
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For some odd reason I love the things burning. Anything, food, pots, pans. You name it. Weird.
Blow
fire burning GIFGiphy"Matches/candles on a birthday cake. I remember lighting matches as a kid purely to blow them out and inhale that sweet match-y smell."
semispooked
"guilty good"
"I work at a Chemical plant. We make a highly acidic product that is dark blue, viscus, highly corrosive, and smells exactly like Fruit Loops. It is incredibly disturbing."
Turin082
"Organic chemistry has many 'guilty good' smells. Thiophosgene (sulfur derivative of a chemical weapon used extensively in WW1) apparently smells like meat. Phosgene is used to make polycarbonate, thiophosgene is used to make some sulfur-containing molecules which eventually end up in therapeutic drugs."
HammerTh_1701
I can't huff it...
"Paint, specifically house paint. I love the smell. But anytime I hear that anyone is painting a room or their house, I volunteer. I just love sitting on the floor in a room that's been freshly painted, closing my eyes and just inhaling that slightly chemically, slightly creamy aroma."
Neowza
A Hint of French...
"A fish and chips shop burnt down as couple blocks from work a few years ago. The whole neighborhood smelled amazing for days. Just the slight hint of French fries. Nothing overpowering. It was so awesome. Until I found out someone was trapped in the fire and died."
stevey_frac
Drag
Drag Racing Vegas GIF by Don Schumacher RacingGiphy"Race fuel. Instantly puts me in a good mood as it reminds me of going to the drag races with my dad when I was young."
garfnodie
Fuel and matches get me too. And they sort of go together. Interesting.
Just like the Movie...
Johnny Depp Drinking GIFGiphy"The water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Mmm, bromine."
Stalkerslovemy
"This is one of my favorite scents of all time, and Disney is very aware that people enjoy it. Evidently it’s a lot harder to recreate than just adding bromine to water."
cash4panties
"black widow".
"There's a chicken wing restaurant near my house that has a challenge sauce called "black widow." The owner claims it to be around 500,000 scovilles. A few years back some buddies and I decided to try them, the sauce was a dark molasses color and smelled almost like a BBQ sauce, no hint of the danger that lurked at all. We each grabbed one wing and it went terribly. I don't know how something so spicy could smell so innocent."
Final-Chapter
Endless Weekend
"Hotel/rented rooms whenever you go on vacation. There's this particular smell that just says 'you are on vacation,' especially on a beach/swimming trips/out-of-the-town vacays."
Yummy_Llama
"Bath and Body Works has a plug-in scent called Endless Weekend that replicates that scent (to my humble nose)."
Exxcentrica
"oh no..."
"Someone you are attracted to's body odors. Anyone else who is slightly unhygienic smells repulsive."
Mini_gunslinger
"I remember back in high school a girl leaned over, sniffed me, told me that I smelled really good, and asked me what cologne I was wearing. I asked if she was joking, and she's like, no, you smell really good. When I told her I had just gotten done with gym class, she gets a small 'oh no...' look on her face and turns away. I think we both had a revelation that day."
user deleted
That Smell
Smell It Season 6 GIF by This Is UsGiphy"The smell inflatable things give off. I have no idea how to describe it, but it’s… nostalgic? to me."
crestfxllen
I do love the smell of plastics and inflatables. Ahh....
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It's hard to imagine how to go on without the lost object–whatever it may be–but over time, it becomes a distant memory and we move on.
That is until we magically find ourselves presented with this opportunity proposed by Redditor mikehotel288, who asked:
"You find yourself in a room with everything you’ve ever lost in your life. What do you look for first?"
There are necessities people cannot do without.
No More Dry Lips Ever Again
"Gonna be a lot of chapstick in that room."
– camefromxbox
There are things that bring us comfort and are irreplaceable.
Safety Blanket
"My baby blanket. It became tattered over the years—to the point where I couldn’t reasonably wash it anymore—so I had to throw it away a little while back."
"I have heavily regretted that decision. I was really attached to it (hence it being in tatters), but I really wish that I kept what was left of it instead of throwing it away. Just knowing that I’d still have it would be a huge comfort to me."
– Uearie
Sentimental Heirloom
"The pendant my dad had made for me with my grandmother’s engagement diamond. It was 2 carats. It disappeared from a Las Vegas hotel room 20 years ago. It was hidden deep in a suitcase where it would not have been easy to find. It was just GONE. Cops didn’t do anything. Didn’t even come to take my statement. Cleaning lady said she thought she saw an elderly man enter my room. The guy I was with was not sympathetic in the least. Entire situation was f**ked. I’m still so upset about it."
– MaritimeDisaster
Lone Shark
"My plastic shark toy I lost when I was 10. Ain't no f'king way it just VANISHED."
– Guilty_As_Charged__
Not everything lost is tangible.
Tick Tock
"The time I wasted."
– shinyfennec
It Holds Value
"My private key with 6 BTC in it."
– Significant_Mirror19
"I didn't lose one, but I'll check my room for yours just in case."
– Smodphan
Finding Purpose
"The reason I walked into the room."
– Lloyd_lyle
Lost Opportunity
"That one girl i spoke to on omegle lol"
– h-amishh
If only we get to reunite with those we've lost.
The Loved Family Member
"My grandpa."
– Splatty_boi_420
Grieving Parent
"My daughter. She’ll be in my brother’s arms. So I’ll find both things I care to look for."
– SeeTheFence
Missing Mom
"My mom. She died of cancer in 2017. She never got to meet my daughter. I miss the hell out of her and wish she was still part of my family’s life."
– X-Arkturis-X
The Animals That Come Into Our Lives
"My pets that have passed: especially my horse, Blue. It's been 4 years, but it feels like just yesterday."
– Baciandrio
While many of these scenarios are unlikely, the thread gave people an opportunity to reflect on the things that made a strong impression on their lives.
Sometimes, the memories of the things we've lost–whether they are random objects or sources of love–is all we have.
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