We gave you the best films and now it is, unfortunately, time for the worst. These are the bottom of the barrel, spoiled apple films that were released in 2017. The films that will only win any awards at the annual Golden Raspberry ceremonies. The films that, even if some people enjoyed them, the majority of those who saw them didn’t like them at all.
For the purposes of this list, I’ll be looking at those films which were negatively received by critics this year. The best way to gauge that, of course, is by looking at their Rotten Tomatoes scores. The films here will be listed from lowest to highest scores and according to the month in which they were released.
There will likely be films that are not on this list with scores lower than the ones here, however, the list is limited to films with a wide release (at least 1000 cinemas according to Box Office Mojo) that would have likely been in the public consciousness. So small, independent films that no one has heard of or seen will not be on this list.
For the TL;DR version of this list, watch the video above.
Flatliners (September)
RT Score: 5%
Written by: Ben Ripley.
Directed by: Niels Arden Oplev.
Starring: Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton, Kiersey Clemons and Kiefer Sutherland.
Synopsis: Five medical students, obsessed by the mystery of what lies beyond the confines of life, embark on a daring and dangerous experiment: by stopping their hearts for short periods of time, each triggers a near-death experience, giving them a firsthand account of the afterlife. But as their experiments become increasingly dangerous, they are each haunted by the sins of their pasts, brought on by the supernatural consequences of trespassing to the other side. – Sony Pictures.
Just Getting Started (December)
RT Score: 5%
Written and Directed by: Ron Shelton.
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, Rene Russo, Joe Pantoliano, Glenne Headly, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Elizabeth Ashley, George Wallace, Graham Beckel, Jane Seymour and Johnny Mathis.
Synopsis: Morgan Freeman stars as DUKE DIVER, the freewheeling manager of the luxury Palm Springs resort, the Villa Capri. DIVER may have a mysterious past, but he’s a pro at making sure that life for the high-spirited residents is one big, non-stop party. But the status quo is challenged when ex-military charmer LEO (Tommy Lee Jones) checks in, triggering a competition between Duke and Leo for the top spot of Alpha male, as well as for the affections of the newly-arrived SUZIE (Rene Russo). When Duke’s past suddenly catches up with him, the rivals put aside their differences and the two men reluctantly team up to stop whoever is trying to kill Duke, and also save the Villa Capri. – Just Getting Started Official Website.
Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (October)
RT Score: 6%
Written and Directed by: Tyler Perry
Starring: Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis, Patrice Lovely, Yousef Erakat, Diamond White, Lexy Panterra, Andre Hall, Brock O’Hurn and Tito Ortiz.
Synopsis: Madea, Bam, and Hattie venture to a haunted campground and the group must run for their lives when monsters, goblins, and the boogeyman are unleashed. – IMDB.
Rings (February)
RT Score: 7%
Written by: David Loucka, Jacob Aaron Estes and Akiva Goldsman.
Directed by: F. Javier Gutiérrez.
Starring: Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki, Aimee Teegarden, Bonnie Morgan and Vincent D’Onofrio.
Synopsis: Discover the TERRIFYING new chapter in the groundbreaking Ring franchise. When a radical college professor (Johnny Galecki, “The Big Bang Theory”) finds the mysterious video rumored to kill viewers seven days after watching, he enlists his students in a dangerous experiment to uncover the secrets behind the Samara legend. When the deadly video goes viral, they must figure out a way to break the curse and defeat Samara before her evil is unleashed upon the world. But, how do you stop her when she’s everywhere? – Rings Official Website.
The Snowman (October)
RT Score: 8%
Written by: Hossein Amini, Peter Straughan and Søren Sveistrup.
Directed by: Tomas Alfredson.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Val Kilmer and J. K. Simmons.
Synopsis: When an elite crime squad’s lead detective (Fassbender) investigates the disappearance of a victim on the first snow of winter, he fears an elusive serial killer may be active again. With the help of a brilliant recruit (Ferguson), the cop must connect decades-old cold cases to the brutal new one if he hopes to outwit this unthinkable evil before the next snowfall. – The Snowman Official Website.
The Emoji Movie (July)
RT Score: 9%
Written by: Tony Leondis, Eric Siegel and Mike White.
Directed by: Tony Leondis.
Starring: T. J. Miller, James Corden, Anna Faris, Maya Rudolph, Steven Wright, Jennifer Coolidge, Christina Aguilera, Sofía Vergara, Sean Hayes and Patrick Stewart.
Synopsis: Gene, a multi-expressional emoji, sets out on a journey to become a normal emoji. – IMDB.
The Nutjob 2: Nutty by Nature (August)
RT Score: 9%
Written by: Scott Bindley, Cal Brunker and Bob Barlen.
Directed by: Cal Brunker.
Starring: Will Arnett, Maya Rudolph, Jackie Chan, Katherine Heigl, Bobby Moynihan, Bobby Cannavale, Isabela Moner, Jeff Dunham and Gabriel Iglesias.
Synopsis: Surly Squirrel (Will Arnett) and the gang are back. We are once again in Oakton where the evil mayor has decided to bulldoze Liberty Park and build a dangerous amusement park in its place. Surly and his ragtag group of animal friends band together to save their home, defeat the mayor, and take back the park. – The Nutjob 2 Official Website.
Fifty Shades Darker (February)
RT Score: 10%
Written by: Niall Leonard.
Directed by: James Foley.
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eric Johnson, Rita Ora, Luke Grimes, Victor Rasuk, Kim Basinger and Marcia Gay Harden.
Synopsis: Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson return as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades Darker, the second chapter based on the worldwide bestselling Fifty Shades phenomenon. When a wounded Christian tries to entice a cautious Anastasia back into his life, she demands a new arrangement before she will give him another chance. As the two begin to build trust and find stability, shadowy figures from Christian’s past start to circle the couple. Jack Hyde (Eric Johnson) and Elena Lincoln (Kim Basinger) join the cast, determined to destroy the couple’s hopes for a future together. This time there are no rules. – Fifty Shades Official Movie Site.
Geostorm (October)
RT Score: 13%
Written by: Dean Devlin and Paul Guyot.
Directed by: Dean Devlin.
Starring: Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish, Alexandra Maria Lara, Daniel Wu, Eugenio Derbez, Amr Waked, Adepero Oduye, Ed Harris and Andy García.
Synopsis: After an unprecedented series of natural disasters threatened the planet, the world’s leaders came together to create an intricate network of satellites to control the global climate and keep everyone safe. But now, something has gone wrong—the system built to protect the Earth is attacking it, and it’s a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything…and everyone along with it. – Geostorm Official Website.
Friend Request (September)
RT Score: 15%
Written by: Matthew Ballen, Philip Koch and Simon Verhoeven.
Directed by: Simon Verhoeven.
Starring: Alycia Debnam-Carey, William Moseley, Connor Paolo, Brit Morgan, Brooke Markham, Sean Marquette and Liesl Ahlers.
Synopsis: A popular college student graciously accepts a social outcast’s online friend request, but soon finds herself fighting a demonic presence that wants to make her lonely by killing her closest friends. – IMDB.
The Space Between Us (February)
RT Score: 16%
Written by: Allan Loeb.
Directed by: Peter Chelsom.
Starring: Gary Oldman, Asa Butterfield, Carla Gugino and Britt Robertson.
Synopsis: The first human born on Mars travels to Earth for the first time, experiencing the wonders of the planet through fresh eyes. He embarks on an adventure with a street smart girl to discover how he came to be. – IMDB.
The Circle (April)
RT Score: 16%
Written by: James Ponsoldt and Dave Eggers.
Directed by: James Ponsoldt.
Starring: Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, John Boyega, Karen Gillan, Ellar Coltrane, Patton Oswalt, Glenne Headly and Bill Paxton.
Synopsis: The Circle is a gripping modern thriller, set in the not-too-distant future, starring Emma Watson (“Harry Potter”), Tom Hanks (“Sully”) and John Boyega (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”). When Mae (Emma Watson) is hired to work for the world’s largest and most powerful tech & social media company, she sees it as an opportunity of a lifetime. As she rises through the ranks, she is encouraged by the company’s founder, Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks), to engage in a groundbreaking experiment that pushes the boundaries of privacy, ethics and ultimately her personal freedom. Her participation in the experiment, and every decision she makes begin to affect the lives and future of her friends, family and that of humanity. – The Circle Official Website.
Transformers: The Last Knight (June)
RT Score: 16%
Written by: Art Marcum, Matt Holloway and Ken Nolan.
Directed by: Michael Bay.
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, Stanley Tucci and Anthony Hopkins.
Synopsis: From Director Michael Bay and Executive Producer Steven Spielberg comes the biggest, most explosive Transformers yet. Our world’s greatest hero becomes our fiercest enemy when Optimus Prime launches a mission to save Cybertron by destroying Earth. Now Bumblebee and Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) must lead the Autobots against their former ally in the ultimate battle to save mankind from annihilation. – Transformers Official Movie Site.
The Dark Tower (August)
RT Score: 16%
Written by: Akiva Goldsman, Jeff Pinkner, Anders Thomas Jensen and Nikolaj Arcel.
Directed by: Nikolaj Arcel.
Starring: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Taylor, Claudia Kim, Fran Kranz, Abbey Lee, Katheryn Winnick and Jackie Earle Haley.
Synopsis: The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter O’Dim, also known as the Man in Black, determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black. – IMDB.
The Mummy (June)
RT Score: 16%
Written by: David Koepp, Christopher McQuarrie and Dylan Kussman.
Directed by: Alex Kurtzman.
Starring: Tom Cruise, Annabelle Wallis, Sofia Boutella, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance and Russell Crowe.
Synopsis: 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. – IMDB.
CHiPs (March)
RT Score: 17%
Written and Directed by: Dax Shephard.
Starring: Dax Shepard, Michael Peña, Rosa Salazar, Adam Brody, Richard T. Jones, Kristen Bell and Vincent D’Onofrio.
Synopsis: A rookie officer is teamed with a hardened pro at the California Highway Patrol, though the newbie soon learns his partner is really an undercover Fed investigating a heist that may involve some crooked cops. – IMDB.
The House (June)
RT Score: 17%
Written by: Brendan O’Brien and Andrew Jay Cohen.
Directed by: Andrew Jay Cohen.
Starring: Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler, Jason Mantzoukas, Nick Kroll, Allison Tolman, Michaela Watkins and Jeremy Renner.
Synopsis: When Scott and Kate Johansen’s daughter gets into the college of her dreams it’s cause for celebration. That is, until Scott and Kate (Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler) learn that the scholarship they were counting on didn’t come through, and they’re now on the hook for tuition they can’t begin to afford.
With the help of their friend and neighbor Frank (Jason Mantzoukas)—also in need of a major payday—they decide to open an illegal casino in his suburban house, risking everything together on a Vegas-style bacchanal where money flows, inhibitions are checked at the door, and all bets are off. – The House Official Website.
Baywatch (May)
RT Score: 18%
Written by: Damian Shannon and Mark Swift.
Directed by: Seth Gordon.
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, David Hasselhoff, Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach and Priyanka Chopra.
Synopsis: Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron team up and go way beyond the call of duty in this wild and outrageous action-packed comedy. When a dangerous crime wave hits the beach, legendary Lt. Mitch Buchannon (Johnson) leads his elite squad of badass lifeguards on a mission to prove you don’t have to wear a badge to save the bay. Joined by a trio of hot-shot recruits including former Olympian Matt Brody (Efron), they’ll ditch the surf and go deep undercover to take down a ruthless businesswoman (Priyanka Chopra, TV’s “Quantico”), whose devious plans threaten the future of the bay. So, suit up and dive into action with the film critics are calling “bawdy, sexy and fun!” (Neil Pond, Parade). – Baywatch Official Website.
All Eyez on Me (June)
RT Score: 18%
Written by: Jeremy Haft, Eddie Gonzalez and Steven Bagatourian.
Directed by: Benny Boom.
Starring: Demetrius Shipp Jr., Kat Graham, Lauren Cohan, Hill Harper and Danai Gurira.
Synopsis: Tells the true and untold story of prolific rapper, actor, poet and activist Tupac Shakur. – IMDB.
Daddy’s Home 2 (November)
RT Score: 19%
Written by: Sean Anders and John Morris.
Directed by: Sean Anders.
Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, John Cena, John Lithgow and Mel Gibson.
Synopsis: Having finally gotten used to each other’s existence, Brad and Dusty must now deal with their intrusive fathers during the holidays. – IMDB.
