When asci-fi moviewith a smart script, engaging premise, and strong performance is bolstered by great special effects, you get some of the greatest science fiction films ever captured on screen. However, special effects alone are not enough to make a great movie, and without a strong narrative foundation and compelling performances to back it up, you end up with movies that look great but still feel ultimately disappointing. While studios may put hundreds of millions of dollars behindexpensive big-budget releases, if the story’s not compelling, audiences will reject the film.
Plenty of thebest sci-fi movies of all timewere characterized by having great visuals andawe-inspiring special effects. While the groundbreaking CGI in films likeJurassic Parkembodies everything that’s great about cinema, the fact that this same franchise has so many lackluster releases proves that visuals alone can only get you so far. Whileall these films featured great special effects, that was not enough to save them.
10The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
Directed by The Wachowskis
The Wachowskis revolutionized Hollywood with the release ofThe Matrixin 1999, and although the sequels have their supporters, it’s clear that the follow-up films did not have nearly the same impact. While there was philosophical depth to the continued story of Neo and the war between humanity and the machines, the series became increasingly convoluted as it continued, andthe original trilogy ended with the lacklusterThe Matrix Revolutions.
As a disappointing conclusion,The Matrix Revolutionswas more interested in showing off its impressive special effects than in focusing on a compelling story or engaging character arcs. While it was still impressive to see how well the series perfected its use of CGI, bullet time, and its imaginative depiction of the real world outside the Matrix, the harsh truth was that we’d seen it all before, and this installment lacked the creative spark of the original.
9Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets (2017)
Directed by Luc Besson
Expectations were sky high for the release ofValerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, as it was not only an adaptation of the acclaimed French comic book series but also came from the man behindThe Fifth Element, Luc Besson. As a director known for creating vast, richly imagined sci-fi worlds, it was so disappointing to see this movie fall flat on its face and squander its potential. With a weak cast, disappointing storytelling, and a haphazard plot, what could have been a hugely successful cinematic event was instead a devastating letdown.
While there were plenty of impressive visuals and imaginative worldbuilding inValerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,Dane DeHaan felt totally miscast as Valerianand had zero chemistry with his supermodel co-star Cara Delevingne. The great special effects stopped this film from being a total disaster, but audiences were craving a character-driven adventure, and that was not what they got. Sadly,Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planetswas yet another disappointment in the latter part of Besson’s career, and viewers would be better off just rewatchingThe Fifth Elementinstead.
8Battlefield Earth (2000)
Directed by Roger Christian
FromGreasetoPulp Fiction, John Travolta has had some incredible roles over the years, althoughBattlefield Earthwas not one of them. This notorious box office flop was such a failure that its production company, Franchise Pictures, was sued by its investors and went bankrupt (viaSlash Film) after it emerged they had overstated the film’s budget by $31 million. As a passion project for Travolta,Battlefield Earthwasan adaptation of a novel by the controversial Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
With its questionable religious associations and a story about a rebellion against the alien Psychlos who ruled Earth for 1,000 years, despite its poor reception,Battlefield Earthcontained brief glimmers of greatness when it showed off some impressive special effects. But the issue with this was that even the effects were inconsistent, as some scenes looked great and others looked like poor PS1 video game cutscenes. With an abysmal 3% on Rotten Tomatoes,Battlefield Earthsadly does not even meet the criteria for a so-bad-it’s-good movie and should just be forgotten about entirely.
7Terminator Genisys (2015)
Directed by Alan Taylor
TheTerminatorfranchise started with two all-time great sci-fi movies and has continually tried and failed to reach those heights ever since. While releases likeTerminator Salvationlacked the star power of Arnold Schwarzenegger,there was hope that the reboot sequelTerminator Genisyscould right the wrongs of the pastand recapture the appeal of this beloved franchise. WhileTerminator Genisysdefinitely got the special effects right, everything else felt like a convoluted retread of all that came before.
With Emilia Clarke taking over Linda Hamilton’s iconic role of Sarah Connor, thisGame of Thronesstar even later expressed her disappointment withTerminator Genisys. In an interview withVanity Fair, Clarke stated that director Alan Taylor was “eaten and chewed up on Terminator” and that “no one had a good time” on the film, even going as far as to say she was “relieved” that they didn’t make a sequel. Instead, the franchise was retooled once again with Hamilton back as Sarah in the box office bombTerminator: Dark Fate.
6After Earth (2013)
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Director M. Night Shyamalan has one of the most inconsistent careers in Hollywood, as his filmography includes truly iconic releases likeThe Sixth Senseand woefully misguided failures likeAvatar: The Last Airbender. Among Shyamalan’s most egregious disappointments wasAfter Earth, the big-budget sci-fistarring Will Smith and his son Jadenset 1,000 years in the future after humanity has evacuated Earth for another planet due to an environmental catastrophe.
While Will and Jaden’s previous film together,The Pursuit of Happyness, remains a beloved, uplifting biographical drama,After Earthdid not have the same appeal and felt like a dull rehashing of the same uninspired ecological sci-fi themes we’ve seen countless times before. As a shockingly uninteresting movie,After Earthproves that good special effects will never make up for lackluster storytelling.
5Jason X (2001)
Directed by Jim Isaac
TheFriday the 13thfranchise is an unusual example of a horror series straying ever further from its grounded origins into the realm of absolute absurdity. With the central villain Jason Voorhees slowly transforming into a supernatural foe, by the timeJason Xhad come around, he had turned into an immoral being who was still hunting his victims onboard a spaceship in the year 2455. With a story that saw Jason cryogenically frozen,Jason Xtold a disappointing sci-fi horror tale that could not be saved by impressive special effects.
With interesting visuals that made use of its outer space setting,Jason Xcan be enjoyed as a campy, over-the-top offshoot of this slasher franchise. However, the fact thatJason Xstrayed so far from the series' originswas an indication that this long-running slasher series had run out of steam. As the finalFriday the 13thmovie, excluding the spin-offFreddy vs. Jasonand a disappointing remake, it seems like the creative forces behind the series might agree that there’s nowhere else to go with this IP.
4Tomorrowland (2015)
Coming from Brad Bird, the director ofThe Incredibles,Tomorrowlandhad the potential to repeat the appeal of thePirates of the Caribbeanfranchise and successfully adapt a Disneyland attractionfor the big screen. However, this story about a genius inventor and a teenage science enthusiast entering an alternate dimension called Tomorrowland was an ambitious failure. While the visuals were truly spectacular, everything else about this sci-fi adventure felt disappointing and unmemorable.
AlthoughTomorrowlandconjured up futuristic imagery the likes of which we’d never seen on screen before, the creativity of its visuals only served to compound the muddled nature of its story. There’s passion behind this project, and Bird is clearly trying to imbue this world with a hopeful sense of optimism, but it was tonally uneven and felt too complex for kids yet too juvenile for adults. Sadly,Tomorrowlandhad a lot of competition in 2015, as viewers were more interested in movies likeAvengers: Age of Ultron,Mad Max: Fury Road, andJurassic World, and the movie flopped.
3Jurassic Park III (2001)
Directed by Joe Johnston
The groundbreaking power of Steven Spielberg’sJurassic Parkwas both a blessing and a curse for this dinosaur-centric franchise. On the one hand, the awe-inspiring power of seeing realistic CGI dinosaurs on screen for the first time meant that viewers will always hold a special place in their hearts for this sci-fi adventure series. However, this audience appreciation also means that there was no stopping the sequels from coming, and the first non-Spielberg release,Jurassic Park III, was a dino-sized disappointment.
With a weak story and poor character development, it felt likeJurassic Park IIIwas content to let the special effects stand on their own, but this movie was always going to be let down without a compelling narrative. With a story about a couple trying to find their missing son on Isla Sorna,Jurassic Park IIIoffered nothing new to the franchise and served as a strong indicator that it was time to let the series go extinct. The fact that the franchise remained dormant for the next 14 years until the release ofJurassic Worldproves this.
2Planet Of The Apes (2001)
Directed by Tim Burton
It’s always a gamble when a director agrees to remake an undisputed classic, and that risk did not pay off for Tim Burton’sPlanet of the Apes. This 2001 reimagining of the Charlton Heston classic adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s satirical sci-fi story had incredible special effects for its time, yet its confusing narrative and unusual creative choices meant it’s been mostly forgotten and is now considered a weird offshoot that’s best ignored entirely.
Despiteincredible prosthetics and a stacked cast including Mark Wahlberg, Helena Bonham Carter, and Paul Giamatti, most critics were left unimpressed, and it was striking just how inferior this was to the original 1968 movie. Even Tim Roth, who played Thade in the film, couldn’t hold back on voicing his problems with Burton’sPlanet of the Apes, stating (viaGames Radar): “I cannot explain that ending. I have seen it twice and I don’t understand anything.”
1Jupiter Ascending (2015)
On paper,Jupiter Ascendinglooked like a surefire hit, as this space opera story being described as a mix betweenStar WarsandThe Matrixfelt like it had major franchise potential. Written and directed by the Wachowskis and starring Channing Tatum with Mila Kunis,Jupiter Ascendingtold the story of an interplanetary warrior teaming up with an ordinary cleaning woman to help her fulfill her universe-spanning destiny. With state-of-the-art special effects and a budget estimated to be over $200 million, it’s almost impressive how much this film faltered.
Jupiter Ascendingwas one of the most infamous box office bombs of all time that signaled yet another letdown from the Wachowskis after their adaptation ofCloud Atlasfailed to make much of an impact. With incoherent themes relating to indulgence and consumerism,Jupiter Ascendingwas the recipient of six Razzie nominations, with Eddie Redmayne taking home the award for Worst Supporting Actor. WhileJupiter Ascendingwas bursting with potential, it just never lived up to it.
