Some movies seem to have a great premise, but somewhere along the way, they lose it. These squandered opportunities can hopefully find new life in remakes or new films entirely.
Check out the 10 films below to see which ones had a great plot but jumped the shark, including a shout-out to one infamous TV series.
A Cure for Wellness (2016)
The plot of A Cure for Wellness starts off amazing. An executive has to find his boss in a wellness center. Yet, the more time he spends there, the weirder things get. The plot keeps increasing the tension and weirdness level, but then it takes an abrupt turn into some disappointing, weird, incestual ritual ending.
The ending completely ruined the otherwise interesting setting and lore of the world.
In Time (2011)
In a world where people don’t become older than 25, and they see how much time is running out on their integrated clocks, you’re able to trade time (or life). It’s an interesting concept that’s utterly ruined in a movie that is 40% driving around in cars and 60% talking on phones.
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)
You could argue that Finn’s character was utterly ruined in this series. He had great promise in the first film, but then he became the comedic side character. It’s a pity because his story had great potential, especially with Captain Phasma involved and played by the incredible Gwendoline Christie.
It was a waste of two interesting characters who could have brought more to the plot.
Heroes (2006-2010)
Anyone who has seen Heroes likely knows how much it wasted its potential. The idea of a group of people who suddenly experience superhero powers in a modern setting is riveting. Long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe came to be, Heroes was telling the gritty tale of normal people reconciling their use of their powers.
Then the writer’s strike happened, and Heroes completely lost its way—such a waste.
The Purge (2013)
The idea of a day in which everyone can murder each other without it being illegal is extremely interesting. Unfortunately, most of the movies in The Purge universe just end up becoming slashers or thrillers.
This commentary about violence could have become something much more riveting.
The Forest (2016)
The idea of a forest where people go to commit suicide has all the makings of a riveting story. Unfortunately, The Forest ends up going the cheap thriller route with a weak story and even weaker scares.
Sucker Punch (2011)
Sucker Punch had a great premise. A bunch of girls in a gross and dingy institution all working together to escape. Even the idea of slipping into alter egos to make their escape was interesting. But the actual execution of the film left this movie feeling like a disappointment.
The Flash (2023)
The idea of the Flash having to visit different dimensions and realities to save the world sounds awesome. Unfortunately, DC wanted to be a bit too much like Marvel. It traded nostalgia for originality.
The Dark Tower (2017)
With how involved and in-depth the lore and world of The Dark Tower series is, you’d think it’d be hard to make a bad movie. Well, that’s exactly what happened. Only using the characters’ names and making up an entirely original plot is not the way to go.
Bright (2017)
There are not enough urban fantasy stories out there. So, when Bright came out, things looked pretty interesting. The idea of an orc working as a cop in a modern setting and dealing with issues of race and class warfare is compelling.
Bright, unfortunately, got a little too busy trying to be a generic story of finding some artifact that could destroy the world. Either it tried to do too much or didn’t do enough to make itself something special.
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