I didn’t do a list for the Worst Films last year, I thought 2020 had enough negative things about it, but we’re back with a vengeance now! Overall, 2021 was a good year of films, and I had a pretty easy time making this list because there weren’t many truly bad films to need to sort through.

But making movies is hard and making good movies is even harder, and it’s near impossible to turn out a good product when you care as little as some of the names on this list. So if you want a more cheery list, check out my Top 10 Best Films here, otherwise let’s take a trip down memory lane with the 10 Worst, likely the final time any of these films will ever be referenced.

Dishonorable Mention: Eternals

Not actually bad, but big and over-bloated, this was a disappointment given its director and cast.

10. The Forever Purge

I have only liked the second “Purge” film so it isn’t a major surprise that I continue to not be a fan of the sequels, but I just wish they weren’t so proud of themselves. The social commentary is blunt and not even in a semi-smart Adam McKay way, just like hearing a drunk guy in the corner of the bar ramble on about what he heard on CNN.

9. Thunder Force

Melissa McCarthy has proven she is a capable actress in both drama and comedy, and it’s nice to see Octavia Spencer being able to flex her humor muscles, but this superhero parody is so dry and bland and just not fun (Jason Bateman with crab arms is the lone bright spot).

8. The Ice Road

You cannot convince me that Liam Neeson hasn’t already made this movie three times.

7. American Skin

If I hadn’t logged this film on IMDb, I would have completely forgotten I had seen it this year. Nate Parker means well and wants to shine a light on the BLM/Blue Lives Matter topic, but the film is shot like a direct-to-DVD action flick circa 2007, and the performances are hilariously bad. There are a few “so bad it’s good” moments sprinkled throughout, but overall I was just confused who this film was really for.

6. Moxie

Yeah, no, this one didn’t work. It plays like how a parody of the modern feminist movement would, except it is dead serious. Amy Poehler probably rewatched “Mean Girls” and searched the “feminism” hashtag on Twitter and just wrote this wildly unrelatable high school script over a weekend. I’ve seen it criticized by both genders, all age groups, and people on either side of the political aisle, so that’s when you know you messed up.

5. Music

If you ever need proof that you win an Oscar and you buy a Golden Globe, look no further than this. I had zero clue what this film was about when I sat down to watch it, only that everyone and their mother was dragging it. And about ten seconds in it is clear that this film is very tone-deaf of its audience, as well as borderline offensive to certain groups. Rihanna may say “please don’t stop the music” but I am begging you to.

4. Antlers

I haven’t been this bored in a movie theater in a long while. So. At least “Antlers” reminded me what that felt like…

3. Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

I liked the first film enough, and I really like Ryan Reynolds, but this, film, sucksssssss.

2. Infinite

This is actually probably the most confused and bored I was watching a movie in all of 2021, but you’ll see why it isn’t my #1 choice in a minute. Mark Wahlberg, a very capable actor, mails in yet another performance and Antoine Fuqua, a proven director, can’t stage an action sequence here to save his life. This got dumped on Paramount+ but the fact it was supposed to be a theatrical release is embarrassing because it looks *awful*.

But still, the film that I hated the most to my core in all of 2021 was…

1. Space Jam: A New Legacy

LeBron James? Hilarious in “Trainwreck.” Malcom D. Lee? Directed the hilarious “Girls Trip.” The Looney Toons? Proven they can be featured in an amusing real life/CGI basketball hybrid movie. So what the hell happened here? Well, what happened was the suits at Warner Bros. weaponized a generation’s nostalgia for the original “Space Jam” with Michael Jordan (we all know the film isn’t *good* but it’s comforting), and combined that with thinking kids nowadays are so dumb they will pay money to sit and watch a two-hour commercial for other Warner Bros. IPs.

I’m all fine with the idea of LeBron needing to jump around various worlds “Avengers: Endgame” style to recruit a team, that’s fine and could be funny. But “A New Legacy” does it in such a lazy way, and it just barely feels like a film. On top of that, the basketball game is more video game than actual basketball, and the makeup and costume designs on the characters in the background, characters and models that Warner Bros. itself owns the rights to thus knows how to create them, look worse than a discount Comic-Con.

I’ll likely never reference any of these films again after hitting submit. Heck, I forgot a few even existed before sitting down to do this write-up. Hopefully you didn’t waste your time on any of these titles, and here’s hoping 2022 is a bit more merciful. Happy New Year!