The process of making a movie is one long series of decisions. The filmmakers have to
make sure everything (from casting choices to shot selection) are up to par so they can
make the best film possible. However, sometimes they can over-think themselves and end up
being a bad call and derailing the project before it even hits theaters.
Here are Screen Rant's 10 Decisions That Ruined Movies.
A Venomous Force
After the success of Spider-Man 2, moviegoers couldn�t wait for the follow-up, especially
when it was announced that fan-favorite villain Venom would be a part of the film. However,
Eddie Brock is seen by many as a missed opportunity. Part of that is perhaps due to director Sam
Raimi not wanting to use the character, wishing to focus instead on Sandman and Harry Osborne
as the New Goblin. But Sony, aware of Venom�s large marketing pull, forced the director
to put him in the film, and the end result was something that felt tacked on in a movie
that already had a lot to unpack. Sony just should have let Raimi do his thing.
The Force is Strong With This Kid
The Star Wars prequels had a ton of potential, but largely failed to live up to the visions
we all had. Though they had many downsides, one of the most unforgivable was George Lucas�
decision to make Anakin Skywalker a 9-year old kid in The Phantom Menace. Due to his
age and where he�s introduced in the film, Anakin felt like a side player in the story
� when the trilogy was supposed to be about him � and by the time we got to Episode
II, he was so much older that it was like meeting a new character instead of seeing
a natural progression like Luke.
The Ending Is Not Legend
Fans of the source material novel took issue with the film�s ending, which deviated from
the book and showed Dr. Robert Neville sacrifice himself so Anna could get away with a cure.
Many viewers prefer the �alternate� original conclusion, which featured Neville discovering
the Darkseekers he�s been hunting are real individuals with feelings and emotions. This
was very thought provoking and stayed true to the story�s intended themes. So why did
WB change it? Test screening reactions to the heady ending were negative, so it was
scrapped for what we saw in the theatrical cut. At least the home media version preserves
the �better� iteration of the movie.
Singer Doesn�t Return
After X2 ended with a tease for the iconic Dark Phoenix saga, fans eagerly anticipated
the follow-up, but things took a dark turn when Bryan Singer left the project and gave
way to Bret Ratner. Instead of sticking with the original treatment that was more loyal
to the comics, X-Men 3 tried to balance two famous storylines � Dark Phoenix and mutant
cure � without developing either of them fully. With no real emotional payoff and too
many mutant characters and subplots, the film derailed the franchise for an extended period
of time. If only Singer had stayed on, things might have turned out in a better and more
entertaining way.
Batman for the Family
After�Batman Returns�received complaints for its dark tone and grossed less than its
predecessor, WB decided to take the franchise in a more kid-friendly direction. This caused
star�Michael Keaton and director Tim Burton to not return for Batman Forever, sending
the series down a dark road. Joel Schumacher embraced the camp and seemingly missed what
made Bruce Wayne such a compelling character. The film was also accused of being excessively
commercial to market toys and merchandise to children. WB would have been smarter to
keep Keaton and Burton in-house and rely on Superman for more easy-going fare. This is
one instance where brooding is OK.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Trilogy
The Middle-earth faithful couldn�t wait to see Peter Jackson�s Hobbit adaptation
after the success of Lord of the Rings, but that enthusiasm turned to cautious optimism
when it was announced the small book would be split into three films. Instead of a rousing
fantasy adventure, viewers were �treated� to a narrative spread thin over multiple features
that dragged on for interminable lengths. Jackson over-indulged, injecting the new trilogy
with too much CGI action and not enough substance to make us care. It�s a shame, because he
was able to direct some standout sequences, so if he produced a single, more focused movie
it may have turned out fine.
Iron Man 2? Not Too Fast�
Once Iron Man made Marvel Studios a force to be reckoned with, fans couldn�t wait
for the sequel � and neither could the studio. As they planned ahead to forge the road to
The Avengers, their production schedules put a great deal of stress on their filmmakers,
including Jon Favreau. Iron Man 2 was rushed through pre-production, giving Favreau not
enough time to balance Tony Stark�s story with the larger shared universe connections
Marvel wanted. The end result was a messy film that fumbled a compelling character narrative
and complex villain as the studio seemed more occupied on the future instead of the present
with a larger role for SHIELD and hints at what�s to come.
In Brightest Day and CGI
Warner Bros. finally looked to expand their DC library when they made a Green Lantern
film in 2011, but it ended up doing more damage than good. The movie was sullied by poor execution
and an undercooked script, which relied more on CGI wizardry than anything else. Martin
Campbell seemed out of his element, as the action sequences he crafted were seen as silly
and not that exciting. He even admitted that the team wasn�t exactly sure what to do
with the power ring constructs, saying that it was �as much as your imagination can
go.� Normally that creativity is inspiring, but a tighter focus on the direction would
have helped immensely.
Fincher�s Fox�s Alien 3
David Fincher is regarded as one of this generation�s finest directors, so it seems odd Fox would
undercut him so much during the process of Alien 3. Afterwards, Fincher went so far as
to disown the film, since the studio overrode many of his decisions and interfered with
production throughout principal photography. It also didn�t help that before Fincher
came on, Fox scrapped a script by Vincent Ward, which is considered to be one of the
greatest sci-fi movies NEVER made. So in addition to not letting a soon-to-be respected auteur
do his magic, the studio even chose the wrong concept, which angered many longtime fans
of the franchise. Is there ever a scenario where studio meddling is the best option?
2 Fast, 0 Diesel
Vin Diesel is the face of the Fast and Furious franchise now, but he sat the second installment
out after saying the script wasn�t up to par. Because of this, Universal dismantled
the project and wrote a new screenplay, leaving Paul Walker�s Brian O�Connor as the only
remaining original character. Originally set to be a story of Dom and Brian teaming up
to take down a drug kingpin, the film �evolved� into something that felt more episodic than
continuation and was criticized for being loosely connected to the franchise. Maybe
Universal should have worked things out with Diesel and brought the fan-favorite back in
the fold.
Those are our picks for decisions that ruined movies. Are there any we missed? Which choices
get your blood boiling? Sound off in the comments below and be sure to subscribe to our channel
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