Every GREAT Director’s WORST Movie Explained In 6 Minutes (Part I) 

It's like how the Beatles "B" sides are better than the best of some bands.

If Alien 3 hadn't destroyed everyone's goodwill by killing off Newt and Hicks during the opening credits, I think it would be embraced by a lot more Alien fans as a good movie.

Modern doesn’t really belong in that sentence lmfao

Haha, a fair point! Folks have also pointed out that Always and War of the Worlds could be argued as weaker than 1941. (Lost World probably could be, too.) To your point, though, I do dislike RPO, but not necessarily because it’s poorly directed - from a purely filmmaking level, at least. I dislike the RPO film for the same reason I disliked the book: At least for me, it didn’t seem to have a real soul at its core. It feels very much like A Product. I sometimes disagree with the dismissive criticism of certain movies as “just being fan service,” but that’s really all RPO felt like: a series of callbacks to other, better films and IPs without any deeper meaning or insight than “Hey, remember this thing?” The weaknesses of 1941, though, spring more directly from *Spielberg’s* work, which is why I chose to highlight it here. That said, this is all inherently subjective, so I don’t claim to be “right.” I just share all this to explain my thought process. 😊 Thanks so much for watching and commenting!

@@chonkycheeze I get the arguments against Always, Lost World (arguably Spielberg's most cynical and mean-spirited film) and RPO (which I still mostly enjoy), but I don't get the hate for War of the Worlds. That film is incredibly well-directed. Yes, it's bleak, but that's the point, and it truly immerses its audience in that world. I almost feel traumatised after watching it, although Spielberg, smartly, sweetens the pill at the end by giving us a happy ending of sorts (much like Empire of the Sun, which is admittedly a more faithful adaptation of its source material). It's like 'things kind of worked out in the end, but you're probably never going to be able to have a nightmare-free sleep for the rest of your life.'

Yeah, as I mentioned in another thread, I have a real fondness for WotW! (I actually just rewatched it and Hateful Eight this week. I’ve got a newborn baby, so I’m watching a lot of TV while she naps. 😅) It’s a very strongly directed film, and Cruise is really good in it. Is it weaker than Spielberg’s other alien films, and his other Cruise collaboration? Sure. But the weaknesses, such as they are, spring from the screenplay, not from Spielberg’s direction, in my opinion. Thanks for the dialogue, all!

Hahaha, I’m genuinely glad you enjoyed it! I wish I could as well. 😅 I’ve watched 3 different cuts and it just never clicked. But to each their own - I’ll never begrudge anyone for enjoying something that just didn’t work for my particular brain. Careful on that hill, though - I hear Stuntman Mike likes to cruise it. 😉

… yes, you will.

I clicked on this video just to upvote the first person to say this. "Death Proof" is arguably Tarantino's best film.

@@theCalebQuinn join me on the hill, it's a lonely place, but there's a nice view...😆

Death Proof is great! I was watching it a lot in the first few years after it came out.

I really appreciate you saying so! I worked hard on that. 😄 Thanks so much for watching!

💯 Thanks so much for watching & commenting!

Maybe not 'vastly' superior, but certainly superior. I agree that Hook is Spielberg's least successful film, from an artistic POV.

Personally I was expecting Always to be considered his worst.

I have to admit a soft spot for WotW. 😅 I think it’s actually pretty well directed; for me, the main problem is the screenplay. I know Spielberg had a hand in the script and isn’t “blameless” in that sense, of course, but IMO, 1941 is a case where the relative low quality is more clearly and directly a result of his direction. Also, I agree: Always is one of his weakest films, and definitely his worst of the 1980s, at least for me. Thanks so much for watching and commenting, all!

An argument could be made for Hook and Ready Player One.

Would they? War of the Worlds is excellent. I didn't know anyone hated it. I'd argue that Hook is his worst film.

@@chonkycheeze Always strikes me as Spielberg's least interesting film, which I suppose could qualify it as his 'worst film', but 1941 and Hook are his least disciplined films, where you feel the productions somehow got beyond his control. Always suffers from too little ambition IMHO but there are at least a few tender moments in the scenes between Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter, to its credit. 1941 and Hook suffer from too much ambition, so to speak, and unlike Always, where you at least feel that Spielberg mostly achieved what he set out to do, however middle-of-the-road, 1941 and Hook feel like complete misfires. Of Spielberg's more recent films, I feel that The BFG rather misses the mark. Its set-up, much like Hook's set-up (at least the London-based scenes) are enchanting, but the third act, with the Queen and all the flatulence gags, feel off.

I liked it a lot

Ohhh, that would be super interesting!

@@chonkycheeze I was thinking the same thing. Ed Wood and Uwe Boll, to name two, would be naturals for such a list. (I'd also like to see a sequel to this video with Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles. Unfortunately, "The Mountain Eagle," one of Hitchcock's least favorites of his own films, is lost.)

Fantastic recommendations - thanks so much! Your Craven pick reminds me of the time I saw The Hill Have Eyes Part II at a midnight screening. When the flashback from *the point of view of the dog* began, I legitimately thought for a second that I’d fallen asleep and was dreaming. 😂 Thanks for watching and commenting!

Fair enough! 😄 Also, I probably should have made this clearer, but “worst movie” doesn’t *necessarily* mean “BAD movie,” just that (IMO) it’s not as good as their other efforts. Thanks for watching!

That’s incredibly kind of you! I take inspiration from some really wonderful other Creators, and although I’ve got a lot of learning to do, comments like this mean the world to me. Thank you so much!

@@chonkycheeze You’re welcome!

The Assembly cut of Alien 3 is a damn fine movie

What?! 🤯 I was a HUGE slasher film fan growing up, and I can’t believe I never knew until now that the Weinsteins co-wrote that story and script! Thanks so much for sharing!

That’s fair! Any specific directors you’d like to see included if I make a second entry? Thanks for watching!

Well, it counts, even if Cameron disowns it. I understand why he does [disown it]. If it wasn't in his filmography, he'd arguably have a 100% batting average.

@@chonkycheeze Alexander Payne would be fantastic to see! Some might argue he’s not an all-time great but his filmography is impressive.

@@GregOrCregi feel if you’re going to include pirhana 2 you’re also going to include a lot of other technicalities. this should be a list where the entry is a genuine misstep by the director. there’s enough in pirhana 2 to make it feel like ‘well technically he directed it, it’s his film’, though it very much isn’t. It’s fine to include of course, just a bit misrepresentative.

@@chonkycheeze Has Paul Thomas Anderson ever made a bad film? Maybe Inherent Vice?

Why do you feel that way about the hateful eight

@@jimmypadilla3441 Basically i think it promises a lot, but things don't happen; or that it could be a lot better than it was. 8 cowboys locked in a cabin, written by Tarantino. I expected a lot of relationship dynamics; or maybe an 8-people-duel; a lot of twists, or whatever. The film is 3 hours, and 1 of it is people driving a wagon, introducing a few characters. Then you arrive at the cabin and you introduce a lot of new characters (1 hour late). There's a conflict about the civil war and racism, and people take sides. Wow, things could turn really nasty. And they do, if "nasty" means just a simple duel against an old man that seems disabled. But then NOTHING more happens; that problem and people taking sides didn't have ANY importance. Things stay as it didn't even happen. Then one gets poisoned (he had a lot of introduction but didn't do nothing), so now things do turn nasty, but with 2 less characters, and there's a twist and a lot of surprise, all too fast, and with a NEW character (2 hours late) that dies almost instantly. And when the film is most interesting and you want to see what happens now, we go back to a long-ass sequence of something that we already know, which is that the gang killing the cabin people. Then we go back to what should be the most interesting part of the film, but it's just random "i'll kill you!", "no, i'll kill you!". Then everyone dies and the film is over. The film feels like a lot of introduction for nothing happening. The story is minimal, comparing it to how much it lasts, which makes all the Tarantino dialog seem forced; like over-Tarantined; like "i need to say things in a complicated interesting way". Look at other Tarantino films; when things happen, they take the story somewere; they change things (even in Death Proof). But here... it's basically just 1 twist and that's it. Although i appreciate the detectivesque mistery that roams in the background. That's probably the most coherent part of the film, but it's just a little part of it, during maybe 1 hour of it. And that's not even considering that the bad guys plan was over-complicated and they could achieve it really easily, really fast. But then the film would be over before it even started.

Incorrect.

… did not like Inglorious Basterds.

​@@richardhart9204 Its not a bad film though that's just differing taste

H8 and OUATIH are overrated.

@@excalibur2024guy Heresy! I cast thee out!

You’re right! I couldn’t find the “isolated” budget just for Death Proof, and I should have made that clearer. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!

I’ve been called worse things 😂 Thanks so much for pointing this out - I’ll fix it in future videos!

It’s… headache-y bad 😅 There are fun and funny moments, but overall it’s just *too much*. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!

It's fascinating watchable-but-nothing-really-resonates-or-makes-sense fun-bad. Like @chonkycheeze says, it's noisy and busy, and it doesn't really amount to much, but at least it draws one's attention. To its credit, it's not bland and it's rarely boring.

^💯

It’s polarising. You either love it or hate it; there’s no in between.

It's okay because of all the stars in it.

This is really interesting: I’ve don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say KB is his worst! Aside from Death Proof, I do think the first KB is my least favorite of his films. I was a fan of Volume 2, but for whatever reason, I just could never get into Volume 1. I’m curious: Is there something in particular about Death Proof that you enjoy most, and/or a cut you think is best? I’ve watched 3 different versions over the years (Grindhouse, Original, and Extended), and it’s just never clicked with me. Thanks so much for watching!

Hateful Eight is his worst

@@alexanderzhukov3773 Funny how we all have different opinions about Tarantino's worst. Hateful Eight is actually one of my favourites of his, after Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs (which I think most people can agree are among his best). The two I struggle with are Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Inglorious Bastards.

Having just rewatched Hateful Eight, I continue to love it. Just my opinion, of course, but while it’s not his best or most ambitious, it’s pretty fantastic for what it is. And yes, it’s funny how diverse opinions are for QT’s films. For instance, IB may actually be (tied for) my favorite. 😅 Thanks for watching and commenting, all!

Haha, yeah, Four Rooms is best not mentioned. 😅 Since his contribution wasn’t feature length, it didn’t “qualify” for this list. But if it were included, it would *definitely* be his weakest, IMO. Thanks so much for all of your thoughtful comments, by the way! I really appreciate them!

That girl talk in the diner almost kills the movie.

I went back and forth between it and The Lost World, actually! If nothing else, you’ve really gotta give 1941 credit for being an authentic and earnest effort on Spielberg’s part. You can’t really say the same about TLW… Thanks for watching!

Haha, yeah, that seems to be the most controversial pick in this video! 😅 Out of curiosity, what would you have chosen?

@@chonkycheeze -- well, I guess if I had to choose Tarantino's worst movie, it would be Death Proof but only because it's half baked and not fully realized, but Death Proof certainly isn't in the category of badness of the other films you mention. I also never understood the hatred for 1941. I always thought it was a pretty funny movie.

I really liked it :/

@@MrAsmontero The characters were unlikeable, the dialogue was weak and pointless, and the revenge motif was screwed up. From the initial group of women he destroys one should survive, train, hunt him down and get revenge. Instead we are moved to a whole unrelated new group so there is no link between the first act and the rest of the movie. That being said, it is well directed and Kurt Russell is great, as are the car chase scenes. But a good movie depends on a good story line. And this did not have one.

Thanks for watching! What would you have chosen?

@@chonkycheeze Not certain, I'd need to see their entire filmographies first.

I see. If you ever have time to check them out, please let me know your thoughts - I’d be interested in what you have to say. Take care, and thanks so much for watching!

​@@chonkycheeze Spielberg's "Always" is definitely worse