1 - Taken 3

The first Taken was a really good action film.  The second is flawed but watchable. The third is laughably bad at times. It's filled with plot twists that are just plain silly and don't make sense.  The action scenes are over edited and poorly choreographed. Neeson's character constantly endangers innocent people, something he would never do in the first film. Also, the PG-13 rating leaves the film feeling sterile and lifeless. Also, the plot is essentially lifted right from The Fugitive. The biggest problem with Taken 3 (and Taken 2) is the director. Olivier Megaton is simply a hack. He shouldn't be allowed to make movies. The sad part is we will probably get 2 or 3 more of these.  Skip Taken 3 and just watch The Fugitive, then again, unlike Liam Neeson in Taken 3, Harrison Ford can't teleport.

2 - The Gunman

The Gunman commits the cardinal sin of action films - it's boring. The film only seems to exist for Sean Penn to show off how good his body is at his age and for him to throw his hat into the geriatric action genre. There's so much wrong with Gunman.  The plot is muddled, the action is poorly plotted and poorly shot, and did I mention it's boring? The worst part about the film is the fact that they waste some really talented actors. Javier Bardem is given nothing to do. Ray Winstone has a few scenes, but nothing of importance. I think Idris Elba literally has one scene. Ironically, the film is directed by Pierre Morel, who directed the only good Taken film. He also directed the first two Transporter films. Thankfully audiences stayed away so we won't have to worry about any sequels. 

3 - Chappie

In 2009, Neill Blomkamp burst on the the scene with District 9, a low budget Sci-fi film that performed great at the box office and snagged a Best Picture nomination. Naturally, all of Hollywood was throwing themselves at him. He took his time and decided to make another original film in Elysium, a decent, but somewhat disappointing film. He regrouped and news came out that his next film would be a robot film. Early buzz was strong and I (among many others) were getting hyped. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. Chappie had a lot of potential, but it’s a weird film. The main characters are basically a real life South African rap group, who use their real names, both of whom are terrible actors. Also, Chappie himself ends up borderlining on Jar Jar Binks territory. He’s that annoying. I’m not really sure what Blomkamp was going for here, but he missed the mark. He hasn’t gone off the rails like M. Night just yet, but one more misfire and it’s time to start worrying.

4 - Terminator Genisys

The good news is that Terminator Genisys isn’t the worst film in the Terminator franchise, that honor goes to Salvation, the bad news is that it’s still pretty bad and does everything in its power to try and destroy the Terminator films that are actually good. Rule number one of sequels - don’t try to ruin the iconic original films. Possibly the worst offense is the fact that the film turns Arnold Schwarzenegger into comic relief. The rest of the cast is rounded out by Jai Courtney, who I swear is a cyborg actor sent from the future to ruin all my favorite movie franchises (if you saw the last Die Hard you’d understand). Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) who is working her beautiful butt off. Lastly, Jason Clarke (no relation) plays John Connor, a revered figure in the Terminator universe, who, well I guess I shouldn’t say because it’s a spoiler. Actually, I’m not sure why I’m worried about it considering the twist is given away in the terrible trailer. Here it goes, John Connor turns out to be a half human, half cyborg AND he’s the villain. There’s a sure fire way to piss off a devoted fanbase.  What a mess. Also, you’re welcome, now you don’t have to see the movie.

5 - Jupiter Ascending

Ooof, what a trainwreck. Jupiter Ascending is just a terrible film. I’m sure you’re asking yourself, “If it’s so bad, why isn’t it #1?” One word: ambition. I love when filmmakers are ambitious and nobody is more ambitious than the Wachowski siblings. It’s what I love so much about Cloud Atlas. It was such a big, ambitious film with an original idea. It’s the kind of stuff we simply don’t get anymore. Sure, it’s flawed, but you have to give credit to any filmmaker for taking chances and trying to make something different. Unfortunately, unlike Cloud Atlas, Jupiter Ascending fails in almost every category. I understand what they were going for and I tip my cap to them, but it just didn’t work on any level. The other fascinating thing about Jupiter Ascending is the downright cringeworthy performance by Eddie Redmayne, who was fresh off his Oscar win for Best Actor for The Theory of Everything. It’s easily one of the worst performances by a dude that just won an Oscar that I can remember. Redmayne delivers every line with a deep, breathy moan. It’s downright laughable. In the end, I hope the Wachowski’s continue to make original, ambitious films that they are passionate about, because God knows if there’s one thing Hollywood is lacking right now it's originality.