The worst movie sequels ever including a James Bond classic (2024)

Every film fan knows the pain of a sequel not living up to the original release’s brilliance.

It stands to reason that when you create a hit film, bringing back the beloved characters with some new twists that make it stand out from its predecessor is the recipe for an instant hit.

However, practice doesn’t always make perfect when it comes to cinema with the second, third, or fourth plus films in a franchise just not hitting the mark like the first movie did.

Sequels garner strong opinions, especially when the first film is a certified smash hit, with some receiving more backlash than others from fandoms.

With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Bad Boys 4 both coming to cinemas this year, Casino.ca has studied IMDB reviews containing negative keywords such as ‘disappointing’, ‘boring’ and ‘trash’ to find out once and for all what the worst sequel of all time is.

Transformers: Age of Extinction came in at the top spot, with 55% of its reviews containing negative wording.

It is followed by Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi at number two, and classic James Bond flick Skyfall at number three with 45% and 36% of their reviews respectively being negative.

Avengers: Endgame is the highest-earning film on the list, raking in a whopping $2.79 billion (£2.23 million) worldwide, however, it comes in as the 15th worst sequel proving once and for all that box office success doesn’t always translate a positive public opinion.

For every gem of a sequel, there’s a dud that cinemagoers loathe – and here are 10 of the worst, according to Casino.ca.

Transformers: Age of Extinction

In the top spot on this damning list is Michael Bay’s Transformers: Age of Extinction, with 55% of its IMDB reviews containing negative wording.

Data found that the fourth sequel in the Transformers franchise gained 559 mentions of ‘boring’ and 273 of ‘waste’.

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, and Stanley Tucci, the film sees a new group of humans led by Cade Yeager (Wahlberg) help Optimus Prime and the Autobots face a new evil trying to take control of Earth.

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi

In second place is the 2017 release of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, totalling 45% negative wording in their reviews.

Despite earning $1.3 billion (£1.04 billion) worldwide, 735 reviews included the wording ‘terrible’, and a further 800 stated it was a ‘waste’.

The eighth film in the world-renowned Sci-Fi franchise sees Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) peaceful life upended when Rey (Daisy Ridley) seeks him out to learn the ways of The Force as the First Order plans an all-out assault on The Resistance.

Skyfall

James Bond blockbuster Skyfall comes in at third place with 36% of its reviews being negative.

Coined ‘the most boring Bond movie of all’ by Esquire, its IMDB reviews don’t fare much better ‘trash,’ ‘disaster,’ and ‘garbage’.

The 2012 action movie sees Daniel Craig’s 007 embark on a calamitous assignment where undercover agents all over the world are exposed, with Bond going undercover to follow the trail of the man behind it all.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Rounding off the top four, we have another movie from the Transformers franchise.

Dark of the Moon gained 34% negative wording in their reviews, with 92 reviews containing the word ‘terrible,’ and 90 with the word ‘boring’.

In the 2012 blockbuster, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and his girlfriend Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) join the Autobots when the Decepticons renew their longstanding war.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Jurassic World – a sequel franchise of sorts to Jurassic Park – received a second film in 2018, Fallen Kingdom.

IMDB reviewers weren’t all impressed with this instalment in the Jurassic World trilogy, with 34% of its reviews being negative.

Set three years after the destruction of Jurassic World, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) return to Isla Nublar to save the remaining dinosaurs from a volcano about to erupt.

Jurassic World

In sixth place, the first Jurassic Park film sits as the continuation of Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur franchise didn’t exactly go down well with all fans.

Though it fares slightly better than Fallen Kingdom, 32% of Jurassic World’s reviews on IMDB ended up being bad ones – though this is probably considerably less than the actual fictional theme park received.

The 2015 film sees the opening of Jurassic World, a luxury resort off the coast of Costa Rica where dinosaurs have been brought to life, but visitors are put in mortal danger when the genetically modified Indominus rex escapes and runs amok.

Avatar: The Way of Water

Avatar returned to our screens in 2022 more than a decade after James Cameron’s original film – but not everyone was impressed.

Out of more than 3,000 IMDB reviews, 31% weren’t on board with The Way of Water, just one of the four planned Avatar sequels.

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Ney’tiri (Zoey Saldana) are forced to leave Pandora when an ancient threat resurfaces, with Jake fighting a difficult war against the humans.

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

Just like Jurassic World and Transformers, Star Wars enters this list twice with the first film in the modern trilogy disappointing viewers.

Starring John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher, and Adam Driver, Episode VII: The Force Awakens garnered mixed reviews with 30% of almost 5,000 on IMDB being less than impressed.

Set 30 years after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat in the form of the First Order rises as forces Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and the Resistance to combat a fresh evil

Iron Man 3

Iron Man is arguably one of the most iconic Avengers members, but the third film in his standalone franchise didn’t prove a hit.

Released in 2013, the Robert Downey Jr-fronted film amassed thousands of IMDB reviews, with 26% found to be negative.

In it, Tony Stark (Downey Jr) finds himself as reliant on his suit as ever, with a new threat turning his personal life into chaos and forcing him to rely on instinct and ingenuity alone to save the people he loves.

The Fate of the Furious

Considering how derided the Fast and the Furious franchise can be at times, it’s surprising the number 10 spot is the first time we’ve encountered one.

The Fate of the Furious, released in 2017, is the eighth film in the world-renowned franchise, but 20% of more than 800 reviews on IMDB were found to be panning it.

The crew is retired when the film begins following Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty’s (Michelle Rodriguez) wedding and Brian (Paul Walker) and Mia’s (Jordana Brewster) retirement, but they’re forced to unite in the face of the mysterious Cipher (Charlize Theron) who forces Dom to betray them all.

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