Even the best directors have made bad movies. Sometimes this was because their careers were in the early stages, or they did not have enough experience yet. The worst movies by the best directors are discussed below.
James Cameron has directed amazing movies including Avatar, Terminator, Aliens and Titanic. The glaring exception is Piranha II: The Spawning. This was a terrible B-level horror movie, and his first directing role. Although he was technically fired as the director, his name was kept on the film.
Rob Reiner directed Misery, When Harry Met Sally and The Princess Bride. He has worked with Bruce Willis, John Ritter and Scarlett Johansson. Despite the talent, North was one of the worst films in history. The critics hated the premise, the comedy was lacking humor, and the movie became a blemish on numerous careers.
The character played by Tom Hanks in Bonfire of The Vanities was a complete mismatch. He did not have the arrogance necessary for the role. As the Director, Brian De Palma had already directed Carrie, and later directed Mission Impossible. Despite his skill as a director, Bonfire of The Vanities was a disaster. For additional bad films by good directors, please visit https://screenrant.com/12-worst-movies-by-great-directors/.
Roman Polanski is a great filmmaker. He was responsible for Chinatown, Rosemary’s Baby and The Pianist. He directed Pirates because he wanted a break from directing serious movies. His choice of Pirates was a major failure. Despite a full scale ship and Jack Nicholson, Pirates was the wrong genre for Roman Polanski.
David Fincher followed in the sci-fi footsteps of James Cameron and Ridley Scott with Aliens 3. Despite his later success with The Social Network and Fight Club, Aliens 3 destroyed the Aliens franchise. The script was unfinished when shooting began, there was no time to figure out what would work, and killing off Hick, Newt and Bishop during the opening was a grave error. The film was renounced by the previous directors, and is known as a complete failure.
Dune had too many flaws to live up to the novel, and David Lynch took a hit as a director. The sets and costumes were a bad reflection on the 1980’s, the acting was hammy, and confusing for anyone who had not read the book. David Lynch admits he made a mistake with the film, and his name has been replaced with a pseudonym. He wants no connection with the film. Upon release, the film was dubbed the worst movie of the year by Roger Ebert.
