(CNN Spanish) — 2022 was filled with movies and TV shows that came armed with early recognition, engaged fanbases, backgrounds, or just intriguing creative pedigrees and casts that, for one reason or another, didn’t do as well as expected.
Here are some of the biggest disappointments of the year, presented in no particular order, other than starting with movies before moving on to TV. In short, it wasn’t a great year for antiheroes or the fifth season of Emmy Award-winning dramas.
FILMS
“Amsterdam”
The combination of director David O. Russell and a star-studded cast led by Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington couldn’t save this one. period piece confused, whose message about the dangers of the military-industrial complex was obscured by its uneven tone.
“Morbies”
Jared Leto seemed like the right choice to play the marvel antihero vampirebut the anemic movie ended up sucking in more ways than one.
Jared Leto plays a scientist turned vampire in “Morbius.” sony pictures
“The Gray Man”
Another film whose creative pedigree and cast outclassed you grow your rewardswith Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas (who doubled down on Netflix’s disappointments with “Blonde“) teaming up with the Russo brothers (“Avengers: Endgame”) in an expensive production with a poor story.
Black Adam
Dwayne Johnson’s star power couldn’t elevate another DC anti-hero, in a movie that dulled his charisma and apparently squandered the opportunity to introduce the Justice Society of America. He revealed a sequel that no longer seems to be among the priorities.
Dwayne Johnson played the title role in DC’s “Black Adam.” Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
“Pinocchio”
Even with a relatively low bar for “real” versions of Disney animated classics, this new effort from director Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks, whose collaborations previously resulted in movies like “Forrest Gump” and “Cast Away,” managed to fall into limbo.
TV
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” (Amazon Prime Video)
Here expectations play an important role, since this ambitious prequel of JRR Tolkien’s saga (and Peter Jackson’s splendid film trilogy) wasn’t bad, exactly, just boring, especially when compared to the Peter Jackson film trilogy. While its much-discussed and epic budget definitely translated to the screen, the characters didn’t quite measure up to the occasion. “The Rings of Power” had its fans, and its greatness reflects Amazon’s enormous investment and commitment to the project. While all of that made it hard to ignore, seeing it through to the end elicited more boredom than excitement.
Nazanin Boniadi (Bronwyn) and Ismael Cruz Córdova (Arondir) in “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” Credit: Prime Video
“Moon Knight” (Disney+)
Oscar Isaac’s multi-personality hero might have been a tough sell under the best of circumstances, but in a mixed year for Marvel series on Disney+, this was the least satisfying of the bunchfeeling unnecessarily weird before they even got to the talking hippo.
Marvel’s “Moon Knight” introduced the complicated hero, starring Oscar Isaac, on Disney+. MARZ VFX/Marvel
“The First Lady” (Showtime)
An excellent cast that includes Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson as former First Ladies Michelle Obama, Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt couldn’t save this disappointing Showtime series, wasting what could have become (and indeed was conceived). as an ongoing franchise.
Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt in “The First Lady.” Boris Martin/SHOWTIME
“The Time Traveler’s Wife” (HBO)
The adaptation HBO’s series of the popular book never quite got over the “yuck” factor associated with the time-traveling relationship between the leads played by Rose Leslie and Theo James, though it did give the latter an opportunity to spend an inordinate amount of time. time running naked. Thankfully, James fared considerably better on his other 2022 contribution to the network, “The White Lotus.”
Season 5 of “The Crown” (Netflix)
Reloading with new players in the key roles, Netflix’s usually seductive look at the lives of the Royal Family delivered its slack season to date, taking some bewildering detours along the way. Then again, perhaps those shortcomings felt more pronounced after Season 4’s Emmy-winning triumph.
Dominic West as Prince Charles and Elizabeth Debicki as Diana in season 5 of “The Crown.” Keith Bernstein/Netflix
Season 5 of “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)
Hulu’s landmark series was kept up for much of the time in the context of the Supreme Court ruling on abortion rights, but the downward creative trajectory of the show since its first two seasons has picked up speed as it moves further from the book that inspired it, juggling arcs across the US and Canada, as well as Gilead. Hit in part by a multi-season order that slowed its pace, the prospect of concluding the show with a sixth season offers hope of achieving greater narrative urgency and reclaiming its place among the best dramas on television.
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