Worst Movies of January 2018

They call January the dumping ground of the film industry as it’s normally the time when studios throw their worst products into theaters and hope that they make some type of profit.  January wasn’t nearly as bad as in past years, but there were still some films worthy of a stamp of disapproval.  Below are the worst movies of January 2018 as reviewed by yours truly:

#3: The Polka King

Jack Black is doing something weird as Jan Lewan which makes for some entertainment based on sheer wackiness.  He struts around with a bizarre Polish accent that is actually in line with the real life figure — and it works a lot better than it should.

However, everything around Jack Black is a bit of mess.  In a growing trend in Netflix films, The Polka King looks like a made-for-TV movie, failing to look cinematic with each passing frame.

But, the worst problem for the film is its inability to choose a tone.  The Polka King can’t decide whether or not it wants to lampoon the life of Jan Lewan or create a bonkers drama with stakes.  This issue leads to some out-of-place performances (most notably from Jenny Slate and Jacki Weaver) that are painful to watch at times.  In the end, all of The Polka King‘s mistakes boil down to poor direction.  If another team had the opportunity to make this film, it would have been one wild, fun ride about a lovable con man.

*To read my full review of The Polka King, please click here.

image via Den of Geek

#2: Proud Mary

Taraji P. Henson deserves a blaxploitation-esque film in which to star.  She’s probably the perfect casting choice for such a film.  However, Proud Mary is not that film.  Using fake marketing tactics to get butts in seats, Proud Mary is much closer to a grim mob movie than a colorful blaxploitation film.  In fact, besides the use of the classic Tina Turner song that shares the same name as the title, there isn’t much personality to this film.

However, it’s not enough to bash a film for its marketing.  The film could be entirely different from the promotional material and still work quite nicely.  But, Proud Mary lacks any charm or inventiveness, devolving into a bland crime caper that centers around a relationship that never comes close to believable.  Even worse, you leave the film feeling sympathetic for the villains as Mary was the one who initiated every crime.

Filled with poor editing, generic dialogue, and lousy performances, Proud Mary is one of those films that’s difficult to praise in any respect.

*To read my full review of Proud Mary, please click here.

image via The Daily Beast

#1: The Open House

The Open House is exceedingly terrible — and not in an entertaining way.

Set in the forest in a remote home, this film is one of those horror movies where a limited cast walks aimlessly around a house and nothing of note occurs until the last fifteen minutes of the movie.

Dylan Minnette and Piercy Dalton are trying their best to salvage this train wreck, but their characters are marginalized and unlikable, leaving the viewer with no attachment to the film when something actually happens.  90% of this film consists of each character checking an issue with the house with literally no consequences.  How enthralling!

To cap it off, The Open House has one of the worst endings in recent memory as it attempts to create a symbolic gesture to the concept of an open house that is painfully frustrating.  The Open House absolutely deserves the top spot among the worst movies of January 2018.

*To read my full review of The Open House, please click here.

image via IMDb

In Case You (Or I) Missed It

In addition to the worst movies of January 2018, there was another film that wasn’t particularly entertaining:

Insidious: The Last Key

Insidious: The Last Key is certainly not a terrible film.  Unlike many January films, there’s some heart injected into the main storyline that helps the audience to connect with the main character.  But, when a horror film does little to scare its audiences, something isn’t right.  Riddled with jump scares, The Last Key‘s horror sequences are rather uninspired.  Outside of a solid performance from Lin Shaye, you don’t care enough about the characters to justify a lack of tension.

Thanks for reading!  What are your thoughts on the worst movies of January 2018?  Comment down below!

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to MovieBabble via email to stay up to date on the latest content.

Join MovieBabble on Patreon so that new content will always be possible.

What movie topic should I discuss next?  Whether it be old or new, the choice is up to you!