The Worst Films of 2021

Intentionally or unintentionally, Bhuj: The Pride of India is so hilarious that it's destined to go down as a classic 'it's so bad that it's good' film. Sadly, the unimaginable intrepidity and sacrifice of those involved in this story deserved far, far, far better.

1/5 stars

The only thing remotely scary, haunting, chilly, or atmospheric about Thai horror film Ghost Lab is how it draws you into a false sense of expectation only for nothing of note to ever occur. If anything, Netflix tricks you into approaching this as a horror movie – it's a docudrama at best and a filmmaker's rambling hypothesis at worst, peppered by outlandish, unconvincing performances (and they had the gall to make fun of Thai horror classic, Shutter).

1/5 stars

Remove Parineeti Chopra and Anil Mehta's camerawork from Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar and the film would fall absolutely flat. Director Dibakar Banerjee and his co-writer touch upon too many points, convey very little, and are further letdown by lackluster editing and another insipid performance from Arjun Kapoor.

1.5/5 stars

Netflix's Italian horror film, A Classic Horror Story, is more like a “classic mess” of a horror story, with the plot all over the place and every character, positive or negative, being utterly bland. It's also a “classic case” of how a smart idea can quickly fall off the rails when poorly executed, and how not every homage to erstwhile classics makes for a good, new entry. Oh, and it's supposedly big twist could be seen from miles away. Pity that the country, which produced great horror Directors like Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci, and Mario Bava, is now producing this.

1.5/5 stars

I'm all far low-budget indie horror and can overlook all its production and budgetary shortcomings as long as the makers have either something unique to bring to the table, or at least something fun, and in both cases, believe in their product. In the case of The Djinn, writer-Director duo David Charbonier and Justin Powell fulfill the first criterion with full marks, and, surprisingly, display enough skill along with their efficient technical crew to tide over their monetary limitations, but fall so hard when it comes to the belief and conviction needed to visually communicate their story, that I was compelled to ask after a point, "What the hell's going on, how did the plot go from there to there and then there, and what the eff are they trying to portray."

1.75/5 stars (purely for the idea)

Netflix's new Taiwanese thriller, The Soul, begins with a bang and has more than a few interesting ideas going for it in its first act, but the listless direction, interminable length, vapid dialogues, and snail-like pace makes it difficult to sit through after 40 minutes or so. This one nosedives from extremely intriguing to barely watchable pretty soon, and is a blueprint on why good ideas need good directors.

1.75/5 stars

If it's not bad enough that Netflix's Outside the Wire feature a concept of which we've seen variations ever since sci-fi movies have been made, then to make matters worse, it's executed with zero imagination, lackluster energy, a pedestrian narrative, predictable plot devices that can be seen from miles away, and action scenes that hardly breathe life into the mundane proceedings. Despite Anthony Mackie and Damson Idris' wholehearted performances, they can hardly elevate this derivative dud.

1.75/5 stars (only for the performances)

Instead of imparting a relevant message in a fun way, Helmet just makes condoms look boring and preachy.

1.75/5 stars (only for the performances)

Combined with the plot holes the size of craters on the moon (Taapsee Pannu's mostly astute script sense also seems to have abandoned her this time), which succeed in making medical science a joke of the highest order, and the regressive intent of the movie in showcasing women in the face inflated male egos; Hassen Dillruba can't be saved even by the always reliable Taapsee and her committed cohorts, Vikrant Massey and Harshvardhan Rane. This one is a far cry from Taapsee's standard for strong, empowered characters in her movies, be there may in female-oriented films or otherwise.

1.85/5 stars