The “X-Men” movies were a big thing for comic book movies. Alongside “Spider-Man,” they proved that superheroes could draw a crowd, setting the stage for the Avengers. Well, the first two movies in the X-trilogy did, at least, but “The Last Stand” threw it all away.
One of the worst parts was Vinnie Jones as the unstoppable villain Juggernaut. Despite being a big character in the comics, he had only a few appearances. But his appearances were still too many, and you can probably still picture him yelling, “I’m the Juggernaut, bitch!” in the middle of a mess of an action sequence.
Elijah Wood as Matt Buckner in Green Street
Picture Elijah Wood, and you'll likely imagine Frodo, the little Hobbit that saves the world of Middle-Earth. You might picture a small, mild-mannered actor, but you definitely won't picture a violent, addicted thug who goes around with soccer hooligans terrorizing people. Wood was thrilled in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, but his casting in this gritty movie didn't check the right boxes.
His attempt at a cockney accent might have been the worst thing in the movie, though he might have to co-hold the award with co-star Charlie Hunnam's accent. To call the performance unconvincing is an understatement.
Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod in Highlander
“Highlander” is a good watch (the first movie, at least), but there's something about Lambert's performance that drags the movie down from what could have been greatest to just “okay-ness.” He's a French man, playing a Scottish man, who is now in America, so we can understand why he might have a hard time.
The fact that Sean Connery plays an Egyptian immortal is another strange choice, especially since Connery is actually Scottish. Lambert did his best, and the movie is still fun regardless, but even the most stalwart fans consider Lambert's performance lackluster.
Ted Danson as Captain Fred Hamill in Saving Private Ryan
Few movies captured the harrowing nature of war, quite like “Saving Private Ryan.” The men who stormed the beaches on D-Day became known as the greatest generation thanks to their force of will, their courage, and their unwavering spirit. Among the principal actors, most excelled, but Ted Danson had a hard time getting past his history as a comedic actor, such as in the famous sitcom “Cheers.”
Being a tough guy is one thing, but it takes a special actor to be a hard-nosed captain in World War II, and despite Danson's acting skill, he just didn't have the right stuff.
Katherine Hepburn as Jade in Dragon Seed
In the 1940s, Hollywood mishandled racial issues very often. One of the most famous examples of this problem was the 1944 war drama “Dragon Seed,” which starred Katherine Hepburn as a Jade. Thanks to some makeup magic, Hepburn was actually pretty convincing, and her performance was good.
However, it's still another black mark on the long and difficult history of Hollywood getting things wrong. The movie ended up losing the studio money, but it wasn't all bad – Aline MacMahon was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. For a movie set in China, however, there were far too few Chinese actors.