The Worst 2010s Movies that Are Hard to Watch Till the End

Some films from the 2010s became notorious for how demanding they are on viewers—whether because of abrasive concepts, chaotic production choices, or simply bewildering execution. This list gathers titles that earned a reputation for testing people’s endurance while still offering clear talking points about how they were made, who starred in them, and what stories they set out to tell.

A quick heads-up before we dive in: depending on the current date and your specific region, some of these titles might not be available to stream or purchase. Release windows, catalog licensing, and regional rights change regularly, so what you can see in one place today may differ elsewhere tomorrow.

‘Movie 43’ (2013)

An anthology comedy produced by Peter Farrelly, ‘Movie 43’ stitches together a series of short segments directed by names including Elizabeth Banks, James Gunn, Brett Ratner, Griffin Dunne, Steve Carr, and others. Its sprawling ensemble features Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Emma Stone, Terrence Howard, Naomi Watts, Chris Pratt, Anna Faris, Liev Schreiber, and more, with the frame narrative presented in different versions across markets (a pair of aspiring filmmakers pitching to a studio executive in one version, teens searching for a banned video in another).

Each segment plays out as a self-contained sketch with recurring gags tied loosely to the framing device. The production famously scheduled stars around dozens of short shoots, allowing multiple directors to deliver tonally distinct vignettes that were later assembled into a single feature.

‘Cats’ (2019)

Directed by Tom Hooper, ‘Cats’ adapts the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical (itself based on T. S. Eliot’s poetry) and introduces a digital fur technology approach to transform its cast into the Jellicle tribe. The ensemble includes Francesca Hayward, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Rebel Wilson, James Corden, and Taylor Swift, with choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and an original song co-written by Swift and Webber.

The story follows the Jellicle Ball, where Old Deuteronomy chooses a cat to ascend to the Heaviside Layer, interweaving character numbers for Grizabella, Rum Tum Tugger, Mr. Mistoffelees, and others. Released by Universal Pictures, the film underwent last-minute visual-effects updates after its initial rollout, an unusual step that reflected the production’s heavy post-production demands.

‘Gotti’ (2018)

‘Gotti’ dramatizes the life of Gambino crime boss John Gotti and his relationship with his son, John A. Gotti. Directed by Kevin Connolly, it stars John Travolta as Gotti, with Kelly Preston, Spencer Rocco Lofranco, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Stacy Keach in supporting roles. The soundtrack includes contributions from Armando Christian Pérez (Pitbull), and cinematography is by Michael Barrett.

Structured as a cradle-to-grave biopic, the film charts Gotti’s rise, legal battles, and family dynamics, using time jumps and voiceover to frame events in New York’s organized-crime landscape. The production moved through multiple iterations over several years before cameras rolled, resulting in changes to its creative team and distribution plans.

‘The Last Airbender’ (2010)

Written, directed, and produced by M. Night Shyamalan, ‘The Last Airbender’ adapts Book One: Water from the animated series ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’. The cast includes Noah Ringer as Aang, Dev Patel as Prince Zuko, Nicola Peltz as Katara, and Jackson Rathbone as Sokka, with music by James Newton Howard and cinematography by Andrew Lesnie. The film was released by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies.

The plot follows Aang’s awakening after a century in ice and the ensuing journey with Katara and Sokka to learn waterbending while evading the Fire Nation. Produced in 2D and post-converted for 3D exhibition, the project condensed a season’s worth of serialized storytelling into a single feature focused on key beats such as the Northern Water Tribe siege.

‘The Emoji Movie’ (2017)

A Sony Pictures Animation release from director Tony Leondis, ‘The Emoji Movie’ centers on a “meh” emoji named Gene, voiced by T. J. Miller, who embarks on a quest to become a normal single-expression icon. The voice cast also features James Corden, Anna Faris, Maya Rudolph, Steven Wright, and Patrick Stewart, with production design and animation tailored to visualize a smartphone’s inner app ecosystem.

The narrative moves through stylized versions of familiar apps as Gene, Hi-5, and Jailbreak attempt to reach the source code and rewrite Gene’s multi-expressive glitch. The film incorporates brand partnerships and a bright, iconographic visual language designed to mimic mobile interfaces, culminating in a system-level reset that hinges on messaging-app logic.

‘The Green Inferno’ (2013)

Directed by Eli Roth, ‘The Green Inferno’ follows a group of college activists whose plane crashes in the Amazon after a protest against deforestation, leaving the survivors at the mercy of an isolated indigenous tribe. The cast features Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Aaron Burns, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Daryl Sabara, and Sky Ferreira, with cinematography by Antonio Quercia and a score by Manuel Riveiro. Worldview Entertainment backed the production, and Open Road Films handled distribution in the United States after an initial festival premiere and a later domestic rollout.

Production took place primarily in remote Peruvian locations with additional work in Chile, using practical effects to stage survival and captivity sequences that reference exploitation-horror traditions. The narrative tracks the group’s internal fractures under extreme pressure—food scarcity, injury, and failed escape attempts—while cross-cutting to corporate interests and campus dynamics that set the journey in motion.

‘Holmes & Watson’ (2018)

‘Holmes & Watson’ reunites Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in a slapstick take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters, directed by Etan Cohen. The cast includes Rebecca Hall, Ralph Fiennes, Rob Brydon, Kelly Macdonald, and Lauren Lapkus, with music by Mark Mothersbaugh and production design that recreates late-Victorian London iconography.

The story finds Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson entangled in a plot involving Professor Moriarty and a threat against Queen Victoria, riffing on detective-story conventions while staging courtroom, laboratory, and palace set-pieces. Columbia Pictures released the film, which blends period detail with broad comic set-ups and cameo-driven interludes.

‘The Fanatic’ (2019)

Directed by Fred Durst, ‘The Fanatic’ stars John Travolta as Moose, a Hollywood memorabilia collector whose fixation on an action star, played by Devon Sawa, spirals into stalking. The supporting cast includes Ana Golja and Jacob Grodnik, with cinematography by Conrad W. Hall and a setting grounded in Los Angeles tourist hotspots like the Walk of Fame.

The plot tracks Moose’s boundary-crossing behavior as online access and maps lead him from autograph lines to the actor’s private residence, escalating into dangerous confrontations. The film presents social media, fandom, and fame as interlocking pressures, using point-of-view scenes and handheld camerawork to follow Moose’s increasingly risky decisions.

‘The Snowman’ (2017)

A crime thriller directed by Tomas Alfredson, ‘The Snowman’ adapts Jo Nesbø’s novel about Oslo detective Harry Hole, played by Michael Fassbender. The cast includes Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, J. K. Simmons, Val Kilmer, and Toby Jones, with music by Marco Beltrami and cinematography by Dion Beebe amid Norwegian winter locations.

The plot investigates a serial killer who leaves snowmen as calling cards, linking contemporary murders to a cold case and political intrigue around a bid to host a global event. Production schedules led to reports of incomplete coverage during principal photography, and the final cut assembles location work across Norway and the UK to complete the narrative thread.

‘Ben-Hur’ (2016)

‘Ben-Hur’, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, is a new adaptation of Lew Wallace’s novel rather than a remake of the 1959 film. It stars Jack Huston as Judah Ben-Hur, Toby Kebbell as Messala, Nazanin Boniadi, Rodrigo Santoro, and Morgan Freeman, with a score by Marco Beltrami and large-scale action sequences created with a mix of practical stunts and digital enhancements.

The story follows Judah’s betrayal by his adoptive brother Messala, his years as a galley slave, and his return to Jerusalem leading to the climactic chariot race. MGM and Paramount co-released the film, emphasizing the familial rivalry and redemption arc alongside updated staging of the arena set-piece that has defined prior screen versions.

‘The Mummy’ (2017)

Directed by Alex Kurtzman, ‘The Mummy’ stars Tom Cruise as soldier-of-fortune Nick Morton and Sofia Boutella as the resurrected Princess Ahmanet. Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance, and Russell Crowe co-star, with Ben Seresin as cinematographer and Brian Tyler composing the score. The movie was positioned as the launch of Universal’s planned “Dark Universe” of interconnected monster films.

The plot awakens Ahmanet from a tomb transported to London, entwining Morton with ancient curses, modern archaeology, and a shadowy organization led by Dr. Henry Jekyll. Large-format set-pieces include a zero-gravity plane crash and subterranean sequences under contemporary London, blending horror mythology with action-adventure momentum.

‘Nine Lives’ (2016)

‘Nine Lives’ is a family comedy directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, featuring Kevin Spacey as a high-powered executive transformed into his family’s new cat. Jennifer Garner, Malina Weissman, and Christopher Walken round out the principal cast, with a production that mixes live-action performances and animal-centric visual effects to animate the feline lead.

The story uses a body-swap premise to place the character inside the pet “Mr. Fuzzypants,” forcing him to observe his family and workplace from an animal’s perspective while searching for a way back. EuropaCorp and Fundamental Films produced the feature, which plays out across corporate high-rises, a pet emporium, and domestic set-pieces that stage the central comedic predicament.

‘A Serbian Film’ (2010)

Directed by Srdjan Spasojevic, ‘A Serbian Film’ stars Srdjan Todorovic as a retired adult-film actor who is recruited for an “art project” that conceals increasingly extreme demands. The production features cinematography by Nemanja Jovanov and a score by Sky Wikluh, with a cast that includes Sergej Trifunovic and Jelena Gavrilovic.

The plot follows contractual obligations that draw the protagonist into a closed-set shoot where the boundaries of consent and coercion collapse, presented in a contentious narrative that prompted bans, cuts, and festival debates in multiple territories. The film’s release history is marked by differing editions and age-classification outcomes across countries, reflecting its controversial content.

Share the titles you think belong on this list in the comments and tell us which ones you managed to finish.