10 Overrated Matt Damon Movies You Might Want to Skip

Matt Damon has worked across action, drama, and comedy for decades, collaborating with noted directors and appearing in several major franchises. His filmography includes festival premieres, awards recognition, and large-scale productions that drew wide attention and big marketing campaigns. That makes it easy for expectations to soar well before release.

This list gathers titles that generated strong buzz yet later landed with mixed reception or delivered results that did not match the size of the spotlight. You will find concise details on each project, including directors, casts, story setups, and production or box office context, so you can decide what to watch based on clear information rather than hype.

‘The Great Wall’ (2016)

This fantasy action film was directed by Zhang Yimou and stars Matt Damon alongside Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, and Willem Dafoe. Damon plays a European mercenary who becomes involved in the defense of the Great Wall against fantastical creatures, with large scale set pieces and extensive visual effects work across elaborate fortifications.

The production partnered with major Chinese studios and filmed on expansive sets with significant practical costume design and creature effects layered with CGI. Reported costs were well into nine figures and the worldwide gross crossed the three hundred million mark, with stronger business in China than in North America.

‘Downsizing’ (2017)

Alexander Payne directed this social satire with Damon as a man who undergoes a miniaturization procedure, with Hong Chau, Kristen Wiig, and Christoph Waltz in key roles. The story explores consumer lifestyles, environmental themes, and community building inside a planned micro city, with large amounts of forced perspective work and digital compositing.

The project opened at a major European festival and rolled out through the holiday corridor in multiple markets. Reports placed the budget around the upper mid range for a studio comedy drama and total global revenue fell short of that figure, despite an extensive promotional tour and a broad release pattern.

‘Elysium’ (2013)

Neill Blomkamp wrote and directed this science fiction film featuring Damon as a factory worker who fights to access a luxurious orbital habitat, with Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley in supporting roles. The production built large practical sets for the earthbound sequences and used motion control and heavy postproduction work for the space station environment.

Principal photography took place in Mexico City and Vancouver with custom exosuit props and practical explosions that were blended with digital effects. Reports indicated a nine figure budget and worldwide grosses in the mid two hundred millions, with the film marketed heavily on the strength of its director’s prior success.

‘Jason Bourne’ (2016)

Paul Greengrass returned to direct this installment with Damon back as the amnesiac operative. The cast includes Alicia Vikander, Tommy Lee Jones, and Julia Stiles, and the story follows surveillance programs, covert operations, and high intensity chases through several international locations.

The production staged a major action sequence on the Las Vegas Strip and used handheld photography and stunt heavy driving work across Europe and the United States. The film opened wide in late summer, earned more than four hundred million worldwide, and carried a franchise level budget typical of large action releases.

‘Ocean’s Twelve’ (2004)

Steven Soderbergh directed this ensemble heist sequel with Damon as Linus Caldwell alongside George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Catherine Zeta Jones. The plot moves the crew to Europe where they confront a rival thief and navigate art theft schemes, with playful meta touches and interlocking cons.

Production traveled to cities that included Rome, Amsterdam, and Paris, using location shooting in historic districts and stylish costuming. The film earned hundreds of millions globally and was produced for a substantial budget that rose from the prior entry, reflecting the returning star roster and international shoot.

‘The Monuments Men’ (2014)

George Clooney directed and co wrote this World War II drama with Damon playing a curator recruited to help safeguard European art. The ensemble includes Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, and John Goodman, and the narrative follows a unit tasked with tracking and protecting cultural treasures during the conflict.

The production drew from a nonfiction book and recreated galleries, storage depots, and battle scarred towns through location work and set construction. Reported costs sat in the mid range for a historical drama and the global box office finished in the mid one hundred millions, with a wide winter release.

‘The Brothers Grimm’ (2005)

Terry Gilliam directed this fantasy adventure pairing Damon with Heath Ledger as folklore collectors caught in a supernatural plot. The film blends creature design, period costumes, and practical effects with digital enhancements to reimagine familiar folk motifs inside a darkly comic quest.

Shooting took place largely in the Czech Republic with elaborate forest sets and village builds that supported animatronics and wire work. The budget was sizable for a fantasy of the time and the worldwide gross landed a little over one hundred million, after a production that faced scheduling changes and studio oversight.

‘We Bought a Zoo’ (2011)

Cameron Crowe directed this family drama with Damon as a widowed father who purchases a struggling wildlife park, co starring Scarlett Johansson and Thomas Haden Church. The story adapts a memoir and centers on animal care challenges, regulatory hurdles, and family dynamics inside a small community.

Filming used a real property retrofitted as a functioning facility with trained animal performers and experienced handlers present for safety. The movie’s cost sat around the mid range for a studio drama and the global total reached a bit over one hundred million, supported by a holiday season rollout and family oriented marketing.

‘Suburbicon’ (2017)

George Clooney directed this dark crime comedy with Damon as a suburban husband whose life spins into fraud and violence, with Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac in key roles. The screenplay originated from a long gestating project by Joel and Ethan Coen and was revised to interweave a period set neighborhood storyline.

The shoot recreated mid century neighborhoods on soundstages and backlots with period accurate cars, signage, and interiors. Reported costs were modest by studio standards while worldwide grosses totaled under twenty million, following a fall festival premiere and a limited to wider release pattern.

‘The Legend of Bagger Vance’ (2000)

Robert Redford directed this golf drama starring Damon as a former local champion guided by a caddie played by Will Smith, with Charlize Theron as a socialite and business owner. The plot blends sports competition with personal redemption and uses extensive course photography and sunrise and sunset cinematography.

Production shot on southern courses with period wardrobe and classic clubs and balls to reflect equipment of the era. The film carried a budget around the high end for a character driven sports story but delivered a worldwide total that did not recoup that figure, despite a release timed for awards season corridors.

Share which Matt Damon titles you would skip and which ones you would still queue up in the comments.