12 worst Netflix movies of 2022

Considering the amount of original movies Netflix releases each year, it’s impossible for every single one to be worthy of Best Picture. Some Netflix movies can be so bad they’re good, but others can unfortunately be just plain bad.

While 2022 brought us so many amazing original Netflix movies, like Do Revenge and The Adam Project, the year was also prone to some stinkers that left much to be desired. Whether they missed the mark or just weren’t up to snuff, we were talking about these movies for all the wrong movies.

But as disappointing as they might have been, the worst Netflix movies of the year also have their upsides, be it an excellent cast or stunning individual performances. Overall, we wanted more from these movies and they didn’t deliver as we had hoped.

Worst Netflix movies 2022

Here are nine of the most disappointing Netflix movies of the year, beginning below with the well-intentioned pandemic comedy The Bubble.

The Bubble

In theory, The Bubble seems like a great idea on paper. The cast and crew of a popular film franchise travel to London to film the next sequel, but they must quarantine together in a bubble at the height of the pandemic. In execution, The Bubble was a lengthy misfire. And look, I usually favor Judd Apatow’s longer comedies, like This Is 40, Funny People, and Trainwreck. But The Bubble should have popped somewhere at 90 minutes. However, the incredibly game cast was incredible and makes the movie worth watching at least once. Written by Reed Gaudens

Metal Lords

This movie was a mess from start to finish. It clearly wanted to emulate other high school movies like Superbad but missed the mark in every regard. Metal Lords had an interesting premise; not many high school movies focus on metal bands, but they couldn’t find the right comedic beats to make a compelling comedy. The performances were all fine. However, the film’s writing made it feel like it was from another era—and not in a good way. There’s also a strange misogynistic undercurrent here that turned me off. Written by Maddy Lennon

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Let’s face it: Netflix isn’t great when it comes to their original horror movies. Yes, we’ve had awesome shows like The Haunting series and a few others, but the movies have been pretty bad. Sometimes awful. With the exception of the Fear Street trilogy, I can’t name many others that really impressed me. So, unfortunately, with Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel movie that came out in February, I had low expectations. And somehow, I was still super disappointed.

The characters in Texas Chainsaw Massacre were written so terribly that you just want to yell at the screen when you’re watching because they’re so unintelligent. The movie brought back the iconic character Sally Hardesty (now played by Olwen Fouéré) but did nothing good with her. All in all, the movie is unoriginal and uninteresting, making it a complete waste of time. Written by Natalie Zamora

Blonde

Though Andrew Dominik’s Blonde aimed to showcase the late Marilyn Monroe’s
multi-dimensionality, the 2022 film failed to highlight what made this icon a global phenomenon. Even Ana de Armas’s critically-acclaimed portrayal wasn’t nearly enough to conceal Blonde’s misinterpretation of Monroe’s triumphs and tribulations, for no amount of acting can save a film that saw it fit to include a scene of a talking fetus begging not to be terminated.

In Dominik’s eyes, Monroe’s sexual expressiveness was more of a crutch rather than something that empowered her. (This can especially be seen in Blonde’s lengthy re-imagining of Monroe’s escapade with the late President John F. Kennedy.) And it’s because of this hideous blunder—that is both inaccurate and incredibly misogynistic—that viewers found little to no difficulty tossing this film into the sea of forgetfulness.

Perhaps there will come a time when we finally get an exceptionally well-done film about Marilyn Monroe’s life and career. But for now, we can say with all certainty that Blonde is definitely not the one. Written by Diana Nosa

Me Time

Did we really need another middling comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Hart? Written by Reed Gaudens

Windfall

Out of all the “bad” movies I’ve written about on this list, this one is probably the best of the bunch, but I still didn’t enjoy it, which is a shame because I love the cast. To their credit, they did what they could with the material. This is a polarizing movie. Some people loved it; I just wasn’t one of those people.

The idea is strong, and it feels like Windfall wanted to say something meaningful about classism, but home invasion thrillers are supposed to be thrilling, and Windfall is for a few scenes here and there before squandering its premise. Plus, somehow, this 90-minute film feels like it’s over two hours. Written by Maddy Lennon

The Gray Man

It’s not that The Gray Man was bad per se, but it just simply wasn’t the best Netflix movie of the year. Yes, viewers ate it up and there will now be a sequel and a spinoff, but that 46% on Rotten Tomatoes has some truth to it. The Gray Man boasts an excellent cast of A-listers, no one’s debating that, and the stylized tone of popcorn action movies of yesteryear was a breath of fresh air. But overall, the script was convoluted and full of ghosts of action flicks past. Regardless, we’re not counting out the star power of the incoming Gray Man universe just yet. Written by Reed Gaudens

Marmaduke

Why? Just why Netflix? Technically, this wasn’t made in-house at Netflix, but they stamped it with their Netflix Original film approval, so they get to pay the price for allowing this horrible excuse for a movie on their platform. The animation? Did they animate this in the dark? Pete Davidson? Please stop terrorizing me. JK Simmons, surely you have other ways to pay the bills. Owen Wilson’s version should get a Best Picture Oscar in comparison. Written by Maddy Lennon

Purple Hearts

Purple Hearts might be one of Netflix’s most successful movies ever, but that doesn’t make it a good movie. I’m sorry, Sofia Carson, but this isn’t a romance film you should’ve been a part of. The story follows an aspiring musician living with Type I diabetes and a troubled Marine who decide to get married for military benefits. Carson plays the aspiring singer-songwriter, while Nicholas Galitzine portrays the U.S. Marine.

My main issue with Purple Hearts, and I’m sure many others will agree, is that it’s filled with racism and misogyny, among other things. It’s like the movie brings up these issues just to sweep them all under the rug and place the focus on a love story. Besides these aspects of the film, I didn’t really see the chemistry between the two main leads either. The best part of the movie was the soundtrack, in my opinion.

If you’re looking for a good romance film, we strongly recommend skipping out on Purple Hearts because this movie is not something you will enjoy watching. Don’t worry, though. Netflix has tons of great romance movies streaming right now on its platform. Written by Crystal George

Tall Girl 2

Sometimes the powers that be in the film industry only think about if they can, but they never stop to wonder if they should. Sure, based on the popularity of Tall Girl in 2019, a sequel seemed like a no brainer. Why not keep the momentum going? But oh, this was not To All the Boys or any of the Netflix Christmas movie franchises. Tall Girl 2 has such low stakes that it feels more like a YouTube vlog than a movie. It was narratively hollow, aiming purely for vibes, and there’s certainly a market for that kind of movie. But maybe a better one next time. Written by Reed Gaudens

Mr. Harrigan’s Phone

This is a Facebook meme come to life. Phones are evil! Seriously, nothing happens in this movie, and I can’t imagine the short story was much better. I feel bad for putting two Jaeden Martell movies on here because he is a great actor. To this film’s credit, the first part of the movie is genuinely interesting. I was riveted when Donald Sutherland was on my screen, but the film went downhill once he died, and it never recovered. Written by Maddy Lennon

365 Days sequels

The first movie was bad enough, but the sequels don’t even try. It’s no wonder Netflix decided to rush them out in the span of a few months. These are just overlong soft porn music videos with a song literally every few minutes to try and distract the viewer from…everything else. Written by Maddy Lennon

What Netflix movies disappointed you this year? Let us know your picks in the comments!