10 Red Flags in Movies to Know They'll be Bad

Have you ever gone into a movie having the feeling that it could be bad? You’re sitting through the movie wishing you could have avoided this whole experience, but now you’re stuck watching for another hour. I believe there are ways to tell that the movie you are watching or considering watching will be bad. If you’re looking to not make that mistake again, here is a list of red flags to look for in movies.

If a movie you love happens to be on this list, please don’t think that much into it. I love trash movies as well, just admit that trash movies can be enjoyable and enjoy the list!

1. The trailer contains a song from the Top 40:

This one is pretty self explanatory. If you are planning on watching a movie, and the trailer has a song from the current Top 40 on it… the chances of this being more than a basic movie with a (probably) enjoyable, but fleeting, impression is very small. I’ll be honest, I loved How to Be Single (2016), but the Pitbull song playing throughout the trailer told me everything I needed to know about my attitude going into the movie.

2. The plot has too much or too little going on:

You know when you go into a movie and midway through you either are bored out of your mind because the characters have only talked about one thing the entire movie or confused due to the fact that you have no idea what's going on? For instance, literally DOG NARRATED MOVIE EVER. They are all the same. I’m sorry if you love them, but dog movies like A Dog’s Purpose (2017) or The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019) do not have to be that long. I love my dog, but I don’t think she thinks of more than just eating and sleeping. On the other hand, there are movies such as Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008) where so much goes on throughout the movie that I spend most of the movie trying to catch up with the plot. Both kinds of movies have the same problem; they’re too long. They must be stopped.

3. They rely way too much on their one leading star or a bunch of cameos:

The only way I can perfectly describe what this means is by looking at every movie Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson ever made. This man has simply been hired to show up on set and be himself. I know, because I have seen multiple ones! These movies are solely made for you just to sit back and enjoy watching one person on screen. They are made for laughs and a good time, but are they really good? Or is The Rock just a likable guy?

4. Main characters are unbearably annoying:

Sometimes, movies have main characters that, if I met them in person, I would instantly hate. I’m not talking about main characters who have the typical main character syndrome and only think of themselves and would be considered selfish or egotistical. I’m talking about characters who take it up a level and are whiny and toxic. Characters that make it so hard to be happy and satisfied when everything works out for them in the end. The perfect example of this, in my opinion, is 6 Years (2015). I actively HATED the main couple in this movie. They were toxic and manipulative and never had the realisation that they suck as people, which is such a shame! Another movie I could think of for this category was Nerve (2016) with Emma Roberts and Dave Franco. Let’s be honest, Emma Roberts’ character was so annoying. Her name was literally VENUS… how on earth was I supposed to take her seriously? Dave Franco playing a mysterious hottie did nothing for me. These are just two movies I could not get behind because the main characters were just the worst, and then made the movie the worst.

5. There is a chance a 13 year old could have come up with the plot:

Again, this red flag is pretty self explanatory, but let me go off a little. This genre of movies is so vast and commonly known for being bad. However, we are fueling these movies to get sequels when they deserve to just stay on Wattpad for the middle school girls to enjoy and write. I’m looking directly at you The Kissing Booth (2018) and After (2019) with your three movies EACH. I love a good, cheesy romantic comedy, but if the plot is similar to something I would’ve written or thought of as a 13 year old girl… there are some problems here. I recently watched a movie called Finding You (2021), and could have sworn it was plucked out of a One Direction fanfiction. From the “I’m not like other girls and wouldn’t fall for the famous movie star who is totally into me” energy the main character, Finley, gives off to the violin dubstep mix she performs to get into music school. The only thing this movie had was the audacity. These movies are all the same and are all deeply cringey and should stop being made. We look like fools.

6. The cast is filled with youtubers/tiktok stars:

This red flag is sponsored by Awesomeness TV and their constant need to put influencers in movies when we all know they CANNOT ACT. Listen, even though there are influencers I will happily watch on Youtube or Tiktok all day, that does not mean I need them to be in an hour and a half long movie on the big screen. Not everyone in front of the camera can act! I don’t know if anyone else saw it, but that movie Expelled (2014) with Cameron Dallas exists… and it’s not worth anything. Did I expose myself with that movie drop? Sure, but trust me… not worth it at all. I’m also aware that Addison Rae will be making her film debut in a She’s All That (1999) remake soon, but I’ll go bold and say I don’t really have high hopes for it. However, go off, Addison, get your coin! If you’re a casting director, and the only way you think that a movie will do well is by casting an influencer… it might not be a hot ticket movie idea like you think… just saying.

7. Badly incorporates social media into the plot:

Listen, I love a good social commentary on society’s unhealthy relationship with social media. However, sometimes there are movies that like to think that they are doing the damn thing when it comes to movies where social media is a part of the plot. For every Eighth Grade (2018) and Ingrid Goes West (2017), there are movies like The Perfect Date (2019) or even (I know it’s not a movie, but let me have this one) Emily in Paris. I’m talking about movies that use social media as a plot device to give their characters something to do and just make it cringey. Nothing is being said and it just takes me out of the movie. I don’t want to watch people scroll and post on Instagram when I could be doing that instead of watching the movie!

8. YA dystopian book adaptations that aren’t the Hunger Games:

Okay… I don’t want to hear a single argument against this point, because I refuse to be wrong on this. Just admit that nothing… NOTHING will ever top the high I felt seeing the Hunger Games trilogy in theaters. I still get chills at the end of Catching Fire (2013)! But let’s be real, after the Hunger Games trilogy, Hollywood should have collectively decided to stop creating YA dystopians. I’m talking about movies where something takes over earth like an illness or an alien-type thing and the only hope for the future is the teens?!? If it wasn’t obvious, I’m talking about movies like The Fifth Wave (2016), The Darkest Minds (2018), Divergent (2014), the list goes on! You might recognize a few of these names, but believe me they’re all the same, just different people. Did I see most of these movies in theaters… yes. I’ll be honest, I absolutely love the Maze Runner Series, but nothing new was said! If any of these movie plots ever actually happened and the fate of the world was in the hands of young adults… we would be dead in a month.

9. Romanticization of illness:

This one piggybacks off of the previous red flag, but it still must be said! The fact that this is a whole sub genre of film is ATROCIOUS. These are movies that are built off of characters having chronic illnesses being their whole personality. I can’t believe we have let movie creators get away with this for so long! Movies like this include: The Fault in Our Stars (2014), Everything, Everything (2017), and Five Feet Apart (2019). These are movies that romanticize these serious illnesses and show audience members that their lives were lesser before someone came into their life and brought them love (barfs). This sub genre must be stopped, because oh my GOD people with illnesses were not meant to be tropes in movies!

10. Movies where people have TERRIBLE accents:

This red flag kind of speaks for itself. Movies like The Devil All the Time (2020) where we are forced to sit and listen to A-list actors like Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland with these horrific accents for TWO AND A HALF HOURS? That should be a crime! It seriously takes so much out of a movie… an instant zero stars for me. Another perfect example of movies with terrible accents was Wild Mountain Thyme (2020). This movie is set in Ireland and you think with Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan in the lead roles that this would be a knockout romantic drama. However, Blunt’s irish accent is so comedic that it took any sense of seriousness out of the movie all together. The thing is, I love a good star studded cast, and I understand having to fill the seats, but we cannot keep settling for these cringey accent attempts.

Sometimes, it is an educational experience to watch a bad film to figure out what went wrong, but remember to watch at your own risk!