Why Wasn't It Better?

No other film from the Disney Renaissance has a legacy as mixed as Pocahontas. The studio expected Pocahontas would be every bit as big as The Lion King had been a year before. It wasn't, but it still did well, but not well enough for Disney. Guest Zion Parker returns to the podcast to weigh in. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.yout...

Eager to establish their own cinematic universe, DC rushed out Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with Zack Snyder at the helm. The result was far less successful than what they had hoped for. Guest Ivan Calixto, who worked on this film, joins to talk about his experience in a very special episode. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.y...

They say the sea is cold but the sea contains the hottest blood of all. Let's go back in time to get some whales to save the future. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is the final part of the unofficial Genesis Trilogy, and proved to be a fan favorite. Yet some deride it for its light, campy tone. Producer Eric Taylor joins to tell us what he thinks. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://ww...

Dragon Ball is the most famous anime of all time. This 2009 live action adaptation couldn't even spell it right. That alone should have been a red flag. Dragonball: Evolution is objectively the worst film we've ever reviewed. Guest Garret Ohringer returns to discuss this dumpster fire. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@w...

Considered a joke these days, it's easy to forget just how much of a phenomenon The Da Vinci Code was. The hype for this was massive. Starring Tom Hanks and directed by Ron Howard, the movie made three quarters of a billion dollars, and yet nobody loves it. Guest Ben Hill joins the podcast to seek the truth. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: htt...

Infamous title aside, Octopussy was the first of two Bond movies released in 1983; the other being the unofficial Never Say Never Again. Roger Moore was aging but still proved to be popular with audiences. Is it his all time high? Or did he stick around too long? Guest Peter Baldeo returns to discuss. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://ww...

Pokémon quickly became a global phenomenon when it hit international markets in 1998. Games, trading cards, an anime. Pokémon: The First Movie was the obvious next step. Every fan went to see it, but does anyone truly love it? Guests Eric Taylor and Kai Wang are here to discuss. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasnt...

Tim Burton's adaptation of the beloved Roald Dahl classic caught Johnny Depp at the height of his "weirdo role" popularity. It made plenty of money but proved polarizing. How does it hold up after twenty years? First time guest Brian Anderson is here to discuss Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.yout...

Continuing with our "worst Best Picture" theme. Braveheart was adored back in the day but these days Mel Gibson's historical epic has faded a bit from popular culture. Is Braveheart still the classic we all remember? Guest Nathan Perry is here to help us figure it out. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter I...

I had a podcast in Africa. Our first "worst Best Picture winner." Director Sydney Pollack's Out of Africa was big winner and commercial hit in 1985. It featured Meryl Streep and Robert Redford very much in their primes. So why, forty years later, is it often ranked as one of the "worst" Best Picture winners of all time? ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial...

Marvel and Joss Whedon were faced with the difficult task of delivering a sequel to the massively successful first Avengers. Age of Ultron was a huge hit but is generally seen as inferior to its predecessor. Why wasn't it better? Is it actually underrated? Guest Garret Ohringer returns for our Season Seven premiere to share his thoughts. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon...

The first Harry Potter film was a massive success. The second, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, had a lot to live up to. Did it? First time guest and noted Potter-head Jake Valkusky joins the podcast to talk about it for our Season Six finale. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Instagram: https://...

The second Captain America film is one of the highest-rated entries in the MCU. We're covering it because we wanted to, and because the fourth Cap film is coming out in a few weeks. Guest Ivan Calixto is here to share his love for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Ins...

Broadsword calling Danny Boy. It's Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood doing really cool commando stuff! Where Eagles Dare is a World War II action classic but it doesn't quite have the recognition that we feel it should. We're covering this solely because we love and it want others to love it too. Guest Paul Kind joins to proclaim his love for it as well. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: ht...

After the excesses of Moonraker, James Bond was in need of a course correction. For Your Eyes Only proved that the series could come back to earth and still be successful. Some fans will tell you that this is Roger Moore's finest entry. Guest Tom Paradiso returns to the podcast to weigh in. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.c...

Titan A.E. was a costly failure that led to the demise of Fox Animation Studios, as well as the career of celebrated filmmaker Don Bluth. It's become a cult classic in the years since its release. Why did it flop so badly? Producer Eric Taylor and guest Peter Baldeo join to help figure it out. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtub...

It dips beneath the lasers. Entrapment was the last hit of Sean Connery's long career, in which he was paired up with the lovely Catherine Zeta-Jones. This caper did well with audiences but not critics. Underrated? We'll try to figure it out with first time guest Ivan Calixto. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntit...

Michael Mann's long-awaited passion project, the biopic of Enzo Ferrari, was a complete flop. A year on, does it deserve more love? Or was its failure deserved? Longtime Mann-lover and guest Garret Ohringer joins to share his thoughts. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/...

Twenty years ago, Robert Zemeckis brought one of the most beloved Christmas books to the big screen via motion capture and Tom Hanks playing multiple characters. Adored by some and loathed by others, The Polar Express was a perfect choice for our Christmas episode. Guest Nathan Perry is back to express his belief in this film. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibof...

Jingle All the Way is a Christmas favorite for Millennials. It also curiously disliked by a lot of others. But why? Who wouldn't want to see Arnold Schwarzenegger square off against Sinbad in a battle for a Turbo-Man doll for the kid who played Anakin Skywalker? Guest Ryan Moran returns to the podcast to defend this film's honor. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwi...

We choose to believe this is a Christmas movie. Die Hard 2 is sometimes seen as the black sheep of the original trilogy. It's easy to forget that it made twice as much money as the first one. Is it a worthy sequel or should it have been better? Guest Ben Hill returns to discuss. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasnt...

We begin our Christmas mini-series with one of the most highly anticipated sequels of all time. More darkness, more grotesque, and less Batman was the name of the game. Is Batman Returns a Batman movie, or just another weird Tim Burton film? Guest Tom Paradiso joins to discuss. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasnti...

Audiences had high hopes for Joaquin Phoenix reuniting with director Ridley Scott for this biopic of one of history's most infamous figures. Napoleon was yet another costly failure for the frustratingly inconsistent filmmaker. Why wasn't it better? ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Letterboxd: https://le...

As promised we are covering another animated Disney film. Is Mulan truly a beloved classic? Or is it just another entry in the declining second half of the Disney Renaissance? Guest Zion Parker is here to tell us what he thinks. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpod...

Our very first Patreon-requested episode! We are revisiting Troy, the epic war film based on Homer's Iliad starring Brad Pitt and a slew of other famous actors. Guest Nathan Perry joins to talk about why wasn't it better. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcast In...