Why Wasn't It Better?

One of the biggest box office bombs of all time, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was an ambitious attempt at making photorealistic CGI. Square and Columbia gambled and lost big with this one. It has little in common with its source material. It's a perfect choice for the podcast. Guest Kai Wang returns to the podcast to share his thoughts. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.pat...

It's time to begin the Roger Moore era. Live and Let Die was an unorthodox debut performance but this one is fun. James Bond travels to New York City, New Orleans, and the fictional island nation of San Monique to battle Mr. Big! Paul McCartney gave us a tremendous title song. Yet the film has aged curiously. Guest Paul Kind returns to the podcast to share his thoughts. ___ Please consider joining...

For many years this was considered the "good" Batman film. Michael Keaton was an offbeat choice. Jack Nicholson got the bag. Tim Burton's 1989 take on the Caped Crusader was a megahit that changed not only the superhero genre, but the movie industry as a whole. Does it hold up? Fist time guest Tom Paradiso joins the podcast to discuss. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.c...

A listener request! H.G. Wells' The Time Machine is one of the most beloved science-fiction novels of all time. This 1960 version was the first high-profile film adaptation. How does it stack up more than sixty years later? Guest Ben Hill returns to the podcast to weigh in. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbet...

The sequel to one of the most well-regarded animated films of the 2010's. Is it just another Disney cash grab, or is this a more natural sequel? Let's explore our feelings a bit as we talk about Pixar's newest film, Inside Out 2. ___ Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficial YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpo...

It's the Season Five premier! Ghost in the Shell is one of the most popular, influential anime of all time. After years in development hell the Hollywood adaptation finally happened in 2017 amidst a scorn of whitewashing criticism. Scarlett Johansson bravely (or foolishly) took the starring role. Does it deserve the hate or was it a better attempt at adapting anime than we all remembered? Guest Na...

X-Men: The Last Stand was supposed to be the final entry. Brett Ratner replaced Bryan Singer. They pulled out all the stops. They spent all the money. The result was something Fox deemed bad enough to literally write it out of existence with another film. First time guest Ben Hill joins to the podcast to share his thoughts. ___ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Twitter: https://tw...

Antz was DreamWorks' first, and very accelerated, attempt at animation. They cast famous actors for the voices. They spent loads of money. And it still managed to be overshadowed by its Pixar rival, A Bug's Life. History has not been kind to its legacy. Guest Ryan Moran returns to share his opinion. ___ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Twitter: https://twitter.com/WWIBpodcast Ins...

After the one-off George Lazenby experiment, EON brought back the original James Bond. Diamonds Are Forever would be Sean Connery's sixth and last (official) outing as 007. The result was a film that is banana nut bread crazy. It's definitely not good but strangely fun to watch. Guest Peter Baldeo returns to the podcast to rant about Diamonds Are Forever. ___ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whyw...

Hold onto your potatoes! Released forty years ago, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was originally the black sheep of the trilogy. Its reputation shifted over the years, particularly after the release of the 4th film. Steven Spielberg himself dislikes it. Does it deserve more love? Producer Eric Taylor returns to the podcast to share his thoughts. ___ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasnt...

Iron Man 3 made a ton of money but instantly became one of the most divisive Marvel films. Many were upset over its treatment of the Mandarin. Others loved how it focused on Tony Stark's personal battles. Which makes it perfect to discuss! Guest Garret Ohringer returns to the podcast to proclaim his love for this. ___ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Twitter: https://twitter.com/...

A fire breaks out in a star-studded San Francisco skyscraper. This was the pinnacle of the 1970's disaster movie genre. Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, William Holden, and Faye Dunaway were just a few of the stars involved in producer Irwin Allen's magnum opus. That alone makes it watchable, right? Join us as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Towering Inferno. ___ YouTube: https://www.youtube.c...

In 2004 Roland Emmerich, some actors, and a lot of CGI tried to warn us about global warming by giving us a dangerously cheesy disaster movie called The Day After Tomorrow. If nothing else, it's (kind of) a cool title. Is it worthy of the jokes or is it a fun guilty pleasure? Guest Taylor Schuurmans returns to the podcast to decry his hatred for this film. ___ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@why...

No other James Bond film has seen its reputation change over time quite like On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Faced with the insurmountable task of replacing Sean Connery, George Lazenby's sole effort as 007 befuddled fans in 1969. Considered a failure at the time, OHMSS is now seen as one of the series' best entries. What do we think of it? Veteran guest Nathan Perry returns to the podcast to sha...

The second part of what's known as the Genesis Trilogy, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock has a mixed legacy amongst fans. As an odd-numbered film in the series, it's sometimes labeled as one of the "bad" Trek films. The crew of the Enterprise go on a journey to find their recently-deceased comrade, Spock. Does that make sense? It's okay if it doesn't. Guest Paul Kind returns to the podcast to s...

A sequel to one of the most beloved films ever. A sequel that most people don't even realize exists. Why wasn't Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny better? Why wasn't it a bigger deal than it was? Nothing about it adds up. Patrick and Anton try to figure out one of the most challenging films they've ever covered. ___ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Twitter: https://...

One of the most controversial films of its era was released just over twenty years ago. Should it be considered as such? The Mel Gibson of it all certainly added fuel to the fire. Guest Nathan Perry returns to the podcast to discuss The Passion of the Christ. ___ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Twitter: https://twitter.com/WWIBpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_of...

Marvel decided to give the Hulk one more go with the newly-formed MCU in 2008. Edward Norton's involvement had everyone excited. Yet it turned out to be the Marvel movie that Marvel doesn't want anything to do with. Why wasn't it better? Guest Ryan Moran returns to the podcast to share his thoughts on The Incredible Hulk. ___ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Twitter: https://twit...

The first part of our Hulk double feature. An auteur like Ang Lee doing a superhero movie was a very big deal in 2003. Everyone expected great things from this. Most agree that it failed. But why? Garret Ohringer returns to the podcast to defend Hulk. ___ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Twitter: https://twitter.com/WWIBpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_official S...

A listener request! Someone reminded us that we need to cover a traditional Disney animated film, so here's one of their lesser known, least successful efforts. Atlantis: The Lost Empire was supposed to take Disney in a new direction. Instead it got swallowed up at the box office in the summer of 2001. Like all Disney flops, it has its fans. Patrick and Anton discuss. ___ YouTube: https://www.yout...

It's the thirtieth anniversary of True Lies! And it's finally coming to 4k. Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron teamed up again to give us one of the most famous action movies of its era. Jamie Lee Curtis gave one us one of her best performances. Tom Arnold gave us his best work. How does it stack up after thirty years? Guest Sean O'Connor returns to the podcast to talk about one of his favori...

James Cameron has finally made The Abyss available in a proper 4k format! We decided to cover it in honor of this esteemed event. This overlong, over-budget underwater adventure was Cameron's only real commercial disappointment, but it's beloved by its fans. Does it deserve classic status? __ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetter Twitter: https://twitter.com/WWIBpodcast Instagram: htt...

When American and Soviet spacecraft go missing, James Bond brings his talents to Japan to prevent World War III. Sean Connery was growing tired of the role by this point. You Only Live Twice provided a lot of material for Austin Powers and other parodies. It's equally silly and iconic. Should it have been better? Veteran guest Peter Baldeo shares his thoughts on his first experience with You Only...

Here's an underrated romance-ish film for Valentine's Day. The rare remake that succeeded! The Thomas Crown Affair is in some ways the best James Bond movie that Pierce Brosnan was never in. He had some serious chemistry with Rene Russo. It ended up being John McTiernan's final quality contribution to cinema. Some traditionalists will tell you it's unworthy of the Thomas Crown name. Don't listen t...

The most financially successful biopic ever was brought to us by none other than Christopher Nolan. Cillian Murphy was given his first starring role, headlining an all star cast that includes Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon, and Emily Blunt. Oppenheimer has been heralded by many as Nolan's best work and it's getting all the awards buzz. Could it have been better? First time guest Zion Parker joins th...