Sure, argue if you’d like that it’s not technically a reboot. But the way I see it, it was released nearly two decades after what appeared to be the close of a popular trilogy. Additionally, fans of the franchise speculate that Shia LaBeouf’s involvement in the film could be a sign that George Lucas is gearing up to continue the series with a new lead character.

Regardless of the potential future of the franchise, this fourth Indy flick came as a serious letdown to many fans – especially those who aren’t named George Lucas’ Wallet. Although Crystal Skull was a huge financial success (it was the highest-grossing film in the series and the second highest-grossing film released in 2008, according to Wikipedia), the film was overall superfluous. Had it been a standalone film, it could have been a charming allusion to the B-movies of the ‘50s. Instead, it felt like a financially-driven afterthought that just left me with an unsettled feeling.

If your most successful marketing strategy revolves around getting people to pay to see an heiress be brutally murdered, you’ve done something wrong.

In the case of House of Wax, the producers did a LOT of things wrong.

Maybe I’m just dissatisfied with many modern horror movies, but House of Wax took a horror film with a legitimately interesting premise (a wax museum where the ‘statues’ are actually people who have been murdered and encased in wax), and tried to jazz it up with cheap shots. But the over-the-top gore and horrifying scenarios aren’t the only thing making House of Wax painful to watch. Because inexplicably, Paris Hilton was cast as the lead character’s best friend.

Perhaps the casting director just loved Hilton’s role on The Simple Life and wanted to snatch her up before she got too busy starring in her next sex tape. Or maybe said casting director knew what an awful movie the producers had cooked up and saw a clever marketing hook; kill off a well-hated Hollywood starlet and watch the audience come flocking in to cheer on her death.

Whenever I mention the second Inspector Gadget film, I’m usually met with bewildered looks and questions of “that exists?”

Part of this wonderment has to do with the fact that the Inspector’s second coming was a straight-to-DVD affair which, understandably, flew under the radar for many. But the other reason this news comes as such a surprise is because evidently, the original was not all that well-received.

Well, contrary to popular opinion, I happened to find very little fault with Inspector Gadget. Disney took a favorite cartoon from my childhood and brought it to life as only they can – with lighthearted themes, jokes teetering on the precipice of corniness, and down-to-earth charm. Matthew Broderick wore the lead role well, and the film’s close left me feeling uplifted and certainly not wanting for a sequel.

But a few years later, Disney was unable to bring Broderick back, yet were still determined to create the second film. So they pulled the old switcheroo  - replace the leading man with another actor of similar age, race, and stature, but measurably less fame. In this case, French Stewart donned the Inspector’s trenchcoat for the direct-to-DVD sequel, likely taking solace in the fact that no one would watch it.

Taking the low budget for Inspector Gadget 2 into consideration, it’s likely the film technically made a profit, but I have to wonder – was it worth it? The prevailing thought in my mind was that all the time, effort, and creative brainpower would have been better spent if put toward making a full-feature original film, rather than a dull, second-rate sequel.

1967’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, with Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn, made strides in the film industry for its cultural and political relevance, and subsequent commentary on these areas. It was for these reasons, coupled with the unique real-time timeline, that the film made it onto AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies list, a compilation of the best 100 movies of American cinema. It was a raw exposure of society’s reaction to an interracial couple at that time in history, particularly with regards to a white woman becoming romantically involved with a black man.

On the other hand, Guess Who, a loose remake released in 2005, was an insult to the former film and everyone who was in it. It takes the serious topic broached in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and makes a mockery of it. There’s a time and place for humor and parody, but I’m not convinced that a modern romantic comedy is a suitable allusion to such a serious subject.

On its own, Guess Who could be simply a fluff film, a movie of no substance meant purely to entertain; but the obvious attempt at a humorous nod to the 1967 film reveals its poor taste.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger famously said “I’ll be back” in the first Terminator movie, apparently he forgot to add “…but only for the next two movies. If they make a fourth, I’m leaving for good.”

And while I’m not implying that Salvation was less-than-stellar because of the leading man switch-up, but there certainly is a positive correlation between the amount of Schwarzenegger a Terminator movie contains and how good it is. Or perhaps it’s the other way around; even Arnold knew to get out after the initial trilogy.

Regardless, Terminator Salvation was a disappointment; doubly so after realizing that McG, the director, was hoping for fame, glory, and The Next Big Thing from this reboot. Unfortunately for the poorly-monikered director, Salvation disappointed audiences. Although it technically did financially well, it just seemed to be another hopped-up, Michael Bay-esque action flick.