There’s been a trend in modern cinema: movies are becoming too long.
Not every film needs to be a three hour epic, but that isn’t stopping Hollywood from trying.
These are the movies that overstayed their welcome.
Pearl Harbor
How in the world is this movie over three hours?
Michael Bay is at his best when he makes action movies that last no longer than two hours. Pearl Harbor has so much filler and unnecessary story that instead of keeping the viewer engaged, it puts them to sleep.
Gangs of New York
While Gangs of New York doesn’t hit the three-hour mark, it certainly comes close.
You know a movie is too long when you can easily cut an hour from the runtime and not lose a single second of plot development.
The Irishman
Marty, Marty, Marty, we need to talk.
Why is this movie over 200 minutes long? Yes, it takes advantage of being released straight to streaming services, but my god, it never ends. Thank goodness it’s on Netflix, so we can pause and resume whenever possible.
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Australia
Is Australia the modern-day Gone With the Wind? Yes, but that’s because of its unbearable run time, not because of the quality of the movie.
Baz Luhrmann’s drama is all style and no substance, filled with flashy moments that look good but drag on for far too long.
Wicked Part 1
The long-awaited adaptation of Wicked has a 160-minute runtime compared to the 150-minute runtime of the musical.
Oh, and it’s just part one; the movie ends with the performance of “Defying Gravity.” Not every movie needs to be stretched beyond belief, especially when adapting something like a musical, yet that’s not stopping people from making it happen.
Les Misérables
Look, I love musicals. I love the theater, but the magic of the theater often gets lost when musicals are adapted for the big screen.
One of the biggest examples of that is Les Misérables. By the time you hit the intermission, it feels like you’ve been sitting through the film for nearly three hours. Sadly, you’re not; it’s just the halfway point.
King Kong
Just because Peter Jackson kept us entertained with the extended cuts of The Lord of the Rings doesn’t mean every one of his films needs to drag on and on.
His adaptation of King Kong overstays its welcome. It’s arguably several movies all split into one, as each act doesn’t just drag on, but also feels tonally different from the others.
All Of The Hobbit Movies
I don’t blame Peter Jackson for this one; the studio was the one looking to stretch one book into two movies before deciding that it should have been three films, not two.
The biggest issue with adapting The Hobbit is that it lacks the tension, drama, and stakes of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which means that it drags on more and more.
Stripes
Look, I love this movie. It’s a classic Bill Murray comedy that, for the most part, still holds up today.
However, things absolutely drag after Murray and the gang graduate and are deployed. The scenes in Europe feel like they’re out of a different movie and lack the pacing of the first two acts.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
I know that it’s easy to knock on Return of the King for having far too many endings, but Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence did it first.
One of the most divisive movies ever made, subpar performances from its cast make us wish every false ending was the sweet relief we were desperately waiting for.
Funny People
It’s a shame, as Funny People is one of Adam Sandler’s best performances.
The unheralded Judd Apatow comedy has an excellent balance of humor alongside some more serious storytelling, but its 2-hour 26-minute runtime is exhausting.
It: Chapter Two
The first It was one of the biggest surprises of 2017. Yes, the source material is incredible, and the legendary adaptation starring Tim Curry is fantastic, but this was the perfect adaptation for the modern era.
The sequel, It: Chapter Two, overstays its welcome. Despite the all-star ensemble cast, it fails to captivate like its predecessor. I know the source material doesn’t do it any favors, but cutting down on runtime would have gone a long way.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
The original Pirates of the Caribbean movie, 2003’s Curse of the Black Pearl, works well because it represents everything great about a summer blockbuster that doesn’t overstay its welcome. It also doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Its sequels try to dive into more serious storytelling, and it works with 2006’s Dead Man’s Chest, but the 2007 follow-up, At World’s End, tries to have its cake and eat it too. We didn’t need the Keith Richards cameo, nor do we need the continued world-building. It’s the third entry in the franchise, and the world should be properly built by now.
The Lion King (2019)
The original Lion King movie is just under 90 minutes long.
So, tell me why the “live-action” remake has an extra 30 minutes of runtime. Never mind the debate about whether or not we need Disney live-action movies; why are we messing with what many believe to be the best animated Disney movie of all time?
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