Some movies aren’t really that bad when it comes to the overall concept, but for one reason or another the casting goes awry and there’s simply no help for it once the picture gets rolling. There’s no desire to rag on actors that are actually pretty good when they get the right parts, but some folks just aren’t meant to play the roles they’ve been given sometimes. This can drag a movie down in a big way and make fail in ways that might have been avoided if someone else had been allowed to take the lead roles and give a performance that might have been better received by the audience. Let’s be realistic, there are some parts that a few actors have troubles with, especially when they can’t find a way to be convincing or even plausible as the type of character that they’ve been cast as. In this case, it’s an obvious mismatch between the character and their role, and when it’s the lead that feels wrong then the movie is bound to tank, or at least be looked at in a more negative light than it might have in the first place. To be fair, it’s not the actors that are bad, it’s the fact that they simply aren’t that great when it comes to certain roles. For instance, you wouldn’t typically cast a comedian to be a serious action hero unless they could pull it off, as the result is likely to be something that people aren’t willing to accept.
Here are a few movies that might have been better with different lead characters.
5. Daredevil
For one reason or another, there are people that believe that Ben Affleck can play the role of a superhero. But when his superpowers are either kind of hokey thanks to the way they get used or are simply based on the size of his bank account, it becomes a bit corny and overdone very quickly. This movie suffered from a lot of things, namely the fact that Daredevil, awesome as he is, was somehow way too overpowered, and Elektra, who is also awesome, was a little too over the top. Funnily enough, the only character that was really even close to being spot on was Bullseye. How in the world did happen?
4. Valerian and the City of 1,000 Planets
Just watching the trailer for this movie made it clear that it was going to be a mess of special effects and many different things that the audience wouldn’t understand if they didn’t know the full story. Plus, for whatever reason, Cara Delevingne just appears absolutely wooden in about every role she plays in, as though she has the range of a baked potato. True, she’s been nominated for and won several awards in her time, but if the state of any awards show is being used as an example then one should probably sit down and realize that the systems in place to determine winners is far from perfect.
3. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
The moment that Kevin Costner attempted an English accent was when things really started to fall apart, but they likely would have anyway since despite being the everyman that he plays so often, Costner just wasn’t fit for this role. Robin Hood, legend or reality depending on who you speak to, is still someone that requires an individual that’s a little more likely to be a tragic but determined character, and sadly, Costner’s act isn’t really quite as convincing as it needs to be. Taron Egerton was a little more to the point, but at this time a lot of men have played the part of Robin Hood and only a few have ever really nailed it.
2. Hellboy (remake)
Nothing against David Harbour, since he looked awesome in his getup, but his acting wasn’t able to really push aside the memory of Ron Perlman. Of course, Ron didn’t want to come back for his own reasons, the intense makeover being one of them apparently. But Harbour, entertaining as he is, just didn’t have the same feel or timing that Perlman did, and he definitely wasn’t as funny. It would have been tough to find anyone that could have really matched Perlman for this role, especially considering that he brought the character to life in the first two movies.
1. Jack Reacher
Size was the big issue here, but the acting might have been a part of it as well. Tom Cruise is definitely intense and he’s all business when it’s time to get down to it. But during his time as The Rock, Dwayne Johnson was already beginning to build the legacy that he’s been enjoying for the past decade and more. Had he been able to take on the role it feels accurate to say that Jack Reacher might have gone a little further and done a little more. But with Cruise it wasn’t horrible, it just wasn’t everything it could have been.
Sometimes the right actor is more than a little important.
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