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Time is a tricky thing when it comes to feature-length movies. It’s hard to decide on the right length to make a film, either during the scripting process or in the editing room. It becomes even harder knowing that some genre movies are better suited to be shorter (i.e. horror, comedy) while others need to be longer (i.e. drama).
It often isn’t until retrospect kicks in after filming is all said and done that filmmakers and critics will decide that a movie may be too short or too long for its own good. For some, all a movie needed was to be a half-hour longer to reach its full potential.
10 The Dark Tower – Eight Books Squeezed Into 90 Minutes
When originally written by Stephen King, The Dark Tower was comprised of eight different books and a short story. When Hollywood opted to adapt the series into a feature-length movie, the decision was made to include elements from every book in the series into one 90-minute runtime.
This is a book series with 30 years worth of history and the filmmakers tried to condense that history down to an hour and a half. This made the movie feel rushed, failing to be accessible to casual moviegoers who hadn’t read the books and failing to satisfy longtime fans of the novels.
9 X-Men: The Last Stand – Too Many Subplots For A Satisfying Finale
It’s surprising to know that for all that the third X-Men movie has going for it, it only sits at around 100 minutes. This is a movie that not only took on the grueling task of adapting the Dark Phoenix Saga but features several different subplots, including the basis for a mutant cure, different mutants like Rogue being conflicted on wanting to take the cure, and Angel’s subplot serving as a metaphor for closeted homosexuality.
This movie has so many subplots that it forced some to take a backseat, hence why it feels like Angel is barely in the movie. A threequel with this many high stakes was probably better suited for a runtime closer to its predecessor, X2, which was 133 minutes long.
8 Brave – The Shocking Third Act Felt Rushed
Brave was marketed as a movie where a princess, Merida, is forced to be betrothed to strengthen the kingdom but instead opts to defy customs and fight for her own hand in marriage. The bulk of the first act – which runs extremely long – sticks to that storyline pitch, but it is in the second and third acts where a shocking twist presents itself: Merida now must deal with her mother being transformed into a bear.
It’s a clever twist on grounds of not being featured at all in the trailers, but it feels rushed since the movie is only 93 minutes. It dedicates just the last third to the new bear plot, which probably needed its own hour.
7 Jurassic Park – Needed To Include More From The Book
Jurassic Park as a movie was great in its own right, and for most moviegoers, 128 minutes is just enough time before a movie risks overstaying its welcome. However, most complaints directed at the movie tend to come from those who read the book and noticed that the movie failed to include key moments from Michael Crichton’s source novel.
Moments like Hammond getting eaten by a dinosaur and other loads of unadulterated violence were sorely missed by those passionate about the book. Maybe if the movie was just a smidge longer, it would’ve given the book readers something to write home about.
6 Jurassic Park III – The Script Was Rushed
Maybe this is a case of Jurassic Park III needing a script revision rather than a longer length, but it’s hard not to notice that it’s unusually short at 92 minutes compared to its two predecessors, which were both two hours apiece.
As Joe Johnston has expressed in the past, this movie was basically shooting without a script, as two drafts were completed and discarded two weeks before filming began. “We never did have a final script. We did not have a final script until after we wrapped the movie,” he explained. He even attests that the plan wasn’t always for the movie to be 90 minutes. Perhaps the filmmakers needed more time, both in front and behind the camera, to flesh things out.
5 Quantum Of Solace – Script Shortened And Suffered Because Of Writer’s Strike
Quantum of Solace was in a similar boat as Jurassic Park III, except that in the case of this James Bond movie, the scripting was cut short due to the Writer’s Guild of America strike that lasted from November 2007 to February 2008. This forced star Daniel Craig and director Marc Forster to finish the script themselves as uncredited writers.
With pressures mounting on actors/directors who lacked proper writing experience on a time constraint, this made the Casino Royale sequel feel a little bit clunky, but under better circumstances with a better time, maybe it would’ve worked.
4 Contagion – Gives An Epic Vibe To Solidify Itself As A Time Capsule
Contagion was always a great movie in its own right and it has miraculously found a way to improve with age in light of renewed interest during the height of the novel coronavirus pandemic. However, for all of its storylines, plot, and A-list stars, it feels as if it abruptly ends after its around 100-minute runtime.
Even in 2011, it felt unusually short for a movie of such high stakes and gravitas. A movie with this cast especially needs to lean into trying to feel like an epic event. In retrospect, it especially would have worked as such now that it’s viewed as an interesting pre-COVID time capsule.
3 Independence Day: Resurgence – A Quicker Paced Sequel Sacrificed A Character
The original Independence Day starring Will Smith is notably long at 145 minutes. For some, that’s too much even for an action movie, but some fans would argue that because it let itself be so long, especially with the lengthy first act, that gave the movie time to leave a memorable impression with its characters and slow-built moments. It’s why it became a cult classic to begin with.
Meanwhile, the sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, became forgettable in general. Some fans would be hard-pressed to even remember that a sequel came out in 2016. Two hours may not have been enough time to flesh out each new character’s personality, making them feel generic. Maybe it should’ve shared its predecessor’s length.
2 Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince – Missing Major Book Moments
With the books being so expansive, it’s only natural that the Harry Potter franchise left out a few chunks from the novel with each film it adapted. Ironically enough, despite being the third-longest Harry Potter movie in the original franchise, The Half-Blood Prince arguably leaves out more bits from the book than any other movie in the series.
Most notably, the movie leaves out a huge section of Tom Riddle’s backstory, including only two flashbacks instead. Maybe more of this inclusion could have been made if it was allowed just a bit more runtime.
1 Kick-Ass 2 – Features The Worst The Comics Had To Offer
Kick-Ass 2 received a lot of flak upon release for including some scenes that were deemed a little too offensive to watch, including the grim fate of Miranda at the hands of Chris D’Amico. However, all of these scenes were included in the original graphic novel. In fact, in the case of Miranda’s attack, it was actually substantially toned down from what happened in the books.
The problem here, it seems, is that Kick-Ass 2 used its 103 minutes to include the worst moments from the comics while leaving out the better scenes. Either the script needed a revision, or the movie needed another half-hour to include the good stuff.
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