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Hate the Twilight films all you want, but you have to admit the casting was on POINT.
1. PERFECT: Wednesday
Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
First of all, it's awesome to see a Latine actor actually cast as Wednesday! Jenna Ortega does an amazing job as Wednesday — it's hard to make such a deadpan role so compelling to watch, especially with an older Wednesday (watching a little kid talk about the macabre with a straight face is always funny, though, of course, Christina Ricci nailed it in the earlier films).
The rest of the cast is great, too — especially Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán as Morticia and Gomez. Emmy Myers provides a great contrast to Wednesday as Enid, and most of the kids overall actually look like teenagers, which is refreshing after so many teen dramas where all the teenagers look like adults
2. HORRIBLE: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Doane Gregory/Fox 2000 Pictures. /Courtesy Everett Collection
The one exception is Logan Lerman as Percy — with a caveat. If they were adapting The Heroes of Olympus series, he'd be perfect! But he's way too old to play Percy in The Lightning Thief.
Overall, the characters are way too old, and Grover and Annabeth do not come across as lovable and capable as they do in the books. The adult casting is just strange — who thought Pierce Brosnan would make a good Chiron? And in what world is Sean Bean a good Zeus? Honestly, they could've switched those two roles and it would've been better (though still not great).
3. PERFECT: Scooby-Doo
Warner Brothers / courtesy Everett Collection
This movie is pure camp, even if it wasn't exactly a critical hit. Matthew Lillard is especially perfect as Shaggy, but really, everyone is perfect. They're all so true to their personas in the preceding comics, films, and TV shows, and their chemistry together is hilarious — plus, they all look the part.
4. HORRIBLE: The Last Airbender
Zade Rosenthal/Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
I hardly need to go into this one — they whitewashed the cast. Beyond that, most of the characters felt two-dimensional and flat. The heart and humor of the original series were lost — here's hoping they do better with the live-action TV show.
5. PERFECT: Dreamgirls
DreamWorks / courtesy Everett Collection
Normally, I don't like stunt casting, but Beyoncé as Deena is genuinely incredible in this film. It's hard to separate such a big star from their persona, but Beyoncé nails Deena's character — so much so that I forget I'm watching Beyoncé. Jennifer Hudson is obviously incredible as Effie, and I'm a big fan of actual Disney princess Anika Noni Rose in anything she does. Jamie Foxx is great as well — a great mix of slimy, self-centered, and charming. But honestly, the actor who really surprised me was Eddie Murphy — he truly showed what he was capable of dramatically, and it was an exciting look at a side of him we didn't normally see (during that time).
6. HORRIBLE: A Series of Unfortunate Events (film)
Paramount / courtesy Everett Collection
The casting in the movie wasn't horrible, but Jim Carrey felt a little too fun as Olaf, Klaus and Violet were too old, and Jude Law brought all of Lemony Snicket's malaise with none of the self-aware humor.
I did, however, like Meryl Streep as Aunt Josephine, but then, I like Meryl Streep in anything.
7. PERFECT: A Series of Unfortunate Events (series)
Joe Lederer/Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection
The show was MUCH better in almost every way. Klaus and Violet were appropriately-aged, which already made a huge difference. Mr. Poe was the perfect bumbling, incompetent banker. All of Olaf's henchwoman were delightfully distinct and ridiculous, and every guardian — particularly Esme and Jerome — were wonderfully awful in different ways. But Patrick Warburton really shone as Lemony Snicket. He was such an inspired piece of casting that really pulled everything together, and matched the tone of the books so, so well.
My only small gripe here is Neil Patrick Harris as Olaf. He wasn't bad — and he certainly had a tough job — but I actually wish he'd been a tiny bit more fun and charismatic, and a little bit less slimy. My dream Olaf is somewhere between Jim Carrey's and Neil Patrick Harris' interpretations.
8. HORRIBLE: The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images, Illumination Entertainment / Universal Pictures
EXCEPT for Jack Black as Bowser. It's not like when I think Bowser, I immediately think of Jack Black, but A) Jack Black can do anything and B) I already love his voice.
Chris Pratt...not so much. His Mario voice leaves something to be desired, to say the least. And the rest of the cast...well, they've already faced criticism for being too white and no one being Italian. Anya Taylor-Joy feels too young and understated to play the caricature that is Peach, and Seth Rogen is all wrong for Donkey Kong.
9. PERFECT: Twilight
Summit Entertainment
Hate on the Twilight movies all you want, but I actually think they were spectacularly cast. Kristen Stewart was great as the understated but intense Bella, and Robert Pattinson really nailed the self-hating vampire Edward. All of the Cullens fit their roles perfectly, and they actually cast Native American actors as Native American characters. Shoutout to Billy Burke as Bella's dad Charlie, who played just the right amount of awkward and well-meaning but clueless.
10. HORRIBLE: The Giver
Weinstein Company/Courtesy Everett Collection
I love Taylor Swift, but what is she doing in this movie? The cast overall feels too star-stuffed in a way that actually takes away from reality. Brenton Thwaites was way too old, and Jeff Bridges felt too young. The whole thing felt like an attempt to capitalize on the whole YA dystopian novel wave rather than a true adaptation, and it felt too glossy, like it belonged on The CW.
11. PERFECT: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ˆ(1971)
Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
The original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was SO GOOD, and Gene Wilder was the perfect Willy Wonka. He was just the right balance of unhinged, inspired, mysterious, and charming. The kids and their parents were spot-on, and Jack Albertson as Grandpa Joe was amazing.
12. HORRIBLE: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Warner Brothers / courtesy Everett Collection
Look, you don't mess with perfection. A lot of the casting in this remake was just sort of...fine. The characters just felt sort of flat, and none of them are very memorable — not even Charlie. I couldn't tell you a single thing about Grandpa Joe in this movie, and Helena Bonham Carter feels like a weird choice for Charlie's mom.
But the number one issue is, of course, Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. He's beyond creepy, without any of the understated zany charm Gene Wilder imbued the character with. Without that, all the messed-up things that happen in the story just feel sort of...dark and messed up, and it really begins to feel like a horror film. Bad, bad, bad!
13. PERFECT: The Dark Knight
Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection, Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
There have been many great actors to play Batman, the Joker, Alfred, and Catwoman, but not usually in the same film. Maybe it's because I grew up with this film, but Christian Bale is Batman to me, and absolutely nobody can do the Joker like Heath Ledger could. Michael Caine is a wonderful Alfred, and even Anne Hathaway is a strong Catwoman (though I do prefer Zoë Kravitz). This is really just a masterclass in casting and comic book adaptations.
14. HORRIBLE: Death Note
James Dittiger/ Netflix /Courtesy Everett Collection
How about we just...don't remake things but make (almost) everyone white? What is the point here? Like, we're really gonna call Nat Wolff Light Yagami and William Dafoe Ryuk? This adaptation fell completely flat, and like The Giver, felt...CW-ized, and the cast is a big part of that.
15. PERFECT: Lord of the Rings
New Line Cinema / Courtesy Everett Collection
Each actor really just embodied their character — and even their species of wizard, human, dwarf, or hobbit — SO well. Ian McKellan is obviously the standout, but Viggo Mortensen also did an incredible job, considering he came in to play the role so late. Sean Astin somehow made Sam even MORE lovable, and Frodo....well...I don't love the character, but I think Elijah Wood did a really good job balancing Frodo's original character with the way the ring influences him. Honorable mention to the wonderfully sinister Christopher Lee as Saruman and Andy Serkis as an absolutely unforgettable Gollum, even under the CGI.
16. HORRIBLE: Dear Evan Hansen
Universal Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection
Sorry, but this man is geriatric. Whatever they did to make Ben Platt look younger, it actually made him look older. The rest of the cast wasn't awful — Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, and Nik Dodani seemed like fine choices at first — but they appear so glaringly juvenile next to Platt that I was honestly left thinking that if they were gonna commit to Platt, they should've just cast all older actors. As for the singing — a lot of it was really underwhelming for me, and I wished they'd cast more people with Broadway experience.
17. And finally, PERFECT: Yellowjackets
Paul Sarkis / Kailey Schwerman / Showtime / Courtesy Everett Collection
Most of the entries on this list are adaptations of some sort because that casting is inherently more tricky to nail, but Yellowjackets' casting is so impressive that it doesn't even matter that they were working with original material. I nominate Yellowjackets not only because the actors are all distinct and incredible, but because the show had the difficult job of casting older and younger versions of the same characters, which is never an easy task. They got such similar actors to play Shauna that I'm shocked they're not related, and Sammi Hanratty and Christina Ricci are both standouts as the two versions of Misty. Juliette Lewis and Sophie Thatcher might not look alike, but their attitudes and mannerisms are the same, and Tawny Cypress and Jasmin Savoy Brown look like mother and daughter. This show proves just how important good casting is, and how it can make or break a show.
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