Why Wasn't It Better?

It’s peace in our time… or is it? The original Enterprise crew faces their final frontier with political intrigue, Shakespeare-quoting villains, and a surprisingly topical Cold War allegory. Guest and casual Trek fan Ben Hill returns to the podcast to talk about Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

Will Smith is the last man on Earth, sort of. We revisit the post-apocalyptic blockbuster that launched a thousand memes, a few tears, and arguments about alternate endings. I Am Legend had all the right ingredients and still managed to feel like a missed opportunity. Guest Dennis Berscak joins to share his thoughts.___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

The third Benoit Blanc mystery came out a couple weeks ago, to the usual acclaim. How does it stack up against the first two? Guest Peter Baldeo returns to talk Wake Up Dead Man.___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

In 2005, Steven Spielberg released one of his most ambitious and polarizing films. Despite critical acclaim and multiple Oscar nominations, Munich never quite found a wide audience. How could one of the world's most celebrated directors make a film this bold and yet this overlooked?___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

“You’re the man now, dawg!” Finding Forrester gave us Sean Connery’s penultimate role — and one of the most quoted (and memed) lines of the early 2000s. We revisit this feel-good mentor drama about a reclusive writer and a gifted teen, and ask: is there a great movie buried beneath the clichés? From its Good Will Hunting echoes to Connery’s quiet gravitas, we dig into why this film connected with audience, and why it still feels a little forgotten.___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

By popular demand, here's another ranking episode! Guest and Marvel superfan Garret Ohringer joins to help us rank the Phase One films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

Our annual Christmas episode! Jim Carrey as Scrooge, animated in mo-cap 3D sounds like a holiday classic, right? Robert Zemeckis' version of A Christmas Carol promised a visually stunning, motion-capture reimagining of the timeless Dickens tale — but did it capture the magic of the original, or just get lost in the tech? ___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe promised magic, epic battles, and a talking lion. And it delivered, mostly. The 2005 big screen adaptation brought C.S. Lewis’ beloved book series to life, but still couldn’t quite escape the shadows of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Guest Nathan Perry joins to weigh in.___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

Before Sherlock Holmes was a genius detective, he was an adventurous schoolboy in Young Sherlock Holmes. This forgotten 1985 gem combines teen detective charm, Indiana Jones-style action, and some seriously bizarre mystical shenanigans. Patrick and Anton dive into the film that tried to make a teen Sherlock a thing, but ended up more cult classic than franchise starter. Was it ahead of its time, or just a confusing mess of 80s adventure tropes?___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

A special emergency episode as we honor the passing of one of our favorite actors, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

It’s sweeping, it’s romantic, it’s nearly three and a half hours long. Doctor Zhivago was a box office smash and an Oscar darling, but does it actually work? David Lean gave us snow-covered melodrama, endless longing glances, and Omar Sharif’s eternally furrowed brow to ask: is this epic a masterpiece or just a beautifully shot soap opera? Guest Paul Kind returns to sort it out for the 60th anniversary of Doctor Zhivago.___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

Don Bluth’s Anastasia brought lush animation, catchy songs, and a not-so-historically-accurate fairy tale to the late 90s — and for many, it was the non-Disney princess movie. Producer Eric Taylor and his wife Catelyn join the pod to explore this fan favorite to explore its strange blend of royal tragedy, undead villains, and Broadway ambition. Was it a worthy competitor to Disney, or a beautifully animated mess with an identity crisis? Together, we journey once upon a December to find out.___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

It’s morphin’ time! This week we dive into the mid-90s explosion of spandex, sparks, and nostalgia with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. From Angel Grove to the planet Phaedos, the Rangers face their biggest threat yet in the wise-cracking villain Ivan Ooze. Guest Ivan Calixto joins to talk about the film’s place in the Power Rangers phenomenon, how it stacks up against the hit TV show, and why it felt both bigger and cheesier on the big screen. ___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

Presumed Innocent had all the makings of a gripping legal thriller: a best-selling novel, Harrison Ford at his dramatic peak, and a twisty murder mystery. This 1990 courtroom drama was a major box office hit but somehow left a surprisingly faint cultural footprint. Was it too slow, too serious, or just overshadowed by slicker thrillers that followed? We dig into the performances, the plotting, and why this prestige drama feels more forgotten than it should. Patrick and Anton are joined by special guest Jay Skipworth, one of the hosts of The Film Strip Podcast!___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

A House of Dynamite turns seventeen minutes of nuclear uncertainty into a Netflix thriller. Kathryn Bigelow delivers a fractured, overlapping narrative where a single anonymous missile forces the American government into a race against time—and against its own instincts. This episode digs into the film’s structure, its unsettling realism, and why it may or may not be a pointless pyramid scheme.___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

Peter Jackson's follow up to his Lord of the Rings triumph was his most personal project, a remake of his favorite film. King Kong was an enormously expensive, massively hyped monster movie that performed well but has a mixed legacy twenty years later. Should it have been better? Guest Peter Baldeo returns to talk Kong.___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialTwitter: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

Pixar's latest entry has unfortunately turned out to be its biggest loser at the box office. Whether it was the delay in production, controversy around its content, or a lack of marketing, audiences flatly ignored Elio when it was released a few months ago. It's doing better on Disney+ but how does it stack up in the totality of Pixar's filmography?___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

He's baaaaack! After the poorly-received bizarre third film, the studio decided to bring back Michael Myers. The fact that he died in the second film didn't matter. In what is now a yearly tradition for this podcast, guest Sean O'Connor returns to discuss Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

Edgar Wright’s stylish dive into psychological horror had fans buzzing — but Last Night in Soho left audiences split. Was it a bold genre experiment or a beautiful mess? Patrick and Anton unpack the film’s aesthetic highs, narrative lows, and whether it actually delivers on the scares. Guest Zion Parker returns to discuss Giallo vibes, ghost girls, and one very confused third act.___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialTwitter: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!

It's gothic, it's moody, and it's kind of a mess. We sink our teeth into Neil Jordan’s adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire. Tom Cruise goes full glam rock as Lestat, Brad Pitt pouts for two hours, and Kirsten Dunst steals the whole movie. We talk tonal whiplash, tragic wigs, and why this movie is equal parts fascinating and frustrating with return guest Jake Valkusky.___Please consider joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wwibofficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywasntitbetterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwib_officialX: https://x.com/WWIBpodcastLetterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/wwibpodcastSubscribe! Rate! Review! Tell a friend!