Some cinephiles mistake the term "jump the shark" for thinking it means a movie is bad. But the idiom refers to a stunt or action that's unrealistic in a particular movie world in a desperate plea to stay popular.

There have been so many famous examples of jumping the shark, such as Rocky fighting Hulk Hogan in Rocky III and the two-hour toy commercial that is Batman & Robin. However, Redditors have their own ideas about movies that have jumped the shark over the years, and many of them are fascinatingly inciteful.

Spectre (2015)

Daniel Craig's run as James Bond has been fairly inconsistent, and some believe that Spectre is the worst Bond movie. Reddit user Boodabomb goes into detail about how the 2015 movie totally jumped the shark. They explain that Blofeld being revealed to be James's brother is the defining shark jump moment, as Spectre was "built entirely around the idea of making James Bond sad because their dad liked him more."

The premise of Spectre is made even more embarrassing because Austin Powers, a parody of the spy series, had that same narrative years earlier, only it was written for laughs. However, with the newly released No Time To Die, Daniel Craig had a perfect send-off, and it wouldn't have been possible without the narrative that was set into motion in Spectre.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

With there being five Pirates of the Caribbean movies with two reboots on the way, the series has sailed far off course from where it originally was. FKN_LAIRY is quick to point out the moment when the Disney series jumped the shark, explaining that Jack Sparrow became a "complete bumbling drunk with no idea what's going on around him" in Dead Men Tell No Tales.

It's arguably more of a case of Flanderization than jumping the shark, which is when a single element of a character's personality becomes their defining characteristic over the course of several movies. But it's true, as Captain Jack was always a drunk, but he was still calculated, witty, and rather charming. Unfortunately, all of those personality traits have dissipated in Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)

Though the term 'jump the shark' comes from Happy Days when Fonzie literally jumped over a shark in season 5, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the most well-known example of the idiom. There are so many different moments in the fourth Indy movie where the series jumped the shark, but segundo2080 thinks the most obvious example is when Mutt swings on vines through the jungle with monkeys.

They explain that "the whole movie was bad but that scene was a slap on the face." As weird as the scene is, it may not trump the ultimate jump the shark scene, which is when Indy climbs into a fridge to hide from a nuclear blast. It was so outrageous that the idiom was briefly changed to "nuke the fridge."

Live Free Or Die Hard (2007)

Die Hard has always been full of explosive action, and even in the first movie audiences had to suspend their disbelief at least a little bit. However, the whole reason the first movie, and even the first two sequels, is so exciting is because it's a New York cop out of his element who has to deal with terrorists. But the fourth film took it to a whole other level.

It may be one of the most unpopular opinions about the Die Hard series, but some Redditors do like Die Hard 4. Nevertheless, the scene where John McClane drives a car straight into a helicopter is the epitome of jumping the shark. GarconMeansBoyGeorge wasn't the only Redditor who was offended by the scene, as so many others voiced their negative opinions. But the user hilariously notes that "instead of 'jumping the shark,' it's 'jumping a car into a helicopter.'"

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

There is a huge debate amongst Redditors where the Fast Saga truly jumped the shark, with many saying it was when Rome and Tej went into outer space in F9. But yamaha2000us notes that it was much earlier than that, as "the start of the first race of the second movie was the point where the skier hit the ramp." And though that's one of the best scenes in 2 Fast 2 Furious, the ramp jump was a little farfetched.

The Fast and Furious series achieved something unprecedented, as it was able to jump the shark after already jumping the shark. The Rio heist saw the franchise become an action series after street racing was no longer popular, which is the whole meaning of jumping the shark. But F9 saw the crew go into space, thus jumping the shark once again.

Jaws: The Revenge (1987)

Jaws: The Revenge is the fourth movie in the surprisingly long-running Jaws franchise, but needless to say, it wasn't quite the phenomenon that the first film was. Spasticspetsnaz claims that the movie is "truly epic levels of awful" after they explain why it jumps the shark.

People would have thought the third film, which was released in 3D, was jumping the shark until they saw the fourth movie. In The Revenge, the shark actually roars, and it does so for a good 30 seconds, and it's somehow telepathic too. It might have worked for Deep Blue Sea, which follows a group of genetically engineered sharks, but not for Jaws.

Ocean's Twelve (2004)

This choice is a little leftfield, as it isn't a movie that would first spring to mind, but there's a meta-joke in Ocean's Twelve that went down like a led balloon with audiences, and it was stretched way too thin. In the film, Tess has to pretend to be Julia Roberts, the very actress who plays the character, in front of Bruce Willis.

Though they admit the movie is still enjoyable, Bob1689321 thinks it "definitely jumped the shark considering it took me out of the movie." But the user also notes that the whole movie is ridiculous, as the crew lifts an entire house without anyone knowing just so they can shoot a harpoon into it.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

The Rise of Skywalker features the most obvious jump-the-shark moment of the past decade, as it sees Emperor Palpatine return from the dead. Reddit user Rdp3186 was one of many to point the movie out, saying that they "still enjoyed the movie for what it was, but it's so stupid."

The line of dialogue uttered by Poe, "somehow Palpatine returned," is one of the most memed Star Wars moments ever. And there's another scene in the movie that's just as much of a shark-jumper, as Storm Troopers are able to fly, which also led to a series of hilarious memes.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

In the early 2000s,it was looking like the X-Men series was on track to being one of the greatest franchises of all time. But The Last Stand derailed the series and kevhto2 points to one exact moment when the franchise jumped the shark. The Redditor doesn't even respect the movie enough to remember the title, simply saying, "the one where juggernaut yells out 'I'm the Juggernaut bitch.'"

The Juggernaut is one of the few characters to have never returned, and the movie was such a shark jump that Days of Future Past exists primarily to erase The Last Stand from the timeline. Ever since the third movie, the X-Men series has never properly gotten back on track.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)

Everybody knows the John Wick series as the outlandish and over-the-top assassin franchise where everyone in the world is a hitman and they all live in fear of the High Table. But in the first installment,John Wick, it was simply a man getting revenge on a kid who murdered his dog.

Moneyorderly1776 believes the series jumped the shark in Chapter 3 - Parabellum when Wick was "traveling to a secret ruler of the assassin underground in the middle of the desert." It does feel like most of the world-building in the series came after the first movie was a success, as the original film is so much more grounded compared to the sequels, especially Parabellum.

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About The Author

Stephen Barker (1322 Articles Published)

Currently residing in Madrid, Stephen Barker has been a staff writer at Screen Rant since 2020. Since graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University with a bachelor's degree in Film, Television, and Cultural Studies in 2014, he has written for numerous movie and music websites. Stephen has been obsessed with movies since he first watched Jurassic Park on VHS, and with a deep interest in screenwriting, he loves 70s character-driven movies. But he's just as much of a defender of Batman & Robin, The Fast and the Furious, and Small Soldiers. Visit Stephen's personal blog, Quaranste, where he writes about guilty pleasure movies, his latest musical discoveries, and how he stays creative during global pandemics, or contact him directly: Quaranstine@gmail.com.

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