April 23, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET
- Famed critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert featured several Wilmington-shot films on their annual “worst of” lists.
- “Super Mario Bros.” (1993) was criticized by Siskel for being based on dreary video game characters and having a weak screenplay.
Among the many films shot in Wilmington, there are also several that have received a thumbs down.
And as the local film industry was blooming in the 1980s and 90s, the two film critics most recognized at that time also gave their opinions: Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.
The film critics, who worked for rival Chicago newspapers, paired up for a syndicated TV show, which for most of its 1975-99 run was called “Siskel & Ebert at the Movies.” Siskel died in 1999 and Ebert in 2013.
Each year they had a show on the worst films of that year. It was meant more as films that disappointed or otherwise had promise that in their eyes failed.
“We don’t really pick the very worst films of the year,” said Siskel during the 1986 show. “If we did that, we’d be selecting mostly sequels and dumb action pictures that no one wants to see in the first place.”
Here are films featured on those “worst of” year-end shows that were filmed in Wilmington. As a side note, the duo didn’t look down at all Wilmington-shot films: Siskel ranked “Blue Velvet” among his 10 best of 1986.
King Kong Lives – 1986
This sequel to the 1976 “King Kong” has been panned by many critics, and Siskel and Ebert also didn’t hold back.
Siskel said “King Kong Lives” was so bad the production company did something unprecedented with he and Ebert.
“This new one is so bad that the film company actually sent Roger and me letters saying they would let us show snippets of the films on our local TV shows in Chicago only if we promised in writing not to show you the same clips on this our national show,” Siskel said. “Obviously they were scared and obviously neither one of us would sign such a letter.”
Siskel said you can neither believe him nor Ebert, but instead the company, presumably De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, that couldn’t find a single scene they wanted you to see.
“So, no scenes from ‘King Kong Lives,'” Siskel said. “That’s almost a public service.”
Dream a Little Dream – 1989
This film starring the Coreys (Feldman and Haim) showcased a few Wilmington places such as Thalian Hall and New Hanover High School.
While it wasn’t Siskel and Ebert’s worst pick from its group of teenage movies that year, it didn’t stop Ebert from including it in the worst overall list for 1989.
“It was especially dishonest in its advertising,” said Ebert, adding it’s about Jason Robards and Corey Feldman but according to TV ads it’s just about Feldman while Robards was barely in it.
Loose Cannons – 1990
This cop comedy boasted star power in Dan Aykroyd and Gene Hackman, but that wasn’t enough to help the film, Ebert said.
In his category “big stars and big bombs,” Ebert pointed to “Loose Cannons” where Hackman had done so much great work where the Academy Award winner “could take a bomb more or less in stride, and that’s sure what he had to do with ‘Loose Cannons.’
“Gene Hackman usually plays smart, and in ‘Loose Cannons’ he had to play dumb, real dumb to put up with a goofy partner like Aykroyd.”
Super Mario Bros. – 1993
This film based off of the Nintendo video game was Siskel’s pick along bad special effects films.
“They tried to make the dull video game characters come alive,” Siskel said. “Of course they’re dreary, who thought the ‘Super Mario Bros.’ images were anything but dreary? ‘Super Mario Bros.’ was doomed at the conception level.”
Both agreed it shouldn’t have been a film because the screenplay wasn’t ready.
The Jackal – 1997
Another film with star power in Sidney Poitier, Richard Gere and Bruce Willis, but also struggled.
“The Jackal” was put in the “big stars, bad movies” category by Ebert.
“The biggest sin is ‘The Jackal,'” Siskel said. “There’s absolutely no need or reason on earth to remake Fred Zinnemann’s great film ‘The Day of the Jackal.'”
Owen Hassell is the local news editor for the StarNews. You can reach him at ohassell@usatodayco.com.
