Thor: Love and Thunder has just been widely released, but it has gotten a less than stellar Rotten Tomatoes score, and that largely stems from the character development in the movie. Thor's development in the fourquel has not only been halted, but critics think the character has been dumbed down way too much this time around. However, other movies cleverly use the lack of character development to their advantage.
A movie that ends up being great despite having zero character development is an almost impossible feat, but Redditors think these films pulled it off the best. Between a zombie-killing deadbeat, a globe-trotting archaeologist, and the entire CIA, these characters didn't learn anything.
Dumb And Dumber (1994)
CapitanClarke thinks the 1994 comedy classic Dumb and Dumber has no character development, but that doesn't make the film any less great. In fact, it makes the entire existence of Harry and Lloyd that much funnier. The Redditor admits, "Might be cheating because the characters are idiots."
However, the user couldn't have given a better answer to the question at hand. The movie ends with Harry and Lloyd just as dumb as ever and in a no better or worse position than the beginning of the film. Right before the credits roll, the pair is offered to be oil boys for bikini girls, but turn the opportunity down. They then talk about when they'll eventually get their big break and start a game of tag.
Burn After Reading (2007)
Burn After Reading is one of the Coen brothers' most out-there movies, as the 2007 film follows two gym employees who inadvertently get their hands on the secret memoirs of a former CIA agent. As they opportunistically intend on selling his memoirs back to him, everything spirals out of control, they end up being in way over their heads, and it results in a surprisingly brutal death scene, but nobody really learns anything after all is said and done.
The same goes for so many other Coen brothers-directed movies too. Whether it's The Big Lebowski or No Country for Old Men, there is absolutely no character development and the protagonists end up in the same position they were in when the movie started. DullBicycle7200 puts it best, noting, "J.K. Simmons' closing lines from Burn After Reading sums up this statement." Simmons plays a CIA superior who asks, "What did we learn, Palmer?" And Palmer responds, "I don't know, sir." Then the superior hilariously adds, "I don't f****** know either."
Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
Shaun of the Dead is one of the greatest horror-comedies ever, and what makes it so great is that the protagonist is a deadbeat who has no intention of developing and no self-worth. However, the end of the movie makes it seems as if Shaun has turned over a new leaf, but director Edgar Wright brilliantly fools audiences into thinking that.
DrRexMorman puts it best, noting, "Shaun reconciles with his step-father and gives up Ed for his girlfriend/a relationship, but then we see that he has Ed chained up in his shed. So his growth is marginal." The ending is a testament to how great of a filmmaker Wright is for a multitude of reasons. That one shot of Zombie Ed does so many things at once: it's a hilarious visual gag, a callback to earlier in the film, and it shows that Shaun hasn't actually learned all that much after all.
The Raid: Redemption (2011)
The Raid: Redemption is an epic Indonesian action thriller that's full of martial arts and jaw-dropping hand-to-hand fight sequences. The movie has a simple premise where a special task force must infiltrate a high-rise building occupied by gangsters and a drug lord. Saint1 racks their brain, pondering, "I don't think there was any development in The Raid: Redemption."
The Redditor is not wrong, as none of the villains learn from their mistakes, not that they have a chance to before they're sliced and diced. And Rama, the most successful member of the task force, is simply a video game character, making his way through each floor of the building like they're stages in a video game.
Dredd (2012)
Dredd is one of the best science fiction remakes, as it's an inventive and thrilling reboot of the series after the negatively received Sylvester Stallone-led movie in the '90s. Mazon_Del notes that, while the movie is great, there is absolutely zero character development. There is a moment in the 2012 movie when Dredd tells Anderson, a new recruit, that he'll fail her if she loses her weapon. But when that inevitably happens, he still gives her a pass.
The Redditor argues that the Judge was simply compromising, noting "When the needs are sufficient to justify it, Dredd was willing to relax a hair." While Dredd showed compassion at the end of the movie, it wasn't developed throughout the film. He always had that compassion; he just rarely showed it.
Step Brothers (2008)
Ctruss53 argues that the 2007 comedy Step Brothers is a great movie with zero character development. The movie ends with the 40-year-olds acting like 13-year-olds, just as they did at the beginning of the movie. But an argument could be made that Brennan and Dale did develop and grow up, as they eventually learned the importance of having a steady job.
However, Will Ferrell's elevator pitch for the sequel gives credence to the fact that the characters didn't actually learn anything whatsoever in the movie. According to AV Club, Ferrell wanted to make a sequel that saw Dale and Brennan following their parents to a retirement retreat thinking that they deserve an early retirement too.
The James Bond Series
Nowhereman136 doesn't just point to one specific film in the long-running 25-movie spy franchise, but argues, "Literally every James Bond movie." The Redditor does have a point to an extent, as so many Bond movies have no character development and follow the same formula, such as featuring two Bond girls, cool cars, and tons of spectacular set-pieces. And those movies are all still great.
However, many Bond movies also surprise viewers with their character studies of 007. Daniel Craig's serialized movies saw the superspy give his life for his family and the world. And the Roger Moore-led For Your Eyes Only is a gritty and emotional revenge movie much deeper than any other of Moore's other movies.
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings did a great job of avoiding typical MCU tropes, but it also somehow avoided developing the characters. Olivebranch99 goes into depth about the problem with one of the most recent Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. The Redditor points out, "they planted seeds about him being haunted by a murder he committed years ago but that was never explored."
While the character is likable and has great chemistry with Katy, he had almost no development, and what little development he had was rushed, such as his relationship with his sister and becoming worthy of wearing the rings. However, Shang-Chi's story is far from over, and as was the case with Doctor Strange and other MCU heroes, his arc will continue to develop in other movies.
Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
Sumquy argues that Indiana Jones has no character development in the beloved Raiders of the Lost Ark. Not only does the archeologist not have any character development, but the Redditor also points out, "Indy doesn't really have much effect on anything." The action hero is a protagonist who has no effect on the narrative in the 1981 adventure classic.
The Nazis would have found the Ark of the Covenant with or without Indy, and they would have been killed by it with or without Indy there, as they were always planning on opening the ark. Ironically, even though it's considered by far the worst movie in the series, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull sees Indy develop the most.
Memento (2001)
When considering great movies with no character development whatsoever, Hhaattrriicckk posits, "Memento is a good example of this." The choice is astute but obvious observation because, as the film is played in reverse, it is almost the very antithesis of character development.
The 2001 movie follows Leonard, who has anterograde amnesia and is attempting to track down his wife's killer. Each scene gives another piece of the puzzle as well as perfectly captures Leonard's mental state. It's the cleverest and most thrilling film that remarkably has zero character development, and it's all the better for it.