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This is a partial list of movies that have been considered the worst ever. Obviously, due to the subjective nature of "good" and "bad" judgments, there can be disagreement about what constitutes an "extremely bad movie". A movie usually garners an extremely bad reputation not merely for simply failing as drama, but failing to a degree out of all proportion to popular and critical expectation. Sometimes, excessive pre-release hype surrounding a film can build up expectations in viewers to an unrealistic degree; an example might be the Star Wars prequels, which, while performing extremely well at the box office, have caused great argument among fans of the series. And sometimes, audiences who are tiring of an overexposed celebrity will heap vilification upon a film starring that celebrity if it is in any way dramatically flawed; an example of this would be the Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez vehicle Gigli or Guy Ritchie's Swept Away, starring his wife, pop music diva Madonna.
Among fans of low-budget cult films, the term "so bad it's good" is popularly used to refer to movies made by filmmakers who are either too inept or untalented to pull off their intentions (and seem clueless about their shortcomings), or who, despite possible latent talent, simply try too much with too limited a budget. An obvious example would be the filmography of Ed Wood or Coleman Francis, or any of the myriad obscure films featured on the television spoof show Mystery Science Theater 3000. Unlike more mundane bad films, these bad films actually develop an ardent fan following who love them because of their poor quality.
Motion pictures that are frequently cited by some as among the worst movies ever made include:
A
- An Alan Smithee Film Burn Hollywood Burn
- Worst Picture "winner" of the 1998 Golden Raspberry Awards. Tells the story of a director who wants to credit Alan Smithee (the Director's Guild of America's official pseudonym for directors who feel their work has been mutilated by studios) as director of his latest film but cannot as his name is Alan Smithee. The director of this movie, Arthur Hiller ironically credited the pseudonym after filming.
B
- Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)
- This action movie, starring Lucy Liu and Antonio Banderas, was universally panned by critics, earning a rare 0% rating (with 98 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics variably described the film as "A picture for idiots," "Boring to an amazing degree," "A fine achievement in stupidity and dullness," "It's dreadful," "Gives new meaning to the word incoherent," and "The film is bad on just about every level."
- Battlefield Earth (2000)
- Based on L. Ron Hubbard's book of the same name, starring John Travolta, incorporating Scientology. Many reviewers of this movie describe the pain experienced while watching. Rotten Tomatoes lists 5 positive reviews out of 98. Won seven Razzie Awards including Worst Picture.
- Blood Feast (1963)
- Pioneering, if not the first film in the "gore" genre. Called worst movie of the year by Time magazine.
- The Brown Bunny (2003)
- A version that ran 118 minutes was shown at the Cannes Film Festival, and was voted by Screen International as the worst movie ever shown at Cannes. [1] (http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2003-05-22#film1) A later version cut out 26 minutes, and was given much more positive reviews. Subject of a notorious (if resolved) feud between critic Roger Ebert and actor/director Vincent Gallo. [2] (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330099/news)
C
- Catwoman (2004)
- Ostensibly based on the DC Comics character and starring Halle Berry in a film that resembles next to nothing of its source material. Upon release it had 0 positives on Rotten Tomatoes with only 11% positive during its opening weekend, and was declared "arguably the worst superhero film ever made" by the Orlando Sentinel.
- Cool as Ice (1991)
- This vehicle for Vanilla Ice loosely based on Rebel Without a Cause is infamous for its awful dialogue, bad acting, and overall clunky and stupid plot. It won Vanilla Ice a Razzie for "Worst New Star".
- Crossroads (2002)
- The first movie starring Britney Spears and her younger sister Jamie Spears, both playing 'Lucy'. It fell far below commercial expectations, despite the singles that Britney used to promote the movie. Was nominated for seven Razzies, and won two (Worst Song, and a tie for Worst Actress).
D
- (2004)
- A low-budget film from Germany, starring singer Daniel Küblböck as himself. Küblböck was voted Germany's Most Irritating Personality in 2003, causing the film to be predictably unsuccessful. The title isn't even accurate, as it implies that Küblböck is "Der Zauberer", who is actually a different character (played by Ulli Lommel, the writer/director of the film). Went straight to #1 on the IMDb Bottom 100.
F
- Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)
- Described on NPR as one of the worst films ever. Despite this, Rotten Tomatoes gives it a positive ("fresh") consensus.
- Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
- Of this Tom Green comedy vehicle, which he gave zero out of four stars, Roger Ebert wrote:
"This movie doesn't scrape the bottom of the barrel. This movie isn't the bottom of the barrel. This movie isn't below the bottom of the barrel. This movie doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with barrels... The day may come when Freddy Got Fingered is seen as a milestone of neo-surrealism. The day may never come when it is seen as funny." [3] (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20010420/REVIEWS/104200304/1023)
- From Justin to Kelly (2003)
- American Idol finalists Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini star in this movie musical that stayed in theaters only 2 weeks, and was out on DVD 6 weeks thereafter. Rotten Tomatoes lists the film as getting only 5 positive reviews out of 57 listed, as well as being a strong member of IMDb's bottom 100 movies.
- Future War (1995)
- A longtime entry in the IMDb bottom 100, the film is notorious for poor special effects (including shots of dinosaurs that amount to little more than someone holding a toy dinosaur right by the camera) and badly staged martial-arts sequences. Almost half of the film was shot in a few days with no budget, after the original director's cut consisted of only 40 minutes of footage with no action sequences. The producers admitted they expected it to be shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000 (which happened a few years later).
G
- Gigli (2003)
- A movie featuring Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck that was immediately declared the worst movie of 2003. Reviewers dubbed the film "The ultimate turkey of all time", referring to Lopez's sex talk "It's turkey time." This film is also said to have destroyed the relationship between its two stars.
- Glitter (2001)
- Based on Mariah Carey's life story. Mariah plays the role of a young singer who is eager to become a big star. She dates a DJ who helps her get into the music business. One of the ranking members of IMDB's bottom 100 movies.
H
I
- Ishtar (1987)
- Would-be comedy starring Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman that failed at the box office, losing $42 million; very near, but not currently in, IMDb's Bottom 100. Often cited in The Far Side as an example of an awful movie.
L
- Leonard Part 6 (1987)
- Those who thought this movie stank had one notable person agreeing with them: the writer and star, Bill Cosby. Cosby went on various talk shows, denouncing the movie and warning people against wasting their time or money on it. Won three Razzies for Worst Picture, Worst Actor, and Worst Screenplay.
M
- Mad Dog Time (1996)
- Roger Ebert comments in his zero star review, this flop (renamed "Trigger Happy" for video release) "is the first movie I have seen that does not improve on the sight of a blank screen viewed for the same length of time" [4] (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19961129/REVIEWS/611290303/1023).
- Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)
- No-budget horror film made by an El Paso fertilizer salesman. The film gained cult popularity from being featured on the Mystery Science Theater 3000 television show. Has topped (bottomed?) the IMDb "Worst Film" list.
- Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)
- The second film in the Mortal Kombat franchise, this is widely considered by fans to be a major disappointment. Holds a position on IMDB's bottom 100 list.
N
- North (1994)
- High-profile Rob Reiner movie with numerous celebrity parts and cameos, about which Roger Ebert famously said:
"I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it." [5] (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19940722/REVIEWS/407220302/1023)
O
P
- Plan 9 from Outer Space (1956)
- The first film even to get film fans thinking of "worst ever" movies when it was officially labelled the worst by the Golden Turkey Awards.
- The Postman (1997)
- "Winner" of 5 1997 Razzies and runner-up for the worst picture of the 1990s.
R
S
- Santa with Muscles (1996)
- Features professional wrestler Hulk Hogan in a Santa Claus outfit, fighting with Ed Begley, Jr for control of mysterious crystals beneath an orphanage. Featuring a Clint Howard cameo, this film has repeatedly dipped to the number one spot on the IMDb's bottom 100, thanks in part to a campaign by professional wrestling fan-site Wrestlecrap.
- Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
- When Martians children only watch Santa Claus' TV-show, their parents decide to abduct Santa. Famous in the 'so bad it's almost good'-category. Has been featured on MST3K and holds a spot in IMDb's worst 100. Also cited on a 10-worst list in the original Book of Lists compiled by David Wallechinsky.
- Showgirls (1995)
- Won seven of the thirteen Razzie Awards it was nominated for. It is widely considered to have ruined the career of Elizabeth Berkley, the movie's lead.
- The Silver Chalice (1954)
- the motion picture debut of Paul Newman: he has described it as the worst movie of the 1950s.
- Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
- Generally considered the worst Star Trek film, and won worst picture at the Razzies by what was at the time a record margin (though it has since been surpassed).
- SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004)
- A recent addition to the "worst movies of all time" list, dropping to Number 2 on IMDb's worst 100. Some choice critical reactions:
"Unspeakably ghastly sequel to the merely ghastly original." - Joanne Kaufman, Wall Street Journal.
"The most perversely unnecessary sequel in recent memory." - Nathan Rabin, The Onion (A.V. Club).
"Spectacularly awful." - Lou Lumenick New York Post.
"May quite easily put an end to any discussion of what is the worst theatrical release of 2004." Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times.
T
- Troll 2 (1990)
- Notable in part for not featuring any trolls (the baddies are goblins from the town of "Nilbog"), and for not having anything to do with Troll, this famously odd movie has both topped the IMDB bottom 100, and been cited in most of the few reviews (the picture being slightly obscure) as a "so bad it's good" movie, in the vein of Ed Wood. [6] (http://www.badmovieplanet.com/unknownmovies/reviews/rev125.html) [7] (http://www.soyouwannasellascript.com/source/filmreviews.cfm?mode=display&reviewid=238) [8] (http://www.movie-vault.com/archive/cgi-bin/list.pl?action=moviereview&movieid=qzwVYjpOsXNhUale)
Y
- You Got Served (2004)
- Dance film went to the top (bottom?) of IMDb's worst 100 film list in the immediate aftermath of its release. The contrived plot and incomprehensible dialogue were instantly spoofed in the South Park episode You Got F'ed in the A.
See also
External links
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