Films considered the worst ever

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The films listed here have achieved a significant level of infamy through critical and popular consensus to be considered by some people to be among the worst films ever made. The films listed have either been cited by a combination of reputable sources as the worst movie of the year, or been on such a source's list of worst movies. Examples of such sources include the Golden Raspberry Awards ("Razzies"), Roger Ebert's list of most hated films, and the Internet Movie Database's "Bottom 100" list.

Contents 1 Clarification of "worst ever" 1.1 Reasons for failure 2 Original films 2.1 B-movies 2.2 Stars 2.3 Bad crossover 2.4 Poor comedy 2.5 Exploitation 3 Sequels, prequels, and remakes 3.1 Family films 3.2 Action movies 3.3 Other Comedy films 3.4 Superhero/science fiction movies 3.5 Poorly executed adaptation 3.6 Other 4 Audience polls 5 References 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] Clarification of "worst ever"

The designation "worst ever" is similar but not the same as "box office bomb"; rather they are films that greatly and broadly failed to meet critical expectations and standards or have become well known by the general public for their poor quality. Note that productions which did not receive major (or any) distribution or notability have been excluded from this list.

Also note that a claim that a film is "the worst ever" may be a use of hyperbole rather than a claim of superlative poorness.

[edit] Reasons for failure

Possible reasons for such low approval include:

• Poor writing or plot
• Poor direction or editing
• Poor acting
• Poor special effects
• Excessive hype
• Problems with and/or miscasting of actors in primary roles
• Overconfidence in gimmick (sequel, tie-in, cultural trend)
• Overreliance on leading actors' fame
• Overreliance on "shock value"

[edit] Original films

[edit] B-movies

While B-movies are not generally presented or accepted as fine cinema in the first place, some of the films from this genre have become known for being easily worse than others. Some of these are the result of filmmakers who could not perceive their own incompetence (examples of which include Ed Wood and Coleman Francis), or whose creative vision outstrips their technical or financial resources, such as Roger Corman. Other examples include many films featured on the television spoof show Mystery Science Theater 3000. In its 10-year run on television, this show brought many extremely obscure, poorly-made films into the public consciousness.

However, some B-movies have become cult classics, partly as a result of their peculiarities. Fans of low-budget cult films often use the phrase "so bad it's good" to describe movies that are so poorly made that they actually become an entertaining "comedy of errors." Unlike more mundane bad films, these films actually develop an ardent fan following who love them because of their poor quality, because normally, the bevy of errors (technical or artistic) or wildly contrived plots are unlikely to be seen elsewhere.

Glen or Glenda (1953)

A semi-autobiographical quasi-documentary, starring and directed by Ed Wood about transvestism. After a nightmarish dream sequence, Glen undergoes psychotherapy to help cure his affliction. Bela Lugosi appears in this film, as he did in several other Wood films during the twilight of his career. Many of Wood's fans and Leonard Maltin—who actually thought it was the worst movie ever made—insist that this was far worse than Plan 9 from Outer Space. In his book Cult Movies 3 author Danny Peary suggests that the film is actually a radical, if ineptly made, film that presents a far more personal story than is contained in films by more well-respected auteurs. This film was included in the 2004 DVD documentary, The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made.

"Manos" The Hands of Fate (1966)

A low-budget horror film made by El Paso fertilizer salesman Hal Warren. The film gained cult popularity by being featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000. It has held the #1 movie on the IMDb Bottom 100 repeatedly. Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino owns a rare 35 mm copy of the film, and has stated that it is his favorite "comedy".^[1] It also has a 10% rating at Rotten Tomatoes ^[2], and the one positive review linked on Rotten Tomatoes is for its Mystery Science Theater appearance rather than the film itself (which the reviewer, Mike Bracken, calls "unwatchable").^[3]

Monster A Go-Go (1965)

A Herschell Gordon Lewis-directed film, Monster was begun as Terror at Halfday by Bill Rebane, who would later go on to make The Giant Spider Invasion (another infamous bomb); the film was left incomplete, only to be purchased by Lewis, who reportedly needed a second film to release on a double bill, and who shot some additional footage. The picture consists mostly of men sitting around drinking coffee and talking; the ending consists of a long speech by the narrator informing us that "there was no monster." All Movie Guide calls the film a "surreal anti-masterpiece".^[4] At one time it held the #1 spot on the IMDb Bottom 100. Also featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)

Plan 9 was labeled the "Worst Film Ever" by the Golden Turkey Awards, as well as earning two Razzies (one for Worst Director Ever and one for Worst Movie Ever)^{[citation needed]}. This movie marked the final appearance of Bela Lugosi. Wood idolized Lugosi, and before Lugosi's death, he shot several minutes of Lugosi extemporizing. This was then placed in the movie (and repeated several times). Lugosi's character was then played by Tom Mason, the chiropractor of Wood's wife at the time, who played his scenes holding the cape in front of his face. Wood was apparently undeterred by the numerous other physical differences—such as height and build—that distinguished Mason from Lugosi; i.e., that Mason was nearly bald while Lugosi retained a full head of hair until his death. (Years later, one video distributor made light of this, adding the blurb "Almost Starring Bela Lugosi" on the tape box.) Due to difficulty in finding a willing distributor, the film was not released until 1959. The film has played almost annually at the New Orleans Worst Film Festival. Also included in the 2004 DVD documentary, The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made. Plan 9 was also mocked on the television series Seinfeld by Jerry in the episode "The Chinese Restaurant," where he said,

...this isn't like plans one through eight. This is plan nine; this is the one that worked! The worst movie ever made!

"Plan 9" is also mocked on the TV Show "Mission Hill" where an episode is called "Plan 9 from Mission Hill". In the episode, Wally made a film in the 50's about the Cold War called "The Man from Pluto". Wally fell in love with Gus and had Gus play the alien, even though he was such a bad actor. Wally made the movie, and many years later when it was played in Mission Hill, the film was so bad, that it was called "The Worst Movie Ever Made". Much of Wally's film is based around Plan 9 from Outer Space.

In 1994 Tim Burton directed Ed Wood which was loosely based on the trial and tribulations of making Plan 9. In the television series The X-Files, Fox Mulder watches Plan 9 whenever he needs to focus on a difficult problem, claiming that the film is so incredibly bad that it shuts down the logic centers of his brain, allowing him to make intuitive leaps of logic. Reviewed in the 1996 edition of Cult Flicks and Trash Pics, the authors state that,

...the film has become so famous for its own badness that it's now beyond criticism.

Robot Monster (1953)

An Ed Wood-style science fiction film, originally shot and exhibited in 3D, featuring an actor dressed in a gorilla suit and what looks almost like a diving helmet. The film is listed in Michael Sauter's book The Worst Movies of All Time among "The Baddest of the B's". It is also featured in The Book of Lists' 10 worst movie list, The Fifty Worst Films of All Time, and the 2004 DVD documentary, The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made. It was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000, and was a childhood favorite of author Stephen King ^[5].

The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961)

An incoherent film by Coleman Francis shot silently with added narration. It features a seminude prologue completely unrelated to the rest of the film, and a scientist turning into a monster played by Tor Johnson. Leonard Maltin's TV and Movie Guide calls it "one of the worst films ever made"^[6]. Bill Warren said "It may very well be the worst non-porno science fiction movie ever made."^[7] Numerous amateur reviews of Plan 9 from Outer Space have cited this film as an example of something worse.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

When Martian children get to see Santa Claus only on TV, their parents decide to abduct Santa to make them happy. Like many others in this category, it has been featured in Mystery Science Theater 3000 and holds a spot in IMDb's worst 100. Also cited on a 10-worst list in The Book of Lists, The Fifty Worst Films of All Time, and the 2004 DVD documentary, The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made. It features an early screen appearance by Pia Zadora. The Canadian TV channel Space: The Imagination Station airs this film every Christmas as a "salute" to bad sci-fi. KPTS in Wichita, Kansas aired this on Christmas Eve 2005 as family-friendly entertainment.

[edit] Stars

Some of the films listed here starring A-list actors who critics felt were either badly miscast, paired or grouped with other stars with whom they did not share viable chemistry, or cast in an otherwise poorly-made film that relied entirely on their star power.

Parnell (1937)

A bio-pic starring Clark Gable as Irish parliamentary leader Charles Stewart Parnell. Despite the fact that the only thing Gable and Parnell had in common was a moustache, he was chosen to play him after being named the "King of Hollywood" in an Ed Sullivan poll, and Myrna Loy was similarly miscast as his lover, having been named the "Queen of Hollywood." It only grossed $1.6 million upon release^{[citation needed]} and it was critically slated, and in 1978 made Michael Medved's list of The Fifty Worst Films of All Time. Gable's wife Carole Lombard teased him about it by placing Parnell publicity stickers throughout their home, and have leaflets printed out to be handed to passers-by reading, "If you think Gable is the world's greatest actor, see him in Parnell. You'll never forget it." Gable was ashamed of it, and required a great deal of persuasion before he agreed to play Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind.

The Conqueror (1956)

A Howard Hughes-funded box-office disaster featuring John Wayne as Genghis Khan and the redheaded Susan Hayward as a Tatar princess. The movie was filmed in Utah downwind from an atomic testing range in Nevada and is often blamed for the cancer deaths of many of the cast and crew, including Hayward, Wayne and Agnes Moorehead^[8] (although according to an A&E Network Biography episode, Wayne also typically smoked five packs of cigarettes a day). The film appears in Michael Sauter's book The Worst Movies of All Time and made the ten-worst list in The Book of Lists. Hughes thought the movie was so bad that he bought up every copy (which cost him about $12 million) and he refused to distribute the film until 1974, when Paramount reached a deal with him. This would be the last film that Hughes would produce.

Che! (1969)

A bio-pic starring a tragically miscast Omar Sharif as iconic revolutionary Che Guevara, this made the decision to ignore the formative pre-Cuban revolution sections of Che's life as described in the autobiographical book The Motorcycle Diaries. It was criticised for Sharif's lacklustre performance, although Jack Palance's decision to play Fidel Castro as a comedic buffoon, and its poorly shot action scenes and cringeworthy dialogue also contributed in turning a bad film into a truly terrible one. This averaged 3.5/10 on the IMDb,^[9] but deserves consideration for the audience reaction when released in Argentina, where some disgusted theatregoers threw Molotov cocktails at the screen.^[10]

Sextette (1978)

An adaptation of Mae West's Broadway musical of the same name is widely considered one of the most embarrassing sex comedies ever made, which Variety dubbed "a cruel, unnecessary and mostly unfunny musical comedy"[67], as an overweight 83-year old (at the time of filming) West maintained her sex kitten role while uttering stale quips as "I'm the girl who works for Paramount all day, and Fox all night", and who croaked a duet with new sixth husband Sir Michael Barrington (a 34-year old Timothy Dalton) a disco rendition of Love Will Keep Us Together. The film also featured embarrassing cameos by Ringo Starr, Tony Curtis, and a makeup-less Alice Cooper singing Van McCoy's Next, Next while dressed like Elton John.

Inchon (1982)

Although the movie had a cast of prominent stars, including Laurence Olivier (during the twilight of his film career, in which he had taken many critically panned roles), this war epic "won" four Razzies: Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Olivier), Worst Director (Terence Young), and Worst Screenplay. It was named Worst Movie of the Year by Esquire. This movie was also criticized for being financed and produced by the Unification Church, and Sun Myung Moon was a "Special Advisor" to the film. It has never been released on video or DVD.

Battlefield Earth (2000)

Based on the first half of L. Ron Hubbard's thousand-page novel of the same name, starring John Travolta. Heavily hyped by the Church of Scientology, it had the third worst 3,000-theater-plus opening weekend up to that time. More than one reviewer gave their review as simply "Travolting"^{[citation needed]}; Rob Vaux called the film a "crime against celluloid".^[11] Several describe the pain experienced while watching it.^[12] It has a 3% Rotten Tomatoes rating (listing 3 positive reviews out of 96).^[13] The film won seven Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture.^[14] In 2005, an eighth Razzie (for Worst "Drama" of Our First 25 Years) was awarded to the film.^[15] The film also seriously hurt Travolta's career, causing his box-office clout to become significantly weakened in the film's aftermath.^{[citation needed]}

Glitter (2001)

A semi-autobiographical movie about Mariah Carey in which she plays Billie Frank, a very thinly-veiled Carey-like performer. Critics universally panned it for seeming to be a vanity film intended only to enhance Carey's singing career. Carey had pushed for the project as early as 1997, but its release just ten days after the September 11, 2001 attacks, coupled with the poor reception of Carey's next album (her first since signing a $100 million recording contract), not only damaged Carey's career, but may have been a factor that drove her to a physical breakdown.^[16] One reviewer said, "Only Mariah Carey could mess up a film about Mariah Carey." ^{[citation needed]} Metacritic.com gave it a 14 out of 100^[17] Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 7% rating,^[18] and it earned five nominations^[19] and one "win" for Carey as Worst Actress^[20] at the 2001 Golden Raspberry Awards.

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 97 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes.^[21] Critics variously described the film as "A picture for idiots," "Boring to an amazing degree," "A fine achievement in stupidity and dullness," "Dreadful," "Gives new meaning to the word incoherent," and "the film is bad on just about every level." One critic even called it "Simplistic: Bullets Vs. Humans."^[22] An early script, significantly different from what was filmed, was used for the generally well-received Game Boy Advance video game Ecks vs. Sever—despite many rumors, the movie was not based on the game, although the game was released first (due to a delay in the release of the movie). The movie has been credited with significantly slowing down Lucy Liu's career. ^{[citation needed]}

Swept Away (2002)

After director Guy Ritchie won critical acclaim for back-to-back British gangster flicks Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, he went on to cast his wife, Madonna, as the female lead in a remake of 1974's Swept Away. It has a 6% rating at^[23] Rotten Tomatoes, an 18 out of 100 on Metacritic.com,^[24] and won five Razzies: Worst Movie, Worst Director, Worst Actress (tied with Britney Spears in Crossroads), Worst Screen Couple (Madonna along with Adriano Giannini) and Worst Remake or Sequel.^[25] It also went direct-to-video in the UK (Ritchie's home country and Madonna's adopted home.)^[26]

Gigli (2003)

A movie featuring Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck that was declared by many to be the worst movie of 2003. Originally a very dark comedy with no romantic subplot, the producers demanded script rewrites throughout filming, hoping to cash in on the Lopez-Affleck romance that was very big news in celebrity-watching publications of the time such as Us and People. This film only grossed $6 million, making it one of the biggest box office bombs of all time. Many especially avoided it because they thought that it was just a vehicle for the Lopez-Affleck relationship. Some reviewers dubbed the film "The ultimate turkey of all time"—perhaps aptly, considering one notorious scene in the film involved Lopez's character's sex talk to Affleck's character as she invited him to perform an act of oral sex: "It's turkey time." "What?" "Gobble, gobble." Winner of 7 Razzies (including 2005's Worst "Comedy" of Our First 25 Years^[27]).

[edit] Bad crossover

Sometimes stars in other fields, such as music, will attempt a movie career. If this works well enough the star can have a dual career in both fields, or move on exclusively to a film career. Other times, this turns out to have been a mistake and they often stop after the first try.

Honest (2000)

Britpop group All Saints sought to boost their careers by starring in a feature film. Directed by ex-Eurythmics member Dave Stewart, Honest was a black comedy set in swinging London in the late 1960s. The All Saints girls play three street wise sisters who head 'up West' to rob and generally cause trouble.

Despite being promoted heavily at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, the film flopped in its opening week in the UK, earning only $168,000 on more than 200 screens in its opening weekend (compared with $4.4 million for Gladiator in its third week), resulting in it being pulled from most UK cinemas barely a week into its release. It received blistering reviews, with one critic remarking, "It is the worst kind of rubbish, the kind that makes you angry you have wasted 105 minutes of your life." It has a total of 18 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes; 4 negative, 14 unrated. Due to featuring both of the Appleton sisters of All Saints dropping their tops, Honest has also been dubbed The All Saints Exposing Their Boobs Movie.^{[citation needed]} All Saints split acrimoniously the following year.

From Justin to Kelly (2003)

American Idol finalists Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini star in this movie musical. It stayed in theaters for only two weeks before being released to stores on DVD six weeks later. It is clear that the film was rushed into production to capitalize on the popularity of the TV series American Idol. When asked about why she did the film, Clarkson told Time Magazine, "Two words: Contractually obligated!"^[28] On Metacritic.com, it has a score of 14/100 points;^[29] Rotten Tomatoes lists only 5 positive reviews out of 57 in total [68]. As of November 2006, it is in the number three position in the IMDB bottom 100 with a score of 1.8 out of 10. The film was awarded a special Razzie (for Worst "Musical" of Our First 25 Years) in 2005. However, it was nominated for four Teen Choice Awards. Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote,

...for the panting masses of American Idol fans who imagine winning and going to live happily ever after in Lotusland, the message couldn't be clearer. You, too, might one day end up starring in the motion picture equivalent of Cheez Whiz.[30]

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)

A "filmization" of The Beatles' 1967 album of the same name that starred Peter Frampton as the lead singer of the fictitious band who The Beatles pretend to be on that album, and The Bee Gees as the figures in the front of the cover art. Two major problems with the film were cited; the first was the film's extremely poor acting quality, the second that not one of the 27 numbers is the Sgt. Pepper's title song—they include songs from not only Sgt. Pepper's but also Revolver, Rubber Soul, and Abbey Road. Typical numbers include Steve Martin singing "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", George Burns (82 years old when the film was released) singing "Fixing a Hole", and Barry Gibb singing "A Day in the Life". In a national poll to determine "the worst films of all time," Sgt. Pepper's placed #4 ^{[citation needed]}, and the Harvard Lampoon named it as the worst film of 1978. An editorial Amazon.com review says that "If it weren't for a couple of inspired performances...Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band would be definitively unwatchable." It was in the IMDb Bottom 100 at one point and scores 20% at Rotten Tomatoes.

[edit] Poor comedy

Some comedic films fail because they are simply not funny. Sometimes they fail due to poor writing or acting, or because they just "try too hard." Other times they fail because of an attempt by a comedic actor to try something different or a non-comedic actor to attempt comedy. Finally, some "comedy" films cross into bad taste in their attempt.

Leonard Part 6 (1987)

Writer and star Bill Cosby appeared on various talk shows denouncing the movie and warning people against wasting their time or money on it. Scott Weinberg at DVD Talk said, "Movies this bad should be handled with Teflon gloves and a pair of tongs."^[31] It won three Razzies for Worst Picture, Worst Actor, and Worst Screenplay. Cosby accepted the awards in person, on the condition that they be made from 24-carat (100%) gold and Italian marble.^[32] This film was also one of Cosby's last forays into feature films before his semi-retirement from the silver screen. He followed the film up with Ghost Dad.

Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot! (1992)

A comedy starring Sylvester Stallone along with Golden Girls star Estelle Getty, about a cop whose elderly mother meddles in his life, to the point of going on raids and chases with him. The film won three Razzies; one each for Stallone and Getty, as well as for Worst Screenplay. It also has a 6% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.^[33] In a 2006 interview with Ain't It Cool News, Stallone himself referred to it as "maybe one of the worst films in the entire solar system, including alien productions we’ve never seen", that "a flatworm could write a better script", and "in some countries – China, I believe – running [the movie] once a week on government television has lowered the birth rate to zero. If they ran it twice a week, I believe in twenty years China would be extinct."^[34]

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.[35]

Tom Green was awarded five Razzies, including Worst Picture, for this film;^[36] he accepted the awards in person, arriving with his own red carpet to walk on and used his acceptance speech to scorn the audience.

The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)

This infamous Eddie Murphy film had its origins in the mid-1980s. The script went through numerous revisions and when filming was completed, the film sat unreleased for two years, until its release in August 2002. The movie cost $110 million to make and market, but earned just $2.9 million. A majority of critics lambasted the awful acting, terrible dialogue, and lack of humor. It was nominated for three Razzies: Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Murphy, who was also nomianted for I Spy and Showtime), and Worst Director (Ron Underwood). ^[37] Murphy did not promote the film upon its release. Pluto Nash has a 6% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.^[38]

Dirty Love (2005)

Written by and starring Jenny McCarthy, it "won" four Razzie awards, for Worst Picture, Worst Director (John Asher), Worst Screenplay and Worst Actress (McCarthy).^[39] It also has a score of 8% on Rotten Tomatoes.^[40] Roger Ebert said in his review, "On the basis of Dirty Love, I am not certain that anyone involved has ever seen a movie, or knows what one is," and on star Jenny McCarthy, he wrote, "I feel sorry for her."^[41]

King's Ransom (2005)

A Jeff Byrd directed kidnapping farce concerning greed that starred Anthony Anderson. It is one of the few films to receive a 0% at Rotten Tomatoes^[42] and it ranked 23rd worst at metacritic's list of worst films.^[43] One review joked that being gagged and tortured would be more amusing.

Zoom (2006)

Former superhero Jack (Tim Allen) is called back to work to transform an unlikely group of ragtag kids into superheroes at a private Academy. The film's release was held up due to a lawsuit filed by Fox and Marvel Comics, who claimed it plagiarized the X-Men film series (it was originally scheduled to be released two weeks before X-Men: The Last Stand)^[44]. It currently holds the #3 on IMDb Bottom 100 (with a rating of 1.7/10)^[45] and a 0% critic ranking at Rotten Tomatoes.^[46]

[edit] Exploitation

Filmmakers sometimes try to use the overuse of censor-worthy content as a means to draw in curious film-goers (an example of the marketing technique commonly known as shock value). When executed poorly, this method can backfire. These films are commonly cult classics, however, as the over drawn scenes of nudity, death, and violence and/or gore are often poorly executed to a point of humor. Such films include:

The Incredible Torture Show, later released as Blood Sucking Freaks (1976)

A controversial and violent horror movie; the group Women Against Pornography convinced the MPAA to refuse to rate the film. It was later edited somewhat heavily to receive an R-rating but the distributor Troma Entertainment (famed for countless intentionally bad comedies) decided to pass off the unrated cut as an R-rated version. When the MPAA discovered this, they sued for misuse of their "Rated R" trademark.^{[citation needed]} In the movie, the main character, Master Sardu (played by Seamus O'Brien) runs a theatre of the macabre, specializing in S&M and killing people on stage while pretending it is only a trick that is part of the show. Containing a mix of naked women, midgets, excessive torture, and women eating ears, it appeared in the 2004 DVD documentary The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made.

Showgirls (1995)

A large amount of hype was put behind promoting the sex and nudity in this NC-17 film, but the results were critically derided.^[47] . Most of the hype revolved around the film's star, played by Elizabeth Berkley, who only two years before had been one of the stars of the teenage sitcom Saved By The Bell. The film won seven of the thirteen Razzie Awards for which it was nominated. It possibly ruined the career of Elizabeth Berkley, and the writer, Joe Eszterhas, has had difficulty living down the embarrassment as well. The film however, has garnered a cult following over the years. The edited R-rated version removes much of the gratuitous nudity and replaces it with story that makes what initially appears to be an attempt at a plot, understandable. In a bold move, superstation TBS broadcast the film on television in their prime time schedule, but added digitally animated solid black underwear to hide breasts and genitalia.

[edit] Sequels, prequels, and remakes

Often, an attempt is made to capitalize on the popularity of a successful film by making a sequel (or prequel), or if the film is old enough, remaking the movie altogether. These films often do not live up to their predecessor. Some factors resulting in poor performance are:

• Budgetary constraints
• The film may not feature the same stars
• The film may not be made by the same filmmakers
• A lack of interest in furthering the story of the predecessor

While they are usually considered simply inferior to the original, others end up being poorly done movies in and of themselves and in this way sometimes taint the very film they were meant to emulate or continue.

[edit] Family films

3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998)

The fourth 3 Ninjas movie—and universally considered the worst of the series^{[citation needed]}—starred none of the original actors, excluding a near-cameo role by Victor Wong, and was directed by tween-friendly director Sean McNamara. The film also starred Hulk Hogan and Loni Anderson. The movie has zero positive reviews at Rotten Tomatoes,^[48] is the 9th worst movie (with a score of 1.9 out of 10) as rated by the users of IMDb^[49] as of October 2006, and grossed only $375,805 domestically.^[50]

Mac and Me (1988)

A film funded largely by McDonalds and is an example of early ad placement. The film is about a young, wheelchair bound boy who meets and befriends an alien who has crash landed on earth. The script is largely stolen from E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, and served as little more than a vehicle to promote Coca-Cola and McDonalds. The final scene in the film is a large dance-off with the main character, MAC (the alien, dressed in a teddy bear costume), a football team and various other people inside of a McDonalds restaurant. Currently #98 on IMDBs bottom 100 films of all time, but has been as low as #5.

SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004)

Although the original movie was not well received, this sequel inspired many critics to add it to their list of the worst movies ever. It was '#1' on the IMDb bottom 100 for a few months (as of December 2006, it has moved to #8), and had a 0% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.^[51] A third movie is currently in production. [69]

Son of the Mask (2005)

This sequel to the Jim Carrey movie The Mask without Jim Carrey was #14 on the IMDb Bottom 100 list as of August 2006, and had a 4% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.^[52]

[edit] Action movies

Jaws: The Revenge (1987)

The fourth and final film in the Jaws series completely ignores the events of the preceding and more successful Jaws 3-D, and instead uses a plot involving a shark seemingly plotting to murder the surviving members of the Brody family. At the end, the shark is heard to "roar" (which is physically impossible) before being hit with a boat driven by Sheriff Brody's wife and exploding. It was nominated for the Worst Picture award in the 1987 Golden Raspberry Awards, and won an award for "Worst Special Effects." It has a 0% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.^[53] The film was also notable for Michael Caine being regrettably forced to accept his Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor from the set of the film for Hannah and Her Sisters, rather than being able to accept it in person.

Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)

This was the first sequel for the successful Highlander film that released in 1986. Apart from being inconsistent with the 1986 original's storyline, audiences found the conflict between the rebellion and General Katana to be too reminiscent of the conflict between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire featured in Star Wars. Critics and audiences alike pointed out that the characters suffered from a lack of motivation. An example often cited is that no reason was provided for Katana's sudden interest in Connor after apparently losing contact with him for 506 years. Connor's insistence on killing his old enemy while he could wait for him to die without outside interference is also often noted. Also, the two 'alien' Immortal protagonists on Zeist, have their Scottish and Spanish names that they will have on Earth. It is considered by many fans of the Highlander stories to be by far the worst out of all.

Highlander II's apparent failure has been seen by some as a result of the producers' interference with the work of director Russell Mulcahy, who personally hated the final product so much he walked out of the film's world premiere after viewing its first 15 minutes. For similar reasons, Christopher Lambert threatened to walk out of the project when it was nearing fruition, but he didn't, due to contract obligation. Mulcahy later made a director's cut version known as Highlander II: The Renegade Version. The film was reconstructed largely from scratch, with certain scenes removed and others added back in, and the entire sequence of events changed. All references to the Immortals being aliens from another planet were eliminated. This version is generally considered a major improvement on the theatrical release, and obtained a far more favourable reception. Nevertheless, the events of both versions were generally ignored by the subsequent films and series. Film critic Roger Ebert said in his review of Highlander II that it was "almost awesome in its badness."

Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)

Sequel to Speed, starring Sandra Bullock (reprising her role from the previous movie), Jason Patric, and Willem Dafoe and notably not starring Keanu Reeves of the original film. Speed 2 was both a critical and box office flop. It received a "BOMB" rating from Leonard Maltin; in his Movie and Video Guide, Maltin comments "Did anyone read the script before signing on for this one?" The film was nominated for eight Razzies and won for Worst Remake or Sequel. It currently has a 23 out of 100 rating on Metacritic.com^[54] Sandra Bullock herself later admitted that the film was awful. She only agreed to make the movie so the studio would back Hope Floats. The special DVD edition of Speed includes references on the director's commentary track to a (possibly apocryphal) incident when one of their children came home crying because she thought her father had something to do with "the boat movie".

[edit] Other Comedy films

Caddyshack II (1988)

The sequel to the critically acclaimed 1980s comedy Caddyshack took home two Razzies for Worst Original Song and Worst Supporting Actor (Dan Aykroyd), and nominated for two others including Worst Picture. It holds a 0% from 8 critics at Rotten Tomatoes^[55] and a rating of 3.3 out of 10 on IMDb.^[56] The film was also listed on ESPN Page2's "Worst Sports Movies Ever" at number 4,^[57] in contrast to the original Caddyshack being listed at number 8 on the "Top 20 [Best] Sports Movies of All-Time".^[58] Caddyshack II continues to appear on numerous worst movies ever and worst sequels lists including a number 2 spot on Entertainment Weekly's list of Worst Sequels Ever.^[59]

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (2005)

A follow up to the 1999 sleeper Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Rob Schneider reprises his role as the inept gigolo who travels to Amsterdam to see his friend, T.J. The critically reviled film just broke even on its $22 million budget at the U.S. box office before bombing overseas. The film became the subject of a heated debate between star Schneider and movie critic Patrick Goldstein, who wrote an article about studios producing terrible movies, citing this film as one of its examples. In January 2005, film critic Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times said in an article that Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo was overlooked for an Academy Award because

nobody had the foresight to invent a category for Best Running Penis Joke Delivered by a Third-Rate Comic.

Schneider responded two weeks later with full-page ads in Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter where he said

Well, Mr. Goldstein, I decided to do some research to find out what awards you have won. I went online and found that you have won nothing. Absolutely nothing. No journalistic awards of any kind ... Maybe you didn't win a Pulitzer Prize because they haven't invented a category for Best Third-Rate, Unfunny Pompous Reporter Who's Never Been Acknowledged by His Peers....Most of the world [has] no idea of your existence. I can honestly say that if I sat with your colleagues at a luncheon, afterwards they'd say, 'You know, that Rob Schneider is a pretty intelligent guy' ... whereas, if you sat with my colleagues, after lunch, you would just be beaten beyond recognition.[60]

Film critic Roger Ebert responded to Schneider, noting that an online search showed that Goldstein had won a National Headliner Award, a Los Angeles Press Club Award, a RockCritics.com award, and the Publicists' Guild award for lifetime achievement, adding,

As chance would have it, I have won the Pulitzer Prize, and so I am qualified. Speaking in my official capacity as a Pulitzer Prize winner, Mr. Schneider, your movie sucks.[61]

[edit] Superhero/science fiction movies

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

The fourth Superman film to star Christopher Reeve was hampered by a poor script and even worse special effects. The Salkinds, who had produced the first three films, had bailed on the series by this point, and when it was over even Reeve had enough. Another Superman movie wouldn't hit screens again for 19 years, until the release of 2006's Superman Returns—which director Bryan Singer describes as a sequel to Superman II, ignoring Superman III and IV.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

This is considered to be the weakest entry in the Star Trek film franchise. The creator of the franchise, Gene Roddenberry, considered this movie to be "apocryphal at best", regarding it as non-canon. In addition to a weak premise, it contained several plot points that contradicted the previously established fictional Star Trek history, annoying many fans. Directed by William Shatner, some critics saw it as an "ego vehicle" for Shatner, who turned the character of Kirk superhuman, while minimizing the roles of others, especially Spock & McCoy.[70] This movie managed to win the 1989 Razzie Award for Worst Picture, beating The Karate Kid Part III and Road House.

Batman & Robin (1997)

The fourth installment of the Warner Bros. franchise that began with 1989's Batman and the lowest-grossing of the film series. This film is often billed as the worst superhero movie of all time, even to the point that star George Clooney said he would refund people's money if they stopped him on the street and said they had paid to see it. In an interview with Barbara Walters, Clooney claims he played Batman as a homosexual.^[62] Director Joel Schumacher apologized for the film on its commentary track for the 2005 Special Edition DVD, despite earlier statements that he believed it is a good film. The film was mocked for the poor script, over-extending the campy attitude of the previous installment Batman Forever, the poor casting of other "big-name" stars Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the addition of Alicia Silverstone's poorly portrayed Batgirl. Critics derided the film and pointed out that the very expensive star salaries only ballooned the budget. No more Batman movies were made for nearly eight years. A sequel titled Batman Triumphant was planned with Clooney and Schumacher but was quickly cancelled before Batman and Robin left theaters. The next Batman film, 2005's Batman Begins, was a reboot of the franchise.

[edit] Poorly executed adaptation

Many directors successfully adapt a book, play or story from another medium into a film. While a perfect conversion is never possible, some attempts take far too many liberties with the original story, frequently with disastrious results to the final film and the director's reputation.

Howard the Duck (1986)

One of the biggest box office bombs in cinematic history, very loosely based on the Marvel Comics character created by Steve Gerber and starring Lea Thompson, Tim Robbins, and Jeffrey Jones, in which only the two central characters are retained and look (somewhat) but don't behave similarly to their comics counterparts. Executive producer George Lucas disowned it shortly after its release. In his Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin calls the film a "hopeless mess of a movie." The film was also among Siskel and Ebert's picks for the "Worst Films of 1986." It also has a rating of 24% at Rotten Tomatoes.^[63] Steve Gerber said of the film,

It sucks. In retrospect, though, after eleven years that have brought us so many worse films, it's not quite as sucky as the reviews might have led you to believe.

He added that he "liked the performances" of the three leads, though Beverly was not as he wrote her, and the other two actors played characters he did not create.^[64] Some interviews contemporary with the film published in months prior to its release have Gerber giving it positive remarks, but he prefaces them on his website, "Please note that I was lying through my teeth about my feelings on the movie." ^[65] The film was adapted by Willard Huyck and his wife Gloria Katz and directed by Huyck, with no input from Gerber. They were once considered "luminaries",^[66] but have not made a film since. The film's broader humor more closely resembles the Howard stories by Bill Mantlo than Gerber, but not by much. One of the main themes in the comic was that Howard was just as out of place in his homeworld as he was on Earth-616, which was omitted, and the film ends with the character capitulating and working in a copywriting job, which Gerber's character would not have done.

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. In the movie Catwoman has super powers, which she lacks in the comics. Her lycra suit was replaced with slashed leather pants, a bra and a mask-cap, and she leaps from rooftop to rooftop in spike heels. As the movie character differs so widely from her comic source, the character has been cited as "Catwoman In Name Only".^[67] It has a 9% rating at Rotten Tomatoes,^[68] and was declared "arguably the worst superhero film ever made" by the Orlando Sentinel. The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville) put it more bluntly:

Me-ouch!

Winner of four Razzies for Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Director (Pitof), and Worst Screenplay. [71] In a rare move, Berry sportingly accepted her Razzie in person, and in her acceptance speech she said,

First of all, I want to thank Warner Brothers. Thank you for putting me in this piece of shit, God-awful movie... It's just what my career needed.

Her statement was received with great applause and laughter.^[69]

Alone in the Dark (2005)

When this Uwe Boll directed movie—loosely based on a series of video games by Infogrames/Atari—was released in January 2005, critics panned it for a variety of reasons, including poor script and production values, overuse of slow-motion and quick cuts to optimize the gory content, almost no connection to the game, and bad acting. One review said the movie was "so poorly built, so horribly acted and so sloppily stitched together that it's not even at the straight-to-DVD level."^[70] This movie received 1% at Rotten Tomatoes^[71] and is regularly on the IMDb Bottom 100.^[72] Critic Rob Vaux states that this movie is so bad that "the other practitioners of cinematic drivel can rest a little easier now; they can walk in the daylight with their heads held high, a smile on their lips and a song in their hearts. It's okay, they'll tell themselves. I didn't make Alone in the Dark."^[73] Screenwriter Blair Erickson wrote about his experience dealing with Boll and his original script, which was closer to the actual game itself, and Boll's script change demands at SomethingAwful.com.

[edit] Other

Staying Alive (1983)

Sequel to Saturday Night Fever, directed by Sylvester Stallone and starring John Travolta. Panned by critics despite bringing in $68 million at the box office, the film was ranked the Worst Sequel Ever by Entertainment Weekly^[74] and it has a 0% rating at Rotten Tomatoes^[75] The film was nominated for two Razzies, including Worst Actor (Travolta) and Worst New Star (Finola Hughes).

You Got Served (2004)

This dance movie starring B2K was a minor success at the box office, but became the butt of many jokes throughout 2004. Almost immediately, the movie was ranked #1 on IMDb's Bottom 100, and still retains a very high spot on that list to this day. The South Park episode You Got F'd in the A mocked the film.

[edit] Audience polls

According to the IMDB's polls, as of December 5, 2006, the top ten worst movies ever are:

1. Bottom's Up
2. Material Girls
3. Zoom
4. Backyard Dogs
5. Going Overboard
6. From Justin to Kelly
7. Santa With Muscles
8. Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2
9. Car 54, Where Are You?
10. 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain

Note: This list is in a constant state of flux, most likely due to users 'joke voting' the movie currently ranked No 1 as a 10, hence 'dropping' the ranking.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• The Fifty Worst Films of All Time
• Golden Raspberry Awards
• Mystery Science Theater 3000
• Alan Smithee
• Schadenfreude

[edit] External links

• IMDb Bottom 100
• The Bottom 200 at everyonesacritic.net
• So Bad It's good
• The Stinkers: The Ultimate Bad Movie Awards!
• Bad movie downloads forum
• The Stinkers: 100 Years, 100 Stinkers - The 100 Worst Films of the 20th Century
• Rotten Tomatoes
• Roger Ebert
• Golden Raspberry Awards
• B Movies and the CHUDS who Love Them
• B Movies and more
• DVD podBLAST Alternative DVD Commentaries - Making Bad Movies Better
• The 50 Worst Movies of All Time
• The 50 Worst Films of the Decade, 1990-1999
• Digital DreamDoor's 100 Worst Movies