Watching a bad movie doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be a bad experience. Sometimes, a film hits the perfect blend of terrible and goofy or campy so that it becomes a genuinely enjoyable experience to view. This wonderful brand of filmmaking is commonly called so-bad-its-good, and it’s an important part of the cinematic landscape. After all, there’s a level of respect to being able to make a film so bad that it’s actually enjoyable.
The ’90s produced great sci-fi movies. While the decade delivered some of the best movies in the seminal genre, it also spat out some of the absolute worst. In fact, there are so many bad sci-fi films from the ’90s that it would be impossible to wrangle them up. Alas, a few stand out above the rest as so terribly bad that they just so happen to be an enjoyable watch.These questionable sci-fi gems of the ’90s are admittedly bad yet undeniably entertaining, enduring as so-bad-they’re-good classics of cinema.
10’The Island of Dr. Moreau' (1996)
Directed by Richard Stanley & John Frankenheimer
WhenVal KilmerandMarlon Brandoget stuck in the tropics together on an island populated by half-human beasts, what could go wrong? Apparently, a lot.The Island of Dr. Moreauis an absolute disaster of a film. It’s so bad that,in 1997, it was nominated for four Razzie awards, with Brando winning Worst Supporting Actor.
The Island of Dr. Moreauis one of those films that has the perfect blend of an absurd premise, lackluster script, ridiculous performances, and an overall goofy tone. Yet, it is bizarrely enjoyable, largely thanks to its deranged plot and the hammy performances from a woefully miscast ensemble. It is an incredible contender for the best of so-bad-its-good movies.The Island of Dr. Moreauis the perfect film for a night with friends looking to make fun of a movie.
The Island of Dr. Moreau
A shipwrecked UN negotiator stumbles upon a remote island, only to discover that its inhabitants are hybrid creatures—genetic experiments created by a mad scientist, Dr. Moreau. As the creatures rebel against their creator, chaos ensues, forcing the outsider to confront the dark consequences of scientific hubris.
9’Multiplicity' (1996)
Directed by Harold Ramis
Spider-Man: Homecomingisn’t the first timeMichael Keatonhas portrayed a down-on-his-luck construction worker. InMultiplicity, Keaton plays Doug Kinney, a man who seems to never have enough time. Attempting to control his life, he agrees to be cloned by a scientist, but his clones develop unique personalities, bringing more chaos into his life.
Multiplicity’s plot is quite weak and a lot of the humor feels very forced.
Multiplicityhas some defense on its side in the vein that it’s supposed to be a comedy. Alas,much of the comedy comes from places it was never supposed to. While intended laughs can be found from the ever-talented Keaton, unintended ones can be located in the film’s ridiculous script and overall goofy premise. The plot is quite weak, and a lot of the humor feels very forced, making people laugh because it’s trying too hard, not because it’s funny.
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8’Virtuosity' (1995)
Directed by Brett Leonard
Two-time Oscar winnerDenzel Washingtonhas an incredible slew of films on his resume, butVirtuosityis not one of them. The film follows Washington’s character, Parker Barnes, a former cop who, after being arrested for killing the man who killed his family, is selected to test out a virtual reality program where he must hunt down a character built after all the worst criminals in the world, SID 6.7 (Russell Crowe). But when SID 6.7 breaks out of the game, it’s up to Barnes to take him down.
If the synopsis doesn’t make it obvious enough, the film’s plot is downright wacky and ridiculous. Still,Virtuosityremains entertaining almost thirty years later through its hilariously horrendous CGI andpre-stardom Russell Crowe bringing all the ham when portraying SID 6.7. Crowe, specifically, is a hoot and a holler, and his chemistry with a stoic Washington makes the film worth a watch.
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7’Steel' (1997)
Directed by Kenneth Johnson
Although the Steel character is portrayed and adapted borderline perfectly in the hit seriesSuperman & Lois, the same cannot be said about none other thanShaquille O’Neal’s rendition of DC Comics’s metal-clad hero. O’Neal plays a military scientist who must armor himself and become the superhero Steel when a frightening weapon is stolen and put on the streets.
When it comes to bad superhero movies (of which there are quite a few),Steelranks among the top offenders. Poor O’Neal gets a lot of flack when it comes to this film, with many aiming at his acting abilities. However, O’Neal’s acting is also one of the best parts of this misguided mess. If O’Neal’s questionable acting prowess isn’t enough to satisfy a viewer,the ridiculous superhero tropes and standard terrible writing are enough to warrant a watch.
6’Highlander II: The Quickening' (1991)
Directed by Russell Mulcahy
When most people hear that there was a secondHighlanderfilm, the common question is whether the series needed it in the first place.With anupcoming reboot starringHenry Cavill, fans and some audience members who may have never seen the films before may find themselves returning to the series for a reminder. But the only thing they’ll find with its sequel,Highlander II: The Quickening, is pain. Hilarious pain.
Fun fact: the sequel toHighlanderwas so bad thatdirectorRussell Mulcahybailed on the premiere. The film has a reputation as one of the worst sci-fi efforts of all time, but there is joy in its misfortunes. The film’s dubious quality has cemented it in the so-bad-its-good realm becauseviewers simply can’t help but admire how genuinely terrible the film is. There seems to be no good aspect worth noting other than the laughs one will get from the terrible motion picture before them.
Highlander II: The Quickening
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5’Double Dragon' (1994)
Directed by James Yukich
Before video game movies found their footing recently with hits such asSonic the HedgehogandThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, they had a hard time at the box office and with critics. One of the worst offenders was 1994’sDouble Dragon, based on the beat ‘em up video game of the same name.Double Dragonwasn’t interested in following the premise of the game,a common downfall for most poorly received video game movies.
If someone has seen the 1993Super Mario Bros.movie, they’d understand exactly why some of the costumes and characters inDouble Dragonare absurdly bad. The hilarious character from the games, Abobo, is a prosthetic abomination so obnoxious it rivals that of theSuper Mario Bros.adaption of the Goombas.Double Dragonfeels so wacky and unlike the source materialthat some can’t help but wonder if the filmmakers had actually ever researched the games. It’s mind-numbingly bad; Abobo is enough for a whole movie’s worth of laughs.
Double Dragon
4’Anaconda’ (1997)
Directed by Luis Llosa
When a film crew is taken hostage by a hunter who plans to capture a fabled anaconda that could make him a fortune, chaos ensues.Anacondastars the likes ofJon Voight,Jennifer Lopez,Owen Wilson, andIce Cube. If that insanely unlikely cast isn’t enough to convince someone to give the film a go, they should picture legendary actor Voight jumping from a sitting position to choke out a woman with his thighs.
Voight hits home run after home run with the so-bad-its-good crowd, thanks to alaughable accent that makes almost every line laughter-worthy. Not to mention the ever-hilarious Ice Cube, who seems to be the only other actor aware of the kind of film he’s in.Anacondais a surefire hitfor all those looking for an unserious action adventure full of ’90s chaos.It’s entertaining, unexpected, and gloriously over-the-top, even if “quality” isn’t exactly a synonym for it.
3’Suburban Commando' (1991)
Directed by Burt Kennedy
It doesn’t get much better than the legendaryHulk Hoganplaying a bombastic space-vigilante who tries to acclimate to life on Earth and its many virtues. Hogan’s movies are notorious for being bad, butSuburban Commandois easily the best fit in the so-bad-its-good category. It’s got some of the funniest one-liners, and Hogan himself is downright hilarious to watch actafter transitioning from wrestling.
Many consider Hogan to be a funny character as a person already, so seeing him attempt to embody a space vigilante trying to learn how to skateboard is a promise for deranged entertainment. Indeed, the plot, dialogue and acting are less than noteworthy. At the end of the day,the main actors and the premise themselves are enough to warrant watching this train wreckof a film, a misguided but amusing detour into space lunacy.
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2’Escape From L.A.' (1996)
Directed by John Carpenter
After the first film in the franchise,Escape From New York, opened to massive success, directorJohn Carpenterreturned to helm the sequel,Escape From L.A.Unfortunately, upon its release in 1996,Escape From L.A.did not receive the same reactions; in fact, it gained quite the opposite.
Escape From L.A.’s CGI and green screen sequences are horrifically bad, even by 1996’s standards (which isn’t a high bar.) The film possesses all the typical offenders of what audiences know as a standard so-bad-its-good action flick. How can one go wrong with a film that featuresKurt Russell’s character, Snake, chasing after a runaway car by surfboarding down a parallel trench?That scene itself is worth some praise, makingEscape From L.A.an underrated yet still mortifyingentry into the sci-fi action territory.
John Carpenter’s Escape from L.A.
1’Starship Troopers' (1997)
Directed by Paul Verhoeven
As if any other movie could be the best so-bad-its-good sci-fi mess.Starship Troopersis known worldwide as the ultimate example of a so-bad-its-good film. Set in a world where humans are waging war against a race of alien bugs, the plot follows a group of soldiers traveling to alien planets to take the fight to them. What follows are some of the funniest Sci-Fi goofs in film history.
One could considerlightning in a bottle, having created something that simply cannot be recreated.Starship Troopersdefined a generation of so-bad-its-goodand helped define the category as a whole. It’s wholly absurd, and it knows that it is akin to a cheesy high school drama with its love triangles disguised as a space opera. The results inone of the funniest films of all time, both when it intends to beand when it doesn’t.
