The war genre is a difficult one to tackle appropriately, at least as far as movies are concerned. Such films often have to walk a line between being entertaining (or at least engaging) while also showing the horrors inherent to war, be it the tedium, death, or destruction they cause… or all of the above. Movies tend to have to be compelling on some level, but there’s also a risk in making warfare look too cinematic or exciting, at least as far as some war movies go.
All these things have to be taken into account, butif a war movie stumbles in one of these areas and also feels lacking from a technical perspective, it has the chance to be considered among the all-time lowsfor the genre. Such movies fit into this unfortunate camp, and can - for one reason or another - be included among the worst war films of all time.
18’Captain America' (1990)
Directed by Albert Pyun
Just over 20 years before the titular character was done justice, 1990 saw the release of a cheesier and lower quality take on Captain America with a film simply called…Captain America. This was in the days before superhero movies were cool/mainstream, and so anyone returning to this in a post-MCU world will probably be alarmed by how cheap and B-grade (for lack of a better word) it all looks.
It’s predominantly a superhero movie, but given the character of Captain America is tied to World War II – particularly regarding his origin – 1990’sCaptain Americadoes operate as something of a war film for some of its runtime.Things get a little wilder and more science fiction as it goes along, but it remains pretty clunky throughout. That means it might appeal to fans of low-budget schlock, but when judged as a war, sci-fi, or superhero film, it’s hard to call it good in the traditional sense.
Captain America
Rent on Amazon
17'300: Rise of an Empire' (2014)
Directed by Noam Murro
The original300might be a relic of its time (and that time is only getting further and further away), but it nevertheless delivered when it came tostylish visuals and plenty of action/death. It had a follow-up in the form of300: Rise of an Empireeight years on from the original, and it’s overall much harder to find defenders of said follow-up than it is to find fans of the first movie.
It’s partly a sequel, but also plays around with time a little, having some events take place before and at the same time as events depicted in300. It does depict some battles (not necessarily in a historically accurate way) that are said to have happened more than 2000 years ago, but the action isn’t as satisfying, andthough300wasn’t masterful from a storytelling point of view, it was at least competent in a way that300: Rise of an Empireultimately isn’t.
300: Rise of an Empire
16’Puppet Master: Axis of Evil' (2010)
Directed by David DeCoteau
There are a surprising number of movies in thePuppet Masterseries (most aren’t very good), which is largely classifiable as one focused on horror, but at the same time, a few entries also stray into the war genre.Puppet Master: Axis of Evil, the ninth entry overall, is one of these, thanks to having its ludicrous story take place during World War II.
Puppet Master: Axis of Evil– and its lack of quality – is here to try and make you feel stupid for ever having hope.
As is normal for thePuppet Masterseries, puppets come alive here and do various evil things, here involving a plan that, if successful, will see the destruction of an American factory.You might think a World War II movie with supernatural elements and killer puppets would be fun, butPuppet Master: Axis of Evil– and its lack of quality – is here to try and make you feel stupid for ever having hope.Watch on Tubi
15’Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire' (2023)
Directed by Zack Snyder
At leastRebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire, for all its flaws, can claim to look good.Zack Snyder’s movies tendto have visual flair, style, and a level of spectacle that makes them far from irredeemable, but this first half of the lacklusterRebel Moonduology (time will tell if it gets to be anything longer) is pretty disappointing, whether you want to judge is as an action movie, a sci-fi film, or something belonging to the war genre.
It is technically all those things at once, telling a sluggish story about standing up to an advanced military, with the members of a farming village doing all they can to prepare for a looming attack. Yes, it’skind of likeSeven Samuraiin space, but whereas everything about that movie works, very little inRebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Firesatisfies.
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire
Watch on Netflix
14’The Green Berets' (1968)
Directed by John Wayne and Ray Kellogg
IfThe Green Beretshad been at least decent, people might look back on it with some respect for being such an early film about the Vietnam War. It takes a certain look at that conflict that can potentially cause discomfort, and does (admittedly, intentionally) lack the sort of grit that came with later movies about the war and America’s controversial involvement in it.
If you know what you’re getting into, anddon’t mind seeing a certain take on the Vietnam War that clashes with what most other movies say, maybe there will be parts ofThe Green Beretsthat work for you. It’s also noteworthy for being a filmJohn Wayne both starred in and co-directed, though it can’t quite count itself among the ranks of his very best movies, by any means.
The Green Berets
13’Ghosts of War' (2020)
Directed by Eric Bress
Ghosts of Warapproaches the war genre in an unconventional way, most of all because it’s not strictly a war movie… more of a supernatural horror flick that happens to be set during World War II. The main characters are also American soldiers, andthe plot ofGhosts of Warsees them having to occupy a strange – and seemingly haunted – French castle.
It’s not exactly the same asMichael Mann’s flawed but interestingThe Keep, but there are enough similarities to say you should probably just check that one out overGhosts of War, if you really want something fantasy/horror-themed in a World War II-set movie.Ghosts of Waris kind of bland, repetitive, and uninspired, lacking much that’s compelling when judged as either a work of horror or a war film.
Ghosts of War
Rent on Apple TV
12’Rock the Kasbah' (2015)
Directed by Barry Levinson
Bill Murray has starred in many great movies.Rock the Kasbahis not one of them, and stands as perhaps one of the worst war films to have been released in the past decade or so. It has understandably been forgotten as the years have ticked along, but it attracted a surprisingly strong cast, considering Murray stars alongside the likes ofZooey Deschanel,Bruce Willis,Kate Hudson, andDanny McBride.
It was also directed byBarry Levinson, who made a much better war/comedy/music film almost 30 years earlier:Good Morning Vietnam. Whether it’s trying to be funny, dramatic, or moving,Rock the Kasbahnever quite works or comes together into something coherent or fulfilling.It’s not talked about much at all nowadays, and it’s not too hard to see why.
Rock the Kasbah
11’Pearl Harbor' (2001)
Directed by Michael Bay
Those who want a genuinely good (and somewhat accurate) movie about Pearl Harbor are better off watchingTora! Tora! Tora!from 1970, rather than the infamousMichael Bay-directed film, simply calledPearl Harbor. It’s a notoriously long and drawn-out movie, and doesn’t really strike much by way of balance between its love triangle plot and the wartime scenes involving the attack on Pearl Harbor.
It feels like it’s trying to scratch the same itch as 1997’sTitanic, which was also an epic-length war movie that balanced high-intensity action/disaster sequences with romance, but did so in a far smoother manner.Pearl Harborisn’t really worth anyone’s time, especially when it takes so much time to watch, and even those who are willing to defend most of what Michael Bay’s made tend to struggle with this one.
Pearl Harbor
10’Alexander' (2004)
Directed by Oliver Stone
Oliver Stonehas made ahandful of good historical/biographical filmsin his time, butAlexanderwas not one of them. It can’t be faulted for its ambitions, given it’s an epic that runs between 167 and 214 minutes, depending on which one of the four cuts you watch, and spans a great many years in its attempt to tell the life story of Alexander the Great.
There are aspirations for greatness,but this Alexander movie is not Great at all, sadly. It jumps around and feels all over the place narratively, and has some very “interesting” casting decisions, not all of which pay off. At its worst,Alexandercan also be very boring, but some of the technical qualities - and the admittedly impressive scale of the battle sequences - do prove to be small glimmers of light/quality in an otherwise dim film.
9’Ambush at Cimarron Pass' (1958)
Directed by Jodie Copelan
There are some qualities toAmbush at Cimarron Passthat make it something of a curiosity or oddity, but sitting through it is still a bit of a slog. That’s really saying something, considering the film is just 73 minutes long, and stands out for being one ofClint Eastwood’s earliest starring roles… but these are the only qualities that come close to making the film watchable.
Otherwise,Ambush at Cimarron Passis a bland blending of war and Western genres, narratively being about various soldiers banding together to fight against numerous Native American warriors. It’s an old-fashioned film that feels a little like a war movie, owing to the amount of combat and the fact that some characters are soldiers.Regrettably, the action here is tedious, and the characters barely have any interesting qualities. It’s the sort of movie where most people involved probably sleepwalked through it, and, funnily enough, anyone who tries to watch it will probably just sleep through it.
