Dear Sci-fi Fans,
We love it when science goes wrong in movies, but when the script and special effects go wrong - look out.
For this instalment of our Worst Movies A-Z series with WatchMojo, we’re looking at the most disastrous science fiction films ever made. Movies that feel like they came from another planet. Enjoy:
As you can see, we gave ourselves some guidelines:
- Worst film per letter
- Skip articles in the title (the, an, a, etc.)
- Big let-downs more likely to be picked
We didn’t set limits for was considered sci-fi like on our “best” list, because frankly, these movies don’t deserve as much critical thought. And sure, there are undoubtedly more pathetic independent sci-fi movies, but we are grading on a scale of expectations. That’s why the last point emphasizes “let-downs” - because when you love sci-fi movies, it’s much easier to hate the ones that duped you into getting excited.
But, as they say, failure is the best teacher, so here’s a bit of what we learned along the way:
LESSONS FROM WORST SCI-FI A-Z
WORST DECADE: 1980s
It’s no surprise that in the wake of the Star Wars phenomenon, everyone was trying to get a piece of the sci-fi action. Unfortunately, great characters, costumes, special effects and writing usually always came second to a few weird props that would sell in a poster. And the blockbuster success of E.T. in 1982 didn’t help the dozens of weak alien buddy rip offs in the rest of the decade.
WORST LETTER: B
Seems appropriate, since when you think “B-movie”, you probably picture a cheesy sci-fi flick. And while no one was going to dethrone Battlefield Earth as the big daddy of bad sci-fi movies, many tried: Battle for Skylark, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, _Battle: Los Angeles_… are you sensing a theme there? You don’t have to be a Baby Genius to know that having the world “battle” in your sci-fi movie title is a bad idea.
CHEATED OUT: Dragonball: Evolution
People in the comment section of our videos are clamouring for this film to be included. It certainly deserves all the hate it gets. It’s just more fantasy than Sci-fi, so even though we weren’t being strict about the rules, it didn’t make the cut. Your day will come, Dragonball.
BEST BATTLE: Maximum Overdrive vs Mac and Me
Peak 80s trash, both films are equally horrific and hilarious in their own way. We went with Stephen King’s first and only directorial effort, to remind the world that talent is rarely medium agnostic. And we still got to replay Paul Rudd’s favourite Conan prank in our video, so win-win.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION: Jason X
It would have been satisfying to put Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom on this list, but unfortunately the top notch special effects, and our residual love for the original, ranked it just a notch above the last (and worst) Friday the 13th movie; Jason X. Suddenly setting your franchise in space is the ultimate jump-the-shark moment in a franchise, and this movie is about as bad as they come - but that hologram scene going back to Crystal Lake sure is the right kind of dumb fun.
Think your list would be better (aka worse)? Let us know.
Sincerely,
Dear Cast & Crew
