# Bad movie appreciation **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 24, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movie-appreciation/842255 "2019-10-24T20:53:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2019, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movie-appreciation/842255/21 "2019-10-28T17:36:15Z")
I think a key point in how I view a bad movie is how seriously it takes itself. And there’s a definite range of reaction: [ul] [li]Bad movies which don’t take themselves seriously are inoffensive and sometimes amusing.[/li] [li]Bad movies which yearn to be taken seriously are often a bit sad and frustrating to watch.[/li] [li]Bad movies which blithely assume they will inherit the Oscars because they are Oh So Serious are actually offensive in their contempt for their viewers.[/li][/ul] I’d put _Ice Pirates_ and _Plan 9_ in the first category; perhaps _Waterworld_ and _The Last Airbender_ in the middle category, and reserve the last for overblown, nonsensical testaments to ego like _The Thin Red Line_. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2019, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movie-appreciation/842255/22 "2019-10-28T17:45:46Z")
I disagree. I think Ed Wood took all his movies seriously. But I think they’re fun to watch. Ditto for _robot Monster_. If their creators didn’t take them seriously, they wouldn’t be as well put-together, and wouldn’t be entertaining. It’s al well and good to claim that “they didn’t take it seriously”, so you won’t feel bad about laughing at the result. But I don’t think it’s correct. I suspect that Wood wouldn’t ultimately be offended by our laughing at his work. At least, he would figure, it’s being _watched_. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2019, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movie-appreciation/842255/23 "2019-10-28T17:46:54Z")
Another movie that I’m convinced the makers took very seriously, but which I think is hilariously bad (despite its expense) is **10,000 B.C.** ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2019, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movie-appreciation/842255/24 "2019-10-28T17:50:59Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > I think a key point in how I view a bad movie is how seriously it takes itself. And there’s a definite range of reaction: > > [ul] > [li]Bad movies which don’t take themselves seriously are inoffensive and sometimes amusing.[/li] > [li]Bad movies which yearn to be taken seriously are often a bit sad and frustrating to watch.[/li] > [li]Bad movies which blithely assume they will inherit the Oscars because they are Oh So Serious are actually offensive in their contempt for their viewers.[/li][/ul] > > I’d put _Ice Pirates_ and _Plan 9_ in the first category; perhaps _Waterworld_ and _The Last Airbender_ in the middle category, and reserve the last for overblown, nonsensical testaments to ego like _The Thin Red Line_. So a movie like “Strange Brew” would clearly belong to the first category. Would Xanadu fall into the first or second category? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movie-appreciation/842255.md?page=1)