# Bad movies that just aren't that bad **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900 "2012-04-25T13:32:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/41 "2012-04-25T17:51:09Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > Ok, lets start, I can’t find this list, so bear with me. The list I was looking at: from the Rotten Tomatoes home page, click “DVD” at the top, then in the “DVD finder” pick “0% only” from the “Tomatometer” drop-down (then “GO”), then in the “Browse Movies” box on the next page, “On Video|DVD” then “0% only” and leave the rest alone. That should bring up all the 0% movies. ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/42 "2012-04-25T17:55:58Z")
There are different kinds of “bad” movies: those that are “so bad, they’re good” that make you laugh at the general ineptitude, and the kind of bad movie that’s just boring and asinine. I personally think movies that make you laugh at their silliness are, by definition, better those that are kind of bad movies that are just unpleasant. Individual taste varies on which movies are entertainingly bad and those that are shitty and boring. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/43 "2012-04-25T17:57:51Z")
_The Master of Disguise_ (2% at Rotten Tomatoes) works in the context of what Dana Carvey intended: an homage to Inspector Clouseau’s disguises that the whole family can watch. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/44 "2012-04-25T18:00:23Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > Ok, lets start, I can’t find this list, so bear with me. I also did look this one up explicitly and it seemed to be rated 0%, but in reality they’d got 2.8/10 from 5 reviews, which strikes me (using that thing called a brain), 28%. Unless they’ve got a mad way of doing things… Rotten Tomatoes rates all reviews they think are favorable as “Fresh” and all reviews they deem unfavorable as “Rotten”. Sometimes these are vague - a “Fresh” review might seem like a “Rotten” one depending on the reader. There’s also no difference between a movie an individual reviewer thinks is a 4-star masterpiece, and a serviceable 2 1/2 star flick - both are labeled “Fresh”. The RT rating is simply the ratio of Fresh to Rotten - anything 60% Fresh or higher is labeled “Fresh”. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/45 "2012-04-25T18:50:21Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Okay, I’ll say it: _Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull_. > > It compares quite unfavorably with the original IJ trilogy, of course. But if it were somehow possible to judge it separately from the other three, it could be argued that it was just a silly, implausible action chase film. Passable, fun popcorn fare. The expectations were just so impossibly high that a cheesy, not-so-great movie became the worst abomination ever projected on a screen. I agree. The film was pretty good, if not as good as the first and third films (it’s comparable to the second). And hiding in the refrigerator was a clever idea, perfectly in tune with the type of films that inspired it. **The Man Who Loved Women** was critically derided because it was marketed as a comedy, but really wasn’t one. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/46 "2012-04-25T19:20:57Z")
Another movie I liked that is terrible: Judge Dredd. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/47 "2012-04-25T19:51:23Z")
Two that spring to mind that I enjoyed but nobody else seemed to: **I, Robot** and **Hellboy II: The Golden Army**. Going back a ways, I thought **Executive Decision** was freaking great. I’d watch that again over, say, **Crash** , **Gladiator** , **The Hurt Locker** , etc. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/48 "2012-04-25T19:51:42Z")
The movie that leapt to mind for me is Godfather 3. When compared to the sheer genius of the first two, the third movie is lousy. But as a standalone picture, it’s not that bad and certainly not as gawdawful as most would insist it is. It’s by no means a masterpiece, but it doesn’t deserve all the flak it has received over the years. Some of the flak, certainly, but not all. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/49 "2012-04-25T19:52:40Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > For me, the hallmarks of a truly _bad_ bad movie are: > > a) It’s boring and drags on and on and on > b) It’s technically incompetent, so you can’t hear or see what’s going on > c) It doesn’t make any sense - who are these people and what are they doing? Well, I guess _Mulholland Drive_ wasn’t a truly bad movie then, because it was mostly technically competent. But I preferred _Plan 9 From Outer Space_. ---
**Author:** ![Nuveena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a587f6/32.png) [@Nuveena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuveena)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/50 "2012-04-25T19:56:33Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’ve seen plenty of movies that I couldn’t say all of that about. Have a look at Larry Buchanan’s muddy, unclear, and poor sound-quality remakes of bad 1950s film, like _Attack of the Eye Creatures_, for comparison. You had the perfect line break and you didn’t call it Attack of the the Eye Creatures? ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/51 "2012-04-25T20:06:45Z")
Just saw the Luc Besson written Lockout this weekend with Guy Pierce. It’s been getting a ton of hate on different message boards, but I kinda liked it. It didn’t take itself too seriously, and was a great popcorn delivery system for a couple of hours. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/52 "2012-04-25T20:17:49Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > Two that spring to mind that I enjoyed but nobody else seemed to: **I, Robot** and **Hellboy II: The Golden Army**. Hellboy 2? Heck, it’s at a very high 87% positive on Rotten Tomatoes. I think most people liked it quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Roadfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/53 "2012-04-25T20:42:51Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Yeah, that reminds me that I was surprised at how bad _Plan 9 from Outer Space_ wasn’t. For me, the hallmarks of a truly _bad_ bad movie are: > > a) It’s boring and drags on and on and on > b) It’s technically incompetent, so you can’t hear or see what’s going on > c) It doesn’t make any sense - who are these people and what are they doing? For me, those three perfectly describe the third Bourne movie. > [@redtail23](#): > > _Waterworld_. Agree here. The only really bad thing about Waterworld was the ending, the last, oh, 30 minutes or so. I thought the beginning of the movie was quite entertaining, exciting, well-filmed, lavish sets, etc. > [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > I didn’t think that _The Postman_ deserved all the hate it got. Unless you had read the book. Judged purely on its own, the movie wasn’t a total stinker. But of the movies-from-book that I’ve seen, it has hands down the biggest gulf between great book and crappy movie. ---
**Author:** ![Trick\_Rider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Trick\_Rider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trick_Rider)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/54 "2012-04-25T21:35:04Z")
**White Noise** currently holds a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with most people citing poor characterization and just straight boredom. I’ll agree that the characters weren’t as good as they could have been, but it’s got a good atmosphere and a really interesting story. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/55 "2012-04-25T21:40:45Z")
I actually thought that **Battlefield Earth** was a pretty good fun and light space opera. It’s not that realistic and there are some elements that are just cheesy, but its fun with cool weapons and vehicles. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/56 "2012-04-25T21:43:28Z")
**Stuart Saves his Family** (Al Franken’s Stuart Smalley movie) has a 27% rating on RT but I thought it was actually pretty good. Not very funny, but it had a lot of heart and had some good performances in it (especially Vincent D’Onofrio). ---
**Author:** ![Snake\_Plissken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@Snake\_Plissken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snake_Plissken)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/57 "2012-04-25T21:56:27Z")
Did anyone see the Adam Sandler movie that swept the Razzies? I’ve been tempted to watch it, but most of his flicks suck hard. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/58 "2012-04-26T02:30:34Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Rotten Tomatoes rates all reviews they think are favorable as “Fresh” and all reviews they deem unfavorable as “Rotten”. I thought I read somewhere that that reviewers themselves picked the Fresh/Rotten designation? I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/59 "2012-04-26T02:57:47Z")
About 15 years ago I watched [North](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_%28film%29), with Elijah Wood. I really liked it, but I think I understood its tone a lot better than the reviewers did. I also liked [Nothing But Trouble](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_but_Trouble_%281991_film%29). It’s quite possible I wouldn’t like them so much if I watched them again now. Maybe I should find them on DVD. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900/60 "2012-04-26T05:45:57Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > I agree that a truly awful movie isn’t just bad or badly made, it’s _boring_. To that end, I nominate **[Gerry](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0302674/combined)** for the title of “Worst Movie Ever.” I dug that movie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-movies-that-just-arent-that-bad/619900.md?page=4)