# Infamous bombs you've actually seen

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 3, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232 "2006-01-03T16:03:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![waits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@waits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waits)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/21 "2006-01-03T17:59:10Z")

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Two I’ve paid good money to see:

_ **Wired** _, the film version of Bob Woodward’s book about John Belushi. I thought at the time that Michael Chiklis’ portrayal of Belushi would ensure that he never got work in Hollywood again. Luckily, it didn’t ruin his career as I had thought.

_ **Graffiti Bridge** _, the little-known sequel (of sorts) to _Purple Rain_. This pretty much did to Prince what I thought _Wired_ would do to Chiklis.

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**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/22 "2006-01-03T17:59:37Z")

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I saw _The Capeman_ in previews on Broadway. (I say ‘in previews’ even though it barely got out of previews.)

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**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/23 "2006-01-03T18:01:52Z")

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> [@Paul in Saudi](#):
>
> I like **Howard the Duck,** it worked as children’s movie, as a translation of the comic book onto the big screen and as a parody of a bunch of stuff. I even liked the hang glider scene.

A children’s movie wouldn’t have subjected us to an explicitly implied sexual attraction between Lea Thompson and a duck, complete with a rather disgusting kiss.

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**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/24 "2006-01-03T18:03:11Z")

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I tried to get through _National Lampoon Goes To The Movies_, but the first two segments were so pathetically laugh-free that I couldn’t imagine trying to limp my way through the last segment (which, as an additional incentive to turn off the TV, featured Robby Benson, King Of The Wimps). It didn’t even have a whiff of “so bad it’s good” to it; it was just incompetent in every facet of its execution. I have read that this movie was originally supposed to have four segments – I can’t imagine how BAD the fourth one could have been if it were judged less worthy that the three that made it.

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**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/25 "2006-01-03T18:07:45Z")

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**Bulletproof Monk**. A few tiny jewels of hope, but otherwise it stuck terribly.

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**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/26 "2006-01-03T18:08:16Z")

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Paid good money to see **Batman and Robin** ; used a free pass won by a friend to see **Battlefield Earth**.

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**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/27 "2006-01-03T18:09:51Z")

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The only ones mentioned so far that I’ve seen are **Waterworld** and **Howard the Duck** , both of which weren’t as bad as the science fiction movied I grew up watching.

Such as **The Brain Eaters.**

Also, on the IMDB’s list of the [Bottom 100](http://www.imdb.com/chart/bottom) movies, I have seen none. I realize, there’s a difference between “bad” and “bomb,” since a lot of the movies on that list were made with a budget roughly equivalent to the value of a 1973 For Pinto with the original gas tank, but still. I guess I’m either very lucky, or I don’t get out enough. How did I miss **Santa with Muscles?**

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**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/28 "2006-01-03T18:13:36Z")

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I enjoyed Hudson Hawk, and to a lesser extent, Howard the Duck. Hell, I enjoyed Leonard Part Six.

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**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/29 "2006-01-03T18:17:05Z")

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Alot of these movies I saw as a kid or a teenager so I liked them… now when I watching them I partly watch them with the same innocent childlike wonder.

Ishtar. Not bad at all.

Howard the Duck. Duck boobies… I loved this movie as a kid.

Leonard Part 6. I love this movie so much I tracked down a copy on VHS a couple of years ago. It was mint. No one had even broken the original box to take the movie out.

Waterworld. I liked it as an adventure film.

Showgirls. Wonderfully terrible.

Cuthroat Island. I couldn’t get 20 minutes into it before I stopped the tape.

I really like the Postman. Except for the epilogue I don’t understand why people hate this movie so much.

Battlefieldearth is one of the funniest movies ever.

Hudson Hawk got atrociously boring. I do like the heist scenes.

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**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/30 "2006-01-03T18:19:37Z")

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I paid to see Caddyshack II. It was terrible beyond belief. I think there were two other people in the theatre.

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**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/31 "2006-01-03T18:47:06Z")

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I saw Battlefield Earth. Bad, but enjoyably bad. Definatly not the worst movie ever(I reserve that for movies I can’t sit through).

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**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/32 "2006-01-03T18:49:34Z")

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Oooh, almost too many to count.  
I’ve seen Showgirls, Waterworld, the Postman (which I actually liked btw), Hudson Hawk, Batman and Robin, Bonfire of the Vanities (which I liked quite a bit), Howard the Duck, Highlander 2 (which doesn’t exist) and Aliens 3 (which also doesn’t exist).

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**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/33 "2006-01-03T19:07:15Z")

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Loads. Among those already mentioned, I can single out **Showgirls** , **Battlefield Earth** , **Waterworld** , **Batman & Robin** , **Catwoman** , and **The Postman**. I have a weak spot for **Cutthroat Island** ; it’s a guilty pleasure.

A few that haven’t been mentioned that I feel I should explain:

**Freddy Got Fingered** : I really hate Tom Green; he has never made me laugh. Not once, not ever. I only rented it because I heard it was epically terrible and I had a “rent three movies for $1” coupon, and I didn’t mind spending 33 cents to see it. At least, I didn’t mind _before_ I saw it.

**Hellraiser 4: Bloodline** : Actually went to see this one in the theater. Holy cats, was it awful. However, at least now I can say that I have actually seen an “Alan Smithee” film during its theatrical release.

**Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows** : This movie had a guaranteed audience based on the huge success of **The Blair Witch Project**. And they screwed it up so, so badly, that the franchise has basically been torpedoed even before it got started. Pure incompetence.

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**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/34 "2006-01-03T19:12:51Z")

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Caddyshack II - better than Caddyshack. Neither one of them thrills me.

Batman and Robin - Ow.

Blair Witch 2 - Meh.

Aliens 3 - Worst sequel ever, if not for Batman and Robin.

Freddy Got Fingered - It made me chuckle.

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**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/35 "2006-01-03T19:31:37Z")

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I’ve actually seen _Cutthroat Island_, too, but I don’t have a clear memory of it. It was on TV and not in a theater, but still new-ish at the time.

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**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/36 "2006-01-03T19:39:23Z")

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I paid fifty cents to see **Wing Commander**. The dollar theater was having a half-price afternoon, and I was a huge fan of the games (they just don’t make games like that anymore…). Anyway, I considered asking for my money back when it was over.

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**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/37 "2006-01-03T20:08:01Z")

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I’m not sure if this qualifies as an actual movie or soft porn, but \*\*Ghosts don’t do it \*\* with Bo Derek was more porn light than actual movie, or a badly done porn with some kind of plot. Saw it on VHS.

**Xanadu** which signaled to the world that the incomparable Gene Kelly could do a bad movie. Even with Olivia Newton John.

**Grease 2.** with Michelle Pfieffer as the bad girl.

**The Black Hole** first time I realized that inside of me lived a film critic and it coincided with the moment I realized my family members ( brothers) rapidly approved of anything with a space theme. I would have left the theater, but I was 13 or so and they wouldn’t give me the keys to the car.

There has to be others that I am blocking from my teenage years.

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**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/38 "2006-01-03T20:08:13Z")

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I actually liked **Showgirls**  
How about **Rambo III** --God that was awful, and there is a **Rambo IV** to be released. Can’t wait to miss that one.  
Anyone remember **Smokey and the Bandit III** so bad that Burt Renolds didn’t even appear in it. The just inserted a clip from **Smokey and the Bandit**  
**Cannonball Run II** was another painful one to watch.

I don’t know if these qualify as bombs, but they are on my list of losers.

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**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/39 "2006-01-03T20:13:42Z")

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Oooh, what about the Peter Pan verison with Dustin Hoffman ( good) and Julia Roberts ( awful) as Tinkerbell.  
I wanted and still want to see **Timeline** because I liked the book. I fear though for the effort.

**Cat in the Hat** thankfully I did not pay to see at the show, but renting it is nearly as bad. I was so uncomfortable with Mike Myers and his Charles Nelson Reilly imitation the entire time. The sets though, were cool and I liked Kelly Preston.

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**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infamous-bombs-youve-actually-seen/338232/40 "2006-01-03T20:36:12Z")

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> [@Shirley Ujest](#):
>
> **Xanadu** which signaled to the world that the incomparable Gene Kelly could do a bad movie. Even with Olivia Newton John.

Indeed, Michael Beck once said that his appearance in _The Warriors_ opened a lot of doors for him in Hollywood … and _Xanadu_ closed them.

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