I may be a bit of a snob when it comes to the movies I like, but the end goal is always entertainment. More often than not it makes more sense to watch something that could be good, but that can actually get stale sometimes. Here are 9 low quality movies that I believe are actually fun to watch.
Every now and then hidden allegories of being a pigeon during the Cold War and the subtextual implications of an alien abducting horses are not the move. Not everything can be profound nor can it even be entertaining for the intended purposes. If you are looking to turn your brain off or are hoping to see something so bad it goes into so great then this list is just for you. Here are 9 movies that are definitely bad, but are still fun enough for a good time.
Before hopping in I just want to throw out that I am in no way here to yuck your yum. If you see something here you actually like then that is totally cool and you should just ignore me. This is all in good fun and at the end of the day that is all I am trying to get you to have. Alright, let’s go!
9 Low Quality Movies That Are Fun To Watch
#9: Hulk (2003)
Good lord the editing is insane. Modern Marvel films wish they had a fraction of the cajones Ang Lee had when he made this movie. Hulk is a weird mix of boring and pure insanity. When the editing is taking a break from being the silliest crap you have ever seen, the drama is pretty boring. There are nodes of overacting, whiffs of terrible CGI, and hints of brain melting discussions on plants. Shut up about the plants.
Hulk is so interesting to me. The modern superhero flick compared to this is quite frankly sad. I think the closest thing to Hulk in the modern day is Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Love and respect to the 10 minutes Sam Raimi got to direct, but when the best quality in a movie is the absurdly insane editing while everything else sucks, you know you have something on your hands.
Nick Nolte rules and is pure chaos as Banner’s father. Eric Bana did a little bit more than he needed to performance-wise, but he makes this movie so much more entertaining for me. Jennifer Connolly is also doing her absolute best here but this movie makes me want to try and get her out of this. Josh Lucas is unhinged for no reason whatsoever and it rocks. I think Sam Elliot might have been asleep in every scene the featured him in. Anyway, Hulk is crazy and funny. I think this serves a double purpose to either help you sleep good or feel insane. Check it out!
#8 Old
If only I could properly explain the grip this movie has on me and my psyche. The Sixth Sense is great. The Happening is hysterical(ly terrible). The Village has some interesting ideas that work more often than not. Combine all three and you get possibly my favorite movies under a 6.0 rating on IMDb.
I have never felt totally correct calling this a terrible movie, but damn this is not anywhere close to a quality one. Beyond questionable direction, mental gymnastic script writing, bizarre acting, and unhinged camera work all combine into this beautiful creation. “Horror” movies do not get much funnier than this.
There exists an entire portion of my brain dedicated specifically for Old quotes and moments. If we ever meet in person I beg you to ask me what rust is. This is an example of a solid low quality movie that is still solid to watch.
#7: Click
This is your sign from the universe to rewatch something from the “Classic Sandler” era. Click is definitely on the higher quality end of his not so good string of comedies. In the end, this still oozed the classic tropes that get your Sandler Sillies pumping. This movie has everything- blatant product marketing, his bad actor friends appearing (*cough* Nick Swardson *cough*), low hanging fruit, and overall a lackluster structure. With all of that said, Click has some pretty great moments here.
The last time I checked this out I did not expect to have as good of a time as I did. Christopher Walken is so strange, but vintage. The little bits of violence sprinkled throughout are hit or miss, but when they hit I thought they were great. Michael being evil towards his dad (Henry Winkler by the way) is genuinely heartbreaking.
There are so many moments that actually elicit a feeling out of me, which by most standards means this is a good movie. Unfortunately, no, this one is 100% a low quality movie, BUT there are definitely some good laughs and moments throughout this.
#6: Black Adam
The only “fun” I would say I actually had was how angry I actually was afterwards. The whole movie is a structural nightmare and would have been a good movie if no other superhero movies existed. While the same could not be said for Hulk, Black Adam could have been cool. Somewhere deep, deep, deep down there is a fun movie hiding.
Is the comedy so bad it’s good? No, this is not funny. Are the performances enough? Ha ha, now that is funny. Does the soundtrack at least make up for the lack of anything? It would if they used any of the songs right. So what is so redeemable about this movie? Everything in it is a hot mess and there is a lot of glory in how uncoordinated it is. Low quality movie but still enjoyable to watch? Yes, absolutely.
There are some dynamics that are charming and work a little. Despite everything that we thought would happen with the DCEU, is absolutely not happening, there is still some spark of excitement in here that honestly still feels a bit exciting to think of. Credit where credit is due: there was definitely care and energy put into this. Unfortunately, no one told the editing team to relax and put an actual movie together so we have this instead.
Poor Dwayney. Hopefully he does not give up hope on keeping this character alive, but also I genuinely hope he can work with people who actually know how to do it.
#5: The Social Dilemma
Our society is constantly being tampered with by those that run social media sites. Algorithms and formulas are constantly trying to sell us new products and break us down to our basic needs to squeeze more money out of us. The Social Dilemma does a good job giving real former employees of big social sites a platform to tell you that everything is designed to squeeze you and keep you involved.
Now there is nothing wrong with having an active presence and being engrossed in media culture but it is up to us to separate ourselves every once in a while. Constant consumption of social media can be harmful in more ways than one. All of this is even highlighted in the film. These points are made and are a clear takeaway. So…why is it here on this list? It is simple: every aspect of this movie that is not a real testimony is hot flaming ass.
“But Nolen, who cares? Why judge the movie based on the thing that is clearly not the focus of the film,” you say. “Enough out of you” I say. You are wrong and now I am mad at you. It infuriates me that the greatest takeaway I had from this movie is how Centrist political views are the greatest “danger” we can face if we sit on our phones too much.
Oh Jessica did not text me back? Let me just spend 8 hours on my social media, post evil things, and then head off to the rally on saying Yes…or No. I do not actually care what your political leanings are, but implying that Instagram’s algorithm can put you on the fence is hysterical to me.
The message of the movie is so not lost on me either. If anything, that is another issue I have. Every scripted scene feels different from what is actually intended to convey. The Social Dilemma is a genuinely hilarious experience and I can not wait to rewatch it soon again.
#4: Step Up: All In
If I could dance I would flaunt it left and right, but I can not so you are stuck with me like this. My cynical enjoyment of the Step Up movies does not come from a place of hating the craft, but rather for loving the passion. As a movie this is not good. As a chance to absorb something greater than you will ever understand, that is where the money is. Imagine Avengers: Endgame, but about hip-hop dancers. Hell yes, give me more, please.
The majesty of Step Up: All In lies within what you know, or do not know, about the previous films. My personal experience was only limited to the first film with Channing Tatum. It was also not my style of krumping, but there were a few characters I gathered along the way to know who was who. I would argue you do not need to see any of the other movies at all to appreciate this.
The acting is bad, but no one comes to these movies for that. I am neither talented nor knowledgeable enough to know how to dance so I can not critique that either. Step Up: All In may be the hardest of these movies to judge without coming off like a jerk who yucks the yums of the more talented. With that said, it is so much easier to enjoy this movie from a negative perspective. Does that backflip corkscrew prove the point? Who won the battle since both teams did almost the same moves? Is this even fun? The only question of those that I can answer is the latter, and yes, it is fun.
#3: TMNT 3: Turtles In Time
The 1990’s titular teen turtles interpretations have their ups and downs. They all serve their own purpose and are their own form of fun. My personal favorite of the three is trilogy ender, when they are transported to feudal Japan. Yes, they do become Samurai. Yes, it does totally rule in every way possible. In my rankings for every theatrical Ninja Turtles movie, this one ranked in at number 3. Every second of this is a mix of classic Turtles camp mixed with some direction that just requires you to stop thinking about.
As if it was not enough, this is where the crew thought would make the most sense for the Turtles to go after dealing with the ooze. TMNT 3 is a fascinating specimen to study. It continues to surprise me that whenever there is more Turtles media or another movie with an insane plot comes out that this movie is not talked about more. Cinephiles and film enthusiasts are never allowed to call themselves true fans of the craft if they have not seen this movie yet.
Turtles in Time is just so weird. There is not a single second in this movie that it does not have full confidence in itself. I respect that and have unwavering admiration for it. From the first “Kow-a-bunga” to the last pizza joke, everything in this film is meant to happen. It is glorious.
#2: Uncharted
Video game adaptations are seldom actually good movies. They all really want you to know the writers and cast played the games and everyone really likes them just like you! Uncharted was destined to not be a good movie, but that did not mean it the chances of having a good time are off the table. Having fun with Uncharted is a different kind of fun from everything else on this list. I watched Uncharted on a treadmill on my phone and I do not think I would have watched it any other way.
While the plot of everything is super crammed and pandering, there is some good adventure tucked away in here. Almost every casting decision is wrong for several reasons, but after a while it feels a little absorbent and you just kind of get used to it. The pacing of the movie is pretty good so there is nothing to slog through. All performances are fine enough to keep it all going. The plot is fine. The action is decent. Together, all of it is good enough for what it is. It may not really feel like an Uncharted adventure until the third act, when everything gets wacky for some treasure hunting, but this honestly would have been way worse.
Uncharted is a movie that is really good for background noise. You can get a lot of work done for the majority of the movie, and by the end when you are tired, you will be in a good spot to watch not Peter Parker be a smart little de Champlain with Dirk Diggler.
#1: Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Kevin James, I hate how much I love you. It pains me to say this, but I have seen Paul Blart more times than Heat, The Departed, and Goodfellas combined. Why? Because he drunkenly partakes in karaoke, yells “I believe in magic,” rips his shirt open, then falls backwards out a window. That is one of the greatest sequences in any comedy ever and I refuse to hear otherwise. I would, at some points, venture to say this is a good movie. You know what? Screw it- Paul Blart: Mall Cop is a very good movie.
“Peanut Blart and Jelly” is a god-tier nickname. The parkour scene when the henchmen take over the mall is so sick and I want to be them so bad. Paul’s segue is on the same level as The Batmobile on my list of greatest film vehicles. I could definitely do without the fat-phobia in several scenes, but they play with it so much that, unfortunately it becomes funny at a certain point. This world is so evil. Paul’s dating profile video on the segue is how everyone should do it. Guitar Hero has LITERALLY never looked cooler. Look, man, Mall Cop is definitely not a good movie, I lied. However, it is so funny and I really think it is under-appreciated.
