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Cinema hasn't had the most spotless record of high-quality films over the last twenty years. While there have been countless flops throughout the decades stemming from the dawn of motion pictures, the previous two decades have stood out for releasing some truly notable failures that can't be ignored.
Indeed, the 21st century has seen some very memorable stinkers that have been and continue to be recognized for how monumentally terrible they are. These have almost nothing going right throughout their runtimes and are so mediocre and baffling that they make viewers wonder what the filmmakers were even thinking. There are plenty of notable flops from the last several decades, and the following ten entries are truly some of the worst. From Uwe Boll's schlocky masterpiece Alone in the Dark to the Adam Sandler "comedy" Jack and Jill, here are the worst movies from the last 20 years.
10 'Alone in the Dark' (2005)
Directed by Uwe Boll
Image via Lionsgate Films
There are no lists these days discussing the worst horror movies of the 2000s without talking about at least one of the films by the infamous Uwe Boll. Today, often cited as a modern Ed Wood and one of the worst directors of all time, almost every Boll film has become recognized for how unintentionally hilarious and incredibly awful they are. While there are so many of his to think of, his crowning achievement was Alone in the Dark, one of his many failed attempts to adapt a popular video game series.
A trashy, so-bad-it's-good cult classic, Alone in the Dark is a hilariously lousy mess that has everything going wrong with its story. It stars Christian Slater, Tar Reid, and Stephen Dorff, actors who have all done incredible things in the past and, since this movie, are each miscast here and only add fuel to the film's ridiculousness with their wooden acting and over-the-top performances. While it's clearly a laughably bad flick, it is worth watching just to witness how absurd it is.
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A horror-action film featuring Edward Carnby, a detective with a focus on the paranormal. The plot revolves around ancient artifacts discovered from a long-lost civilization that trigger a series of terrifying events. Partnering with archaeologist Aline Cedrac, Carnby faces off against otherworldly forces and dark creatures unleashed by the artifacts. The duo must race against time to decipher the hidden truths and stop the supernatural threats from plunging the world into chaos. The movie blends mystery, horror, and fast-paced action, showcasing the battle between modern science and ancient evil.
Release Date January 28, 2005
Director Uwe Boll
Runtime 98 minutes
9 'Birdemic: Shock and Terror' (2010)
Directed by James Nguyen
Image via Severin Films
Next is one of the most iconic so-bad-it's-good movies of all time, Birdemic: Shock and Terror, a low-budget animal attack film directed by James Nguyen. A hilarious schlockfest that entertains viewers with its cheap effects and wooden acting, it's an enjoyable but admittedly mediocre film that clearly takes a few too many ideas from Sir Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.
Birdemic has stood out in recent years because of how entertainingly bad it is. Everything from the awful CGI birds and sloppy editing to the underwhelming performances has only made it quite exciting to watch. Of course, it is not a well-made film, but man, can it make anyone viewing it burst out laughing at some of its worst moments. It's often cited as one of the weakest horror movies of the last twenty-five years, and for good reason, but at least it's not dull.
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Birdemic: Shock and Terror
A horde of mutated birds descends upon the quiet town of Half Moon Bay, California. As the death toll rises, two citizens manage to fight back, but will they survive Birdemic?
Release Date February 27, 2010
Director James Nguyen
Cast Alan Bagh , Whitney Moore , Janae Caster , Colton Osborne , Adam Sessa , Catherine Batcha , Patsy van Ettinger , Damien Carter , Rick Camp , Stephen Gustavson , Danny Webber , Mona Lisa Moon , Natalie Yonkers , Laura Cassidy , Bonnie Steiger , Eric Swartz , Zoya Shybkouskaya , Cameron Palmer , Milan Lee , James Z. Feng , James Nguyen , Justin Osborne , Thomas Cokenias , Steve McMoy , Daniel Mai
Runtime 94 minutes
8 'Son of the Mask' (2005)
Directed by Lawrence Guterman
Image via New Line Cinema
Coming out way too long after Jim Carry's 1994 smash hit The Mask, the 2005 sequel, Son of the Mask, arrived dead on arrival, becoming seen as one of the worst comedy films in recent memory. It's an atrocious, ugly-looking mess that's a far cry from its predecessor, lacking any charm and wacky humor that made the other such a beloved cult classic.
Carry's presence is painfully noticeable in this film, and although his replacement, Jamie Kennedy, tried his best, unfortunately, his turn as the titular Mask felt awkward and never came close to matching the original. With its lackluster performances, nonsensical plot, and hideous CGI effects, Son of the Mask is a spectacular blunder that has stood out for all the wrong reasons.
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Release Date February 18, 2005
Director Lawrence Guterman
Runtime 94 minutes
7 'Cats' (2019)
Directed by Tom Hooper
Image via Universal Pictures
While the latter half of the 2010s saw some genuinely remarkable cinematic achievements, one that's definitely not one of those stand-outs was 2019's musical disaster flop Cats, directed by Tom Hooper. This laughably bad flick has stood out for many terrible reasons in recent years, and it's a disaster that everyone saw coming from the start, right from its heavily criticized first trailer.
Cats was one of the most notable flops of this year, making $74 million worldwide against an $80-$100 million budget. It was panned by critics and audiences for its awkward performances and atrocious CGI effects, the latter of which has become cited as some of the worst-looking in cinematic history. Not even the star-studded cast, including Jennifer Hudson, Sir Ian McKellen, and Dame Judi Dench, could have saved this film from its many noticeable flaws.
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A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.
Release Date December 20, 2019
Runtime 110 minutes
6 'The Emoji Movie' (2017)
Directed by Tony Leondis
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
Did anyone ever ask for The Emoji movie? That's what many audiences were probably wondering back in 2017 before they got a chance to see this dull, monumental flop. The Emoji Movie is one of those films that was sent out to die. It's a trashy, mediocre animated kids flick, lacking any style or genuinely good comedy.
It's often cited as one of the worst movies of the 2010s, one that fails to make anyone laugh or get any kind of enjoyment from its lackluster story. The jokes are flat, the humor is juvenile, and most of the plot barely makes any sense or seems the least bit interesting. It's an overall mess that feels loudly like a cash grab, except no one really seemed interested in seeing it.
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The Emoji Movie
When their world is threatened to be deleted, Gene (TJ Miller) ventures off with Hi-5 (James Corden) and Jailbreak (Anna Faris) to save Textopolis and become an emoji with a single expression. Despite being critically panned, The Emoji Movie had a stacked supporting cast, including Maya Rudolph, Jennifer Coolidge, Patrick Stewart, Christina Aguilera, and Sofía Vergara, among others.
Release Date July 28, 2017
Director Anthony Leondis
Runtime 86 Minutes
5 'Foodfight!' (2012)
Directed by Larry Kasanoff
Image via Viva Pictures
Regarding the worst animated movies of all time, one that almost always gets mentioned is Larry Kasanoff's Foodfight! Today, seen as a modern so-bad-it's-good cult classic, this notable stinker is truly a sight to behold: a terribly animated, lazily acted mess that looks like it was made to be a straight-to-video bargain bin film.
Surprisingly, it was made on a $40-$65 million budget, but clearly not much of that went to its animation, which looks beyond atrocious. It doesn't help that the cast, consisting of well-knowns like Charlie Sheen, Hilary Duff, Eva Longoria, and Christopher Lloyd, couldn't make their voice performances any better with the laughable dialog they were given. Overall, Foodfight! is an embarrassing, at times nonsensical, disaster that failed horribly to try and be a decent family flick.
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Foodfight!
Release Date February 12, 2013
Director Lawrence Kasanoff
Runtime 91 minutes
4 'Disaster Movie' (2008)
Directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer
Image via Lionsgate
Good-quality parody movies are a bit of a rarity these days. Ever since the early 2000s, this comedy subgenre has reached some significant lows, with notable duds that were either painfully unfunny or were so bad that they became slightly entertaining. 2008's Disaster Movie is the former, an unfocused mess with unamusing jokers, awkward performances, and an overreliance on dated pop-culture references.
The story hardly focuses on a single movie that it's parodying, almost like the filmmakers were just trying to cram in as many movies to make fun of and see which ones would be funny, but none of them were. The story is off the wall and hardly anything makes sense. It's a convoluted, unfunny flop that truly lives up to the "disaster" part of its title. Today, it's one of the lowest-rated movies currently on IMDb.
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A chaotic evening unfolds when unexpected catastrophes strike, compelling a band of friends to confront a whirlwind of surreal and over-the-top disasters. Mimicking various blockbuster hits, they encounter everything from invasions to superstorms, poking fun at cinematic tropes with each misadventure.
Release Date August 29, 2008
Director Jason Friedberg , Aaron Seltzer
Runtime 87 Minutes
3 '365 Days' (2020)
Directed by Barbara Bialowas and Tomasz Mandes
Image via Netflix
Admittedly, the entire 365 Days trilogy could have appeared on this list, but instead, let's focus on easily the most horrendous of the three: 365 Days: This Day. Directed by Barbara Bialowas and Tomasz Mandes, the same directors as the previous one, it's an unbelievably terrible story that somehow makes the two slightly better by comparison.
This is arguably the worst movie anyone could find on Netflix, one that feels truly grueling to watch. While the other two in the series are just as bad, this one stands out slightly due to its weak plot and even worse acting. It's a hard skip for anyone looking for a descent, as they certainly won't find any of that here throughout its runtime.
2 'The Hottie & the Nottie' (2008)
Directed by Tom Putnam
Image via Regent Releasing
Looking for something cringe-worthy? Then look no further than The Hottie & the Nottie, the 2008 blunderous comedy starring Paris Hilton. Where to begin with this remarkably unremarkable mess? It's a bizarre disaster with awkward dialog, mean-spirited messages, predictable storytelling, and jokes as flat as the acting.
It's a top contender for one of the most atrocious comedy and romance movies of all time. Hardly anything goes right throughout its runtime, and it seems to get more cringe-inducing and absurd with each passing scene. It's almost recommendable just to experience how epically terrible it is. It's far from being a good-quality film, but it also wasn't trying to be anything besides a goofy, dumb comedy. It's earned a spot as one of the worst movies on this list.
The Hottie & the Nottie
Release Date February 8, 2008
Director Tom Putnam
Runtime 90
Main Genre Comedy
1 'Jack and Jill' (2011)
Directed by Dennis Dugan
Image via Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
Not only one of the worst comedies of the 2010s but also one of the most terrible movies ever made, Dennis Dugan's 2012 flop Jack and Jill takes the top spot as easily the weakest film to ever come out over the last twenty years. What better film at number one than this Adam Sandler-led disaster, with an infamy that has only gotten stronger over the years?
Jack and Jill is an absolute trainwreck of a picture, one that seems to aggressively insult the audience's intelligence. It's full of painfully unfunny jokes, obnoxious acting, shameless product placements, and even a bizarre Al Pacino appearance. Overall, it's a spectacular mess that will possibly continue to be one of the worst movies of the century.
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Family guy, Jack Sadelstein, prepares for the annual event he always dreads--the Thanksgiving visit of his fraternal twin sister, the needy, and passive-aggressive Jill, who then refuses to leave.
Release Date November 11, 2011
Director Dennis Dugan
Runtime 91
English (US) ·