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The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

5 movies that are so bad . . . they’re good

It happens all the time.

There seems to be absolutely nothing good on television and, all of a sudden, something comes up that is so ridiculous you have to keep watching. Welcome to the world of duds, “B” movies and all of their glory. There is nothing like it in any other media format. These special films are so horrendously bad that they become unintentional masterpieces. (Note: There are movies that are just bad and have no real entertainment value, such as “10,000 B.C.,” but that is a conversation for another day.)

These films provide the perfect entertainment for those long nights of vegetating on the couch. Their sad attempt at comedy and drama is laughable— entertaining only because they are so bad.

Here are five films that I have always found enjoyably bad.

1. “Snakes on a Plane”
On Netflix instant play: No
Genre: Action

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“Snakes on a Plane” is as good as it gets. Samuel L. Jackson stars in this film about, well, snakes on a plane. The plot is as ridiculous as it sounds, and the lines aren’t exactly smooth. During production, the studio took suggestions from fans for lines. Whether it’s setting a microwave to the snake function, getting bitten in the butt by a snake or joining the Mile High Club, this film is as ridiculous as it gets. As long as it’s not taken seriously, it is a great watch.

2. “Crank 2”
On Netflix instant play: Yes
Genre: Action

“Crank 2,” featuring Jason Statham, follows the life of the always-exciting Chev Chelios. This film takes the “Transporter” series and turns it up to the next level of preposterous. Chelios has super human abilities, and the story finds him breaking out of a hospital bed in which his heart was taken out and replaced with a temporary one. He only has a few hours to find his heart before the temporary organ runs out of juice. Chelios travels around, killing people and finding ways to recharge his body that include friction, power cables and placing a car jumper cable on his tongue. Hold on for a crazy adventure through Los Angeles with Chelios and his stripper girlfriend.

3. “Mamma Mia!”
On Netfilx instant play: No
Genre: Musical

Featuring stars such as Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellen Starsgard and Amanda Seyfried, “Mamma Mia” has a lot of star power. However, anyone that has listened to ABBA— the band whose music is featured— might have known that this film was going to be fairly bizarre. With the random crowds of dancers in scuba gear and former James Bond Brosnan’s singing, this movie is hilarious and, at times, downright awful. Over-the-top dance scenes, paired with some catchy songs, make this a film that can be watched over and over again.

4. “Troll 2”
On Netflix instant play: Yes
Genre: Fantasy

“Troll 2” is a regular on lists of the worst movies ever made. With a script written by two Italian directors who barely spoke English and some local actors, it had a lot of potential from the get-go. Set in the town of Nilbog— and yes, that is “goblin” spelled backwards— a young boy, Joshua, and his family decide to switch houses with a family from another town, and live in Nilbog for a week. (I’m not sure who thought that was a good idea.) Little does Joshua know that these villagers are, in fact, goblins in disguise, who are vegetarians and like to turn people into plants and eat them. Throw in the ghost of Joshua’s grandfather with Molotov cocktails and a bologna sandwich, and this film sells itself.

5. “SyFy Specials”
On Netflix instant play: Most of the time
Genre: Science Fiction

Here is an ode to the Sci-Fi Channel specials. Such memorable films as ”Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus,” “Mega Python vs. Gateroid,” “Mansquito” and “Warbirds” make this channel the king of good bad movies. Over-the-top special effects paired with bad actors make these films incredibly entertaining. Nowhere else can you see alligators fed with HGH, or Japanese and American troops from World War II attempting to escape an island protected by prehistoric pterodactyls. Not only are these special effects bad, but they are used in almost every scene.  These movies define the word “cheesy.”

Honorable mentions include: “Doom,” “Waterworld” and “Land of the Lost.”

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