By KATHERINE EKMAN
Initially, I planned to write an article about the absolute worst movies I’ve ever seen in my entire life. But, as I made my list, I realized that I actually ENJOYED watching some of these “bad movies.” That got me thinking, what makes a movie bad, and what makes a bad movie so bad it’s good? For me, a straight-up bad movie is one that: Feels like a punishment to sit through, has characters that aren’t just unlikeable but aggressively uninteresting, or feels like the cast and crew didn’t put their heart into telling the story. Of course, the standard bad movie will also have terrible writing, acting, and CGI, but sometimes those are the very things that push a movie into so bad it’s good territory.
So what makes a movie so bad it’s good? For a movie to be so bad it’s good, it must keep the attention of its audience, be weirdly entertaining, or it could be a really awesome drinking game. A so bad it’s good movie might be a cult classic or ridiculously campy. I hope you can agree with this criteria as I just made a Letterboxd account so I am right about this. I can always appreciate a good, creative risk. In no particular order, here are my top 5 favorite so bad it’s good movies.
- Sharknado
While I think “Sharknado” is intentionally bad, I think it embodies the idea of a movie that is so bad it’s good. The sheer audacity of a tornado filled with man-eating sharks? That’s camp. The movie peeks when our main character, Fin Shepard, leaps into the mouth of a shark with a chainsaw. For a split second, the side characters think he’s dead, until he saws himself out of the shark’s body. “Sharknado” is proof that with a low enough budget and enough enthusiasm, even the worst ideas can become brilliant.
- 2012
I had the privilege of watching “2012” last year when it randomly came on cable. At first, I thought there was no way I was gonna sit through this. The next thing I know, I’m watching 2 hours and 40 minutes of natural disasters wipe out the United States. Aside from the insanely long run time, the over-the-top CGI on this film actually makes it semi-entertaining, though all the main characters are too nonchalant about narrowly escaping the ground crumbling beneath them.
- Fred 2: Night of The Living Fred
FRED. IS. BACK. A local Fred expert, Ava Parr’25, gave me her tantalizing thoughts on “Fred 2.” Parr says “it really tells the story of a man who’s misunderstood, and Fred is the character who you don’t take seriously. Fred initially agrees with society about this man and his freak behavior but in the end, Fred is the one who sees his teacher for his true self.” There’s something to be said about Fred’s voice piercing our ears, but his charming personality will pierce your heart.
- The Kissing Booth
What the world NEEDS is more movies based on Wattpad fan fiction and I’m not afraid to say it. This movie is full of lines that y/n said in a fanfic written by xXharrystylxsXx. The movie ends with an actual kissing booth and then the whole school gets mono. When asked about the film, Vivian Kopka‘27 said “I didn’t know I was into really tall men until I saw Jacob Elordi pick up Gypsy Rose.” In this instance, Kopka means Joey King. Joey King has range.
- Radio Rebel
I think I could make a full list of Disney Channel Original Movies that fit this criteria but “Radio Rebel” stands out among the rest. Everyone loves a Disney Channel Original Movie with a juicy secret. Unlike Hannah Montana and “Princess Protection Program”, the fame that “Radio Rebel” has is possible for a girl like me at WBCR. *tucks hair behind ear* Maybe it’s nostalgia, but Debby Ryan really knows how to be a radio rebel. The iconic hair tuck behind the ears mixed with that damn smirk, truly groundbreaking.
Featured image: Vivian Kopka ’27
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