Nobody ever wants to make a bad movie, butsome films are just plain awful. Maybe it’s the story and dialogue, or maybe it’s the acting and overall direction. Or maybe it’s a combination of all of the above that makes a film borderline unwatchable. In theory, these elements should fit together like puzzle pieces, creating what’s hopefully a beautiful picture. When it comes to bad movies, these puzzle pieces don’t quite fit together, creating a sloppy mishmash that doesn’t work for critics and audiences.
But sometimes, even a horrible movie might have one redeemable scene. A flash of brilliance, a beautiful puzzle piece that stands out in an otherwise messy picture. Whether it’s two minutes or forty minutes, these are scenes that you remember fondly years later, along with how terrible that movie was. Let’s now take a look at – but not watch – ten, poorly received films with one incredible scene that just might make you forget how awful that movie really is.
10Therapy Session
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
The Matrix Resurrections
Between its ground-breaking special effects and unique dystopian story,The Matrixisone of the most original movies of all time. Here, the world we know and experience every day is nothing more than a computer-generated reality. And we’re all trapped inside of it, living against our will in this grand illusion. The tremendous success ofThe Matrixturned it into a trilogy. And then 18 years later, we got the sequel that no one needed or asked for. 2021’sThe Matrix Resurrectionsmight’ve scored a decent 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, but don’t let that fool you. This movie was a box office bomb.
Shockingly, the best scene inThe Matrix Resurrectionsisn’t even an action scene. There’s a point when Neo, trapped once again in a virtual reality, meets with his therapist, who’s played by Neil Patrick Harris. His therapist, known as The Analyst, convinces Neo that his job as a video game designer has made it difficult for him to discern reality from fantasy; that his illusions of the Matrix are nothing more than projections of his own imagination. Neo as a disturbed video game architect was a cool angle, until suddenly it wasn’t.
The Matrix Resurrectionstried to be a continuation of the old story, slapping new faces onto old characters, but it didn’t quite work. It seemingly gutted Neo (Keanu Reeves) and replaced him with Trinity (Carrie-Amme Moss) and was sorely missing several actors who made the franchise so iconic. For most fans,The Matrix Resurrectionswas a lifeless shell of the originalMatrix.
9Duel of the Fates
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
The beginning of the Skywalker Saga, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace sees young Anakin Skywalker put on his path to discovering his ability to influence the Force. While attempting to thwart the nefarious Trade Federation in their plans for the planet of Naboo, two Jedi discover an exceptionally-gifted slave with the ability to wield the Force. Little do they know, rescuing him is just the beginning of a saga that will span generations of the Skywalker family.
Back in 1999,Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menacewas a major movie event. It had been sixteen years since fans had seen a new Star Wars movie. Remember – there was no Disney+ back then, constantly shoving new Star Wars content down our throats. Fans were foaming at the mouth when Star Wars creator George Lucas announced that he’d be making a prequel trilogy.
Many fans, as well as critics, were left disappointed withThe Phantom Menace.People criticized its stale writing, childish characters, racist stereotypes, and overemphasis on politics. While there is a generation of fans who love this film, most people would agree thatThe Phantom Menaceis not a good movie. Just look at its critics score (52%) and its audience score (59%) on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Phantom Menacedid have some positives. And its biggest one by far is the 2 vs 1 lightsaber duel between Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Maul. Who can forget that epic score from John Williams,Duel of the Fates?As soon asDuel of the Fatesbegins playing – and Darth Maul appears, reveals his crown of horns for the first time, and whips out his double-bladed lightsaber – we know that we’re in for a treat. This battle ramped up the choreography, churning out a lightsaber duel that’s more epic than anything we had seen before. To this day, this remains one of the best lightsaber duels in the Star Wars galaxy.
Noah (2014)
Noahis exactly like it sounds. It recounts the famous biblical story of Noah’s Ark with sweeping visuals and artistic flair, thanks to Darren Aronofsky’s direction. It’s led by an all-star cast that includes Russell Crowe as the titular character, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, and Anthony Hopkins.Noahwas actually well-received by critics, scoring an impressive 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, however, weren’t as crazy about it. Despite a strong box office performance,Noahscored only 41% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes and was criticized for its lack of diversity and environmentalist political messages.
There is one scene, though, that’s stuck with movie-goers over the years. As Noah recounts the biblical story of creation, we’re treated to a montage of the universe’s birth. We see the universe spring into being, followed by all the galaxies, suns, and planets. We see life grow from single-cell organisms, to fish swimming in the ocean, to mammals venturing across land. We witness the fall of Adam and Eve, the world’s first murder, and all the centuries of bloodshed that followed. It’s the kind of visually stimulating montage that you’d expect from a gifted director like Aronofsky.
The Best Scenes in Quentin Tarantino’s Filmography, Ranked
Quentin Tarantino has some of the most memorable movie scenes in the modern Hollywood era. Here are the 10 most essential moments from his films.
7"Just when I thought I Was Out…"
The Godfather Part III (1990)
The Godfather: Part III
The Godfather: Part IIIwas the lackluster conclusion toThe Godfathersaga. It’s the finale that nobody wanted or needed, especially whenThe Godfather: Part IIended so perfectly. Several members of the original cast reprised their roles for the film, like Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, Diane Keaton as Kay Adams, and Talia Shire as Connie Corleone. Although the movie scored 66% and 68% respectively from critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, most people agree thatThe Godfather Part IIIis a bad film, especially when compared to the first two installments.
There are a couple of gems in this movie, though. There’s an awesome scene where Michael meets with the heads of other crime families in a hotel conference room.
Everything seems to be going fine until you hear the sound of approaching helicopter blades. The helicopter hovers over the conference room and opens fire, shooting and killing many of the mobsters. Shortly afterward, Michael is meeting with his own family to discuss what just happened when he growls, “Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in.” It’s one of the few quotable lines fromThe Godfather Part IIIand has actually become an iconic scene.
6Underwater World
Waterworld (1995)
Waterworld
Kevin Costner’s infamousWaterworldis a post-apocalyptic tale set in a distant future where the polar ice caps have melted, submerging Earth’s land masses underwater. With a budget of $175 million, this was the most expensive film ever made at the time. Between its overinflated budget and negative critical reviews,Waterworldsank at the box office. It holds a rotten 47% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The concept behindWaterworld, though, is great, and there’s one scene in particular that drives this point home. In this scene, the Mariner (Costner) uses a homemade diving bell to go for a deep dive into the ocean. We’re offered here a glimpse of the underwater world, skyscrapers that have been buried by waves. We see the remains of human civilization, the eerie ruins of Denver, Colorado. It’s a cool but chilling scene that reminds us of our current environmental issues – and what humanity’s future might look like if we don’t do something soon to fix it.
5War Montage
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Fans were thrilled when it was first announced that Wolverine, arguably the best and most popular character inX-Men,would be getting his own movie, starring Hugh Jackman as the famed mutant.X-Men Origins: Wolverinestarted out promising. It kicks off with an awesome war montage that shows Logan (Jackman) and his soon-to-be arch nemesis, Sabertooth (Liev Schreiber), fighting in every major American war, dating all the way back to the Civil War.
The more wars they fight in, the more vicious Sabertooth becomes. “Wow, this movie is going to be awesome!” we all thought after watching this montage. But nope, that’s just about the only good scene in the movie. The rest ofX-Men Origins: Wolverineis lackluster and ridden with clichés, landing the film a 38% on Rotten Tomatoes.
4The Golden Gate Bridge Brawl
A View to a Kill (1985)
A View to a Kill
Hollywood has churned outalotof James Bond moviesover the years. Some of them are incredible. Others…well, not so much.A View to a Killis one of those 007 movies that falls into the bad category. Like 37%-on-Rotten-Tomatoes bad. As in the-second-worst-rated-movie-in-the-Bond-franchise bad. The film was criticized for its campy, over-the-top scenes, which went perfectly with Christopher Walken’s crazed villain.
Most 007 movies feature an epic final showdown between Bond and the villain, and for all its faults,A View to a Killdoes manage to provide this. Here, Bond (Roger Moore) is hanging on for dear life, as Max Zorin’s (Walken) blimp goes soaring over San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Bond miraculously manages to tie the blimp to the bridge without getting destroyed.
What follows is a solid, anxiety-inducing brawl on the narrow wires of the Golden Gate Bridge, high above the Pacific Ocean. Zorin’s death is a little strange; he lets out an ill-timed chuckle that feels like a blooper when one of his henchmen calls out to him. Nevertheless, it’s a cool scene in an otherwise awful movie.
3Final Train Chase Scene
The Lone Ranger (2013)
The Lone Ranger
In 2013, Disney attempted to bring the masked cowboy, the Lone Ranger, back to the big screen.And the studio failed epically.The Lone Rangerwas met with negativity for its long run time and bloated story. It was also rightfully criticized for whitewashing its Native American character, Tonto, with Johnny Depp. The film scored a rotten 31% on Rotten Tomatoes and lost a whopping $221 million, forcing Disney to scrap their plans for a sequel. But not evenThe Lone Ranger’sharshest critics can knock the film’s impressive cinematography, costumes, and production design. Or that final train chase.
This scene follows two trains that are riding alongside one another, each one filled with heroes and villains. As the Lone Ranger theme booms epically in the background (“William Tell Overture” by Gioachino Rossini), we see the iconic masked hero galloping on his steed, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, and then from train to train. Bullets fly and enemies clash in this action-packed scene that you’re sure to remember.
2Pearl Harbor Attack
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Pearl Harbor
It was only a matter of time before Hollywood made a movie about Pearl Harbor, one of the most tragic events in American history. It could’ve been a masterpiece, a la other history-based films likeTitanicorSaving Private Ryan. Unfortunately, for 2001’sPearl Harbor, action filmmaker Michael Bay was tapped to direct, and a love triangle was made the focus of the story.
Pearl Harborwas led by an all-star cast that includes Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett, and many others. This movie wasn’t torn apart by audiences; it has a decent audience score of 66% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was, however,destroyed by critics like Roger Ebert, who bashed its boring romance and laughable dialogue, leaving the film with a lowly 24%.
But amid this mess lies the centerpiece of the film: the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It’s what we’ve all come to see, a 40-minute explosive scene that captures the horrors of the infamous Japanese bombing. We see battleships bursting into flames and brave soldiers screaming for their lives, clutching the hands of their brethren as they drown in the Pacific Ocean. This devastating scene is sure to tug at your heartstrings, no matter how much you might hatePearl Harbor.
10 Really Fun Movies Critics Hated
Sometimes, even the best critics can miss the point of a film. Sometimes, a movie is just entertainment.
1Ambulance Pursuit
Madame Web (2024)
Madame Web
With its 11% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes,Madame Webhas gone down as one of the worst movies of 2024. It tells the origin story of Madame Webb (Johnson), who must save three future Spider-Women from being hunted down and killed by an evil-looking Spider-Man. It’s another uninspired superhero origin story. Another unnecessary Spider-Man adjacent film by Sony, who’s desperate to get something going with their Spider-Man property. Not even A-listers like Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney could spare this movie from its scathing reviews.
But even the abysmalMadame Webhas at least one good scene. Here, evil Spider-Man has the future Spider-Women cornered. But at the last second, Madame Webb comes crashing through a billboard in a blaring ambulance and absolutely pummels evil Spider-Man. An action-packed ambulance pursuit then ensues, as evil Spider-Man chases after his targets. It’s a pretty cool scene that almost makes you forget how bad this movie really is. Almost.
