So bad they're good - why do we love terrible films?

Why do people enjoy watching movies that critics say are terrible? Sometimes, when a film gets very low ratings, it actually makes people more interested in seeing it. A recent example is the new version of War of the Worlds starring Ice Cube. In this movie, Ice Cube plays a government agent who has to save the world from an alien invasion, but he never leaves his desk. The entire film is shown through his computer screen or his face on the monitor. Critics were not impressed and gave it a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning not a single critic liked it. However, when people saw how bad the reviews were, some became curious and wanted to watch it for themselves. There is something about a movie that everyone agrees is bad that makes people want to see what all the fuss is about. Lon Harris, a podcast producer, said that movies with very low scores are just as interesting to him as movies with very high scores. He explained that most movies are bland and forgettable, but a truly bad movie stands out. Harris watched War of the Worlds and found it silly and funny. Ice Cube spends the whole movie reacting to things on his laptop, and there is a strange subplot about Amazon drone deliveries. The movie was made during the pandemic, which explains why Ice Cube's character has to save his family and the world from a distance. Harris said that watching a movie that is not polished or slick can be charming. You can see the filmmakers trying their best, even if they have budget problems or production setbacks. That makes the movie more interesting than just another alien invasion story. After the initial negative reviews, one critic decided to give War of the Worlds a chance and ended up enjoying it. He said the movie is not really that bad. It is definitely silly, but also a lot of fun. His positive review raised the movie's score from 0% to 4%. Some movies are famous for being so bad that they have become cult classics. Samurai Cop is one example. It is known for its terrible acting and fight scenes, but people love it so much that it got a sequel 24 years later. Timon Singh, who started the Bristol Bad Film Club, said that truly awful movies are more entertaining than forgettable blockbusters. He mentioned that Samurai Cop is a terrible film, but it is 90 minutes of enjoyable bad acting and action. In contrast, big movies like Transformers: The Last Knight can be boring and easy to forget. Another cult favorite is The Room, made by Tommy Wiseau. The Room is often called a 'trash masterpiece' and has a 24% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Katharine Coldiron, who wrote a book about bad movies, said that it is better to watch a filmmaker try hard and fail than to watch someone who is just going through the motions. She said her favorite bad movie is Staying Alive, the sequel to Saturday Night Fever. The movie was a commercial success but was panned by critics. She enjoys watching it and yelling at the screen because the characters are so strange. Rotten Tomatoes has a list of the worst movies ever, mostly from the last 25 years. The top five are Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever, One Missed Call, Left Behind, A Thousand Words, and Gotti. All of these movies have 0% critic ratings. Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever is an action movie with bad acting and fight scenes. One Missed Call is a horror movie that is not scary. Left Behind is about people disappearing from a plane, but it is not exciting. A Thousand Words is about a man who cannot speak or a magical tree will die, and it is not funny. Gotti is about a crime boss, but people did not like it at all. Even though these movies are considered terrible, some people enjoy watching them because they are different and memorable. Bad movies can be more fun than movies that are just okay. They give people something to talk about and remember, which is why some terrible films become popular and have loyal fans.