The Absolute Worst Science Fiction Movies Ever Made

[Cail]

I'm one of the rare few who enjoyed both Waterworld and The Postman.

[aTOMiC]

I liked the concept of Waterworld and found the film entertaining. By the time I saw WW I felt as though I had seen one too many post world wide disaster, we don't have any money so we're going to trot out some tattered clothing and some beat up old cars and pretend no one will notice, kind of film. Waterworld on the surface appears to be of the aforementioned genre but in the end doesn't fit in this category for the simple reason that Costner spent a fortune on the production. Its Mad Maxx on the open sea with a few wrinkles thrown in for flavor. Just close your eyes and imagine WW starring Mel Gibson and then you might see what I mean. I own a copy of WW and now that its been brought up in discussion I think I dust it off and have another look.

[Cheval]

I'm one of the rare few who enjoyed both Waterworld and The Postman.

I liked The Postman. Especially the part where KC first meets with Tom Petty.
Kevin: "Hey, I know you. You're famous!"
Tom: "Yeah, I was... once."

[danlo]

Ah I see it all very clearly now the

Spoiler

Exxon Valdez

is Thunderdome! What I really wanted to know was

Spoiler

how they survived on the island

and how all the fuel and Jack Daniels stayed potent after all those years...

[Dragonlily]

I liked The Postman. Especially the part where KC first meets with Tom Petty.
Kevin: "Hey, I know you. You're famous!"
Tom: "Yeah, I was... once."

Yes, wasn't that fun? Good lines. I liked Tom Petty all the way through his section. He absolutely crackled with mischief. Yet another example of Costner's excellent casting in that film.

[danlo]

hmm, Tom Petty as Havelock! (Whoops, wrong forum )

[safetyjedi]

Going back to Persis in ST:TMP I think it was the English that she was having trouble with, I remember DeForest Kelley saying one time at a convention that if the movie would have been done in her native tongue, she would have won an Oscar. Overall, great special effects for its day but it was simply a looooooooooong drawn out TV series episode. My favorites in that series were III and ST:FC. V is one of the worst big budget films ever made, IMO.

[matrixman]

Going back to Persis in ST:TMP I think it was the English that she was having trouble with, I remember DeForest Kelley saying one time at a convention that if the movie would have been done in her native tongue, she would have won an Oscar.

My favorites in [the Star Trek movie] series were III and ST:FC. V is one of the worst big budget films ever made, IMO.

Thanks for that tidbit from DeForest Kelly!

I have issues with First Contact, but I know it's considered by many Trek fans to be one of the better films. No argument about ST III, however. It was a great directorial debut for Leonard Nimoy!

And definitely no argument concerning ST V. Funny that you mention "big budget" because I think the movie clearly suffers from the lack of a sufficient budget (okay, that and just a plain bad script). The story goes that William Shatner said Paramount did not provide him with enough of a budget to realize his vision of what the movie should have been. He couldn't even hire ILM for the film, thus explaining the dubious, substandard visual effects. So I feel kind of sorry for the guy.

Of course, since the script was bad to begin with, I'm not sure that a bigger budget would have somehow rescued the film, or if it would have just magnified the film's badness to new heights, or lows...

[Avatar]

Its Mad Maxx on the open sea...

Wow. I've always described it as "Mad Max meets The Abyss." You're clearly a man of genius TOM.

--Avatar

[High Lord Tolkien]

"Excuse me.. excuse me, I'd.. just like to ask a question... what does
God need with a Starship?"

[Variol Farseer]

Going back to Persis in ST:TMP I think it was the English that she was having trouble with, I remember DeForest Kelley saying one time at a convention that if the movie would have been done in her native tongue, she would have won an Oscar. Overall, great special effects for its day but it was simply a looooooooooong drawn out TV series episode.

Agreed, most definitely.

I like the nickname it received soon after release — 'Star Trek: The Motionless Picture'.

I don't care how good an actress Persis was, or how many languages she could speak. You cannot turn in an Oscar-winning performance by pointing off-camera and chanting, 'Veeeeee-ger!' . . . over and over and over, in 300 different scenes!

[safetyjedi]

Still, you gotta admit that bald chicks are kinda hot, Sinead Connor aside.

[dANdeLION]

I read a book about the making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. According to the writer, Persis was a model who looked perfect for the part, but after they hired her they made the appalling discovery that she couldn't act.

You don't need no stinking book to see she couldn't act......now that female vulcan in Star Trek II; she could act.

[safetyjedi]

Except now she is the "Fat Actress"

[dANdeLION]

Her body weight has no effect on her acting abilities, you chauvanist pig.

Spoiler

though it sure has affected her hotness!

[safetyjedi]

[danlo]

Ah the Star Trek thread! Well I vote for Wrath of Khan as the best. Worst? I don't know.

Along with Plan 9 From Outer Space lets go back to the late 50s with spaceships guided by visible wires like Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers and The Red Ants on the Moon and you can't vote for The Attack of the Giant Crab Monsters: it's chessiness is it's genius.

Before RAotM and Them! The best of "buggies" was:

[safetyjedi]

There's also the godzilla movies except for the first one.

[dANdeLION]

The mere existence of a 2nd Godzilla film makes the ending of the 1st one even more confusing than Burton's PotA ending.

[matrixman]

hmm, Tom Petty as Havelock! (Whoops, wrong forum )

Yeah! Especially if Petty uses his Mad Hatter costume from the Don't Come Around Here No More video!