Fans have loved science fiction cinema for about as long as we've had movies.
But, as popular as the genre has always been, not every flight of fantasy becomes the next
Metropolis, Star Wars or Arrival.
Many productions are guilty of committing a variety of unforgivable sci-fi sins.
From unbelievable worlds, to unlikeable characters, or bungling important story details, these
all came up short, and landed a spot in cinematic history as the worst sci-fi movies ever made.
Passengers
2016's space-bound odyssey, Passengers, looked good on paper, but it was ruined by its script.
Director Morten Tyldum had just been nominated for a Best Director Oscar for The Imitation
Game, and Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence were more than capable as co-stars.
The ads made it look like a beautiful sci-fi romance…
"We're on a date."
"Very nice."
"Took you long enough to ask."
...But then people saw the movie.
Pratt's hibernating character is woken up by a ship malfunction, and spends a year in
total isolation.
Then, he wakes up Lawrence's character, even though he knows she won't be able to re-enter
hibernation and will therefore be robbed of her life on the colony planet.
Although she's angry when this truth is revealed, a dramatic finale where the pair save the
ship leads her to accept spending her life with him.
Critic Rebecca Hawkes called Passengers:
"A creepy ode to manipulation."
Many others agreed that Pratt's creepiness, and the fact that it's forgiven, ruined the
movie, which sits at 31 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Howard the Duck
Produced by George Lucas, 1986's Howard the Duck has all sorts of problems.
It's based on a Marvel comic book about a sarcastic talking duck from another dimension,
but where the comic is satirical, the movie has no point of view.
It does, however, portray an intimate relationship between a woman and a duck, which a lot of
viewers found pretty gross.
Legendary film critic Gene Siskel spoke for audiences everywhere when he asked,
"Who was this stupid film made for?"
The answer is "nobody," if we're going by the number of people who went to see it.
"They know I'm a phony.
They know I'm a yo-yo."
Years before their stable of comics characters conquered the box office, Howard the Duck
proved Marvel wasn't anywhere close to being ready for Hollywood.
Alien from L.A.
The most notable thing about 1988's Alien from L.A. is that it stars iconic '80s model,
Kathy Ireland, who plays an awkward nerd who only becomes "hot" as she journeys through
the strange underground civilization of Atlantis in search of her father.
"I should probably go, Annie Pearl.
I mean, Mr. Mahoney thinks it's important enough to send me a plane ticket."
Directed by noted schlockmeister Albert Pyun, the movie is dull and visually unappealing,
despite Ireland's presence.
While spinning an old legend is a time-honored sci-fi tradition, putting Atlantis under the
dirt instead of under the sea feels like the budget-friendly choice.
The whole thing is memorable only for the episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 that
makes fun of it.
"See, this should have a brain in it."
Laserblast
Having also landed a Mystery Science Theatre episode, Laserblast tells the story of a bullied
teenage boy who finds a laser cannon and a matching badge out in the desert.
When he wears the badge, he can fire the cannon.
But the badge starts growing into his body, and the power slowly turns him into a murderous
monster.
He also happens to be the target of some dino-like alien cops, who ultimately put an end to his
rampage.
The stop-motion aliens are easily the best part of the movie, with Director Charles Band
claiming the design of E.T.
was directly based on them.
And speaking of everyone's favorite Extra Terrestrial..
Mac and Me
Producer R.J.
Louis believed it was time for, quote, "a new generation to have its E.T.", which was
odd, since Mac and Me came out in 1988, just six years after E.T.'s release.
"This must be like what they drink on their own planet."
Louis had a working relationship with McDonald's from his time in advertising, and had a grand
plan to get them involved in cross-marketing the movie.
But the idea didn't land with audiences.
Critic Chris Hicks commented,
"I'm not sure I've ever seen a movie that is as crass a 90-minute commercial as Mac
and Me."
On top of that, the plot was a ripoff of E.T., but with worse special effects and an alien
who wasn't nearly as cute.
Galaxina
An attempt to make a fun, sexy movie in the mold of Barbarella, 1980's Galaxina didn't
have the talent of Barbarella star Jane Fonda or director Roger Vadim.
Instead, it had Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten and director William Sachs, who had previously
made The Incredible Melting Man, which was also pretty bad.
Stratten looked great, but was actually playing a sexless android, who doesn't even talk until
she reprograms herself halfway through the movie.
"She cleans, she cooks, she does windows, and more."
Sachs attempts to parody sci-fi hits like Star Wars and Alien, but as critic Jeffrey
Anderson put it,
"The jokes are little more than references and they simply don't work."
Stratten was tragically murdered by her estranged husband two months after the movie was released,
which cast a pall over the film.
These days, rather than being discussed on its own merits, it appears as an addendum
to Stratten's tragic real-life story.