Worst movies of the '90s
The 1990s represent a monumental decade for the film industry. Independent films were on the rise, CGI-heavy blockbusters like "Jurassic Park" became more prominent, Disney and Pixar raised the bar on animation, and bold titles like "Pulp Fiction" made their marks on pop culture. However, it was also something of a terrible time for video game adaptations, formulaic franchise installments, and movies about superintelligent talking babies, at least from a critical perspective.
Each decade, a slew of inferior fare counterbalances critical and commercial smashes. Movies are nearly impossible to execute, after all, and so the ones that really work are often the exception and not the rule. It doesn't help when film studios try too hard to capitalize on contemporary trends or simply hire the wrong talent for the job.
Stacker used information from IMDb to rank the worst movies of the '90s. The rankings are based on user reviews from the website—the lower the rating, the worse the film is, ranking it higher on the list. In the case of a tie, the movie with more votes ranks higher on the list. All of these films have at least 25,000 user votes and were released in English between 1990 and 1999. Which of these ill-received '90s movies have you seen?
#50. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1995)
- Director: Bryan Spicer
- IMDb user rating: 5.2
- Metascore: 40
- Runtime: 95 minutes
Japan's Super Sentai media franchise inspired both an American TV series and two 1990s movies about these titular superheroes. In the first feature installment, the Power Rangers take on the evil villain Ivan Ooze. It stars the same ensemble cast from the concurrent television show.
#49. Congo (1995)
- Director: Frank Marshall
- IMDb user rating: 5.2
- Metascore: 22
- Runtime: 109 minutes
This sci-fi actioner was one of the decade's many Michael Crichton adaptations. "Congo" follows a search team deep into the African Congo, where they come up against a bizarre experiment with deadly consequences. "The least interesting adventure ever filmed," wrote Washington Post critic Desson Thomson in his review.
#48. Spawn (1997)
- Director: Mark A.Z. Dippé
- IMDb user rating: 5.2
- Metascore: 34
- Runtime: 96 minutes
Michael Jai White portrays Todd McFarlane's comic book character Spawn, a former Marine who returns to life by becoming a servant of hell. With the demon known as the Violator (John Leguizamo) to guide him, Spawn seeks revenge on his former supervisor (Martin Sheen) for his death. Critics did not like the film's story or its excessive violence.
#47. Lost in Space (1998)
- Director: Stephen Hopkins
- IMDb user rating: 5.2
- Metascore: 42
- Runtime: 130 minutes
The Robinson family is lost in space after a saboteur (Gary Oldman) throws them off course. Based on the 1960s television series, this movie adaptation featured multiple callbacks to its source material. Unfortunately for the film, its darker tone was thought by critics to be detrimental in this reimagining of the campy original show.
#46. An American Werewolf in Paris (1997)
- Director: Anthony Waller
- IMDb user rating: 5.1
- Metascore: 31
- Runtime: 98 minutes
This horror comedy sequel failed to conjure the twisted charms of its cult classic predecessor on every front. It moves the action to Paris, where an American tourist (Tom Everett Scott) gets romantically involved with a local werewolf (Julie Delpy). Delpy later claimed she only took on the role to make rent.
#45. Toys (1992)
- Director: Barry Levinson
- IMDb user rating: 5.1
- Metascore: 40
- Runtime: 118 minutes
Director Barry Levinson ("Bugsy," "Rain Man") explored his zanier side with this comedic misfire. Robin Williams plays the rightful heir to a toy factory, who must rescue it from the clutches of a maniacal owner (Michael Gambon). Stellar production design and vibrant colors help elevate an otherwise muddled story.
#44. Child's Play 3 (1991)
- Director: Jack Bender
- IMDb user rating: 5.1
- Metascore: 27
- Runtime: 90 minutes
The world's deadliest doll returned for this critically maligned installment, which sends Chucky to military school. It tanked at the box office and threatened to put a nail in the franchise's coffin. The fourth entry, "Bride of Chucky," doubled as something of a reboot seven years later.
#43. Nothing But Trouble (1991)
- Director: Dan Aykroyd
- IMDb user rating: 5.0
- Metascore: 13
- Runtime: 94 minutes
Dan Aykroyd wrote, directed, and starred as mad Judge Alvin 'J.P' Valkenheiser in this gross-out comedy. Determined to settle personal grudges, Valkenheiser and his family kidnap members of the elitist class. Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman gave the movie an F score and called it "sheer hell" in his 1991 review.
#42. The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990)
- Director: George Miller
- IMDb user rating: 5.0
- Metascore: 30
- Runtime: 89 minutes
What good would the 1984 children's classic "The NeverEnding Story" be if said story ended? Studio executives may have asked themselves that very question when greenlighting this contrived sequel, which returns viewers to a fantasy world. It was shot on a higher budget than its blockbuster predecessor, only to bomb at the box office.
#41. Virus (1999)
- Director: John Bruno
- IMDb user rating: 5.0
- Metascore: 19
- Runtime: 99 minutes
The only directorial narrative feature from special effects artist John Bruno adapts a comic book but also borrows from several previous movies. The story follows a tugboat crew aboard an abandoned Russian vessel, where they contend with killer robots and a powerful alien entity. Star Jamie Lee Curtis didn't mince words when she later referred to it as a "piece of sh*t" that she "made in the '90s."
#40. Sliver (1993)
- Director: Phillip Noyce
- IMDb user rating: 5.0
- Metascore: 38
- Runtime: 107 minutes
Sharon Stone followed her breakout performance in "Basic Instinct" with this unmemorable erotic thriller. She plays the new tenant in a New York City high-rise, who's also the next target of a voyeuristic serial killer. A troubled production and poor test screenings didn't stop it from making over $116 million at the worldwide box office.
#39. The Phantom (1996)
- Director: Simon Wincer
- IMDb user rating: 5.0
- Metascore: 53
- Runtime: 100 minutes
In the wake of Tim Burton's "Batman" came several less successful comic book adaptations, including this one. Billy Zane tackles the title role, donning a mask and purple costume as he battles a criminal mastermind (Treat Williams). It opened to negative reviews and poor box office numbers.
#38. Showgirls (1995)
- Director: Paul Verhoeven
- IMDb user rating: 5.0
- Metascore: 16
- Runtime: 128 minutes
This erotic drama was hyped up for its NC-17 rating, a rarity in the industry. The film follows a drifter (Elizabeth Berkley) who attempts to work her way up from stripper to showgirl. With its excessive nudity and sexual content, critics labeled the film as "vile" and misogynistic.
#37. The Haunting (1999)
- Director: Jan de Bont
- IMDb user rating: 5.0
- Metascore: 42
- Runtime: 113 minutes
A remake of a 1960s film which itself was a book adaptation, "The Haunting" has Liam Neeson portray Doctor David Marrow, who invites a handful of people (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson, and Lili Taylor) to participate in what he claims to be an insomnia study. The study takes place in a mysterious manor which is later determined to be haunted. Even with lavish production design and visual effects, the film received bad marks from critics for being clichéd.
#36. The Flintstones (1994)
- Director: Brian Levant
- IMDb user rating: 5.0
- Metascore: 38
- Runtime: 91 minutes
The popular primetime cartoon received its first live-action adaptation, with John Goodman playing Fred Flintstone and Rick Moranis as Barney Rubble. Flintstone is manipulated by a villainous executive played by Kyle MacLachlan, causing discord amongst these familiar characters. While the production design was praised, the film was considered too mature for young audiences.
#35. Beethoven's 2nd (1993)
- Director: Rod Daniel
- IMDb user rating: 4.9
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 89 minutes
A massive but lovable St. Bernard is back, and so are his owners in this sequel to the 1992 surprise smash. For his second act, the rambunctious canine spawns pups and squares off against dognappers. Six straight-to-video installments would follow.
#34. Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)
- Director: John Landis
- IMDb user rating: 4.9
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 123 minutes
Released 18 years after the original cult classic, this unnecessary sequel swaps in John Goodman for the late John Belushi and suffers as a result. Director John Landis and star Dan Aykroyd wrote the screenplay, bringing the band back together for another misadventure. It holds a Guinness World Record for the largest car pile-up on film, which seems like a fitting metaphor.
#33. Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992)
- Director: Randal Kleiser
- IMDb user rating: 4.9
- Metascore: 50
- Runtime: 89 minutes
Scientist Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) has a new experiment up his sleeve in this less effective sequel to the 1989 comedy blockbuster. When his latest invention springs to life, it turns his two-year-old son into a giant of Godzilla-like proportions. "Too bad the movie relies on special effects to carry the show, and doesn't bring much else to the party," wrote critic Roger Ebert in his 1.5-star review.
#32. Wild Wild West (1999)
- Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
- IMDb user rating: 4.9
- Metascore: 38
- Runtime: 106 minutes
In this cyberpunk western adventure, Will Smith and Kevin Kline play Secret Service agents—with access to wacky technological wonders—who are charged with protecting President Ulysses S. Grant. This project reunited Smith and director Barry Sonnenfeld, who worked on "Men in Black" together. However, this film was lacking in the laughs department.
#31. Leprechaun (1993)
- Director: Mark Jones
- IMDb user rating: 4.8
- Metascore: 17
- Runtime: 92 minutes
An angry leprechaun (Warwick Davis) is on a murderous hunt for his missing pot of gold in this gory horror comedy. It gave Jennifer Aniston her earliest lead role in a feature film and became a surprise cult hit. Several sequels would follow, only one of which was released theatrically.
#30. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)
- Director: Stuart Gillard
- IMDb user rating: 4.8
- Metascore: 40
- Runtime: 96 minutes
The heroes in a half-shell journey back in time to 17th-century Japan in this final installment of a film trilogy. It marked a turning point for the TMNT franchise, which went out of fashion during the second half of the decade and was rebooted in the 2000s.
#29. Double Team (1997)
- Director: Hark Tsui
- IMDb user rating: 4.8
- Metascore: 44
- Runtime: 93 minutes
A moveable feast of fledgling movie careers, this action comedy partners Jean-Claude Van Damme with flamboyant NBA star Dennis Rodman. Despite their personality differences, the pair join forces to take on the evil Stavros (Mickey Rourke). It won three Razzie Awards, including Worst Screen Couple.
#28. Anaconda (1997)
- Director: Luis Llosa
- IMDb user rating: 4.8
- Metascore: 37
- Runtime: 89 minutes
A documentary film crew encounters a snake hunter (Jon Voight) and comes face-to-face with a dangerous anaconda. The snake picks off the crew one by one in horror movie fashion. The film got mixed reviews, mainly for its lack of characterization.
#27. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
- Director: Joe Chappelle
- IMDb user rating: 4.7
- Metascore: 10
- Runtime: 87 minutes
An arguable nadir for an uneven franchise, the sixth "Halloween" entry aligns serial killer Michael Myers with a deadly cult. Series stalwart Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) teams up with a grown Tommy Doyle (Paul Rudd) to stop the bloodshed. Pleasence died months before its release.
#26. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
- Director: Rachel Talalay
- IMDb user rating: 4.7
- Metascore: 39
- Runtime: 89 minutes
The sixth installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise wasn't exactly as "final" as the title suggested, though it did cap off an initial film series. Theatrically released in 3D, it sends Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) after the one teenager who got away. "Plotted by the brain-dead, the story seems more like a crazed collection of cast-off ideas and scenes than a serious attempt at horror filmmaking," wrote critic Marc Savlov for the Austin Chronicle.
#25. Junior (1994)
- Director: Ivan Reitman
- IMDb user rating: 4.7
- Metascore: 59
- Runtime: 109 minutes
This Schwarzenegger family film had the action star portray a male scientist who becomes pregnant due to a fertility experiment. His relationship with fellow scientist Dr. Reddin (Emma Thompson) advances during the absurd ordeal. Even with the funny-enough premise, most critics lambasted the comedy.
#24. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
- Director: Danny Cannon
- IMDb user rating: 4.7
- Metascore: 21
- Runtime: 100 minutes
A direct sequel to the horror film "I Know What You Did Last Summer," the characters from the first film are still traumatized after surviving a series of murders. Soon, the teenagers find themselves stalked again by the same murderous fisherman. The first film itself didn't receive many great reviews, but the sequel set a lower bar with a story called "predictable" and "boring."
#23. Look Who's Talking Too (1990)
- Director: Amy Heckerling
- IMDb user rating: 4.6
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 81 minutes
This sequel to the 1989 blockbuster comedy gives toddler Mikey (voiced by Bruce Willis) and a new loudmouthed baby sister (voiced by Roseanne Barr). Their subsequent rivalry unfolds through a series of predictable contrivances. Its box office success ensured the arrival of a third film entry, 1993's "Look Who's Talking Now."
#22. Psycho (1998)
- Director: Gus Van Sant
- IMDb user rating: 4.6
- Metascore: 47
- Runtime: 105 minutes
"It wasn't really about learning about Hitchcock, it was more that during the '90s the joke about the executives was that they would rather make a sequel than they would an original piece," director Gus Van Sant once said of this project. His "joke" took the form of a virtually shot-for-shot remake of the original slasher classic. Audiences were largely disinterested, and critics largely unimpressed.
#21. The Next Karate Kid (1994)
- Director: Christopher Cain
- IMDb user rating: 4.5
- Metascore: 36
- Runtime: 107 minutes
"The Karate Kid" franchise was already suffering from diminishing returns by the time a young Hillary Swank stepped into the title role. Under the tutelage of Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita), her character uses the power of karate to deal with a tragic past. A critical and commercial flop, perhaps, but at least it opened the possibility for a Swank cameo on the hit TV series "Cobra Kai."
#20. The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
- Directors: John Frankenheimer, Richard Stanley
- IMDb user rating: 4.5
- Metascore: 37
- Runtime: 96 minutes
A famously troubled production gave way to this botched adaptation of the 1896 novel by H. G. Wells. The story takes place on a remote island, where the mad scientist Dr. Moreau (Marlon Brando) crossbreeds human and animal DNA. Behind the scenes, star Val Kilmer reportedly clashed with Brando and director John Frankenheimer.
#19. Strip Tease (1996)
- Director: Andrew Bergman
- IMDb user rating: 4.5
- Metascore: 37
- Runtime: 115 minutes
Demi Moore's $12.5 million salary for this satirical crime comedy made her the highest-paid actress in history at the time. She plays dancer and single mother Erin Grant, who gets involved in a dangerous political conspiracy. It performed well at the international box office and on the home rental market, and one can probably guess why.
#18. Home Alone 3 (1997)
- Director: Raja Gosnell
- IMDb user rating: 4.5
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 102 minutes
Related to the first two "Home Alone" films by premise only, this threequel replaced bandits with international terrorists. A young child named Alex accidentally comes into possession of a missile computer chip, with a quartet of hitmen attempting to retrieve it for the North Korean government. Alex fends the four off with a series of pranks and traps throughout his home. Not even the screenplay from John Hughes was able to win critics over.
#17. Look Who's Talking Now (1993)
- Director: Tom Ropelewski
- IMDb user rating: 4.4
- Metascore: 26
- Runtime: 96 minutes
The third entry in a mostly reviled trilogy takes viewers inside the minds of pet dogs Rocks and Daphne (voiced respectively by Danny DeVito and Diane Keaton). Audiences were less interested than ever before and the movie tanked at the box office. Washington Post critic Rita Kempley called it a "crude and mawkish film in which dogs attempt to communicate with Kirstie Alley and John Travolta."
#16. Species II (1998)
- Director: Peter Medak
- IMDb user rating: 4.4
- Metascore: 19
- Runtime: 93 minutes
In the spirit of its schlocky predecessor, this sci-fi sequel turns the stuff of late-night skin flicks into tentpole fare. Natasha Henstridge reprises the role of lascivious alien Eve, who escapes from a lab to mate with another of her kind. It was later followed by two direct-to-video entries.
#15. Bio-Dome (1996)
- Director: Jason Bloom
- IMDb user rating: 4.3
- Metascore: 1
- Runtime: 88 minutes
This braindead stoner comedy locks two nitwits (Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin) inside a biodome as part of a year-long experimental study. What it lacks in story, it makes up for in ceaseless toilet humor. On a more positive note, it essentially ended Pauly Shore's career as a comedy film star.
#14. Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992)
- Director: Roger Spottiswoode
- IMDb user rating: 4.3
- Metascore: data not available
- Runtime: 87 minutes
The same year that "The Golden Girls" aired its final episode, star Estelle Getty teamed up with Sylvester Stallone for this head-scratcher of a buddy comedy. Already meddling in the life of her policeman son (Stallone), an overbearing mother (Getty) gets involved in his latest murder case.
#13. Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)
- Director: Mic Rodgers
- IMDb user rating: 4.2
- Metascore: 24
- Runtime: 83 minutes
The fourth film of this sci-fi franchise ignores its two immediate predecessors and functions as a direct sequel to the original. This time around, a deadly supercomputer is hunting for former Universal Soldier Luc Devereaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme). It was the final studio vehicle for Van Damme.
#12. Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
- Director: Adam Marcus
- IMDb user rating: 4.1
- Metascore: 17
- Runtime: 87 minutes
Jason Voorhees went to hell along with audiences in the ninth installment of the Friday the 13th franchise. After the masked killer is decimated into pieces, his supernatural origins are revealed. It promised to be the "Final Friday" and then broke that promise with the release of "Jason X" in 2001.
#11. Inspector Gadget (1999)
- Director: David Kellogg
- IMDb user rating: 4.1
- Metascore: 36
- Runtime: 78 minutes
Disney's live-action adaptation of a popular cartoon series stars Matthew Broderick as the bumbling investigator with robotic parts. With help from his niece (Michelle Trachtenberg) and loyal dog, he takes on the evil Dr. Claw (Rupert Everett). A marginal box office success, it yielded a direct-to-video sequel starring French Stuart in the title role.
#10. RoboCop 3 (1993)
- Director: Fred Dekker
- IMDb user rating: 4.1
- Metascore: 40
- Runtime: 104 minutes
What began in 1987 with Paul Verhoeven's ultraviolent satire is running on cheap explosions and narrative fumes by this third franchise installment. Against a quasi-futuristic backdrop, law enforcer RoboCop (now played by Robert John Burke) squares off against ninja robots and greedy land developers. Graphic novelist Frank Miller co-wrote the screenplay.
#9. Super Mario Bros. (1993)
- Directors: Annabel Jankel, Rocky Morton
- IMDb user rating: 4.1
- Metascore: 35
- Runtime: 104 minutes
This adventure fantasy flop took too much creative license with Nintendo's blockbuster video game of the same name. Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo play the titular characters, two wisecracking plumbers who embark on an interdimensional adventure. Here's hoping the upcoming computer-animated version fares better among critics and audiences.
#8. Street Fighter (1994)
- Director: Steven E. de Souza
- IMDb user rating: 4.0
- Metascore: 34
- Runtime: 102 minutes
Based on the series of fighting games, "Street Fighter" had Jean Claude Van Damme as Guile, facing off against warlord M. Bison (Raúl Juliá). Featuring many of the colorful characters from the series, the film was wacky, action-packed, and absurd. Critics derided the film but praised Julia's commitment in one of his final film roles.
#7. Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
- Director: Jan de Bont
- IMDb user rating: 3.9
- Metascore: 23
- Runtime: 121 minutes
Missing original male lead Keanu Reeves, the sequel to "Speed" traded a bus for a cruise ship. Sandra Bullock returns as Annie Porter, on a romantic trip with her boyfriend (Jason Patric) when the ship is hijacked by a terrorist (Willem Dafoe). The sequel was considered laughable by critics but gained a champion in film critic Roger Ebert, who often mentioned how he liked the film better than Bullock herself.
#6. The Avengers (1998)
- Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik
- IMDb user rating: 3.8
- Metascore: 12
- Runtime: 89 minutes
Not to be confused with the Marvel blockbuster, this 1998 spy comedy adapts an old British TV series of the same name. Secret agent John Steed (Ralph Fiennes) and meteorologist Dr. Emma Peel (Uma Thurman) must stop a mad scientist (Sean Connery) and his weather machine from destroying the world. It was a critical and commercial disaster.
#5. Batman & Robin (1997)
- Director: Joel Schumacher
- IMDb user rating: 3.7
- Metascore: 28
- Runtime: 125 minutes
George Clooney donned the cowl and cape in Joel Schumacher's sequel to "Batman Forever." Joined by Robin (Chris O'Donnell), and eventually Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone), the Bat family fights Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) in a battle for Gotham City. With numerous ice puns from Schwarzenegger, over-the-top acting, cartoon antics, and questionable costume design, "Batman & Robin," in Clooney's own words, "killed the franchise."
#4. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)
- Director: John R. Leonetti
- IMDb user rating: 3.6
- Metascore: 11
- Runtime: 95 minutes
The second entry in the "Mortal Combat" film series is yet another of the decade's many misguided video game adaptations. Threadbare plotting and cheap special effects conjure a tiresome battle between good and evil as planetary annihilation looms. "This fantasy action-adventure flopped so hard it sent its characters back to their original, video-game realm until a 2021 live-action reboot," wrote critic Alistair Lawrence for Common Sense Media.
#3. Barb Wire (1996)
- Director: David Hogan
- IMDb user rating: 3.5
- Metascore: 40
- Runtime: 98 minutes
Pamela Anderson's short-lived movie career started and ended with this campy adaptation of a comic book series. Against the dystopian backdrop of America's Second Civil War, club owner Barb Wire (Anderson) gets wrangled into a plot involving biological weapons. It drew admirable inspiration from previous films such as "Barbarella" and "Casablanca," but nevertheless tanked on arrival.
#2. Police Academy: Mission to Moscow (1994)
- Director: Alan Metter
- IMDb user rating: 3.4
- Metascore: 11
- Runtime: 83 minutes
The "Police Academy" film series had run its course before the arrival of this seventh and final installment. On assignment in Moscow, the bumbling law enforcers try to take down a Russian mafia boss. It made just $126,247 at the domestic box office during a limited theatrical run.
#1. Baby Geniuses (1999)
- Director: Bob Clark
- IMDb user rating: 2.5
- Metascore: 6
- Runtime: 97 minutes
A super-intelligent baby escapes from the lab in this family comedy from reputable director Bob Clark. While considered one of the decade's crappiest movies, it did make clever use of digital technology to simulate "baby talk." It also made enough money at the box office to warrant a sequel, which pulled off the impressive feat of being even worse.
