Perhaps the worst film I've ever had the misfortune to sit through is Sam Mraovich's Ben and Arthur (2002). It's a story about a loser, jealousy, his strangely disconcerting boyfriend, some woman wearing a Julia Roberts wig, palm trees in Vermont, and the saddest striptease you'll ever see.
I didn't mean to make it sound so appealing or so-bad-it's-good; trust me, it's the worst. Truth be told, I can't say I really expected it to get any better, and I've lived to regret it since. Perhaps this is why I'm keen to avoid things that look terrible from the getgo.
After Redditor Bocephalus asked the online community, "What is the single worst movie you sat through hoping it would get better, but didn't?" people shared their (very) painful memories.
"It was the double combo..."
After Earth with Will and Jaden Smith. It was the double combo of being bad but getting the sense that they thought it would be groundbreaking.
"Nothing actually happens..."
Allegiant. Nothing actually happens in the film. I could've watched paint dry for two hours and it would've been a more productive use of my time than watching that film.
Super disappointing especially since the first two films were fairly decent.
"The only reason I didn't leave..."
The Dark Tower. The only reason I didn't leave was cause I was in southern Florida for a trip and went to the movies to get out of the heat for while. The movie AC was the only good thing I found with that movie.
"Kept waiting..."
Skyline. Kept waiting for it to have a redeeming quality. Somehow just kept getting worse.
"It's been 10 years..."
The Last Airbender, the movie. It's been 10 years and I still become enraged when I think about it.
"Take your pick..."
Fantastic Four.
Take your pick on which one... they're all pretty abysmal. The 2005 one in particular sticks out to me. It's about an hour and a half of them being depressed about getting super powers, followed by 5 minutes of bland action.
"The credits roll..."
Percy Jackson.
I'm not sure how enjoyable it is if you haven't read the books but if you have, Jesus Christ, it's unbearable. The only similarity to the books are the names of the characters. That's it. The story has absolutely nothing to do with any of what happens in the books. It's just pure disappointment.
It starts off pretty weak and then gradually gets worse and with each passing second it simply gets more and more depressing. You don't want to stop watching because you're still hoping that maybe it'll turn around for the better and actually make sense for once. But no. It doesn't. The credits roll and there's a deep feeling of depression caused by disappointment but also relief because the horrors are finally over.
"What an abomination to humanity."
Green Lantern. What an abomination to humanity. I will never get over that they flashbacked to a scene that was in the movie 10 minutes prior.
"The most eventful thing that happens..."
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. It was getting some good press at the time and was newly released on Netflix... but I try to avoid spoilers so all I knew about it was that it was horror, people liked it, and it's got something to do with a house. Probably haunted.
The movie is terrible. I watched it to the end thinking that something was going to happen that would make me like it... because hey, people liked it for some reason right? And they were spending a lot of time building suspense, so there must be a really great payoff near the end of the movie, right? ...right? No.
Nothing happens in the movie. Turns out the people who liked it just liked the setting and costumes. The most eventful thing that happens if I recall it right is that some mold grows in a corner of a room. Someone should probably clean it before it becomes a health hazard.
"I was pretty excited..."
The Dead Don't Die.
I was pretty excited to see a not so serious Bill Murray zombie movie but all I got was a hamfisted and surreal message on humanity or something. I'm not entirely sure what I saw.
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The White House