Watching bad movies, for many, brings about many negative emotions. It can be seen as a waste of time and money, especially if you go to the movie theater or pay to rent and buy movies at home.
But do low Rotten Tomatoes scores and one-star audience ratings really determine whether or not we actually enjoy these films? I’d argue that, if anything, watching these poorly made, edited or acted movies brings greater joy than their more well-done counterparts.
Of course, that is quite a bold claim to make. There are plenty of well-done movies of all genres that I could continually rewatch and never fail to be entertained. However, I feel as though “bad” movies bring about a different form of escapism.
Good-quality films are, to a certain extent, predictable. Though plotlines may not be discernible until the end of these kinds of movies, audiences can usually count on the Spielbergs and Scorseses of the cinematic universe to bring compelling storylines and interesting cinematography to the big screen.
In contrast, traditionally “bad” movies are not as reliable. They typically have outlandish storylines, poor acting, laughable special effects and generally bad writing.
The most topical example of this is Marvel’s latest release, “Madame Web.” The movie has gained attention by many people on social media and movie critics for being, in many ways, one of the worst superhero movies ever made.
I saw the movie last week to investigate all the hype. From the opening credits, I knew that the movie was going to be bad. The storyline was predictable, the action scenes (or lack thereof) left something to be desired and the main villain of the movie delivered lines that I firmly believe were written by ChatGPT.
Despite this, I found the movie to be extremely entertaining. Sure, some of the dialogue was so bad I laughed out loud in the theater, the Pepsi product placement was blatant and the special effects were terrible, but my friend and I still thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
I think this is what I enjoy most about these poorly made films — the togetherness I associate with them. I love seeing people come together to collectively laugh about something that’s objectively funny or badly done.
People on social media platforms, namely YouTube and Tik Tok, have also seen the benefit of making jokes at the expense of bad movies. Kurtis Conner, Danny Gonzalez and Drew Gooden, to name a few, have found massive success in commenting on funny or cringe worthy media, proving that communities and even careers can be built around the collective agreement that some movies are simply laughable.
Though movies like “Madame Web” may never be at the same caliber as movies like “Oppenheimer,” they provide a unique viewing experience that’s difficult to replicate. To me, there’s nothing quite like watching a movie that can make me laugh after having a bad or stressful day, and finding people to enjoy these unique “masterpieces” with me is what makes life more fun.
