Since its nascence in 1818 with Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein (though some experts dispute this distinction), science fiction has remained a genre like no other. In skilled hands, sci-fi looks toward the future while making uncanny, often uncomfortable observations about the here and now. Some of the greatest cinematic sci-fi: Blade Runner, Metropolis, Alien, the original Star Wars, will forever remain timeless and thought-provoking. There's also plenty of lesser sci-fi with considerable escapism and replay value.
There's some really terrible science fiction out there, too. There are sci-fi films that technically touch on technology and science, but fail to make it add up to much of anything, except maybe annoyance on the part of the audience. According to critics on the Tomatometer, these ten unfortunates represent the absolute worst of science fiction on film. Believe it or not, these all are lower-rated than Mac and Me.
10 'The Adventures of Pluto Nash' (2002)
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Rotten Tomatoes Score: 5%
There's nothing more disappointing and depressing than a laugh-free comedy. Wait, strike that: there's nothing more disappointing and depressing than a laugh-free comedy starring a comedic genius.
The Adventures of Pluto Nash is most infamous from a financial perspective, a massive flop that failed to recoup eight percent of its budget over its entire run. Set in 2080 and starring Eddie Murphy as a nightclub owner on the moon who's at odds with the mob (admittedly, a fun idea), Pluto Nash does have some defenders today. No one's making the argument that it's good, just that it maybe didn't deserve to flop as hard as it did. Frankly, nothing can make up for its foremost sin: that it just isn't very funny.
9 'Rollerball' (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 3%
Is this the worst science fiction sports movie of all time? Critics say it is. A remake of a better, smug and hardly great 1975 film that even star James Caan would go on to openly criticize, Rollerball mutes the one interesting element of the original: social critique.
The '70s film was set in a dystopian future, where a violent sport is used to control the populace. The remake is set in the present, and focuses more on action, that's poorly executed and headache-inducing. In a half-star review, Roger Ebert called the picture "an incoherent mess, a jumble in search of plot, meaning, rhythm and sense." The real kicker here: Rollerball was directed by action royalty, Die Hard and Predator helmer John McTiernan. Owch.
8 'Battlefield Earth' (2000)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 3%
Unlike, say Pluto Nash, Battlefield Earth is a notorious flop that doesn't really have any visible defenders today. This a deeply awful film on every level, though it's surely so-bad-it's-good, at least at times. Based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's book of the same name about a human uprising against seemingly superior aliens in the year 3000, everything in the execution here is awkward, sometimes shriekingly hilarious.
Battlefield Earth swept the 2000 Razzies with seven wins including Worst Picture. It was later awarded Razzies' "Worst Drama of Our First 25 Years" and "Worst Picture of the Decade," setting a new record for Razzies won for a single film.
7 'Baby Geniuses' (1999)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 2%
Baby Geniuses is, and this isn't any kind of exaggeration, a disturbing experience. Blame the Uncanny Valley effects, the exhausting assault of diaper jokes, the shock of seeing a magnetic, iconic screen presence like Kathleen Turner in a mess about an evil billionaire capitalizing on baby talk, myriad other reasons. Talking toddlers worked like a charm in the animated Rugrats (enormously popular at the time). In live action, it's about as freaky as Suspiria.
Today, many observers look at 1999 as one of the greatest years in the history of cinema, maybe even the best. And a lot of people also consider Baby Geniuses the very worst movie of that year.
6 'Alone in the Dark' (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 1%
Uwe Boll has made multiple movies that critics hated. Arguably none more loathed than this video-game adaptation starring Christian Slater and Tara Reid. It's based on the survival horror game that was actually critically acclaimed (a remake is slated for later this year).
Even by video game movie standards, Alone in the Dark is notably unwatchable. Rough going even for people who love bad movies.
5 'Max Steel' (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 0%
Max Steel holds the distinction of being the lowest-rated superhero movie in Rotten Tomatoes history. It's based on Mattel's toy line, and it's about a teenager who teams up with an alien.
Mario Bello does what she can with a supporting role, but Max Steel is aggressively bad. One of the key problems is that it only seems half-committed to being a superhero movie. It's a detached, wan and empty experience from start to finish.
4 'Highlander II: The Quickening' (1991)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 0%
Long recognized for having one of the most laughable movie titles of all time, Highlander 2: The Quickening furthers Highlander's sci-fi saga of immortals, wasting a strong cast including Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Virginia Madsen and Michael Ironside amidst some truly atrocious filmmaking. Naming it the worst movie of 1991, Roger Ebert called The Quickening "laughably incomprehensible."
Highlander 2: The Quickening is one of many Highlander sequels, but there can only be one that stands out as the most infamous. That's this one.
3 'Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2' (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 0%
The awfulness of Superbabies, the inferior sequel to god-awful 1999 film Baby Geniuses, has been reported into the ground. Jon Voight takes over Turner in the original, as a villain who wants to control people's minds.
There are even more diaper jokes, and they are even less funny. And the special effects are still creepy. How can a movie about toddlers be this unsettling?
2 'Left Behind' (2014)
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Rotten Tomatoes Score: 0%
When there's a good script and good filmmaking involved (and frankly, even sometimes when there isn't) Nicolas Cage consistently reminds us why he's one of the most beloved and talented living actors. Based on the religious book series of the same name, Left Behind tells of a rapture and those, you know, left behind. During a low point in Cage's career (his gifts have thankfully been recently reappraised following Oscar-caliber work in movies like Mandy and Pig), Left Behind all but silences the actor's mystifying intensity. He plays a pilot, and spends most of 110 minutes landing a plane. That's it.
It isn't fair to outright knock faith-based movies. A recent example of one that worked was 2021's stirring and endearing sports movie American Underdog. Left Behind is, unfortunately, a movie where a message is mired in mediocre movie-making.
1 'Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever' (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 0%
According to Rotten Tomatoes, this cyber-espionage trainwreck is the worst movie of all time. Lucy Liu and Antonio Banderas are trapped in a thankless kinetic mess about spies who initially square off, then must join forces. Which has been done to death.
Some may debate this film's standing as the number one worst movie ever, but there's no redeeming value here at all. Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is about as exciting as a screensaver. Maybe a little bit less.