'90s Movies With Terrible Rotten Tomatoes Scores That Are Actually Awesome

As the best movies from every year of the 1990s can attest, the 20th century's final decade had no shortage of memorable quality films. An explosion of talent and offbeat voices entered the cinematic landscape during this era, buoyed by a thriving indie scene and the arrival of fresh filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Cheryl Dunye. The world would never be the same after many of this decade's greatest movies debuted, though some notable titles took a while to get truly appreciated. Many 1990s movies widely recognized today as cult hits or underrated gems were once critically derided or even outright mocked. These features had toxic reviews hanging around their metaphorical necks like an albatross, as their various low Rotten Tomatoes scores indicate.

Over time, though, features regarded as "Rotten" on the review aggregate site have emerged as something more. The virtues of once-lambasted 1990s theatrical releases have bubbled to the surface and given these films exciting new leases on life. Their artistic benefits vary greatly, a microcosm of the distinctive creative visions informing each production, but what binds this eclectic group of projects together is that they all started life with dismal reviews that live on in their respective Rotten Tomatoes pages. Dive deeper into these movies beyond those vintage reviews, however, and you'll discover a treasure trove of cinema reflecting what a prosperous era for film this decade was.

Comedy is inherently subjective, but dark comedy is an especially prickly artistic pear. Bleak takes on aspects of everyday life may resonate as hysterical with one person but register as callous or even downright cruel with another observer. Throughout history, dark comedies have often been critically lambasted initially, only to later garner appreciation from folks on their comedic wavelength. So it was with "Drop Dead Gorgeous," Michael Patrick Jann's 1999 mockumentary chronicling a small-town beauty pageant that quickly turns deadly as contestants go to extreme lengths to win. 

In its initial release, "Drop Dead Gorgeous" was largely greeted with a shrug from critics, with many stating that the feature lacked subtlety, while others lambasted "Drop Dead Gorgeous" as retreading ground well-trodden by other dark comedies. Between these critiques and a middling box office run, the book seemed to close on "Drop Dead Gorgeous" right then and there. 

Over time, however, the movie's charms have endured. Appreciation has increased for its unique mockumentary format, while increasing cultural consciousness over how absurd beauty pageants can get has also made this project resonate with more viewers. A cast containing so many future movie stars (like Kirsten Dunst and, in her acting debut, Amy Adams) surely hasn't stopped "Drop Dead Gorgeous" from securing new fans either. Black comedy isn't always a universally appealing element, but it proved a killer ingredient for "Drop Dead Gorgeous."

"Mars Attacks!" is one of those movies about which the critics are right in pointing out its flaws, but the only difference is that the elements detractors see as drawbacks are actually some of its greatest assets. Tim Burton's wacky take on an alien invasion movie is 100% a disjointed exercise guided by ADHD-infused comedic impulses, as we watch various famous landmarks and movie stars bite the dust at the hands of otherworldly invaders. For some, that results in a tired exercise that feels like it's being made up as it goes along. However, those qualities really just make "Mars Attacks!" a welcome departure from so many other big-budget American blockbusters guided solely by rigid narrative conventions. Who needs traditional character arcs or third-act structures when you can watch Jack Nicholson get slaughtered by aliens twice?

Even though its CG aliens haven't aged as well as the 1960s stop-motion effects they're supposed to evoke, many other "Mars Attacks!" visual qualities are still impressive. Watching various lavish sets and miniatures deployed in a movie with the tone of a Bugs Bunny cartoon is a delightful juxtaposition that never gets old. Burton also wrings some genuinely bizarre, unnerving imagery out of his tale, like a chihuahua's head stitched onto Sarah Jessica Parker's body. The critics were spot-on: "Mars Attacks!" is just several preposterous gags strung together. But that's why it's charming, especially compared to subsequent Burton movies.

Compared to other Jerry Bruckheimer-produced action blockbusters of the 1990s, "Con Air" actually got slightly better marks than some of its contemporaries. However, critics were generally still mixed on this 1997 Nicolas Cage/John Malkovich feature that took to the skies to deliver explosion-laden spectacle. Detractors found it a slog full of predictable plot beats that, even at 115 minutes, tremendously overstayed its welcome. Three decades later, though, "Con Air" is a nice respite from overly digital modern blockbusters full of generic leading men like Charlie Hunnam. 

"Con Air" is full of natural backdrops and oversized performances that can't help but leave an impression. Cage and Malkovich chew every inch of scenery in sight, while Steve Buscemi plays a terrific supporting role as an incredibly dangerous prisoner who also has a nonchalant personality. The various big action set pieces are also nicely rendered with lots of practical explosions that seem so tangible you can't help but lean back from the screen. 

"Con Air" is also fun in its tonally disjointed moments, like a recurring use of the hit romantic ballad "How Do I Live" that absolutely does not fit in with the rest of the film. This tune's presence is a calculated bit of marketing meant to create a Billboard chart-topper, but decades later, director Simon West's audacity in incorporating such an incongruous song into the story is utterly charming. Ignore the detractors, take a flight on "Con Air."

1997's "Event Horizon" got the kind of negative critical reception you'd expect from a movie crafted by "Resident Evil" and "Monster Hunter" auteur Paul W.S. Anderson. Most critics did praise the film's opening sequence but felt the rest suffered from an overdose of predictability. Folks like Roger Ebert specifically critiqued the movie for failing to live up to the intellectual potential of its central premise. 

Still, especially compared to later generically shot Anderson movies, "Event Horizon" has a lot to offer even though it undeniably leaves more on the table. For one thing, its psychological thrills centered on characters like Dr. William Weir (Sam Neill) losing their minds in space are quite chilling. For another, its third act goes down some weird territory that admirably swings for the fences.

It doesn't hurt that this outlandish cosmic material is handled by two pro performers who couldn't sleepwalk through a role if they tried. Laurence Fishburne is a great anchor for all the mayhem "Event Horizon" chronicles, while few actors are as fun to watch lose their minds as Sam Neill. The latter is utterly transfixing as Weir, while supporting performers like Kathleen Quinlan and Jason Isaacs also leave notable impressions in their screentime. Flaws arising from external factors, like lots of "Event Horizon" footage getting cut at the last minute, inevitably arise in the final product. However, there's more to "Event Horizon" than either its initial reception or director's reputation would suggest.

"Hard Target," John Woo's inaugural foray into American action filmmaking, did not get the best reviews upon its initial release. The dialogue and stilted storytelling especially drew criticism, while a perception that Woo dialed back his greatest creative proclivities for domestic audiences also persisted in the general consensus. No one would ever mistake "Hard Target" for being as good as Woo's "Hard Boiled," but it's still a mighty fun motion picture. 

How can you argue with a feature that has Kasi Lemmons keeping an entire birthday cake with fully lit candles inside a desk drawer? Or a film where leading man Jean-Claude Van Damme grabs a snake as it pounces upon him? Don't forget about killer supporting turns from the likes of Lance Henriksen and Wilford Brimley, the latter of whom gets to gallop away from an explosion in an unforgettable visual.

"Hard Target" also benefits from an economic sense of storytelling that's often absent from other action movies of its ilk. The theatrical cut runs only a brief 97 minutes with credits, allowing the film to emphasize memorable action sequences and ludicrous dialogue rather than get bogged down in melodrama or pointless subplots. The New Orleans backdrop even results in some deeply fun environments for Van Damme to dispatch baddies in. "Hard Target" is no masterpiece, even in the 90s action film genre, but it certainly deserved a better reputation than it initially got.

With "Armageddon," director Michael Bay made a lot of movies at once. He not only created the 1990s' biggest disaster movie in terms of scope, but he also crafted something that sporadically mimicked the epic romance of "Titanic." To say the end result was not well-liked by critics was an understatement. This undeniably disjointed tentpole was lambasted for its broadly sentimental impulses as well as its truly terrible dialogue. 

But one man's trash is another man's treasure, as they say. "Armageddon" was the nadir of '90s blockbuster movie excess for some. For others, "Armageddon" was mesmerizing idiocy. Lines like "Oh man, what are you doing with a gun in space?" are funnier than many straightforward attempts at humorous dialogue in standard comedies. A schizophrenic tone, meanwhile, resulted in "Amargeddon" housing both men making "I hate my wife" jokes and sincere stabs at a young love story teens would swoon over.

The latter element includes bizarre sequences like A.J. (Ben Affleck) and Grace (Liv Tyler) having an "erotic" moment with animal crackers while only a few days separate Earth from the apocalypse. Bay trying to channel "Love Story" doesn't work as drama, but it is deeply entertaining. "Armageddon" is full of elements like that, unsuccessful in intent but nonetheless oddly compelling. Even the final stabs at pathos through self-sacrifice are oddly moving despite the ham-fisted dialogue. Maybe "Armageddon" is as terrible as critics say, but it's also way more fun to watch than other critically-trashed Bayhem movies like "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

"Just Another Girl on the I.R.T." may have a weaker Rotten Tomatoes score than "Zack Snyder's Justice League", but don't let that dissuade you from checking out Leslie Harris's 1992 directorial debut. The film follows Chantel Mitchell (Ariyan A. Johnson), a young girl who feels like she's got her whole life planned out until an unexpected pregnancy throws her life into turmoil. Some criticism of "I.R.T." centered on its tonal inconsistencies, which is one of the key facets of the movie that actually makes it so special. 

Harris really captures the complicated and erratic intricacies of growing up with her willingness to travel through so many different tonal peaks and valleys. A movie that starts with upbeat fourth-wall-breaking dialogue and ends with a third act that's often downright harrowing is an effective cinematic echo of how growing up takes people to such unexpected and varied places.

Harris also demonstrates a command of restrained camerawork in "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T." that didn't really get mentioned much in either positive or negative reviews of the film upon its initial release. The visuals here, though, efficiently give the entire production an emotionally immersive quality. Performers like Johnson lending such lived-in weight to these characters doesn't hurt either. Back in the '90s, "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T." was seen as just another coming-of-age indie movie. Now, it's endured as something far more special that deserves significantly more praise.

After watching "Double Team" for the first time, you'd be forgiven for thinking the whole thing was some lucid fever dream. After all, how else to explain a movie where Dennis Rodman has that green-tinged haircut? Or a subplot in which Jean-Claude Van Damme's Jack Quinn is stuck on a remote island straight out of "The Prisoner"? Don't forget all those monks and their tremendous computer skills. The whole thing is a jumbled collection of threadbare concepts for an action movie tossed into a blender (and famous Roman locations), with a vending machine saving the day in the end. "Double Team" is pure madness that repelled almost all critics when it first came out. 

Given aspects like Rodman's dismal performance as the character Yaz, it's understandable "Double Team" didn't quite become a universal crowdpleaser. Still, there's undeniable fun to be had watching director Tsui Hark unspool an action yarn so unabashedly unhinged, not to mention constantly throwing audacious new things at the audience. It's a feature that's basically the opposite of cohesive, but it's also way more fun than other technically more "coherent" action films. Van Damme and Rodman's anti-chemistry is even sporadically amusing. "Double Team" is a mess, but you'll never be bored by it. Heck, the production even makes room to introduce a tiger into its climactic showdown between good and evil. That surely must mitigate some shortcomings, like Rodman's bizarre approach to line deliveries.

When Spike Lee's "Summer of Sam" hit theaters in July 1999, it wasn't just critics giving the film low marks. Audiences rejected it even more ferociously than critics, bestowing it with a dismal D- CinemaScore. That reputation has been impossible for "Summer of Sam" to shake as its faded into obscurity in the decades since its release. That's a cinematic tragedy, since Lee's exploration of Bronx residents responding with anger and fear to events like serial killer Son of Sam's rampage and the New York City blackout of 1977 is haunting. 

Lee and his fellow screenwriters, Victor Colicchio and Michael Imperioli, pull no punches in depicting where characters like Vinny (John Leguizamo) point their rage. As they feel helpless, these men directly channel all their anger at queer people and harmless societal rebels. Autonomous women, sexually fluid punk rockers, and kinky sex are demonized as Vinny and other characters cling to any kind of power in a world gone mad. 

In exploring these themes, Lee's tendency for outsized melodrama sometimes results in actors giving extremely pronounced emotional outbursts that lapse into unintentional self-parody. Far more often, though, "Summer of Sam" is a mesmerizing (not to mention tragically timely) look at how hardship often inspires people to crush the marginalized rather than criticize the powerful. Plus Lee's visual instincts are sharper than ever here, particularly in a masterful montage set to "Baba O'Riley." That sequence alone should have garnered "Summer of Sam" a better reception.

Looking through Brendan Fraser's best movies, it's clear that this man excels at playing lovable fish-out-of-water characters trapped in worlds they don't understand. Whether it's "Encino Man" or "George of the Jungle," Fraser's always nailed the kinds of characters who inspire laughs but also make audiences care where the big lugs go. Fraser inhabited that archetype once again in 1999's "Blast from the Past," where he played Adam Webber, a man who enters a fallout shelter in 1962 and emerges 35 years later into a wholly new world. That realm contains Eve Rustikov (Alicia Silverstone), a lady that Webber eventually becomes romantically enamored with. 

This classic set-up for a comedy didn't inspire many critics to bust their funny bones back in 1999. Mixed responses to "Blast from the Past" noted that its general premise had been done to death in other yukfests. But even with this initially chilly reception, there are countless reasons why fans say this 1999 rom-com still holds up today. For one thing, Fraser is deeply and admirably committed to a character other actors would have executed as a mocking caricature. His sincerity in portraying Adam Webber makes it easy to invest in his plight, while memorable supporting turns from Silverstone and Christopher Walken ensure Fraser's not the only one on-screen delivering the goods. "Blast from the Past" doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does provide a fun time that makes good use of Fraser's greatest acting gifts.

The original "The Exorcist" should never have gotten a sequel. William Friedkin's 1973 masterpiece came together brilliantly through creative magic that's impossible to recreate. But that's never stopped Hollywood from exploiting an easy dollar, so endless "Exorcist" sequels have littered movie theaters over the last 50 years. The only one that's remotely interesting is 1990's "The Exorcist III," which saw William Peter Blatty (who wrote both the original "Exorcist" novel and the book this movie is based on) stepping into the director's chair. 

In this movie, characters like the protagonist, Lieutenant William Kinderman (George C. Scott), inhabit a world full of misery. The dead linger in the minds of the living, while the living often crave the release of death. It's a stark status quo to establish following the ending of "The Exorcist." Evil was technically vanquished there, but how could the film's survivors just go on living after seeing what they saw?

From there, a story making use of masterfully subtle scares (like possessed people silently crawling around on the ceiling in the background) unfolds. Striking imagery (like a brief visit to the afterlife in a dream sequence) and chilling contemplations on life and death fill the runtime. "The Exorcist III" secured more unfavorable than favorable reviews upon its initial release, with many detractors harping on the undeniably clumsy climax, but it's stood the test of time as far more than just an "Exorcist" rehash.

A dominant criticism of 1998's "Small Soldiers" was that it was just an echo of previous, superior Joe Dante movies, namely "Gremlins." It's true that the technologically advanced toys in "Small Soldiers" wreak havoc on suburbia, with the friendly Gorgonites comparable to Gizmo the lovable mogwai while the nefarious Commandos are the equivalent to Stripe and the other mean Gremlins. However, "Small Soldiers" has some charms of its own, even if it never comes close to being as good as "Gremlins."

For one thing, it's fun to see horror legend Dante inject some truly unnerving imagery into what's supposed to be a family-friendly blockbuster. A sequence where the Commandos resurrect a bunch of Barbie-esque dolls to be their warriors is just the thing nightmare fuel is made of. It's also a treat to see talented human actors like Kirsten Dunst play off these bloodthirsty toys, with Phil Hartman (in his last live-action movie role) especially delightful anytime he's on-screen. The Gorgonites' kooky character designs are also terrific, especially whenever puppetry is used to realize them on-screen. 

"Small Soldiers" can't escape its obvious cinematic influences, but there are far worse things for Dante to parrot than his own classic movies. Taken on its own merits, it's a tonally erratic concoction (which is a compliment given how aesthetically stagnant so many studio releases are) with some fun thrills and an always-welcome chance to bask in the comedic brilliance of Phil Hartman.

To say 1993's "Super Mario Bros." has a toxic reputation is putting it mildly. As an adaptation, this project is an absolute trainwreck that eschews familiar locales and character personalities from the game in favor of rapping, apocalyptic production designs, and a heavy emphasis on fungus. "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" cast member Seth Rogen even said that 1993's "Super Mario Bros." changed movies for him forever (and not in a good way). 

The critical reception to "Super Mario Bros." absolutely reflects the general fan reception as well. Yet, 30+ years later, there's something charming about this unhinged, would-be blockbuster. Today, theaters are crammed full of movies bending over backward to mimic what audiences liked from their childhoods or older 1980s movies. "Super Mario Bros." at least had the audacity to deliver visuals and concepts nobody previously associated with the "Mario" franchise.

Actors like Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper fully throw themselves into this jumbled mess of a movie too, with the latter proving downright unforgettable as his maniacal version of Bowser. The production design and costumes are also a treat, even in the ways they're so clearly a product of early 1990s sensibilities. In the modern world, "Mario" fans now have a reverent feature film adaptation in the form of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." With that taken care of, maybe "Super Mario Bros." and its bizarre imagination can get a little more credit, if only for being so subversive of expectations.

1998 saw the release of two dueling summer blockbusters about apocalyptic asteroids heading for Earth. The real winner in this showdown turned out to be moviegoers everywhere, since both films had their own commendable artistic virtues. While one of those movies was "Armageddon," the other was director Mimi Leder's "Deep Impact." The latter took a slower-burn, melancholy approach to the planet's imminent demise, complete with lots of grand displays of emotion. It also starred older actors from several Oscar-friendly 1990s movies, like Morgan Freeman, James Cromwell, and Vanessa Redgrave, compared to the emphasis on younger '90s talent like Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, and Owen Wilson in "Armageddon."

This more intimate approach inspired mixed reviews in 1998, with several critics dismissing the proceedings as being too sappy and devoid of spectacle. While the CG-heavy moments in "Deep Impact" have aged poorly, its willingness to slow down and explore the human beings navigating the end of the world hasn't. Moments like a couple embracing just before a tidal wave wipes them out or a strained father-daughter reunion as the world collapses have endured as surprisingly moving decades later. 

Nowadays, "Deep Impact" is actually refreshing in a modern blockbuster landscape populated with quips and rapid-fire mayhem. The presence of talented performers like Robert Duvall and Freeman lending some gravitas to conceptually implausible material doesn't hurt either. "Deep Impact" proved wildly different from 1998's other asteroid movie, ensuring it had plenty of distinctive virtues critics ignored back in the day.

"In the Mouth of Madness" had its share of defenders from the very start, but this John Carpenter directorial effort was largely perceived by critics as a detrimentally excessive movie. Molded in the shadow of H.P. Lovecraft stories, the film was widely perceived as being too impenetrable to be truly scary. Plus, sequences relying heavily on atmosphere and unnerving imagery resulted in just shrugs from many critics, who found these elements to lack the necessary scares.

Since its release, however, "Madness," like Carpenter's "The Thing," has garnered a massive cult following. Those more abstract, esoteric qualities that alienated critics in 1994 are now seen as some of its best aspects. "In the Mouth of Madness" truly commits to being a cinematic manifestation of insanity, right down to its exciting willingness to let the inexplicable be just that. Insurance investigator John Trent's (Sam Neill) descent into madness is all about his grasp on reality becoming tenuous, with no easy explanations for his psychology and no tidy reasons for so much of the mayhem on screen. 

All that ambiguity may frustrate some moviegoers, but it's what makes "Madness" so chilling. Additionally, Carpenter and company prove creatively committed to the film's unique atmosphere, right down to an unhinged post-apocalyptic epilogue that totally defies mainstream cinema conventions. "In the Mouth of Madness" is many things, but it's certainly not as tedious as its initial critical reception suggested.

Among the many challenging roles in Guy Pearce's dense filmography is the lead in 1999's "Ravenous," which offered him a period piece character he could really sink his teeth into. This snowy cannibal thriller isn't just something "Yellowjackets" fans should watch pronto. It's also a movie that left critics cold in its initial theatrical release. Like many movies that attempt to merge the Western with other famous genres, this mixture of intense gory horror and Western motifs was seen as being more muddled than entertaining. The film's nuanced tone was also a source of contention for many critics, ditto the heavy emphasis on on-screen violence in this cannibal-oriented tale.

While "Ravenous" will inevitably alienate some viewers with its graphic content and big tonal swings, it's also a beautiful-looking movie. Director Antonia Bird and cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond realize a vision of mid-19th century America that crackles with tangible textures. These visuals alone make "Ravenous" worth a look, but there's also something compelling about its dedication to such a bleak story. 

The white male colonizers who normally occupy the role of unblemished heroes in many classic Westerns are depicted here as violent figures savoring flesh and power. There's a subversiveness underpinning "Ravenous" that's commendable, while its aggressive detours into so many different tones lets it offer up a little something for everyone. An ornery genre mash-up, "Ravenous" is a period piece with bite and a great showcase for Pearce's talents.

Paul Verhoeven's "Showgirls" didn't just get scathing reviews in its 1995 theatrical release. It became a pop culture punching bag, becoming synonymous with the very concept of "the worst movies ever made." Elements like the extremely arch dialogue, ludicrous sex scenes, and over-the-top central performance from Elizabeth Berkley were mocked far and wide. Looking back on these initial responses, it's staggering to see how miscalculated people's reactions to "Showgirls" were. 

Chiefly, the fact that this movie was a skewering of how misogyny is ingrained into capitalism and American society — not to mention how those entities pit women against each other — flew right over people's heads. Berkley does everything in "Showgirls," right down to eating fast food french fries, with zero subtlety because real-life misogyny manifests in similarly conspicuous forms. Viewed through this lens (which mirrors similarly extravagant tendencies in other Verhoeven features like "RoboCop"), "Showgirls" suddenly coalesces into something brilliant.

Performances like Gine Gershon's bravura turn radiate with courage and conviction. The precise cinematography also makes for a fascinating contrast to the often more ridiculous material on-screen, while the unhinged depictions of human sexuality in "Showgirls" are also remarkable. Verhoeven removes any titillation in sequences like two characters having sex in a hotel pool. All that's left is the raw preposterousness that defines so many exploitations of sexuality. "Showgirls" isn't just better than its historically toxic reputation, it's an outright classic in many respects.

"Frankenhooker." Just that title alone is bound to make you sit up and take notice. What on Earth is this movie about? Director and co-writer Frank Henenlotter's film sees Jeffrey Franken (James Lorinz) trying to bring his girlfriend Elizabeth Shelley (Patty Mullen) back to life. The chaos that ensues received mixed-to-negative marks from critics, with many dismissing the project as just gross and shallow. Such responses aren't wrong, but they're also why "Frankenhooker" is so right. 

The movie combines lots of gross-out practical effects (including various sex workers exploding after injecting "super-crack") with not-so-subtle digs at Reagan-era drug policies and a plot that eventually culminates in a moment that can only be described as "good for her!" It's so much low-budget lunacy brought to life with remarkable practical effects and palpable griminess (you've never seen such sentient chopped-up body parts) that "Frankenhooker" proves irresistible. 

Mullen's performance in the third act as the resurrected Shelley is also a riot, with the performer really leaning into vacant facial expressions, gritting her teeth while puckering her lips, and other oddball traits that make the titular Frankenhooker such a fun character to watch. If the title alone (very understandably) makes you recoil, it's best to skip this one. For all the other freaks out there, "Frankenhooker" is a crowdpleaser that will leave you dazzled at both Mullen's talents and the glorious practical effects.