The 10 Best So-Bad-They’re-Good Fantasy Movies of the ’90s, Ranked

The 1990s was a wonderful decade for movies. Thanks to improvements in special effects brought on by the advancement of CGI, films could become bigger and more elaborate, resulting in groundbreaking spectacles like Jurassic Park. The world of animation also pulled itself back from several decades of lower-quality works, best seen with Disney’s return to form in their Disney Renaissance and new companies like Pixar and DreamWorks putting out their films.

Of course, every decade has its fair share of bad films, and the 1990s were no exception. However, many of the terrible films from this decade have developed followings for being so bad they’re good. Be it because of some admirable performances, impressive effects, or the sheer entertainment factor, these movies left positive impacts despite their questionable quality and endure today as bonafide classics of truly terrible cinema.

10 ‘The Pagemaster’ (1994)

Directed by Joe Johnston (Live Action) and Maurice Hunt (Animation)

While on an errand run for his father, perpetual worrywart Richard Tyler (Macaulay Culkin) takes shelter in a library during a sudden storm. As he tries to find a phone to call home, he slips and watches the ceiling come to life in a sea of paint, transforming him into an illustration and transporting him into a world of living stories. Here, he meets the Pagemaster (Christopher Lloyd), who tells him that, to get home, he must go on a quest through horror, adventure, and fantasy.

The Pagemaster is a valiant attempt to get kids to read, and though it failed to capture the magic of books, it still has a fair few redeeming qualities. The animated segments are lively and fun, especially when compared to the live-action segments. The film is also full of memorable characters, such as a librarian played by Lloyd, whose attempts to get Tyler into reading are way too physical. It also has one of the best cinematic dragons, which always adds cool points.

Watch on Amazon

9 ‘Kazaam’ (1996)

Directed by Paul Michael Glaser

Max Connor (Francis Capra) is a young boy who discovers a boombox that contains a wish-granting genie named Kazaam (Shaquille O’Neal) while investigating an abandoned building. Max also learns that his mother plans to re-marry, and so seeks out his estranged father, musical agent Nick Matteo (James Acheson). As Max tries to build a relationship with him, Kazaam gets signed on as an up-and-coming rapper.

There’s a clumsy charm to O’Neal’s take on this powerful genie, enough to make
Kazaam
enjoyable for what it is.

Kazaam feels like a movie written using ad-lib with its disconnected story and characters. That said, O’Neal’s performance is guaranteed to stick with the audience, if for no other reason than because of how silly his character is. Along with his terrible rapping, which includes lines like “Let’s green egg and ham it,” he acts very familial around Max, to the point where it feels less charming and more uncomfortable. Still, there’s a clumsy charm to O’Neal’s take on this powerful genie, enough to make Kazaam enjoyable for what it is: a very bad yet quaint movie.

Watch on Disney+

8 ‘The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia’ (1994)

Directed by Peter MacDonald

After his father re-marries, Bastian Balthazar Bux (Jason James Richter) attends his first day of high school with his new step-sister, Nicole (Melody Kay). He quickly finds himself at the mercy of a group of bullies called The Nasties, led by Slip (Jack Black), but evades them by returning to the magical land of Fantasia through The NeverEnding Story. Unfortunately, the Nasties get their hands on the book and use it to mess with both Fantasia and the real world.

The NeverEnding Story III
should offer enough charm to satisfy fans of the franchise and a few casual watchers, too.

Fans of The NeverEnding Story, beware: this film contains none of the dark, mature themes of that beloved staple of 1980s fantasy and instead offers a childish plot with lackluster shadows of beloved characters. However, this juxtaposition also makes the film kind of hilarious, especially when one tries to make sense of how these creative choices got greenlit. Then there is Black, who feels like the only actor trying to deliver a halfway serious performance, making for a memorable villain, if not a complex one. There might not be much here, but The NeverEnding Story III should offer enough charm to satisfy fans of the franchise and a few casual watchers, too.

Watch on Amazon

7 ‘Rock-a-Doodle’ (1991)

Directed by Don Bluth

A rooster named Chanticleer (Glen Campbell) believes that his singing causes the sun to rise, but when the sun rises one day without his singing, he is laughed off of his farm and heads to the city. Strangely, his absence causes the sun to not rise the next day, and when a human boy named Edmund (Toby Scott Ganger) calls for Chanticleer to return, he instead summons the evil Grand Duke of Owls (Christopher Plummer), who wants to maintain this eternal darkness. He uses his magic breath to turn Edmund into a kitten, but Chanticleer’s friends from the farm save him, and he joins their quest to find their friend and raise the sun.

The plot keeps growing crazier and crazier as it goes along, blurring the lines between what parts of
Rock-a-Doodle
are real and which are not.

Rock-a-Doodle is a scatterbrained film and one of the lesser creations of legendary animator Don Bluth, but the depths of its insanity captivate from beginning to end. The plot keeps growing crazier and crazier as it goes along, blurring the lines between what parts of the film are real and which are not. The Grand Duke of Owls also rises as the standout performance of the film thanks to the gorgeous animation bringing him to life, his creative magic breath, and the legendary Christopher Plummer’s natural charisma.

Watch on Amazon

6 ‘Super Mario Bros.’ (1993)

Directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel

Mario Mario (Bob Hoskins) and Luigi Mario (John Leguizamo) are two plumbers from Brooklyn struggling to make ends meet. One day, Luigi meets Daisy (Samantha Mathis), an archeology student who is soon after kidnapped alongside Mario’s girlfriend, Daniella (Dana Kaminski). The Mario bros follow their kidnappers into another world where dinosaurs have evolved into humanoid forms, and their leader, President Koopa (Dennis Hopper), wants to merge the two worlds.

This first attempt at adapting the Super Mario franchise is in-name-only, throwing out most of the lore from the games for an original plot that, honestly, could have made for a decent film on its own. The result has a lot of so-bad-it’s-good qualities, namely from Hopper having a ball as Koopa, and Hoskins doing his damndest to give a strong performance as Mario. It also boasts a lot of impressive technology, especially in its animatronics and CGI, even if the designs aren’t the best.

Buy on Amazon

5 ‘Sleepwalkers’ (1992)

Directed by Mick Garris

Charles Brady (Brian Krause) and his mother, Mary (Alice Krige), are the last two members of a race of shapeshifting cat monsters known as Sleepwalkers. They travel the world draining the souls of virgin women to sustain themselves and must avoid regular cats, who can see through their disguises. Upon arriving in Travis, Indiana, Charles sets his sights on a high school student named Tanya Robertson (Mädchen Amick).

Sleepwalker is not one of the strongest stories to come from famed horror writer Steven King, but its convoluted plot and lack of internal logic are made up for through its performances. All three of its main actors know what kind of movie they are in, and they ham it up big time, especially Krause. Sleepwalkers also indulges in some of the silliest kills in horror, including armies of cap and death via a corn cob.

4 ‘Space Jam’ (1996)

Directed by Joe Pytka

When his amusement park planet begins to decline, Mr. Swackhammer (Danny DeVito) sends his minions to abduct the Looney Tunes to be his new attractions. Since the aliens are short, the Tunes decide to challenge the aliens to a basketball game to decide their freedom, but the aliens steal the talent of five NBA players and become giants. To stand a chance, the Tunes turn to Michael Jordan, currently trying his hand at baseball, and convince him to help teach them basketball.

Space Jam is a film based on NIKE commercials featuring Jordan and Bugs Bunny (Billy West), and in many ways, the film feels like a glorified commercial. However, it also possesses a likable charm to it, from the stilted acting of the human characters to the joy of seeing the Looney Tunes brought to life with such quality animation. It even ends with a phenomenal Bill Murry cameo. The premise is ludicrous, but there’s enough dynamic fun in this to make anyone believe they can fly.

3 ‘Last Action Hero’ (1993)

Directed by John McTiernan

Following the death of his father, Danny Madigan (Austin O’Brien) finds comfort in watching action movies, especially those featuring Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger). One day, he receives a magic ticket that transports Danny inside the latest Jack Slater film. Thanks to his knowledge of action film clichés, he is assigned as Slater’s partner to take down mafia boss Tony Vivaldi (Anthony Quinn).

Last Action Hero was a box-office bomb on release, no thanks to releasing close to Jurassic Park, and was the beginning of the end of Schwarzenegger’s career. That said, for anyone who’s a fan of self-aware films, there’s a lot to enjoy in Last Action Hero and how it plays with its genre. It even gets creative during the climax when the movie’s characters enter the real world and try to kill Schwarzenegger to wipe out Jack Slater, the character. A deliriously chaotic movie, Last Action Hero is a pioneer in the meta-humor that rules over Hollywood today.

2 ‘Batman & Robin’ (1997)

Directed by Joel Schumacher

Batman (George Clooney) and Robin (Chris O’Donnell) face their toughest challenge yet when they go up against Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a brilliant scientist trying to cure his terminally ill wife. Meanwhile, in South America, botanist Dr. Pamela Isley (Uma Thurman) discovers that her boss used her research to create a new brand of supersoldier, Bane (Robert Swenson). When he tries to kill Isley, she mutates into a plant-themed supervillain named Poison Ivy and teams up with Bane to go to Gotham City.

The last sequel to the acclaimed 1989 film by Tim Burton, Batman & Robin replaces the dark, gothic atmosphere of the original with a bright, campy one that is very hard to take seriously. The acting is all over the place, with powerhouses like Clooney giving subdued, boring performances; then there is Schwarzenegger, who singlehandedly saves this film. He does what he can to give pathos to Mr. Freeze’s situation, and his never-ending ice puns are as charming as they are cringey.

Watch on Max

1 ‘Troll 2’ (1990)

Directed by Claudio Fragasso

At the request of his father, who has always wanted to try farm life, Joshua Waits (Michael Stephenson) and his family spend a month living in the town of Nilbog. Joining them is his sister’s boyfriend, Elliot (Jason Wright), and his three friends. However, Joshua is contacted by the spirit of his deceased grandfather, who warns him that Nilbog is inhabited by evil goblins who turn humans into vegetables for them to eat.

Troll 2 has reached legendary status thanks to its atrocious acting and terrible effects and reigns supreme among the so-bad-it’s-good movies. It contains dozens of laughable moments that linger in the minds of the audience due to how bizarre they are, from Joshua saving his family from being turned into vegetables by urinating on their food to a character being killed via popcorn and, of course, Elliot’s friend Arnold’s (Darren Ewing) infamous delivery of the line, “Oh my God!”. The funniest thing about the film is that it has absolutely nothing to do with the original Troll.

Watch on Amazon

NEXT: 10 Weirdest Family Movies That Make You Wonder What The Writers Were Thinking