Why We Love to Hate These Movies and You Should Too!

Sometimes, ‘cinema’ can be exhausting. At the end of the day, there’s only so much atmospheric lighting and brooding subtext a person can take before they want something a little different.

We spend a lot of time hunting for great films over here. You know, the tear-jerking Oscar-winning, life-changing kind. Casablanca, The Godfather, Parasite - some movies are just undeniable.

But there is also a secret, darker fuel that keeps us running, and that is the simple power of a communal moan. Nothing brings people together like a common enemy. It can be pretty hard to top the high elicited from watching a film so bad, it is somehow kind of…excellent?

Think about it.

A lot of the time, we’ll watch a film, nod our approval and concede, ‘Yeah, that was pretty good.’ Conversation over. But when you watch something like Grease 2, where the entire story hinges on a motorcycle helmet being an impenetrable secret identity, or Cats, where James Corden decked out in ‘digital fur technology’ will haunt you forevermore, magic happens.

Suddenly, people have something to say. There’s a specific, itchy kind of joy in pointing out a boom mic in the shot or a plot hole so wide you could fit the entire cast of Fast & Furious through it.

If you’re only catching blockbusters, you really are missing out on half the fun.

So, here’s why we love to hate bad films and you should too:

The Ironic High

There is an inexplicable pleasure in witnessing a director’s ego outpace their budget. Watching The Room isn't an insult to your intelligence; it’s an exercise in observing an attempt to simulate human emotion so spectacularly poor that it’s downright hilarious.

The ‘Whinge’ Factor

Humans are hardwired to complain - especially British ones. It’s how we connect with each other and disconnect from our real problems. Moaning about a terrible script is basically a spa day for the brain.

Perspective

You cannot have the good without the bad. It’s much harder to appreciate the genius of The Matrix if you haven’t experienced the glorious, neon-soaked disaster of a straight-to-streaming action flick.

If you’re looking to start your hate-watching journey, here are a few deliciously terrible flicks to get you started…

1. Spider-Man 3

No defamation to the series (well, a little), but watching Tobey Maguire dance down the street with a fringe over one eye is a cringeworthy delight.

2. The Twilight Saga

Specifically, Breaking Dawn Part 2. That CGI baby is the stuff of legends.

3. The Wicker Man (2006)

Nicolas Cage in a bear suit. Nicolas Cage screaming about bees. Nicolas Cage punching a woman while dressed as a bear. Need I say anymore?

Ultimately, it’s time to shift the narrative.

If you spent two hours laughing at a film that was supposed to be a serious thriller, you didn't waste your time; you won.

Movies are supposed to make us feel something. And, if that ‘something’ is an overwhelming urge to go on Recce and write a 500-word rant about why the ending made no sense, then I’d say it did its job.

So, go ahead.

Pick the lowest-rated movie on your watchlist tonight. Turn your brain off, turn the snark up and remember: there’s nothing guilty about these pleasures.