Ever since the early days of feature filmmaking with groundbreaking films likeWingsandAll Quiet on the Western Front, the war film has been an institutional staple of filmmaking,showing the pains and difficulties of battle and its impact on people as a whole. Over the years, many of the most beloved and critically acclaimed films have been a part of the genre, whether it be massive blockbusters likeDunkirkand1917or painfully emotional war dramas likeThe Zone of InterestandThe Pianist.
However, despite the prestige and allure that is often given to the grounded and serious genre,not every war movie is a meticulously crafted masterpiece, with there also being a great number of outwardly moronic and idiotic war films. Whether it be jarring sequels to standalone war movies that remove the strengths of the original, botched recreations of real-life events, or outright bad explorations of war, the genre has been home to a myriad of complete cinematic failures.
10’Midway' (2019)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
The famed Battle of Midway is one of the most important and relevant battles in film history, with its documentary coverage in 1942 winningJohn Fordone of the first Academy Awards for Best Documentary and an array of adaptations being created over the years. However, notable disaster movie director Roland Emmerich’s passion project exploration of the first six months in the Pacific Theater of World War II,Midway,diminishes the historical icon into a rather generic and formulaic slog.
There isn’t a single bit of originality to be found withinMidway, which is constantly riffing off of acclaimed war movies of the past and simply failing to execute upon the gravitas and weight of this pivotal moment in American history. Whileaudiences as a whole were relatively positivetowards the film during its release, wowed by its high-budget effects and action, the film’s dire screenplay helped it become forgotten nearly as soon as it was released.
9’Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation' (2004)
Directed by Phil Tippett
While it was infamously a far cry and completely different from the sci-fi war novel that it adapted,Starship Troopersquickly became a cult classic sci-fi war film of the 90s as well as a brilliant satire of militarism and fascist rule. However,Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federationtook the franchise in a completely different direction, turning an already difficult task of following up a cult classic with a significantly smaller budget much worse.
While nearly any execution of the film with less than a 10th of the budget of the original film was going to be considered a massive downgrade,shifting the approach of the film from over-the-top action to sci-fi horror is a bafflingly confusing decision. It transforms its individual and distinct style of filmmaking into a watered-down, low-budget take on anAlienfilm, without any of the satirical strength and brilliance of the original film’s writing. It created an array of many low-budget sequels in its wake, yet many simply ignore these sequels and only rewatch the original sci-fi action masterpiece.
Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation
8’Pearl Harbor' (2001)
Directed by Michael Bay
While action directorMichael Bayis most commonly remembered and recognized for his work creating brash, in-your-face and explosive action blockbusters,Pearl Harborproved to be his attempt to tell a more grounded, emotional romantic epic. The film follows a similar structure and approach toJames Cameron’sTitanic, following some original characters going through their own intricate love story and betrayal, setting the stage for the shocking disaster of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.
Bay’s signature style of filmmaking simply doesn’t work for either aspect ofPearl Harbor, as its romantic storyline doesn’t have the emotional beats required to hit hard, whilethe lukewarm action scenes feel more disrespectful to the legacy and pain of the victims of the attack. It makes for a notoriouslyterrible blockbuster experiencethat feels hollow at its very core, simply attempting to recapture the magic and allure ofTitanicwithout an understanding of whyTitanicworked in the first place.
Pearl Harbor
7’USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage' (2016)
Directed by Mario Van Peebles
Combining the elements of war films and disaster films together to create a shockingly uneventful and uninteresting experience,USS Indianapolis: Men of Courageis one of many strange career decisions byNicolas Cageduring the 2010s. The film sees Cage as Captain Charles McVay, the commander of the titular heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis, as they are tasked with delivering parts of the atomic bomb in 1945. However, their ship would soon face catastrophe after being torpedoed and sunk, leaving the crew stranded in the shark-infested waters of the Philippine Sea without food and water.
Cage’s distinct style of wild and eccentric acting simply doesn’t align with the stern, serious tone that war movies go for, especially a film that covers such painful and destructive material as this. Combined with some comically ineffective visual effects,USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage completely fails at connecting with the audience with its real-life tragedy, transforming it into an unintentionally hilarious joke.
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage
6'300: Rise of an Empire' (2014)
Directed by Noam Murro
The original300was one of the defining war movies of the 2000s, filled to the brim with style and awe from the directing style ofZack Snyderand bringing to life the era of Ancient Greece like never before on-screen. It was all-but inevitable that the film would receive a sequel, yet300: Rise of an Empireproved to be one of the most disappointing andbafflingly ineffective sequelsthat the 2010s had to offer. As opposed to a traditional sequel, the film takes place before, during, and after the main events of the original film, based on what was a then-unpublished comic series byFrank Miller.
Rise of an Empire proves to amplify the worst aspects of the original film without any of the inherent charm or allure that made the original such an impactful experience. What was once groundbreaking and dynamic filmmaking in the 2000s had grown to be the standard by the timeRise of an Empirewas released in 2014,making it feel rather dated, even when compared to its predecessor. Worse was the film’s laughably bad story, which is constantly making references and nods to the previous film without ever forging its own identity for itself.
300: Rise of an Empire
5’Delta Force 3: The Killing Game' (1991)
Directed by Sam Firstenberg
TheDelta Forcefilms were already some of the most exceptionally stupid and over-the-top war films of their era, amplified by the screen presence ofChuck Norrisand being amplified by their own absurd nature. While many straight-to-video sequels have found difficulties living up to their original films due to decreased budgets and cast members not returning,Delta Force 3: The Killing Gameis an especially notable case that is severely diminished by a lack of Norris.
Even though the film still stars a member of the Norris family in Chuck’s son, Mike Norris, nearly everything fun and entertaining about the franchise would end up leaving with Chuck.Delta Force 3feels largely disconnected from the original films,with very little personality and individuality to call its own as it feels aimless and entirely reliant on action clichés. It’s about as mindless as a war film can get, and while that was some of the appeal of previousDelta Forcefilms, it reaches a breaking point in Delta Force 3 where it just isn’t even fun anymore.Rent on Amazon Prime
4’Air Strike' (2018)
Directed by Feng Xiao
A lackluster Chinese war drama that attained notoriety for its strange inclusion of acclaimed Hollywood starsBruce WillisandAdrien Brody,Air Strikehas little to offer outside of overwhelming nationalism for the Chinese Air Force.The film meanders around various different dull and uninteresting plotlines as its editing is largely without focus or care, lacking any real cohesive narrative until China and Japan battle during the Battle of Chongquing. Willis and Brody barely show up in the film, with Willis having a few scenes where he teaches Chinese fighter pilots how to fly and Brody only shows up in a single scene.
Without any real goals or throughline stories to attach oneself to,Air Strikequickly garnered a reputation as one of theworst war moviesof recent memory, with its blatant false advertising creating an even bigger target on its back. The CGI is also especially terrible for the era, feeling more in line with early 2000s war films, as its minimal budget was entirely used for getting bankable stars and nothing else. Many were quick to give the film the title of blatant Chinese military propaganda, but it couldn’t even accomplish being entertaining propaganda like other recent Chinese war films.
Air Strike
Directed by Don Michael Paul
The originalJarheadwas a tactful and brilliant war drama that delved into the painful truths experienced by soldiers during the Persian Gulf War. It was purposeful with its approach to the mental struggle and pain that war left on everyday people, being much more about the emotional toils of war over the actual action and warfare on-screen. The effective standalone movie somehow received a direct-to-video sequel 9 years later, withJarhead 2: Field of Fire, having next to nothing to do with the original film.
Gone is the mature commentary on the effects of war on a person’s psyche, asJarhead 2is much more interested in telling the most generic and painfully uninteresting action movie imaginable. Even if the film managed to retain the original cast and crew as the original,the shocking change in themes, tone and style make the film a spit in the face of everything that the original stood for. This lackluster sequel managed to only be the first in a line of terribleJarheadfilms, although this initial sequel still stands out as the worst of the bunch, as well as the most forgettable.
Jarhead 2: Field of Fire
Directed by Paul Gross
It isn’t a coincidence that some of the most beloved and acclaimed war movies of all time are also some of themost accurate depictions of war, truly being able to delve into the headspace and essence of war in their execution. Conversely, this makes a film likeHyena Road, which seems to actively be as unrealistic and over-the-top with its real story retelling as possible, all the most nonsensical and hard to take seriously. The film follows various different Canadian military units as they find their lives and stories paralleling as they operate at Route Hyena.
With a wide array of different characters and stories to focus on, Hyena Road doesn’t have the focus or attention to tell a simple, compelling narrative, asall of its stories serve to blend together into an uninteresting mess. Many have criticized the film and its portrayal of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan feeling less realistic, a facet that can largely be placed on the film’s unfocused pacing that doesn’t tell an interesting plot or have actual developing characters.
Hyena Road
1’Sniper: Special Ops' (2016)
Directed by Fred Olen Ray
The career ofSteven Seagalis a largely interesting one, as he went from an action star of mixed reception yet undeniable appeal to one that would find himself consistently starring in some of the worst action movies of all time. Out of all of his painfully uneventful recent outings,Sniper: Special Opsstands out especially not just as the worst of the bunch, but easily one of the worst war movies ever created. The film sees Seagal as expert sniper Jake Chandler, who has been sent to a remote Afghan village to help rescue an American congressman who has been kidnapped by the Taliban.
To call Seagal a leading action star inSniper: Special Opsdoes a major disservice to every other action star, as he spends the vast majority of the film lying down, sitting in chairs, and just overall doing as little as possible while still “acting” on-screen. Seagal’s lackluster screen-presence is nothing compared to the film’s laughably terrible story, whichrelies on seemingly every action war movie cliché imaginable. While the film had hopes of following in the footsteps ofAmerican Sniper, the final product more closely resembles a nonsensical parody of what a modern war movie should be.
