Some of the absolute best action movies of all time were gifted to us in the 1990s. From Demolition Man to Point Break to Goldeneye to even Independence Day, it was a decade stuffed to the gills with explosions, plot twists, hilariously evil villains, and some of the greatest on-screen heroes we'll ever know. Everything can't be a winner, though.
For every Die Hard with a Vengeance, there's a Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie, sadly. But don't worry, we aren't talking about that one. There's nothing redeeming about it except the soundtrack, and even then it's not worth the pain. There are some '90s action movies that trend into the "so bad it's good" territory, though. These are movies we can look at and admit they suck, but we can't help but want to watch them again.
Whether you own them on Blu-ray and are in the midst of wearing that disc out or drop everything you're doing to watch them when you see them on TV or streaming, these are the horrible '90s action movies that simply cannot be missed. Take a look below at our 11 favorite bad action movies from the 1990s.
1. Batman & Robin (1997)
Is it the worst of the '80s/'90s Batman movies? Absolutely. Is it still a truly entertaining movie to watch over and over? Absolutely. Come for the Bat nipples and codpieces, stay for Arnold Schwarzenegger's ice-based puns, Uma Thurman trying to seduce everyone, and the absolute worst characterization of Bane ever. The only downside is the soundtrack to this movie pales in comparison to its predecessor, Batman Forever.
2. Congo (1995)
There are certain '90s movies that, regardless of how bad they may be, managed to make their mark on the mainstream. Congo definitely fits in that category. This is a ridiculously silly movie remembered mostly for Amy, the gorilla that communicated via sign language. But if you haven't actually seen it, you must. Otherwise, you'll never witness treasure hunters using a laser to fight apes. Who wants to miss that?
3. Street Fighter (1994)
The first of many video game movies on this list, Street Fighter isn't great. It's silly, has little to do with the games, and includes a non-stop parade of familiar characters recast into different roles (meet Chun-Li, news reporter). It's more or less an elaborate remix of the Street Fighter lore, filled with overacting, cheesy visual effects, and bad accents (sorry, Jean-Claude Van Damme). It's all worth it, though, for the ridiculously over-the-top performance of Raul Julia as M. Bison
4. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)
The first Mortal Kombat movie isn't good, but for fans of the video game franchise, it was at least somewhat reminiscent of what we loved about the games--battles to the death, familiar characters, utterly ridiculous stakes. The sequel, Annihilation, is just bad on every level. It looks so much cheaper, returning characters are played by different people, and the whole concept of a tournament is tossed aside. That said, it's still a delightfully dumb movie stuffed to the gills with new Mortal Kombat characters, all of which look downright horrifying in how cheap the costuming and prosthetics are. If you haven't seen this movie, what are you doing?
5. Anaconda (1997)
As much a horror movie as it is an action film, who doesn't want to watch Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube fight a gigantic snake? Seriously, that's what the '90s were like. People greenlit movies where celebrities fought huge snakes and that was the entire plot.
6. Super Mario Bros. (1993)
Arguably the worst video game movie of all time, but still a very entertaining watch, Super Mario Bros. seemingly understands nothing about the franchise it's based on. In fact, at one point Luigi refers to Mario as more of a father figure than anything else (and laments about being an orphan, just like Daisy), which makes sense given their difference in age. Still, Super Mario Bros. is somehow terrible and great all at once, from the underground New York City hellscape of Koopa's dimension to the harmonica-playing Goomba who also happens to be Toad somehow.
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)
There are a couple of reasons to watch this truly awful movie. First, you see a franchise go completely off the rails and into the toilet. The first Ninja Turtles film was one of the best of its kind, bringing a sense of gritty realism to a very bizarre concept. The second was a far more kid-friendly movie that feels more in line with modern comic book films. The third, though, looks cheap, feels half-baked, disconnects itself from most of the franchise's lore, and just doesn't make sense. Still, you watch it because the jokes are bad enough that you can't help but laugh. And it doesn't hurt that Corey Feldman returns to the franchise to once again voice Donatello after sitting out Secret of the Ooze.
8. Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
It's Speed but it's on a boat. Honestly, what else is there to say? Oh yeah, Keanu is nowhere to be found. Instead, this time it's Jason Patric (The Lost Boys) at Sandra Bullock's side. This is a classic example of a sequel gone terribly wrong, except for one thing: Willem Dafoe. Anything Willem Dafoe does is pretty perfect and here, as the villain, he's worth the price of admission.
9. Double Dragon (1994)
Did you even know a Double Dragon movie exists? If not, we can't blame you. It only grossed about $4 million at the box office and that's not a typo. This movie sucks, the script is as cheesy as it comes and the casting makes very little sense. Scott Wolf (Party of Five) plays Billy Lee (the one in the blue suit) and Mark Dacascos, who you might know as the Chairman from Iron Chef America, plays Jimmy Lee (the one in the red suit). It certainly didn't help that the director wanted to make the movie more kid-friendly by leaning into the (seriously bad) humor, rather than, you know, the cool fighting that should be in a Double Dragon movie. Still, for its time, the movie features some pretty good visual effects and, if nothing else, it's always fun to see elements of such a foundational video game in a film.
10. 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998)
It could be argued that all of the 3 Ninjas movies are bad, but none of them hold a candle to the fourth and final film in the franchise. None of the original kids return, it's largely set at a theme park and stars none other than Hulk Hogan. This movie was filmed while Hogan was in the midst of his "Hollywood" run in WCW as a despicable heel and yet, for some reason, he's one of the heroes here--alongside a bunch of kids.
11. Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992)
Look, you're just going to have to take our word for this one. This is an incredibly stupid movie, but seeing Sylvester Stallone teaming up with Golden Girls star Estelle Getty is an experience everyone needs in their lifetime. So stop dragging your feet and go watch it already.
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