Special Report

Worst Movies You Can Watch on Amazon Prime Right Now

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The Omicron variant of the coronavirus may be in retreat, but for much of the country, where winter isn’t over yet, the month of February still means staying inside as much as possible.

For TV viewers, that presents an opportunity to mine the trove of movie classics that can be streamed on Amazon Prime. These include such cinematic landmarks as “Wuthering Heights,” “Stagecoach,” “12 Angry Men,” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” and “The Silence of the Lambs.” 

Amazon Prime’s film calendar is diverse and voluminous – but not all of its offerings are Oscar-worthy, and unless you’re in love with their stars or are in the mood to watch something so bad it might actually be enjoyable, there are plenty of movies streaming on the platform that are probably better left unseen. (If you’d rather look on the bright side, these are the best movies to stream on Amazon Prime this month.)

To determine the worst things to watch on Amazon Prime this February, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, weighting all ratings equally. We considered only movies streaming on Prime that had at least 5,000 audience votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes as of February, and ruled out documentaries. (Data on streaming availability, current as of this month, comes from the streaming guide Reelgood, and directorial and cast credits are from IMDb.)

The misfires we found run the gamut – oafish rom-coms, grisly torture porn, remade epics, bad-taste comedies, dramas with unlikable characters and clunky dialogue, sequels that shouldn’t have been made….

Click here to see the worst movies you can watch on Amazon Prime right now

Actors starring in some of these, such as Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Anne Hathaway, Goldie Hawn, and Christian Bale, all have Oscar wins on their résumés, but might prefer to forget their participation in the films listed here. The same goes for action stars such as Bruce Willis, Zoe Saldana, Liam Neeson, and Jason Statham. (Willis is just one of the TV stars who made a successful jump to movies.)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

25. Alpha Dog (2006)
>IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (101,104 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (422,598 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 54% (144 reviews)
>Directed by: Nick Cassavetes

“Alpha Dog” is about middle-class drug-abusing teens running amuck in Los Angeles. The film has star power with Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone, but to quote critic Todd Gilchrist of IGN Movies, it’s “a lackluster teenage true-crime tale.”

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Courtesy of MGM/UA Distribution Company

24. Overboard (1987)
>IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (55,809 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (68,349 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 44% ( 34 reviews)
>Directed by: Garry Marshall

“Overboard” is about a rich woman (Goldie Hawn) who falls off a yacht, suffers amnesia, and is ditched by her husband. A widowed carpenter (Kurt Russell) with four children eventually claims her as his wife. Rita Kempley of the Washington Post said, “If there’s an amnesia movie worse than ‘Overboard,’ it slips my mind.” The film was remade 29 years later starring Anna Faris. It fared no better among the critics.

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

23. Unfaithful (2002)
>IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (84,004 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 68% (60,142 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 50% (165 reviews)
>Directed by: Adrian Lyne

Richard Gere stars as a husband who discovers his wife (Diane Lane) has been unfaithful and confronts her lover, triggering the rage within him. Peter Rainer of New York Magazine/Vulture dismissed the film as “a glossy, depthless melodrama.”

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

22. The A-Team (2010)
>IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (252,031 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 66% (199,411 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 49% (217 reviews)
>Directed by: Joe Carnahan

If you were expecting more from a film based on the long-running television series with a cast featuring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, and Jessica Biel, you would have been disappointed. Ed Travis of Hollywood Jesus said “…nothing about ‘The A-Team’ will really stick with you after watching,”

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Courtesy of Amuse

21. Spun (2003)
>IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (37,888 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (56,701 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 37% ( 79 reviews)
>Directed by: Jonas Åkerlund

A drug addict (Jason Schwartzman) encounters wild characters (John Alberto Leguizamo, Mena Suvari) on the street during a narcotics binge in Los Angeles. Nev Pierce of BBC.com opined “Like an ex-addict reminiscing over their days of dependence, it’s dead behind the eyes: hollowed out.”

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

20. Shopgirl (2005)
>IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (23,680 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 58% (68,091 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 60% (154 reviews)
>Directed by: Anand Tucker

“Shopgirl” stars Claire Danes in the title role as a young woman who is romanced by an older, commitment-challenged man (Steve Martin). “A slim, charming, romantic story, full of intentionally mild humor about strong themes – passion, commitment, loneliness,” said Ken Tucker of New York Magazine/Vulture

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

19. Half Baked (1998)
>IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (60,380 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (194,284 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 29% ( 24 reviews)
>Directed by: Tamra Davis

As with many other films on this list, the difference of opinion between critics and audiences is vast. Starring funnymen Dave Chappelle and Jim Breuer, the film is about three stoners who sell stolen marijuana to raise bail for one of their friends who was arrested for feeding junk food to a horse that dies. The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus said “You’d have to be high to dig ‘Half Baked”s half baked production and scattershot sense of humor – although maybe that was the point of this Dave Chappelle-led joint.”

Courtesy of Miramax

18. Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
>IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (52,138 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (65,851 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 31% ( 26 reviews)
>Directed by: Paris Barclay

A comedy from the Wayans clan about a young Black man forced to live with his streetwise grandmother in a rough Los Angeles neighborhood who eventually falls in love with an aspiring poet. Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today called it “rude, crude and outrageous.”

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

17. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
>IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (287,220 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57% (33,204,120 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 49% ( 61 reviews)
>Directed by: Tom Shadyac

“Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” stars Jim Carrey in the title role. He’s trying to find out who has been abducting players from the Miami Dolphins football team. “Neither terrible, boring nor soporific, just not very funny,” said Julian Ketchum of Empire Magazine.

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Courtesy of Bauer Martinez Studios

16. Harsh Times (2005)
>IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (64,540 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 55% (91,233 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 48% ( 99 reviews)
>Directed by: David Ayer

Christian Bale won over some critics for his over-the-top portrayal of a Gulf War veteran working for the Department of Homeland Security whose goal is to wipe out crime in Los Angeles. Peter Howell of the Toronto Star said “‘Harsh Times’ is so into its own nihilism, it sometimes forgets the humanity beneath the hurt.”

Courtesy of Image Entertainment

15. Odd Thomas (2013)
>IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (50,410 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 65% (10,594 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 38% ( 47 reviews)
>Directed by: Stephen Sommers

“Odd Thomas” is the name of a clairvoyant cook (Anton Yelchin) who along with his girlfriend (Addison Timlin) and the town sheriff (Willem Dafoe) try to prevent an unknown disaster from befalling their town. Stephen Sommers directed, wrote, and co-produced the film, which critic Cary Darling of Fort Worth Star-Telegram found to be “engagingly lightweight and occasionally inventive.”

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Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

14. Here Comes the Boom (2012)
>IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (88,075 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 65% (60,692 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 41% ( 97 reviews)
>Directed by: Frank Coraci

Comedian Kevin James plays a high school teacher who moonlights as a mixed-martial arts fighter to raise money to save the school’s music program. Some critics on Rotten Tomatoes dismissed the film as formulaic and hackneyed. In the words of critic William Goss of Empire Magazine, it was “amiably average, chiefly due to James’ natural charms.”

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

13. Love & Other Drugs (2010)
>IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (188,665 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 53% (74,512 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 49% (168 reviews)
>Directed by: Edward Zwick

This is a rom-com starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a pharmaceutical salesman who hooks up with a Parkinson’s patient (Anne Hathaway). Both question whether their relationship is the real thing. Sukhdev Sandhu of the Daily Telegraph said “[Its] restlessness and lack of conviction make it both fascinating and frustrating.”

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

12. Step Up (2006)
>IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (114,107 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (615,716 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 21% (108 reviews)
>Directed by: Anne Fletcher

Another movie with a wide disparity of approval between critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, “Step Up” is about a young man (Channing Tatum) sentenced to community service who connects with a ballet student (Jenna Dewan) and teaches her hip-hop moves. Guardian critic Philip French said “This is a cliché-ridden movie by people to whom formula is clearly mother’s milk.”

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Courtesy of Universal Pictures

11. How High (2001)
>IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (55,823 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (67,118 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 26% ( 57 reviews)
>Directed by: Jesse Dylan

Rap stars Redman and Method Man play two young men who smoke a magical substance, score well on their college-entrance exams, and get into Harvard. All goes well until their supply of supernatural smoke evaporates. Marjorie Baumgarten of the Austin Chronicle was unsparing in her criticism, calling the film “feebly crafted in virtually every way imaginable – directing, cinematography, acting, scriptwriting.”

Courtesy of Magnet Releasing

10. Centurion (2010)
>IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (80,626 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 43% (47,749 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 61% (113 reviews)
>Directed by: Neil Marshall

This Roman Empire-era slaughterfest, starring Michael Fasbender and Dominic West, takes place in ancient Scotland. Jordan Hoffman of UGO snidely remarked that “Centurion treats arterial sprays like ‘Sex and the City’ treats shoes.”

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Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

9. The Village (2004)
>IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (250,856 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57% (454,270 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 43% (219 reviews)
>Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village” features his knack for discomfiting audiences with creepy images and themes. Critics thought the film’s plot twist at the end was disappointing. David Ansen of Newsweek said “the entire solemn, portentous edifice that is ‘The Village’ collapses of its own fake weight.” The movie boasted a big cast that included Oscar winners Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, and William Hurt.

Courtesy of United Artists

8. Hackers (1995)
>IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (67,337 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 68% (122,357 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 32% ( 44 reviews)
>Directed by: Iain Softley

“Hackers” stars Jonny Lee Miller as a teenage computer hacker framed for the theft of millions of dollars from a large corporation. Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune said the movie “sums up the worst of the computer era: zapping you with techno-clichés and trapping you in constant visual crash and burn.”

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

7. Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
>IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (208,710 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (933,496 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 25% ( 28 reviews)
>Directed by: Steve Oedekerk

This sequel to “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” found even less favor among critics than its predecessor. In this film, Ace Ventura has to find a sacred bat in the Himalayas or else a civil war will erupt between two tribes. Leigh Paatsch of the Herald Sun in Australia was put off by “…a wide variety of toilet humour-based atrocities in rapid-fire succession.”

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Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

6. Colombiana (2011)
>IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (98,030 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (162,050 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 27% (103 reviews)
>Directed by: Olivier Megaton

After her parents are killed by a crime boss and his henchmen, a young Colombian woman goes to work as a contract killer and seeks revenge. Critic David Hughes of Empire Magazine praised the performance of Zoe Saldana in the starring role, but said she “can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear – much less a dog’s dinner.”

Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

5. King Arthur (2004)
>IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (163,083 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59% (390,012 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 31% (191 reviews)
>Directed by: Antoine Fuqua

The King Arthur story was retold by director Antoine Fuqua in something of a history mashup, which included the Roman Empire’s legions. Despite a well-regarded cast that included Clive Owen, Keira Knightley, Stellan Skarsgård, and Ray Winstone, critic Nell Minow of Common Sense Media found the film “entertaining, but ultimately forgettable.”

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Courtesy of Entertainment One

4. Two Night Stand (2014)
>IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (67,696 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 45% (8,213 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 38% ( 47 reviews)
>Directed by: Max Nichols

This rom-com stars Miles Teller and Analeigh Tipton as a couple who meet online and end up trapped in a New York apartment during a snowstorm. Some critics liked the two leads and lauded the dialogue, while critic Geoffrey Macnab of the Independent found the movie “charming in parts but also contrived.”

Courtesy of Batrax Entertainment

3. Before I Go to Sleep (2014)
>IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (75,715 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 40% (13,794 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 37% (120 reviews)
>Directed by: Rowan Joffe

This thriller directed by Rowan Joffe stars Nicole Kidman as Christine Lucas and Colin Firth as her husband, Ben. The two grapple with the aftermath of an attack that nearly killed her and the amnesia caused by the assault. Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com said “there’s no edge, no pulp, no grit under its fingernails.”

Courtesy of LD Entertainment

2. The Collector (2009)
>IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (61,898 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 48% (63,495 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 28% ( 74 reviews)
>Directed by: Marcus Dunstan

“The Collector” is a torture-porn film about a debt-ridden man targeting a wealthy family to steal valuable jewelry. But a madman has gotten to the residence first, imprisoned the family, and set lethal traps in the house. David N. Butterworth of La Movie Boeuf wrote off the film, saying it “plays like a collection of outtakes from some ‘Saw’ script that never saw the light of day.”

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Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films

1. London (2005)
>IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (23,000 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% (89,233 votes)
>Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 14% ( 36 reviews)
>Directed by: Hunter Richards

“London” received the lowest score among Rotten Tomatoes critics of any film on this list, despite a cast featuring Chris Evans, Jessica Biel, Isla Fisher, and Jason Statham. It’s about a man, played by Evans, who crashes his ex-lover’s going-away party in a bout of anguish fueled by cocaine. Critics found the characters unlikable and the film pretentious.

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