10 Worst Sci-Fi Movies Of The 21st Century, Ranked

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

They can't all be winners. While the 21st century has undoubtedly managed to spawn some terrific films, from blockbusters like the "Harry Potter" series to scrappy cult favorites like "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Fall," we've also been treated to some real bombs since the '00s dawned. This 10-pack is laden with corny dialogue, terrible makeup effects, and awful plotting. The characters have awkward names and goofy motivations; instead of hoping they'll find victory, viewers root for them to meet an ignominious end instead.

While some might argue these flicks are so bad they're good, this list exclusively contains motion pictures that are too awful to endure. Legendary for all of the wrong reasons, they cause studios nothing but trouble and give audiences nothing but a case of the giggles.

The offerings here take a look at many different subgenres of SF, but at core they're all the same thing — utterly rotten, thanks to some flaw in their makeup. Whether it's the riotously fatuous tone of epics like "After Earth" and "Battlefield Earth," or wannabe universe-shakers that turned into memes like "Morbius" or "Megalopolis," there's plenty of terrible pictures here to gawk at. As determined by the films' Rotten Tomatoes rankings and authorial expertise, here are the 10 worst sci-fi movies released over the past two decades.

• Cast: Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Nathalie Emmanuel
• Director: Francis Ford Coppola
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 138 minutes
• Where to watch: n/a

"Megalopolis" is a fascinating failure of a motion picture; an intense fever dream from Francis Ford Coppola which combines his love of Roman social politics with complex worldbuilding and science fiction flights of fancy. The combination of over-the-top drama and wild dialogue left audiences cold and turned the film into a walking meme. It's lush, filled with bathos that makes it come off as completely lunatic, but it's terrible in such a unique way that it's also compelling.

That narrative power lands it at the bottom of this list. Unfortunately for Coppola, critics were decidedly mixed on the film. It has a 46% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the highest ranking endeavor here, but still a mess that bombed at the box office; one that failed to make back its estimated $120 million budget.

In the film, Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) is a well-respected architect, a part of the Patrician class. Not only does he have a Nobel prize under his belt, but he secretly has a magical skill — he knows how to stop time. One day his wife disappears, leaving him a guilty wreck; though he's accused of her murder, there is no evidence he committed the deed, and Cesar believes she harmed herself because of his cheating. Cesar must subsequently cope with personal and professional ruin, jealousy and condemnation as he tries to build his own utopia, the titular Megalopolis. 

• Cast: Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins
• Director: Zack Snyder
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 134 minutes
• Where to watch: Netflix

"Rebel Moon" was supposed to be Zack Snyder's fresh start as a creator, the franchise that would allow him to break away from the DCU world in the wake of the company's choice to reboot its properties. He was hoping to build "Rebel Moon" into a huge IP, making it into another big franchise, but years later it hasn't made much of any cultural impact. There's a good reason for that: no matter which way you slice it, the story is just "Star Wars" with more guns and a slight Western flair, minus anything resembling interesting worldbuilding or unique characters.

While "Rebel Moon" was initially successful on Netflix, the second part, "Rebel Moon Part 2 — The Scargiver" received declining viewership totals, and plans to create a four film-plus universe have been paused while Snyder contemplates whether or not the universe should move forward. The critical response to the franchise has been anemic in recent years. The first part has a terrible Rotten Tomatoes score; it sits at 22%, with 185 reviewers adding their thoughts. 

The film series is centered on Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger who settles on a peaceful planet which has come under threat of the evil Mother World. Kora decides to gather and train a team of warriors to defeat the Mother World, but will their quest for redemption lead to further horrors? Who cares?

• Cast: Jared Leto, Matt Smith
• Director: Daniel Espinosa
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime:104 minutes
• Where to watch: Tubi, Disney+

Tragically for Sony Pictures, it was not Morbin' Time. While "Morbius" got a lot of attention from the internet, which had a lot of fun mocking the movie and creating memes related to it, the film didn't do well at the box office. It only made over $167 million worldwide on a $75 million budget — and this was before Sony re-released the picture to capitalize on all of that gawking. The second go-round went exactly how we all expected it to go and "Morbius" died all over again in multiplexes everywhere. Critics also staked the flick, and it's at 15% on Rotten Tomatoes.  Years later, the jokes still raise a chuckle — as does the movie, which provides riotous special effects and campy performances.

The flick is about Michael Morbius (Jared Leto), stricken with a blood illness since childhood. Michael eventually experiments upon himself to find a cure but achieves success at a terrible price. The Nobel Prize-winning scientist becomes a vampire, and begins developing bat-like characteristics on top of that. He tries to keep his so-called solution under wraps, but his jealous and similarly-afflicted adopted brother, Milo (Matt Smith) steals it and tries to fix himself. The two men are then set on a violent collision course that might spell doom for them both — and no chance of ever meeting Tom Holland's Spidey in any reasonable context.

• Cast: Chow Yun-fat, Jamie Chung, Emmy Rossum
• Director: James Wong
• Rating: PG
• Runtime:85 minutes
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play

It would take movie studios a while to figure out that American anime fans aren't interested in live action adaptations of their favorite series, especially whitewashed ones. They just want more of the same on the big screen, as the release of films like "Dragon Ball: Broly" would confirm. To wit: "Dragon Ball: Evolution," an odd and poorly-scripted rendition of "Dragon Ball," made $56.6 million at the box office on a $30 million budget, and the failure of it and M. Night Shyamalan's version of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" put a temporary kibosh on this wave of big-budget flicks.

Similar projects were sent to television, where much more faithful versions of the familiar would play out. "Evolution" was also a bomb critically, only reaching a 14% critical approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. It's a score that's well-deserved. The film is a paltry representation of the violent but playful might of the original manga and anime.

"Evolution" follows the adventures of Goku (Justin Chatwin), who finds himself on the path to vengeance after his grandfather Gohan (Randall Duk Kim) is killed by King Piccolo (James Marsters), who's searching for the valuable four-star Dragon Ball that Goku just got for his birthday. On his search to find Master Roshi (Chow Yun-fat), he meets the spirited Bulma (Emmy Rossum) and prepares to do battle with Piccolo and claim his rightful destiny. "Dragonball Z" alone may be 291 episodes long, but you'll have more fun with it.

• Cast: Jamie Campbell Bower, Lily Collins, Robert Sheehan
• Director: Harald Zwart
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 130 minutes
• Where to watch: PlutoTV

The 2010s brought on a cavalcade of sci-fi centered YA adaptations, with some series aimed at younger moviegoers and others aimed at teenagers and young adults. "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" branched off of Cassandra Clare's successful "The Shadowhunter Chronicles" book series, and while it may have been blessed with both an attractive and talented young cast and a propulsive marketing campaign, nothing could salvage the silly script and dour plot. 

The movie fell apart at the box office, making just over $95 million worldwide on a $60 million budget and sending the entire franchise to the television world, resulting in Freeform's "Shadowhunters." The film landed a 13% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, which secures it a place near the bottom of the list.

"City of Bones" centers on Clary Fray (Lily Collins), who discovers that she has the power to draw magical runes because she's a Shadowhunter — part angel, part human, and destined to slay demons. Fellow Shadowhunter Jace Wayland (Jamie Campbell Bower) crashes into her life in the wake of her mother's kidnapping and tries to protect and guide Clary on her journey while dealing with his confusing feelings for her. Along for the ride is Simon (Robert Sheehan), Clary's befuddled best friend.

• Cast: Will Smith, Jaden Smith
• Director: M. Night Shyamalan
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Where to watch: Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play

Another work from the fevered imagination of M. Night Shyamalan, "After Earth" may have turned a profit, making over $200 million worldwide on a $130 million budget, but its notoriously goofy worldbuilding and wooden performances make it a woeful choice for an evening's entertainment. Will Smith's glowering turns his typical leading man charm ice cold, and a young Jaden Smith yelps and furrows his brows in unfortunate and unappealing ways. Loaded with silly names and incomprehensible ideas, the flick turns into a mishmash of ideals and family bonding. The Tomatometer holds it at a 12% approval score, surprisingly high for a film as awkward as this one.

General Cypher Raige (Will Smith) leads the Ranger Corps, a peacekeeping force that tries to stop the malicious S'krells from disturbing life on the human space colony Nova Prime. The Raige family is in turmoil in the wake of the death of daughter Senshi (Zoë Kravitz). Senshi's brother, Kitai (Jaden Smith), blames himself for her death, which occurred in a S'krell-related attack; she was killed by an Ursa, a creature employed by the S'krells which can pick up on fear in their human targets.

Cypher is talked into taking Kitai on a final mission before his own retirement, but father and son instead crash land on an uninhabitable Earth, which was abandoned by humans centuries ago thanks to an environmental disaster. Alone and hurt, Cypher and Kitai must put their heads together to cope with the cards they've been dealt. It's a crummy hand.

• Cast: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Jamie Lee Curtis
• Director: Eli Roth
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime:101 minutes
• Where to watch: YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime

"Borderlands" might be one of the most youthful stinkers on this list, but it left quite the impact on both fans of the quirky game series and the box office — in a bad way. It has pedigree; a star-studded cast that includes two Oscar winners, and a director with a proven track record, though not in the science fiction genre. But it couldn't overcome a trailer that had fans of the game all saying the same thing — it looked like a dog. Moviegoers agreed, and it only made $33 million on an estimated $110 million budget. Critics hated it as well; it only has 10% approval on the site.

The film follows a bounty hunter who recruits a bunch of highly skilled oddballs to help her find the daughter of the powerful Atlas (Edgar Ramírez). Lilith (Cate Blanchett) is highly experienced and worth her salt. But as she traverses her old home planet dodging danger, she comes to realize that the strangers she's gathered together might become the greatest friends she's ever known. The original video game can be found for almost pennies. Play that instead.

• Cast: Ferdia Shaw, Josh Gad, Lara McDonnell
• Director: Kenneth Branagh
• Rating: PG
• Runtime: 93 minutes
• Where to watch: Tubi

Artemis Fowl might not be as well-known as Harry Potter, but fantasy fans think he's quite the nifty fellow and have bought his books by the thousands. The subject of eight novels of his own, his big screen debut should have been a cause for celebration — but instead the adaptation of the first book in the series went right to Disney+ due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fans of Fowl rebelled when they finally got a chance to see the movie; it felt nothing like the books that had preceded it. On top of that, "Artemis Fowl" bombed with general audiences, failing to generate attention even among curious newbies. It had the ignominious dishonor of being so unpopular that it was removed from the streamer three years after it debuted, shunted off to paid on-demand streamers and then eventually free-with-ads services like Tubi. It only sports an 8% on Rotten Tomatoes, with 178 reviewers giving it the bum rush.

The titular character (Ferdia Shaw) is a child genius who jumps into action after his father is accused of stealing several priceless artifacts and is then promptly kidnapped. Artemis is forced to recover one of these objects, the Aculos, and return it to a mysterious figure on the threat of his father's death. Helping him on his quest is Lower Elements Police reconnaissance officer Holly Short (Lara McDonnell), who is tasked with keeping human beings from learning about the fairies and other mythological creatures they share the world with.

• Cast: Eddie Murphy, Randy Quaid, Rosario Dawson
• Director: Ron Underwood
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 95 minutes
• Where to watch: YouTube, Tubi, The Roku Channel

Eddie Murphy has survived many a notorious flop in his film career, but "The Adventures of Pluto Nash" has taken on a certain stench of infamy since its release. Sitting at a mere 6% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film was also a box office bomb everyone saw coming. It made over $7 million on an estimated $100 million budget, turning the film into one of the most expensive studio mistakes of all time. And that's understandable, when one considers how spiritless the end result is. Murphy would do better again and had done better before, but here he's hopelessly unlikable in a ridiculous plot. The end result is a flick that's utterly forgettable.

The movie centers itself around the titular rogue (Murphy), a sassy nightclub owner living in the far-flung year of 2087. Happily settled on a moon colony, Nash won't sell when a group of gangsters want to buy him out. When they blow up his watering hole, everything changes, and Nash finds himself playing the hero while trying to keep his land and save the whole planet.

• Cast: Nicolas Cage, Chad Michael Murray
• Director: Vic Armstrong
• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 110 minutes
• Where to watch: Tubi

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again — at least that's what Freestyle Releasing seemed to be declaring when it rebooted the apocalyptic "Left Behind" film world after Kirk Cameron tried his hand at it. With a higher budget and Nicolas Cage playing Rayford Steele, the film ends up leaning more heavily on action clichés than Biblical ones. Cage's Steele loses almost everything as he deals with the aftermath of his infidelity — but landing the plane he's in charge of is far more important than any spiritual questions he might be facing.

The end result is a shrug and a yawn. It lands at the top of this list with a horrifying 0% on Rotten Tomatoes and 69 professional reviewers chiming in to drub it. Even Christian pundits gave it the thumbs down, resenting how it portrays their spiritual beliefs. It pulled in over $27 million worldwide on a $14 million budget, but don't expect this version of Steele to rise again for a sequel.

In the film, Steele is astonished to be flying a jet airliner when the Rapture takes place; the hour in which the chosen ascend to Heaven and the rest of us are left behind — title drop! — with naught but our sins and "Judge Judy" reruns. Steele must stay calm and land his plane even though many of his passengers — including his co-pilot — are now flying with God. The question is, can a bunch of people who have no faith maintain enough belief in their collective general goodness to keep on going?