The last six years have gifted us some genuine cinematic treasures—Dune: Part Two, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and more. But for every masterpiece, there's a dumpster fire. And we're not talking about so-bad-it's-good cult classics; we're talking about movies that are just plain bad. Here's the worst film of each year from 2021 to 2026.
2021: 2025: The World Enslaved by a Virus
If you haven't heard of this German-made Christian persecution fantasy, consider yourself lucky. 2025: The World Enslaved by a Virus is a conspiracy-laden mess that makes painfully awful family movies look like masterpieces. The acting is amateurish, the plot is virtually nonexistent, and the visuals are so cheap they'd embarrass a student film. Worse, it's not even funny in an ironic way—just a tedious, 90-minute slog through paranoia and bad filmmaking.
2022: Morbius
Sony's Morbius was supposed to launch a new antihero franchise. Instead, it became a punchline. Jared Leto's vampire flick bombed at the box office, then bombed again after a meme-fueled re-release. The biggest sin? It's boring. With ugly CGI, a nonsensical plot, and one of the worst post-credits scenes ever, Morbius is everything a comic book movie shouldn't be. It's not even bad enough to be fun—just a lifeless, forgettable slog.
2023: Spy Kids: Armageddon
Robert Rodriguez's Spy Kids franchise once charmed a generation, but Spy Kids: Armageddon is a soulless Netflix reboot that even kids will struggle to enjoy. With a 4.3/10 on IMDb and a 1.7/5 on Letterboxd, it's one of the decade's lowest-rated films. The action is poorly shot, the humor is stale, and the performances feel phoned in. It's the kind of movie that makes you wonder if anyone involved actually cared.
2024: Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate
Fans waited 14 years for a Megamind sequel. What they got was this direct-to-streaming disaster from Peacock. Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate is the lowest-rated film of the decade on Letterboxd, and for good reason. The animation is cheap, the voice acting is lifeless, and the humor is nonexistent. It's a cash grab that insults the original's cult following and proves that not every beloved property needs a revival.
2025: Mercy
While 2025 had its share of disappointments, Mercy stands out as a particularly egregious misfire. This would-be thriller is so poorly constructed that it makes the worst movie remakes look competent. With a script full of clichés, direction that lacks any tension, and performances that range from wooden to overwrought, Mercy is a film that seems to actively repel any audience goodwill.
2026: War of the Worlds (2026)
Yes, another adaptation of H.G. Wells's classic—and this one is the worst yet. The 2026 War of the Worlds is a bloated, effects-heavy bore that forgets to include any actual drama or character development. It's a loud, empty spectacle that makes you long for the 2005 Spielberg version. If you want a fresh take on the material, check out the 2019 miniseries instead.
From pandemic conspiracies to soulless sequels, these six films prove that even in a golden age of cinema, the bottom of the barrel is still very, very deep. Here's hoping the next six years bring more Dune and less Doom Syndicate.
