Just as some great movies have bad scenes some bad movies have some really great scenes. Even movies as bad as Jurassic Park III and the Coen Brothers misfire The Ladykillers have scenes that bring some joy to movies that we'd otherwise never watch again. Here is our list of great scenes in bad movies.
"Just When I Thought I Was Out..." - The Godfather Part III
There is a lot to be disappointed about in The Godfather Part III. It would have been almost impossible for Francis Ford Coppola to match the first two in the series, but sadly he didn't even come close with the third installment. However, it does have the now-legendary scene when Michael (Al Pacino) declares "Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in."
The Wingsuit Flight - Point Break
Almost everything about the ill-conceived 2015 remake of Point Break was a bad idea. It's not just a bad retread of a classic, if campy, '90s movie, it's just not a good movie in the slightest. Save for one scene. When the bank-robbing crew goes out of a little wingsuit flying, the movie perks up for a few minutes in a very cool scene with some of the best stunts of the decade.
Pteranodon - Jurassic Park III
Jurassic Park III was such a letdown from the first two movies in the franchise. The lone scene that stands out from the rest is the incredible moments inside the Pteranodon aviary. It'll come as no surprise to learn that the scene was actually lifted from the original book by Michael Crichton that was left out of the first movie in the series. It's a gripping scene in the book made terrifying in the movie.
The Opening Steady Cam Shot - Bonfire Of The Vanities
Brian de Palma's Bonfire Of The Vanities was a misfire in almost every way. It completely lacked the charm and wit of the book it was based on by Tom Wolfe and it was rightfully panned by most critics. One scene that critics did like is the opening steady cam/tracking shot that opens the movie that rivals even Scorsese's famous tracking shot in Goodfellas.
The Illegal Chop Shop - Beverly Hills Cop III
The Beverly Hills Cop franchise redeemed itself a little in 2024 with the release of Axel F, but it had a long way to go after the third installment of the series basically tanked it for decades. Beverly Hills Cop III feels phoned in and for the most part, wasn't very funny at all. The lone exception was the scene when Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) bangs on the door of the chop shop and asks if it is, indeed, an illegal chop shop in a way only Murphy can pull off at his best.
The Thunderdome - Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
Even the most hardcore fans of the Mad Max franchise can admit that the third installment Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome isn't all that great. Even the great Tina Turner can't save it. One scene that almost saves it is the actually fight in the titular Thunderdome. It's not quite enough, but it is pretty freakin' cool.
Left My Wallet In El Segundo - The Ladykillers
The Coen Brothers have a pretty amazing track record of making great movies. Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, Fargo, No Country For Old Men... the list goes on and on. One glaring example of miss is their remake of The Ladykillers starring Tom Hanks. It's hard to pinpoint why the movie doesn't have the same charm as the rest of their movies, but it's not hard to recognize that the opening scene with Marva Munson (Irma P. Hall) complaining about the "hippity hop" music is delightful.
Dream Scene - The Exorcist III
If we're honest, The Exorcist III is kind of a mess. It's just a confusing, mess of a movie but it does have that super trippy and terrifying dream sequence that makes it worth the price of entry.
The Light Saber Battle - Star Wars: Episode 1- The Phantom Menace
Now, no one, not even the most ardent Star Wars fans usually try to defend Star Wars: Episode 1- The Phantom Menace. Not only did it introduce Midi-chlorins and Jar-Jar Binks, but it also tried to ruin a lot of the original trilogy for us too. Thankfully it does have some redeeming qualities, like the epic lightsaber battle at the end with Darth Maul. It's possibly the best such battle in the entire franchise.
Stopping Bullets - The Matrix Reloaded
How do you top a scene stopping bullets like in the original Matrix? Stop a whole bunch of bullets in The Matrix Reloaded. There is also that great chase scene, but most of us were asleep by then.
The Invisible Jet - Wonder Woman 1984
On the heels of the fantastic Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman 1984 was just such a letdown. Not only did it trade in annoying Gen X nostalgia, but it just wasn't a very well-conceived movie. It did, however, finally give something we've always wanted, a live-action version of Wonder Woman's invisible plane, and for that, the wait was worth it.
The Convenience Store - Hard To Kill
It's hard to argue that any Steven Seagal movie is good, except the great Under Siege. But some of those movies in the late 80s and early 90s were at least decent. Hard to Kill fits in that category. It's not an epic film by any means, but it's got some great fight scenes, most notably the one in the beginning when Seagal takes on a would-be robber in a convenience store. It's Seagel at his best.
"I Just Stopped Caring" - The Fan
Robert de Niro and Wesley Snipes are both great in The Fan which is an otherwise completely underwhelming movie. It makes sense that the one really good scene in the whole movie is the one they are in together as de Niro pitches to Snipes and they talk about life and baseball before Snipes really makes de Niro mad.
The Japanese Attack - Pearl Harbor
The late critic Roger Ebert penned one of his best reviews for Pearl Harbor, calling it, "a two-hour movie squeezed into three hours, about how on Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese staged a surprise attack on an American love triangle." Truer words have never been spoken as the movie and the silly love triangle it invents ruin what would otherwise be an incredible movie if they had just stuck to the actual attack. The attack scene is phenomenal.
The Roof Chase During The Horse Race - Quantum Of Solace
Quantum of Solace is generally thought of as one of the worst James Bond movies. Still, it has its moments like any Bond film. The best scene, by far, is the chase across the rooftops of Siena, Italy as the town's famous horserace, the Palio di Siena, takes place below. It's a fantastic action sequence in every way.
The Elevator Scene - Suicide Squad
Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn is the only thing that saves Suicide Squad from being the worst superhero movie of all time. In fact, the only truly great scene in the movie is her fight in the glass elevator before she reunites with The Joker when the movie falls apart again.
Jane Slaps Thor - Thor: The Dark World
When ranking the MCU movies, Thor: The Dark World is usually at or near the bottom of all the films, and with good reason. Still, there is a completely charming moment when Jane (Natalie Portman) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) reunite. It doesn't make up for the rest of the movie, but it is a nice scene,
Stealing The Car Back - Navy SEALs
Even by 1990s action movie standards, Navy SEALs is a terrible movie. Still, there is one scene that is super fun to rewatch and that is Charlie Sheen's character stealing his Mustang back from the repo man from atop the tow truck. But that's it and it certainly doesn't make the rest of the movie worth watching.
Wolverine's War Experiences - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a polarizing movie. Most hate it, though some love it. Whether you love it or hate it, you can't deny that the scene in the beginning with Wolverine and his brother Sabertooth fighting it out in a montage across all the major wars in U.S. history is a pretty awesome way to start a movie.
The Pod Race - Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace
This might be a controversial entry on the list, but the pod racing in The Phantom Menace is pretty freakin' cool. Maybe it's just because of the great video game that was born from it, but either way, the scene holds up in an otherwise pretty brutal movie.
The Rhino - Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls doesn't even come close to matching the charm of the original Ace Ventura movie. There are few redeeming scenes in the whole movie, and even the best scene, when Ace is "birthed" from a fake rhino, fits right in with the over-the-top gross-out humor the movie relies on. Still, it's pretty darn funny.
Coach D'Amato's Speech - Any Given Sunday
Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday is a pretty bad movie that clocks the audience over the head with its morality like a frying pan. Still, the speech that Coach D'Amato (Al Pacino) makes about "clawing for every inch" is pretty epic and inspiring.
The Final Battle - The Patriot
There is really very little good to say about The Patriot, so we'll keep this short. Despite all the poor history and dubious plot points, the final battle is a fantastically well-put-together action sequence.
Racing In A Chicken Suit - Stroker Ace
Despite being one of the best movies about auto racing, Stroker Ace isn't really a good movie. Burt Reynolds even admitted as much. Still, it's pretty hilarious to watch the great Burt Reynolds racing around a NASCAR track dressed in a chicken suit.
The President's Speech - Independence Day
Another entry that may cause some controversy is Independence Day. While many love it, do you really think it's a great movie (it's okay to like bad movies)? Still, whether you think it's the best movie ever made or silly Hollywood schlock, the speech that Bill Pullman made as the President will always be remembered for its greatness.
