10 Hilarious Films That Were Never Meant To Be Funny

The production process can be difficult at the best of times and sometimes at the moment it’s unclear what kind of film is really being made. While a director and their creative team could set out to create something incredibly serious, it might end up being unintentionally hilarious.

It could be because of the performances, strange editing choices, or the script that started it all, but sometimes movies end up being far funnier than they probably should have been. The so-bad-it’s-good trope also plays into this, but regardless of how many laughs they might naturally cause, these movies are still a lot of fun in their own unique ways.

10 Honorable Mention: The Star Wars Prequels (1999-2005)

Perhaps some of the criticism levied at the Star Wars prequels was unwarranted, but there are plenty of moments throughout this trilogy that is far funnier than they should be. Overly complicated lines, overacting from the romantic leads Anakin and Padme, and various mistakes and goofs have resulted in the Star Wars prequel series being constantly revived in internet memes. Not to mention some of the intrinsically bad CGI!

It might be quoted for the wrong reasons, but that hasn’t stopped the prequel trilogy from also bringing a number of original ideas to the galaxy far far away. The Star Wars franchise is better off with these installments and at least audiences know about Vader’s distaste for sand.

9 The Room (2003)

Tommy Wiseau has become a B-movie legend due to The Room. The director and actor set out to create an authentic movie experience, but it has since been mocked as one of the worst films of all time. There’s a level of genuine hard work that went into this piece.

Yet despite how serious it was intended to be, the results of the production have seen a cult following form because of the wacky script and almost unbelievable performances. Indeed, scenes like the iconic “Oh, hi Mark” and the flower shop sequence feature some particularly bizarre dialogue. The Room is so infamous that a film about its development has been made titled The Disaster Artist. 

8 Masters Of The Universe (1987)

Masters of the Universe was at one stage a huge franchise, benefitting from the profits of countless toy sales and never-ending ad campaigns, alongside the much-loved animated series. The live-action production was supposed to take the concept to the next level and spawn a fantasy franchise that would rival Lord of the Rings or, at the very least, the Conan movies.

The casting of Dolph Lundgren wasn’t necessarily the problem, but the poor practical effects and terrible script definitely didn’t aid the actor. The narrative didn’t reflect what fans knew about Masters Of The Universe and with each passing year, the visuals become even more hilariously dated (if they were ever current to begin with).

7 Batman And Robin (1997)

Tim Burton’s reboot of the Caped Crusader changed the image of Batman, moving away from the cheesiness of the original TV show. With each installment to the big-screen series though, the Dark Knight morphed into something laughable again. Unfortunately, Batman & Robin was the final straw.

The outlandish quotes suggest that Batman & Robin‘s script always intended the production to be far from serious. Yet tonally nothing made sense about the DC Comics picture. The casting, costumes, and plot led to a lot of laughs; Arnold Schwarzenegger seemed to be completely out of place as he sported a large metallic tank of a suit, while the portrayal of Bane feels almost like a parody.

6 The Wicker Man (2006)

Nicholas Cage has been in some terrible films and there’s even the fan theory that he’ll overact when he knows the production is going to flop. The Wicker Man is some next-level comedy though, with the psychological horror supposedly attempting to terrify its audience.

Since the film’s release, it has been turned into many memes and is endlessly quoted thanks to the ludicrous action beats and a performance from Cage that makes his take on Ghost Rider look conventional. No one is sure to forget the screaming bee scene and Cage certainly seemed insistent on finding out how the wicker man got burned in a completely laughable rage. This is another project that has amassed a cult following for all the wrong reasons.

5 The Mummy (2017)

The Dark Universe has been a franchise that Universal Pictures have tried to launch time and time again. They have been hugely unsuccessful with their efforts, with each passing production getting critically panned with more malice. This cinematic universe simply won’t get off the ground.

The Mummy should have been a surefire bet, but there was something intrinsically funny about Tom Cruise attempting to survive this ancient Egyptian threat, applying some of his trademark Mission: Impossible seriousness to a plot that definitely doesn’t match that tone. The Brendan Fraser-starring Mummy from 1999 was presented to audiences in an almost ironic way, playing into the comedy of the situation. The recent reboot tried to apply some reality to the franchise yet included a beat that saw the protagonist wield the bewildering weapon of a kiss of death.

4 Judge Dredd (1995)

Judge Dredd is a classic of the comic book page and the Dredd reboot demonstrated that the concept could actually be brought to the big screen. At the time of the release of Judge Dredd in 1995 though, the technology and cinematic techniques simply weren’t there for the story to thrive yet.

The performance of Sylvester Stallone here doesn’t hold up against his best work (although he was likely hampered by the cheap and tacky costume), nor does the movie’s cheap-looking visual effects, which seemed almost dated the moment it was released. Fans still have a fondness for the picture in spite of its hilarity, and the growling intensity of its lead actor is definitely commendable if not completely out of touch with the material.

3 Wild Wild West (1999)

A film that even Will Smith feels a little ashamed of, Wild Wild West seems like a perfect summer blockbuster in concept, but in execution, it is perhaps one of the worst of the genre. A sci-fi/steampunk western, the wacky visuals save a script struggling to fully grasp on to its own story.

It’s the charisma of the cast that allows this rotten spectacle to actually possess enough charm to somehow work as a functioning film. The film is largely laughable because of its poor costume design, which makes the actors look both embarrassed and uncomfortable, and the hammy performance by Kenneth Branagh as the film’s villain, who seems to be in another movie as an over-the-top world conqueror. From giant magnetic collars to historically inaccurate garments, most of the cast probably felt quite silly the moment they walked on set.

2 Twilight (2008)

The Twilight series has legions of diehard fans and blossomed into a movie franchise that still holds up against some of the other films in the YA genre. Yet the original film is also rife full of hilarious moments, with the acting and editing choices forcing the story to almost become muted.

Bella and Edward might have made Twilight fans cringe with their actions, while neither seemed allowed to show any of the emotions of the moment on their face. In addition, there’s a cheap, glossy quality to the Twilight aesthetic that makes the film seem like a CW show rather than a big-budget blockbuster. There’s enough going on here to enjoy the serious elements of the film and still be able to laugh at its creative choices.

1 Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)

Indiana Jones has inspired filmmakers and storytellers around the world. The adventure series captured the imagination of audiences, so a return to the world should have been a welcome sight. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull wasn’t quite what fans had in mind though.

Whether it’s the bizarre sequence of Indiana swinging on vines with monkeys or the absurd final reveal of all-knowing aliens that are behind the film’s byzantine plot, there’s a lot to make fun of in this summer blockbuster. The charm of the originals is still present, but it was probably supposed to be more dramatic and harrowing than hilarious.

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