Great Scenes in Bad Movies

Someone mentioned on one of the comment threads that I got a lot of mileage out of Seeking a Friend for the End of the World even though I didn't like the movie very much. Despite the overall movie being not very good, there are moments of beautiful inspiration that are still sticking with me a week later.

So that got me thinking about how many movies have hidden gems buried in them that are either unseen or unappreciated because the rest of the film is generally terrible.

So I've compiled a list of 10 great scenes in bad movies.

Opening of Moonraker

This might be one of the worst James Bond movies every, but in this opening, Bond is knocked out of a plane without a parachute. So he has to fly to catch the pilot. Pure Awesome (start at 2:19)

Charles S. Dutton in Alien 3

In this scene, Ripley and Charles S. Dutton have a plan to kill the xenomorph in a molten steel vat. But Dutton's character suddenly realizes that someone has to stay behind in the vat to be the bait. What happens is one of the manliest ways to die.

The end of Predator 2

The sequel to Predator was derivitive and rather boring. But the minutes after Danny Glover defeats the Predator are the best parts of the movie.  (start at 3:50)

Paper Man

This is not a good movie. But in the last act of the movie, there is a scene that was so moving and genius, that I was actually mad at the movie for being so bad. This scene needed a better movie. And the problem with this scene is that I cannnot simply show it. You need to watch the entire movie for the scene to make sense. Darn you, Paper Man!

UN speech Superman IV

This is the worst of the Superman movies, hands down. The Last Son of Krypton decides to basically become a dictator for our own good and rid the world of nuclear weapons. And if you listen to the actual content of his speech, it removes the soverign liberty of individual nations. But the feel of it can't help but be inspiring.

Clark/Superman fight Superman III

The concept is silly, but for some reason it works. Superman has been corrupted by twisted Kryptonite and is split from his alter ego, Clark Kent. They decide to work out their differences in a junk yard because, you know, that makes sense.

Batman and Robin: Bruce and Alfred

I hate this movie. But when Alfred lays dying and Bruce has to face not only his mortality but the realization of how much he's taken his surrogate father for granted, it is a small glimmer of light in a sea of crap.

Dogma, Angel and Bethany

This is a horrible film. It is vulgar and blasphamous. But there is one tender scene beautifully written and shot.

AI Finale

This movie is about the emotional journey for the child robot, David. This Kubrickesque film is meandering and pretentious. But after taking the long quest with David, I can't help but be satisfied by reaching his goal.

Invasion USA

As Rick O once told me, this has the most unique weapon's duel ever.

Game of Death Kareem fight scene

Bruce Lee died before he could finish this movie, so they finished it with a patchwork of stupid plots, stand ins, and clips from his other movies. But one scene that he did film and did survive the final cut was his fight with his friend and student Kareem Abdul Jabaar.  (The clip below is the original cut of the fight)

So, what are your thoughts?