Sometimes, you’re stoked to sit down and enjoy a good aviation flick, only to become disgruntled halfway through.
That’s not what air traffic control would say!
What kind of pilot would fly like that?
Those planes weren’t around during World War II! As pilots and knowledgeable aviation enthusiasts, we can be brutal movie critics.
Aviation movies do seem to have a way of disappointing more often than they impress. But, if you can look past the bad things, many of them are still pretty darn entertaining.
So, grab your rotten fruit and popcorn — here are ten movies we think deserve to be rated the worst aviation movies of all time.
Some of the Worst Aviation Movies. Ever.
We can’t lie: When researching this list, we learned that some folks think the movies we listed as the best aviation movies should actually be listed as the worst!
What?
How can they not agree with our definitive take?
Kidding aside, chances are we will list someone’s favorites here. But there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a bad movie.
Remember Mystery Science Theater 3000?
Bad movies can be fun!
Where do these films go wrong? Each one probably has its favorite way of being bad.
From terrible factual errors to unrealistic technology, pilots and plane nuts can be demanding audiences when aircraft are involved.
But sometimes, it’s just a case of storytelling gone wrong or acting that could have been better.
Snakes on a Plane (2006)
Sometimes, you know a film will be bad from the moment you see the name. A plane traveling from Hawaii to Los Angeles is sabotaged; a crate of venomous snakes is released. The snakes terrorize the passengers, obviously.
A cult classic it may be, but “Snakes on a Plane” probably isn’t the best Samuel L. Jackson film. However, some argue it’s worth watching because it’s a Samuel L. Jackson film.
The Airport Series (1970-1979)
Four films are in the airport series: “Airport,” “Airport 1975,” “Airport ’77,” and “The Concord: Airport ’79.” Each one is a contender for the worst film in its own right, but when put together, they deserve to be lumped into the worst ten list.
Each involves some air disaster set on planes or around airports, from a sunken 747 to bombers, snowstorms, and personal problems.
Some famous names that starred in the Airport series include Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jack Lemmon, and Charlton Heston.
The series starts out okay but fades quickly. Rotten Tomatoes lists the films’ scores at 70, 30, 40, and 25, respectively.
The Airport movies are so bad now because they’re so dated — to the point that they’re hard to watch.
Some have over-the-top plots and cheesy effects, too.
But even at the time, some people thought they were just funny. Funny enough to have spawned the first spoof film and one of our favorite aviation movies, “Airplane!”
Turbulence (1997)
A horror movie about turbulence — how could it not make it on this list?
Every pilot knows that turbulence isn’t usually something to get worked up about.
Thankfully, it’s a little deeper than that — but not much.
Ray Liotta stars in this film about a convict who escapes during a flight and attempts to hijack the airliner. The turbulence just adds an extra element of drama to an already bad situation.
But still, it’s all a little implausible.
Flyboys (2006)
Flyboys looks like it ought to be a good one: World War I aviation is incredibly interesting, the special effects and flying sequences are good, and the cast includes James Franco.
Unfortunately, the film falls flat thanks to many historical inaccuracies and characters that are just too cliché. The Rotten Tomatoes score? A brutal 34%.
Flightplan (2005)
Jodie Foster stars in this film about a mom on a plane who’s searching for her missing daughter. There are also some crazy errors that only a pilot will catch, with supercomputers replacing aircraft avionics and a mess of other things going on.
It’s just, well, not very interesting or very good, unfortunately, even if Sean Bean is driving the plane. It currently has a 37% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Stealth (2005)
Ace pilots inside a top-secret government flight test program must try to keep a dangerous artificial intelligence from starting the next world war.
If that sounds a little over-the-top, the details make it even worse: a lightning strike makes the AI go wild, they wind up crashing in North Korea, and there’s personal drama.
And Stealth’s Rotten Tomatoes score? 13%! Yikes!
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
While some people love the Avengers series (and other superhero films), Captain America gets some flack from pilots and aviation enthusiasts due to its over-the-top superhero silliness.
The film blends historical drama, but the way aviation technology is portrayed is a bit much.
Of course, aviation isn’t the film’s main focus—it’s a superhero flick. It’s definitely enjoyable if you just accept it for what it is.
Flight (2012)
An airline pilot saves the day in a wild crash landing, saving most of the passengers.
However, the ensuing investigation reveals he has an ongoing problem with alcohol and drug addiction. The film is primarily a legal drama and character study, focusing on the pilot’s personal issues and the moral dilemmas they represent.
It’s not exactly what most people are looking for when they pick up an aviation film, and that’s why it’s on this list.
But “Flight” has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 77%, and Denzel Washington’s performance as the pilot is memorable.
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965)
This movie has its ups and downs, from the jovial earworm theme song to the dated sexism and racism. But it might be unfair to judge this 60-year-old British comedy with modern sensibilities, and the film is nothing if not a glimpse into its time.
It is an aviation version of another popular British film of the time, the motor racing epic “Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies.”
Around the same time, the US made similar farcical racing films called “The Great Race” and “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World.”
Set in 1910, the film follows a fictional air race between London and Paris. Watching the aviators’ trials and tribulations with their early flying machines is a ton of fun — if you can wade through all the other stuff (and the brutal 138-minute runtime.)
Iron Eagle (1986)
Here’s one where the story just doesn’t add up.
A foreign government takes a man prisoner, so his teenage son steals a military jet and launches his own rescue mission.
Sure, it has a fun 80s action film vibe and some fun flying, but it’s pretty campy (even if that’s your thing). It has a 20% on Rotten Tomatoes.
What’s Your Least Favorite Aviation Movie?
The truth is, most of us aviation nuts will watch anything once, as long as it has flying machines in it. Even if it’s terrible, we’ll enjoy telling everyone we know what was wrong with it, right?
Did we miss any of your favorite bad aviation movies?
- About the Author
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Jarrod Roberts brings a wealth of experience to the Thrust Flight team, with a flying career spanning over 15 years. His journey in aviation began with a BS in Aeronautical Science from Texas A&M Central. After working as a flight instructor, he joined SkyWest as a First Officer and then later upgraded to Captain. He now flies for a legacy airline. Jarrod also serves as the Chief Pilot here at Thrust Flight where he guides our team of flight instructors in delivering top-tier training to our many Zero Time to Airline students.
