Boring movies can be hard to watch, yet thousands of them exist. The difficult part about boring movies is how polarizing they can be. Even some of the best films of the century are considered boring because of their pace, language, or awkward writing.
A movie referenced when people talk about boring ones is “The Last Airbender.” While there was a lot of excitement over this film during the trailers and talks because of the source material, the movie flopped, and one of the biggest reasons was the slowness. Nothing was happening on screen, making it an easy snoozefest. It was bad and hard to watch, and not in a fun way.
Honestly, though, everyone has a different opinion of what makes a movie dull. It’s mostly all about preference. For instance, not everyone likes watching romantic dramas. They consider these dialogue—and tension-heavy films boring. Someone else might only watch romantic dramas because, to them, they are easy to watch. Another genre that is constantly debated over whether it’s tedious or exciting is action. Action films tend to be loud and fiery but can also be repetitive.
To determine the most boring movies ever made, 24/7 Tempo consulted multiple entertainment websites, including IMDb and Screen Rant. When gathering films for this list, we also considered their Tomatometer and audience scores. Reddit and other forum sites also helped us make this list. (Click here for a list of movies so bad you have to see them.)
So, what are the most boring movies ever made? Follow along to find out.
“City Rats” (2009)
- Directed by: Steve M Kelly
- Starring: Tamer Hassan, Ray Panthaki, Susan Lynch
According to viewers, one of the most tedious and forgettable movies is “City Year,” released on April 24, 2009. Not only is this movie boring and confusing, but it also has a significantly low rating. This film received a 0% score on the Tomatometer and an audience score of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes.
“The Last Airbender” (2010)
- Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
- Starring: Noah Ringer, Dev Patel, Nicola Peltz Beckham, Jackson Rathbone
On most lists, for a good reason, “The Last Airbender” is close to the top of the most dull movies ever made. But why? This film is boring. It’s slow, and the characters aren’t interesting. It’s easy to close your eyes, wake up 15 minutes later, and not miss a thing. On Rotten Tomatoes, this film scored a 5% on the Tomatometer.
“Lincoln” (2012)
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
- Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn
Even good movies can be considered boring. This is the case for “Lincoln,” released on Nov. 16, 2012, in the United States. It’s not a bad movie with some great actors and easy-to-recognize characters, but this film has nothing new or exciting. If you already know who Abraham Lincoln is, this film brings nothing to the table.
“Alice in Wonderland” (2010)
- Directed by: Tim Burton
- Starring: Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway
Another one of the most boring movies to fall asleep to is “Alice in Wonderland.” This live-action adaptation is filled with unique characters, beautiful outfits, and lively sets. Yet, even with all of this, the movie is quiet, which makes it a perfect movie to sleep through. The main character is hard to watch and root for, compared to other characters like the Mad Hatter. A lot of people still really like this movie, though.
“Green Lantern” (2011)
- Directed by: Martin Campbell
- Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Angela Bassett
DC has a strange track record for movies. They are often considered boring or awkward; one of the worst is “Green Lantern.” The concept of the film and heroes are interesting, but it wasn’t delivered right, despite the incredible cast and sets. The actors and audience know, considering this film is constantly made fun of and spoofed.
“Hulk” (2003)
- Directed by: Ang Lee
- Starring: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott
Hulk films are hit or miss. One of the hardest Hulk films to watch is the one released in 2003. It’s forgettable and was quickly abandoned with a canceled sequel. Although the character was brought to life in the Marvel Universe shortly after, this was with a different actor and tone. On Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score for this film is 29%.
“Meet Joe Black” (1998)
- Directed by: Martin Brest
- Starring: Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani
“Meet Joe Black” is a polarizing movie. Some people absolutely love this romantic fantasy film, while others think it’s dull and uninteresting. A big reason a lot of people weren’t fans of this film was the writing and the hard-to-watch characters. The audience score for this movie is terrible, at 29%.
“Gods and Generals” (2003)
- Directed by: Ronald F. Maxwell
- Starring: Jeff Daniels, Stephen Lang, Robert Duvall
Some people really love the movie “Gods and Generals,” while others would instead put it on to go to sleep. This epic war drama is long, running for over 3 1/2 hours. It’s hard to convince anyone to watch a movie longer than 2 hours, but 3 hours, and it’s about war? Good luck. The film’s scores reflect this. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie scored an 8% on the Tomatometer.
“Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (1979)
- Directed by: Robert Wise
- Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley
Also on our list is “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” which was released in 1979. This addition may surprise people, considering how popular Star Trek is. It’s one of the best science fiction universes of all time, and yet this 1979 film is hard to watch for its slow pace. Even with this minor criticism, it’s loved by many but could have easily been a 40-minute episode rather than an over 2-hour movie.
“50 Shades of Grey” (2015)
- Directed by: Sam Taylor-Johnson
- Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Jennifer Ehle
Boring movies can be very popular, and this includes “50 Shades of Grey.” This romantic film was a box office hit, drawing in many readers of erotic romance. Still, the movie was dull and slow, and the characters were void of personality. Anastasia Steele was naive, but not much else is known about her mousey character. On Rotten Tomatoes, this film scored 25% on the Tomatometer and an audience score of 41%.
“2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968)
- Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
- Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester
Although “2001: A Space Odyssey” is a highly-rated movie, it’s pretty dull to watch. This film runs for over 2 hours and has a lot of slow moments. Still, although considered boring by movie watchers of today, the film was ahead of its time with beautiful shots and cool sound effects.
“White House Down” (2013)
- Directed by: Roland Emmerich
- Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Continuing our list is “White House Down,” a political action thriller film with an incredible cast. This film was released on June 28, 2013. It’s a campy action film with funny one-liners but can be considered predictable. It’s definitely not a movie people mention on “Top 10 Best” lists.
“A Wrinkle in Time” (2018)
- Directed by: Ava DuVernay
- Starring: Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling
“A Wrinkle in Time” isn’t the worst movie ever made, but it’s easy to forget. When this movie was first released, it garnered a lot of attention and hype as it was based on a popular book of the same name. However, it was very different from the novel. Although a fun fantasy film for kids, the slow, quiet dialogue drags. This OK movie scored a 26% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Gerry” (2002)
- Directed by: Gus Van Sant
- Starring: Casey Affleck, Matt Damon
“Gerry” was released on Feb. 14, 2003, and is a hard watch. It runs for about 1 1/2 hours. For some people, “Gerry” is fantastic and even their favorite, while others are confused and uninterested in watching it again. Although peaceful, nothing really happens in the film. On Rotten Tomatoes, the Tomatometer and audience score are 61%.
“Jupiter Ascending” (2015)
- Directed by: The Wachowskis
- Starring: Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Sean Bean
Sometimes, a great cast of actors and incredible sets are not enough for a movie to be interesting. This is the case for “Jupiter Ascending,” which was released on Feb. 6, 2015, in the United States. The world-building in this movie is stellar, but the characters’ personalities feel like they were forgotten. On Rotten Tomatoes, this film received a Tomatometer score of 28%.
“Apollo 18” (2011)
- Directed by: Gonzalo López-Gallego
- Starring: Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen, Ryan Robbins
“Apollo 18” was not a good movie. It was boring, hard to watch, and uninteresting, though the audience and critics agree on the greatness of this film. On Rotten Tomatoes, “Apollo 18” scored a 24% on the Tomatometer with a 23% audience score. It’s considered an awful “Paranormal Activity” rip-off.
“Lost in Space” (1998)
- Directed by: Stephen Hopkins
- Starring: Gary Oldman, William Hurt, Matt LeBlanc
“Lost in Space” is an iconic film that was a big flop. This movie adaptation of the television series received a lot of negative reviews and criticisms. Many people were excited at first to see a movie of the television series of the same name, but it did not live up to the hype. The Rotten Tomatoes audience score for this film is 24%, and the Tomatometer score is barely better at 27%.
“Clash of the Titans” (2010)
- Directed by: Louis Leterrier
- Starring: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Gemma Arterton, Alexa Davalos
There are many polarizing opinions of the film “Clash of the Titans,” which was released on April 2, 2010. Although a generally fun movie, the script is hard to follow and void of strong lines, and it could have used more thrills. While the audience score is higher, it’s still less than 50%, and the Tomatometer score for this film is 27%.
“Robin Hood” (2010)
- Directed by: Ridley Scott
- Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt
“Robin Hood” was a hard movie to put on this list as people are divided on its excitement. This movie was released on May 14, 2010, in the United States. It’s a slow film that tells a unique side of the Robin Hood story. However, it got a lot of criticism as Robin Hood, the main character, wasn’t charming or as sweet as portrayed in previous adaptations.
“Cold Mountain” (2003)
- Directed by: Anthony Minghella
- Starring: Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger
War dramas are hard to watch for some, but to others, they are some of the best films. This includes “Cold Mountain,” which was released on Dec. 25, 2003, in the United States. It runs for over 2 hours. While the film was initially successful, it’s barely mentioned or discussed two decades later. (Want to keep reading about more movies? Check out our article on the worst movies based on true stories.)