Worst Movies of 2008: Biggest Box Office Blunders

2008 has been an exciting year for movie-goers. From Iron Man and The Dark Knight, to Kung-Fu Panda and Wall-E, Hollywood has not disappointed. However ,as in every other year, the silver screen has also seen its share of failures. In this article, we'll take a look at some of the worst movies of 2008.

1. The Happening

Fans of M. Night Shyamalan are sure to be disappointed by his latest movie, The Happening, which begins our list of worst movies of 2008. Mark Wahlberg stars in this far-fetched, over-indulgent thriller based on a ridiculously unlikely doomsday scenario. Shyamalan fans will be especially put off by the absence of M. Night's signature "twist", present in such movies as The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. You get exactly what you think you're getting in this film, and unfortunately that's just enough to qualify it as one of the worst movies of 2008.

2. Expelled - No Intelligence Allowed

Offensive historical comparisons and dazzling non sequiturs abound in this independent documentary from director Nathan Frankowski. Under the guise of challenging the orthodoxy of "Big Science", with the help of narrator Ben Stein, Expelled stands out as not only one of the worst movies of 2008, but also potentially the most damaging to society. While attempting to defend the theory of Intelligent Design, Frankowski manages only to produce a not-so-intelligent attack on science at a time when our world is in desperate need of clear, rational thought.

3. Righteous Kill

Hollywood veterans Robert De Niro and Al Pacino could not save this poorly written cop drama from being labeled by movie-goers and critics alike as one of the worst movies of 2008. Some were bored by the frequent cop drama cliches, while others were simply irritated by the movie's pieced together and frustratingly predictable plot. The acting, however, was not to blame for Righteous Kill's worst movie status. De Niro, Pacino, and to some extent even Donnie Wahlberg, were entertaining enough to keep most of the audience from walking out of the theater before the ending credits. Unfortunately, acting alone cannot salvage a worst movie, and viewers should skip this one on their next trip to Blockbuster.

4. 10,000 B.C.

This list would not be complete without mentioning Roland Emmerich's wannabe-epic movie, 10,000 B.C. Neither the unsatisfying love story, nor the clumsily choreographed CGI action sequences left audiences satisfied that they got their money's worth. Educated viewers will find the movie particularly lacking, as adherence to historical fact was evidently not on the writers' priority list. Perhaps the most amusing part of 10,000 BC is the creative wardrobe - creative, unfortunately, not in the Academy Award sense, but in that they look like they could have been designed by a 6-year-old after watching a Flintstones marathon. Unfortunately, vintage loin cloths and stone aged dreadlocks are not enough to save 10,000 B.C. from its status as one of the worst movies of 2008.

5. Rambo

Sylvester Stallone resurrects his trademark character in this 2008 incarnation of the Rambo franchise. Expectations were admittedly not too high for this movie to begin with - and for good reason. There are only so many paths you can go down with a character like Rambo, and the aging Stallone has already traveled most of them. Of course, America's favorite green beret vigilante doesn't fail to live up to, and augment, his reputation for stacking up an excessively high body count. In fact, a common complaint about the movie is that there was just too much violence. Imagine that. In any case, there certainly was nothing groundbreaking about this film, and its very existence warrants its placement on our list of worst movies.

Hollywood has always had its successes and failures, and sometimes it takes a little trial and error on the part of actors and directors to distinguish one from the other. Hopefully this list of worst movies of 2008 will serve to educate the filmmakers of tomorrow on what works, and what doesn't.