10 Most Beautiful-Looking Bad Movies Ever Made

3. The Tree Of Life (2011)

Terrence Malick has made some of the greatest films in all of cinema; Badlands, Days Of Heaven and The Thin Red Line are indisputable masterpieces of the highest order, whilst The New World is probably the most underrated picture of the last two decades (more on that another time). The Tree Of Life, his divisive comeback vehicle, is - sadly - not one of those films. Instead, it stands as an awkward myriad of all of Malick's worst traits as a filmmaker: it's laborious, pretentious and nonsensical - sometimes all at once.

It still manages to be a wholly beautiful cinematic experience to sit through, thanks to the downright masterful cinematography, which comes courtesy of acclaimed, Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Children Of Men, Gravity, Birdman) - the long, epic takes, many of which are swooping and soaring and dreamlike, are breathtaking. And the use of natural light has arguably never been bettered than in the Tree Of Life.

That's not all: there are also the majestic, awe-inspiring special effects sequences that bookend the film; Stanley Kubrick-esque visions of the universe coming together helmed by the great Douglas Trumbull, who opted against CGI to create the swirling magic, instead enlisting the use of chemicals, paint, fluorescent dyes, smoke and liquids.

The critics appear to have been tricked by the scope and ambition of The Tree Of Life, given that it is thought by many to be one of the greatest films of recent times. It's far too self-aware and in love with its own style to be labelled anything other than conspicuous. But what a beautiful film, regardless of all that - stripped of the boring plot it could be as powerful as a truly great painting.