10 Movies So Crazy Over The Top They Were Hilarious

From the deliberately absurd to the unintentionally hilarious.

john travolta face off
Buena Vista

Nobody really wants movies that take themselves too seriously. You know the kind, awards-baiting prestige pictures or dark and gritty reboots that take an almost-funereal approach to the material and are usually full of weighty dialogue, solemn stares, reaction shots and 'Important People Doing Important Things'. It can often border on pretension, with the filmmakers often forgetting something vital; that cinema is entertainment.

On the other side of the coin, a movie that openly embraces its sillier aspects often delivers the best form of escapism for the viewer. Turn off your brain, grab a refreshing beverage and just soak in the pyrotechnics. A lot of studio movies are unwilling to tap into a sense of fun they could easily reap the benefits of (looking at you, Transformers and King Arthur) and end up delivering nothing more than two hours of soul-crushing boredom.

Whether it be intentional or otherwise, there have been plenty of movies over the years that have been so ridiculously over the top that you can't help but wonder if that was the intention or not. From ludicrous dialogue and nonsensical plots to outrageous action sequences and scenery-chewing acting, the approach to the material has left audiences wondering out loud; 'what the hell did I just see?'

10. Bad Boys II

john travolta face off
Columbia Pictures

Many action movie aficionados have a soft spot for Bad Boys II, largely because of the wall-to-wall shootouts, chases and explosions that dominate the butt-numbing 146 minute running time. Other people find it a vulgar, offensive and tasteless assault on the senses. It wouldn't be unfair to suggest that both parties have a point.

Dialing the Bayhem way, way, way past eleven, Michael Bay orchestrates his $100m orgy of violence and destruction like a kid in a candy shop (or should that be bull in a china shop?), throwing everything at the screen in a relentless barrage of action. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but you can't help but marvel at how brain-meltingly ludicrous it is.

The Ku Klux Klan, people getting shot in the a**, cars being launched through the air, a mortuary scene played for laughs, Ecstasy used as a comedic device, dead bodies getting run over mid-chase, two rats f**king, casual racial slurs, the leveling of an entire shanty town (people live there!) that culminates with a guy getting blown up by a landmine right outside Guantanamo Bay.

Its incredible how boring Michael Bay managed to make the concept of giant alien robots beating the sh*t out of each other given how insanely over the top he managed to make a straightforward buddy movie.

Contributor

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