The Golden Raspberry Awards were first established in 1980 as a way of sending up the pretense of the Oscars. They “honored” the worst cinematic achievements of each year, setting their sights largely on big-budget bombs, and A-list talent who created disaster. It’s been an apt reminder that cinema can be a long way from art, and over the years has become as much an awards-season establishment as the Oscars themselves. But in the process, it’s adopted a number of the Academy’s more hidebound trends.
Like the Academy it mocks, it’s condemned a number of films as abject failures that turned the tables on them in the fullness of time, actually becoming classics. A list of 10 of the most prominent examples follow, presented in chronological order.
Flash Gordon (1980)
Sam Jones was among the Razzies’ inaugural crop of Worst Actor nominees, a list that included such high-profile performers as Michael Caine, Kirk Douglas and Anthony Hopkins. Jones represented a seemingly easy dunk -- something the Awards struggled to resist over the years -- as the square-jawed lead in Mike Hodges’ Flash Gordon. The film was a critical and box office disaster, and while Jones “lost” the award to Neil Diamond in The Jazz Singer, the nomination seemed well placed.
Flash Gordon, however, earned a cult following over the years, while Jones went on to a long -- if comparatively low-profile -- career that’s lasted over four decades. Jones and Flash Gordon are typical of a surprising number of Razzie nominees, which might not turn out to be classic, but prove better and more durable than the awards might like to think.
The Shining (1980)
The Razzies’ most egregious error also came during its first year, when it set its sights on Stanley Kubrick’s celebrated horror masterpiece. Though it seems hard to believe, the film suffered from a heavily mixed critical reaction -- Variety’s critic condemned it for “destroying” the Stephen King novel -- and even positive notices felt it was a step down for the director.
The Razzies pegged both Kubrick and star Shelley Duvall for nominations, though like most films on this list, it experienced a turnaround. No film experienced quite the extreme shift that it did. Today, The Shining is regarded as one of the greatest horror films ever made, while Duvall took open pride in her performance during a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter. The Razzies were left with egg on their face.
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Despite its box office success, Conan the Barbarian fared poorly with critics upon its initial release, as did its star. The Razzies nominated Schwarzenegger for his much-derided, nearly mute performance, though the award itself went to Laurence Olivier that year for playing Douglas MacArthur in Inchon. Arnold had the last laugh; the film became an unexpected classic, and along with The Terminator, the part came to define a long career as an A-list star and a stint as Governor of California. He even brought out Conan’s sword during a deeply personal statement in the wake of the January 6 insurrection in 2021.
The Thing (1982)
Like Conan the Barbarian, 1982’s The Thing arrived to unbridled scorn from the critics. It bombed badly at the box office and was deemed a disaster; its nihilistic tone badly out of step with the record-breaking sweetness of E.T. The Extraterrestrial. The Razzies focused on composer Ennio Morricone for their ire, handing him a Worst Musical Score nomination. It was actually the second for the legendary composer that year, which may inform the choice. The other was Butterfly, the infamous debut of Pia Zadora that earned her the dubious Best Newcomer Award from the Golden Globes.
The Razzies intended to take revenge -- the film earned 10 nominations and three wins -- and adding a second nomination to Morricone’s tally looked like a way to run up the score. Butterfly’s reputation remains dismal, but The Thing, like The Shining, is now considered a horror masterpiece, while Morricone’s eerie score ranks among the composer’s best.
Invaders from Mars (1986)
Louise Fletcher earned an Oscar in 1975 for playing Nurse Ratchet in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; still considered one of the greatest on-screen villains of all time. It also led her to steady work in horror movies, which were considered beneath an actor of her caliber. Pegging her for a Worst Supporting Actress nomination for the remake of Invaders from Mars, however, proved a poor choice. The film’s genre pedigree was impeccable -- with Tobe Hooper directing and both Rob Bottin and Stan Winston providing visual effects -- and it aptly succeeded in recreating the surreal atmosphere of the 1953 original.
Fletcher’s performance was key, as an unhinged elementary school teacher working for invaders from outer space. She had the film's signature gross-out moment when caught devouring a biology frog, which undoubtedly influenced her nomination, yet further demonstrated how little the Razzies understood the movie. Her penchant for memorable villainy eventually led her to Kai Winn on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, while the effects – which also received a Razzie nomination – are still strikingly effective 35 years later.
Batman Returns (1992)
Tim Burton’s Batman movies have a decidedly mixed legacy to be sure, but the Razzies found an odd target to vent against them. Danny DeVito was nominated for Worst Supporting Actor as the Penguin in Batman Returns. Though decidedly different from other incarnations of the villain and ultimately second to Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman for audience affection, his deformed, freakish Oswald Cobblepot was far more terrifying that the Razzies would concede.
As it turns out, the awards likely had ulterior motives for the nomination. DeVito directed Hoffa that year – a would-be Oscar contender about the life of the controversial teamster leader – and the Razzies hit him with a Worst Director nomination as well as a Worst Actor nomination for star Jack Nicholson. The Penguin became an easy way for the awards to ring up the score once again, and again the habit cost them in the long one. Batman Returns has become a strange kind of Christmas classic, while DeVito’s version of the Penguin extended into the legendary Batman: The Animated Series.
Demolition Man (1993)
Sandra Bullock has been targeted by the Razzies more than once, notably in 2009 when she won Worst Actress for the bad-but-not-that-bad All About Steve just before claiming the Oscar for The Blind Side. She gamely showed up to collect the Razzie, along with gift DVDs of All About Steve. But she earned a Worst Supporting Actress nomination far earlier in her career for Demolition Man, playing a spacey future cop to Sylvester Stallone’s unfrozen tough guy.
The film aged moderately well – with a respectable 60 percent on Rotten Tomatoes – and Bullock’s very funny performance now seems vital to its satirical tone. Its financial success marked the beginning of her rapid ascent to stardom, culminating with Speed one year later.
The Fifth Element (1997)
Wordless or nearly wordless performances often earn the Razzies’ ire. Milla Jovovich made an infamous debut at the age of 15 in 1991’s Return to the Blue Lagoon after a successful career as a child model. Likely sensing an easy dunk, the Razzies awarded her Worst New Star for that year. The Fifth Element constituted a comeback of sorts for the actor, and the awards were ready with a Worst Supporting Actress nomination for her all but mute turn as future weirdo-messiah Leeloo.
It was a star-making turn; the movie became a cult classic and Jovovich's character an instant icon among sci-fi fans. She followed it with an appearance in Spike Lee’s He Got Game later that year, and became an international star four years later with the advent of the Resident Evil films. In a 2003 interview with the Toronto Star, Jovovich cited Leeloo as her favorite character among all the roles she’s played.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Even at the time, putting The Blair Witch Project on the list of Worst Movie nominees for 1999 must have raised eyebrows. The breakout indie horror hit virtually created the found-footage horror genre overnight, but early overexposure led to a mild backlash, and the Razzies handed it a Worst Picture nomination as a result.
In truth, it’s neither the masterpiece it initially appeared to be nor the disaster its nomination suggests. It tells a run-of-the-mill horror story in a way that turns budgetary shortcomings into a stylistic asset, which in turn created a new way to tell horror stories. As a movie, fans can argue about its relative merits, but as a trendsetter, The Blair Witch Project's reputation is above the reproach that the Razzies sought to hand it.
The Star Wars Prequels (1999-2005)
As with most of the movies on this list Star Wars: Episodes I-III seemed like very easy targets at the time. Pre-release hype generated expectations that no movie could meet, and director George Lucas’ habitual struggles with dialogue and performance led to a sour early reaction. The Razzies took advantage with a combined 14 nominations for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
Star Wars Episode III – Revenge of the Sith earned no nominations, however, and while the Razzies weren’t wrong about certain aspects of the trilogy's production, time once again has softened the public’s view. A generation of Star Wars fans gained their first introduction to the series through them, and subsequent efforts like Star Wars: The Clone Wars further rehabilitated their reputation. They're still Star Wars, which let them outlive early criticism of the kind the Razzies specialize in.