The 10 Worst Space Opera Movies of All Time, Ranked (2024)

Space opera is a sci-fi genre usually featuring expansive worlds, epic battles, and larger-than-life characters. The stories tend to be grand in scale, like high fantasy, with archetypal themes, exotic planets, and alien species, as well as romance and adventure. The defining example is Star Wars. George Lucas's success with this formula spawned countless imitators. Some of them are good, most are okay, and a few are egregiously awful.

With this in mind, this list looks at the very worst space operas out there. They suffer from bloated narratives, underdeveloped characters, and/or lackluster special effects. These missteps can turn an exciting sci-fi journey into an uninspired slog through the cosmos. From disappointing blockbusters to low-budget disasters, they all promised space-faring entertainment but delivered galactic letdowns.

10 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' (2019)

Directed by J.J. Abrams

“They don’t know what they’ve started.” While not as egregious as the other films on this list thanks to its massive budget and star power, The Rise of Skywalker still deserves a mention due to how disappointing it was. The conclusion of the sequel trilogy attempts to tie up decades of storytelling but falters under the weight of its ambitions. It's crammed with frenetic action and fan service, but its lack of cohesion and poorly explained plot twists left audiences divided.

The return of Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) is particularly jarring, with minimal buildup or justification, undermining the stakes of the previous films. Overall, The Rise of Skywalker wants to be everything to everyone—an homage to the past, a crowd-pleasing blockbuster, and a fitting conclusion to the Skywalker saga—but ends up being a Frankenstein's monster of ill-fitting parts. Few films so badly squander their franchise's potential, and no amount of nostalgia can paper over this fact.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

PG-13

Adventure

Action

Science Fiction

Cast

Carrie Fisher , Mark Hamill , Daisy Ridley , Adam Driver , John Boyega , Oscar Isaac , Anthony Daniels , Naomi Ackie , Domhnall Gleeson , Richard E. Grant , Lupita Nyong'O , Keri Russell , Joonas Suotamo , Kelly Marie Tran , Ian McDiarmid , Billy Dee Williams , Greg Grunberg , Shirley Henderson , Billie Lourd , Dominic Monaghan , Hassan Taj , Lee Towersey , Brian Herring , Dave Chapman , Richard Guiver

Runtime

142 minutes

Writers

Chris Terrio

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9 'Space Mutiny' (1988)

Directed by David Winters and Neal Sundstrom

“We’ve got to stop the mutiny before it’s too late!” Space Mutiny is a low-budget disaster that has gained cult status for its unintentional hilarity. Set aboard a massive space colony, the film follows Dave Ryder (Reb Brown), a no-nonsense pilot who must stop a mutiny led by the villainous Kalgan (John Phillip Law). The plot is riddled with clichés, and the laughably bad special effects—including the use of stolen footage from Battlestar Galactica—make it difficult to take seriously.

There are continuity errors galore, including a notable scene where a character dies only to be seen alive again minutes later. Then there's the shoddy editing, the obvious sets in what appears to be an abandoned factory, and, of course, the cheap costuming, including extras in embarrassing spandex outfits. For all these reasons, Space Mutiny lent itself to a terrific episode of the satirical movie review show Mystery Science Theater 3000, where the hosts ripped it to shreds.

Space Mutiny

Not Rated

Romance

Adventure

Science Fiction

Cast

John Phillip Law , Reb Brown , James Ryan , Cameron Mitchell , Cisse Cameron , Graham Clarke , Billy Second , Rufus Swart , Chip Mitchell , Arthur Hall , Norman Anstey , Rick Skidmore , Guy Pringle , Camille Mitchell , Madeleine Reynal , Evan J. Klisser

Runtime

93 minutes

Directed by Michael Coldewey and Michel Lemire

“I’ll destroy everything you’ve ever loved.” A sequel to the 1981 cult classic Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal 2000 follows Julie (voiced by Julie Strain), a warrior seeking revenge on Tyler (Michael Ironside), a miner corrupted by an ancient artifact that grants him immortality. While the original Heavy Metal was celebrated for its creativity and unique anthology format, the sequel opts for a more straightforward narrative, sacrificing the original's charm for a bland revenge story.

The movie's niche intended audience may get a kick out of it, but most viewers will be left scratching their heads at the gratuitous violence and weird sexual imagery. The humor is also crude and lame, utterly devoid of wit. Even more bizarrely, Heavy Metal 2000 bears little resemblance to the magazine on which it's supposed to be based. Even the songs, which should be the highlight, are underwhelming this time around, despite their heaviness.

Heavy Metal 2000

R

Action

Adventure

Animation

Fantasy

Science Fiction

Cast

Julie Strain , Michael Ironside , Billy Idol , Pier Paquette , Sonja Ball , Brady Moffatt , Rick Jones , Arthur Holden , Alan Fawcett , Jane Woods , Elizabeth Robertson , Luis de Cespedes , Terrence Scammell , Vlasta Vrana

Runtime

88 minutes

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7 'Space Raiders' (1983)

Directed by Howard R. Cohen

“This is my ship now, and we make the rules!” Space Raiders revolves around a boy named Peter (David Mendenhall) who is accidentally taken aboard a spaceship piloted by a group of mercenaries. While the crew initially plans to ransom him, they form a bond and decide to protect him from the forces pursuing them. It's a decent if unoriginal premise, brought down by derivative storytelling and cheap production values.

Indeed, Space Raiders brazenly recycles footage from schlock master Roger Corman's Battle Beyond the Stars (he served as producer here). It very much tries to ride the coattails of Star Wars (it came out a month before Return of the Jedi), repackaging familiar sci-fi tropes and visuals for a younger audience. Star Wars-esque space battles, ship designs, and even the alien cantina are all cobbled together in service of a story that never quite takes off. Plus, many reviewers took issue with the protagonist's performance.

Space Raiders

PG

Action

Adventure

Science Fiction

Cast

David Mendenhall , Vince Edwards , Drew Snyder , Patsy Pease , Thom Christopher , Luca Bercovici , Ray Stewart , George Dickerson , Michael Miller , Virginia Kiser , Don Washburn , Howard Dayton , Dick Miller , Elizabeth Charlton , William Boyett , Daniel Will-Harris , Claude Johnson , James Mendenhall

Runtime

84 minutes

6 'Wing Commander' (1999)

Directed by Chris Roberts

“Protect the galaxy at all costs!” Based on the popular video game series, Wing Commander follows a group of young pilots tasked with defending humanity from an alien race known as the Kilrathi. The main characters are Christopher Blair (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and Todd "Maniac" Marshall (Matthew Lillard), who navigate dangerous space battles and internal tensions within their team.

While the source material had the potential for a decent space adventure, the film's clunky dialogue, mediocre performances, and dated special effects derail the experience. It feels more like a generic B-movie despite the $25m budget. The practical effects and creature design are especially lame, serving up aliens that look like people in bad Halloween costumes. Freddie Prinze Jr. later admitted that the film was a stinker, saying that the script was completely changed at the last minute. "I can't stand Wing Commander. I can't watch one scene of that movie," he said.

Wing Commander

PG-13

Blair, a fighter pilot, joins an interstellar war to fight the evil Kilrathi who are trying to destroy the universe.

Cast

Freddie Prinze Jr. , Matthew Lillard , Saffron Burrows , Tchéky Karyo , Jurgen Prochnow , David Suchet

Runtime

100m

Main Genre

Science Fiction

5 'Battlefield Earth' (2000)

Directed by Roger Christian

“Man is an endangered species.” Widely regarded as one of the worst films ever made, this L. Ron Hubbard adaptation takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where Earth is controlled by an alien race called the Psychlos. The story focuses on Jonnie Goodboy Tyler (Barry Pepper) as he leads a rebellion against their overlords, including the towering Terl (John Travolta, who also co-produced).

Travolta chews some serious scenery here (and torches much of the goodwill he had generated with Pulp Fiction). His bad performance is amplified by the garish lighting and bizarre cinematography, big on weird, tilted camera angles. The shoddy special effects and overuse of slow motion are also striking. Battlefield Earth just gets worse and worse as it rolls along, ultimately coming across like the work of an inept theater troupe with access to a multi-million dollar budget. Consequently, it was quickly canonized as one of the worst movies of all time.

Battlefield Earth

PG-13

Sci-Fi

Action

Adventure

Where to Watch

• stream
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*Availability in US

Cast

John Travolta , Forest Whitaker , Barry Pepper , Kim Coates

Runtime

4 'Galaxina' (1980)

Directed by William Sachs

“She’s the perfect woman—if only she weren’t a robot.” Galaxina is a parody of space operas centering on the crew of the starship Infinity as they embark on a mission to retrieve the mysterious Blue Star. The titular character (Dorothy Stratten), is a robot who begins to develop human emotions during the journey. While the film aims to spoof popular sci-fi tropes, its humor is inconsistent, and its pacing drags, making it a slog despite its brief runtime.

The finished product is a haphazard collection of lazy gags and half-baked references, more interested in gesturing toward its inspirations than doing anything clever or subversive with them. It jabs at everything from Star Trek to Alien in a way that seems basic and obvious, as if it was written by high schoolers. For example, there's a scene with a character coughing up a baby alien, and another where the characters visit an intergalactic brothel. It's all rather juvenile.

Galaxina

R

Comedy

Science Fiction

Cast

Dorothy Stratten , Stephen Macht , Avery Schreiber , Lionel Mark Smith , J.D. Hinton , Tad Horino , Ronald Knight , Percy Rodriguez , Angelo Rossitto , Susan Kiger , Marilyn Joi , Rhonda Shear , Hugh Warden , Herb Kaplowitz , Stephen Morrell , Nancy McCauley , Fred D. Scott , David A. Cox , Pete Schrum , Bartine Zane , Heather O'Connell , George Mather , Jacqueline Jacobs

Runtime

95 minutes

Writers

William Sachs

3 'Princess of Mars' (2009)

Directed by Mark Atkins

“Welcome to Barsoom, a world of war.” Princess of Mars is a low-budget adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs's classic novel, which also inspired the more polished John Carter. In this one, (Antonio Sabato Jr.) is John Carter, a soldier mysteriously transported to Mars, where he becomes embroiled in a conflict between alien races. The novel is bursting with creative ideas, but this direct-to-video movie is bland to the core.

The problems are myriad here. The acting is laughable, the dialogue is ham-fisted, and the aesthetic is derivative. The microbudget is visible in the sparse sets and shaky CGI, which would have been for 2009 and is obviously atrocious by today's standards. There is also little to no chemistry between Sabato Jr. and the titular princess, played by Traci Lords. Evidently aware of the film's lack of quality, the producers tried to associate it with James Cameron's Avatar in the promotional materials, even going so far as to release it in Japan under the title Avatar of Mars.

Princess of Mars

PG

Fantasy

Science Fiction

War

Action

Cast

Antonio Sabàto, Jr. , Traci Lords , Matt Lasky , Chacko Vadaketh , Mitchell Gordon , Noelle Perris , Matt Lagan , Kimberly Ables Jindra , Tomas Boykin , Rob Ullett , Dean Kreyling , Jay Beyers , Ali Tagi Alexander , Jonathan Footman , Jordan Steele , Rochelle Rudolph , Sara Catrucco , Melanie Rogina , Mandy Jackson , Jasna Novosel , Karisa Kleven , Shahrooz Bigonah , Andrew H. Barrett , Tom Anderson , Kelle A. Kennedy

Runtime

93 minutes

Writers

Mark Atkins

2 'Turks in Space' (2006)

Directed by Kartal Tibet

“Saving the galaxy, one mishap at a time.” Turks in Space is a Turkish sci-fi comedy that follows the intergalactic misadventures of a dysfunctional family as they try to save their planet from an alien threat. The star is martial artist and performer Cüneyt Arkın, a screen legend in Turkey. Here, he seems utterly disinterested, totally phoning in his performance. Perhaps he sensed that he had a flop on his hands.

The other elements of the movie are even worse, from Mehmet Ali Erbil's grating supporting performance to the unfunny jokes. Most good sci-fi comedies display an affection for the genre, but Turks in Space seems to have disdain for science fiction, the viewer, and itself. Not for nothing, the critics who bothered to watch it eviscerated it, and it currently holds an abysmal 1.5 out of 10 on IMDb. It's a total waste of time.

1 'Star Quest: The Odyssey' (2009)

Directed by Jon Bonnell

“We’re light-years from home, but we can’t outrun our past.” Beating out Turks in Space for the title of worst space opera ever is Star Quest: The Odyssey, which sounds like a parody but sadly is not. It's about the crew of a spaceship stranded in deep space as they grapple with internal conflicts and dwindling resources. But instead of a gripping tale of survival, it delivers a tedious journey to nowhere.

The execution is stunningly inept, from nonsensical world-building to the flimsy production design (there are cyborgs wearing plastic shin guards, for instance). The cast is limited, and none of them turns in a decent performance. The script gives them little to work with, as there's essentially no plot here. For all these reasons, Star Quest is actively unpleasant and genuinely difficult to sit through. It holds no 'so bad it's good' ironic entertainment value. Really, it's just best avoided.

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