The Worst War Movies Ever Made, According to Service Members and Veterans

Last year, we began publishing a series of articles about the best war movies of all time curated from Military.com readers' recommendations. We dove into your suggestions spanning World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, as well as rarely seen war movies.

Of course, after reading such fantastic recommendations, we couldn't help but wonder about the war films that make you cringe, roll your eyes or throw popcorn at the screen. So we asked: What’s the worst war movie ever made?

From cheesy plot lines to embarrassing inattention to detail, these are the war movies that drew ire and disdain from our service member and veteran readers:

'The Hurt Locker' (2008)

One of the best-known Global War on Terrorism movies, "The Hurt Locker" tells the story of EOD techs during the second year of the Iraq War. With a star-studded cast, including Jeremy Renner ("Avengers: Endgame"). Anthony Mackie ("Captain America: Brave New World"), Evangeline Lilly ("Ant-Man"), and Ralph Fiennes ("The Menu"), it took home six Academy Awards and grossed nearly $50 million.

But boy, do our readers hate "Hurt Locker." The worldwide sensation was the runaway winner for worst movie among the Military.com audience (and with good reason). Your reviews were scathing. Here's just a small sampling of them:

• "The film's military advisor should have been drug [sic] through the streets."
• "'Hurt Locker' is everyone's favorite war movie who's never been in the military. And the worst movie for anyone who has."
• "So far from EOD's actual role, it's borderline a comedy."
• "Bro, you know why."

'Pearl Harbor' (2001)

Don't get it twisted: Just because "The Hurt Locker" is the most hated movie doesn't mean that our readers have forgotten about "Pearl Harbor." A Michael Bay blockbuster released at the turn of the century, "Pearl Harbor" promises a love triangle against the backdrop of one of the most infamous events in United States history. Military.com lambasted this decades-old movie for ... pretty much everything:

• "Because -- with all the money spent on it -- it could have been great, but it's just stupid instead."
• "Come for the lack of history, stay for the horrible love story."
• "Hard to make that story uninteresting, but Michael Bay succeeded."

'Inchon' (1981)

The history of "Inchon" is wild. Originally, the movie was conceived by the leader of the Moonies -- a term used for members of the Unification Church that Sun Myung Moon founded in the 1950s -- who wished to immortalize Gen. Douglas MacArthur's influence on Japan and Korea in the aftermath of World War II and during the Korean War. Financed by cult money, the production also utilized church members as actors alongside 1,500 U.S. soldiers and Marines. Famed actor Laurence Olivier ("Marathon Man") played MacArthur, and during filming, he acknowledged to the media that the movie was not up to his previous standards, saying, "Nothing is beneath me if it pays well. I've earned the right to damn well grab whatever I can in the time I've got left."

Add a typhoon, a cast member's death, numerous technical and historical errors, and such a poor showing in theaters that it was pulled from circulation and never released on video. Your opinions can best be summed up by this reader's comment: "The film misfires on so many levels that it's almost impossible to watch."

While numerous critics have named "Inchon" as one of the worst movies of all time, President Ronald Reagan once viewed it in the White House and noted that it was "gripping." At least "Inchon" has that going for it.

'1941' (1979)

Directed by Steven Spielberg ("Indiana Jones") and co-written by Robert Zemeckis ("Forrest Gump") and Bob Gale ("Back to the Future"), "1941" was billed as a "comedy spectacular." Using the real-life Zoot Suit Riots and the bombardment of Ellwood in California as inspiration, the movie is set against the backdrop of a nervous Los Angeles directly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. While "Saturday Night Live" immortals Dan Aykroyd ("The Blues Brothers") and John Belushi ("National Lampoon's Animal House") star in this cult classic, some of our readers failed to find the humor: "Terribly acted, not even funny.”

'The Thin Red Line' (1998)

A fictionalized account of WWII's Guadalcanal Campaign, "The Thin Red Line" sports a cast of heavy hitters, including Sean Penn ("Milk"), Adrien Brody ("The Pianist") and Nick Nolte ("Tropic Thunder"). Generally successful with audiences and critics, it was nominated for seven Oscars, although it did not win a single category. Why do our readers hate this one? It comes down to a common, one-word refrain: "Boring."

'The Green Berets' (1968)

Even though John Wayne ("The Longest Day") took considerable heat for not serving during WWII, his image had somewhat recovered by the Vietnam War. The swaggering embodiment of the masculine American West remade himself into a combat hero on screen with films such as "The Fighting Seabees" and "Operation Pacific." It seems he pushed his luck with "The Green Berets," at least according to our readers.

Directed by and starring Wayne, "The Green Berets" very loosely follows the novel of the same name by Robin Moore. The Duke reportedly spearheaded the Vietnam War movie to counter growing U.S. anti-war sentiments, an agenda made painstakingly obvious to moviegoers. A commercial success, critics panned the movie, with one calling it "the phoniest, most laughable war picture in many years."

Citing the movie as "propaganda," many of our Vietnam veteran readers indeed derided the flick for being "phony." It also brought back memories of service. "When we were watching this movie in Vietnam, we were throwing beer cans at the screen," one veteran remembered. "I actually viewed the film in Vietnam while serving at the 8th Field Hospital in Nha Trang," another reminisced. "Lotsa chuckles and hoots."

'Heartbreak Ridge' (1986)

Starring and directed by Clint Eastwood ("Pale Rider"), "Heartbreak Ridge" tells the story of an older Marine preparing his troops for the invasion of Grenada. The movie opened to general praise from critics and success at the box office, although it did not come close to achieving the accolades and praise of other Eastwood movies. Military.com's audience was less forgiving. "So many would have been relieved of command due to lack of trust in leadership ...!" wrote one reader. "And yes, the uniforms were way off as well."

Anything on the Hallmark Channel

This list would not be complete without a shout-out to the notoriously prolific Hallmark Channel. From the Navy-themed "USS Christmas" to the Air Force-themed "Come Fly with Me," its movies play fast and loose with military tropes and details that tend to annoy anyone who knows anything about the armed forces.

"Their depiction of military uniforms and hair regulations is on the level of a middle school play,” a Military.com reader wrote. “I also remember one film where a supposed 'prince' was dressed in a Marine Corps Lance Corporal's uniform.”

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