Netflix forever changed the world of movies and TV. This ingenious service ushered in the age of streaming and binge-watching, and made a wide variety of movies and shows accessible to everyone. Netflix is probably the reason Friends remains popular with the younger generations. The killer of Blockbuster and DVDs, Netflix began as a simple film library, but it was not surprising when Netflix began investing in its own content in 2013.
While many of these originals are highly rated standouts in the world of cinema - Stand Up Comedy Specials - not all Netflix Original content is created equal. A handful of shows and movies are just no good. Here are the top ten worst Netflix Originals (according to IMDb) of the decade.
Paris Is Us: Score 4.5
This 2019 film stars Noemi Schmidt as Anna, a girl who meets a man at a concert and quickly falls in love. But after a near-death experience and a series of Parisian terrorist attacks, Anna's perception of reality begins to shift, morph, and split. The film becomes a series of flash-forwards, flashbacks, and what-ifs interspersed throughout reality. The result is a confusing, insincere movie that can't really decide what it wants to be.
Natale a 5 Stelle: Score 4.4
Translating to 'A 5-Star Christmas,' Natale a 5 Stelle follows an Italian political delegation that is on an official visit to Hungary. The Italian Premier also plans to spend time with another (younger) member of the delegation, but his plans go awry when a dead body shows up in their hotel room.
This 2018 film tries to be satirical, drawing inspiration from old-fashioned comedies, but the result is a ridiculous series of ironic, cliched scenarios, stitched along through a weak screenplay and, at best, decent acting.
All About The Washingtons: Score 4.3
This Original TV series, which began in 2018, is a fictionalized autobiography of the Washingtons. Joseph Washington, more commonly known as Rev Run, has finally decided to retire from the music industry. His retirement means two things for the Washingtons. One, for the first time, Joseph will be able to take care of his kids. And two, his wife, Justine, is now able to pursue a career for herself. The show is a predictable, traditionally-styled sitcom that offered nothing new or special - it's really not surprising that Netflix decided to cancel it after the first season.
Sabrina: Score 4.2
The third film in The Doll series, this 2018 horror flick is little more than a rehash of The Conjuring, Annabelle, or The Boy. After her mother's death, Vanya (Richelle Georgette Skornicki) is convinced by her friends to attempt to summon her mother's spirit. Predictably, she summons some sort of evil poltergeist, which then possesses the doll, Sabrina. At times either too fast or too slow, the film quickly becomes overly complex, without first making you care about the complexities. Sabrina simply provides a third chance for the psychic Lauras to exorcise an evil spirit from a toy doll - we've seen this before, we don't want to see it again.
Mercy: Score 4.1
This 2016 thriller centers around a disted family. Grace (Constance Barron) is close to death. Her 4 children are grown and out of the house, when a man presents a black bag to her husband (Dan Ziskie), begging him to use it to end Grace's suffering. Of Grace's 4 children, two of them are from an earlier marriage and two of them were fathered by her current husband, George. But her ex left a fortune to Grace when he died, with instructions that it was to to their children, creating a big opportunity for tensions to arise when her 4 sons return home to be with their mother as she dies. It quickly turns into a home-invasion film, with a group of masked men trying to break into Grace's room. This is where the thriller part comes in. While this idea had potential, a combination of uncompelling characters and strange cinematic choices made it redundant and failed to make audiences care.
Paradox: Score 3.8
This 2018 movie is strange in that it doesn't really have a plot. Starring Neil Young and a bunch of his band buddies, the goal of this movie was for Young and his bandmates to hang around his ranch in costumes.
It takes place sometime in the future, in a world that has returned to nature. Young and his band of outlaws spend their time digging for odd bits of buried technology, with random musical performances interspersed throughout. This one is definitely not worth the 73 minutes it takes to watch.
Chasing Cameron: Score 3.7
This original show started in 2016, and follows the life of Cameron Dallas - a 'social media influencer.' The point of this show, if there is one, is to show Dallas' behind-the-scenes rise to stardom. Essentially a form of reality tv, this show lacks a plot that could, in any way, inspire people to care. It's really not surprising that Netflix made the decision to (unofficially) cancel this show.
Bill Nye Saves The World: Score 3.6
Starring Bill Nye, the Science Guy, this Netflix Original is designed as an opportunity for Mr. Nye to express the influence of science on politics, while also explaining certain scientific myths and truths. A good idea in concept, this show just doesn't meet its own expectations. The choice to include politics was not a wise one, as political discourse can often be so polarizing. Bill Nye did better purely as The Science Guy in the '90s.
Richie Rich: Score 3.3
This 2015 series stars Jake Brennan as Richie Rich, who is not your average kid. Following an overnight success, Richie becomes an instant trillionaire. -The show then follows the antics of this superwealthy kid. Often offensive, filled with bad acting and bad writing, it's a wonder this show ever got off the ground. That said, it is not a surprise that Richie Rich was cut after only 2 seasons.
The Open House: Score 3.2
Here it is at last; the single lowest IMDb-rated Netflix Original film ever created. This 2018 horror film follows a mom and her teenage son, as some seemingly supernatural forces lay siege to their home. The result is a lazy, uninteresting movie that offers little in the way of explanation or revelation. It gives an impression of something more sinister, and there was definitely potential for it to become truly horrifying, but The Open House was just another home-invasion film and not a very good one at that.