10 Military Action Movies So Bad, They're Actually Good

1. "Iron Eagle"
"Iron Eagle" is practically the pinnacle of 80s military action clichés. A teenage pilot? Check. An experienced mentor? Double-check. The mission? To rescue our young protagonist's dad from a fictional Middle Eastern country.

So, Doug, our young and sprightly pilot, pairs up with Col. Chappy Sinclair. Together, they concoct a plan involving stolen F-16s and... cassette tapes. Oh, yeah, baby, cassette tapes for setting the mood during aerial dogfights.

It's as ludicrous as it sounds. But admit it, there's something hypnotizing about a teenager outsmarting an entire military with his flying skills, set to a cheesy 80s soundtrack.

2. "Navy SEALs"
Enter "Navy SEALs," where Charlie Sheen and Michael Biehn play elite soldiers tasked with rescuing hostages in the Middle East. But of course, it can't be that simple. They stumble upon a stash of missiles in the process. Can they destroy them before the terrorists ship 'em off?

The plot is thinner than a sheet of rice paper, the dialogue drier than a desert, yet its earnest attempts to be serious are what make this movie an entertaining watch.

3. "Stealth"
Take a futuristic scenario where AI-controlled fighter jets accompany human pilots. One rogue AI, EDI, goes off the rails post-lightning strike—seriously, it's a robot with mood swings. Our trio of pilots are out to contain EDI before he starts World War III.

Think "Top Gun" meets "HAL 9000," only sillier. Jets pulling off stunts that defy physics? Yes, please. Robots learning to appreciate a catchy tune? Absolutely.

4. "Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection"
Chuck Norris returns, kicking, shooting, and wisecracking his way through a South American drug cartel. He's Colonel Scott McCoy, and he's got a bone to pick with Ramon Cota, the drug lord.

The stakes? High. The tactics? Dubious. At one point, he skydives into the enemy's lair just to make an entrance. It's absurd. It's implausible. But will you watch it anyway? Most likely.

5. "Broken Arrow"
You can't go wrong with John Travolta as a rogue Air Force pilot who steals nukes. Christian Slater, his co-pilot, has to stop him.

There's a countdown, there's a desert, there's a mine, and above all, there's Travolta chewing up scenery like a caterpillar on a leaf. Clichés tumble over each other as if in a race to hit the finish line.

6. "In the Army Now"
Let's toss Pauly Shore and Andy Dick into the U.S. Army Reserves. What could go wrong? Water purification specialists, our heroes are, but they end up fighting in Chad of all places.

It's a mess, a hilarious calamity. Missiles go astray, Andy Dick ends up a hero, and somewhere amidst this, they learn the value of brotherhood. A comedy trying to be a military drama ends up being, well, a tragicomedy. But let's agree; it's our guilty pleasure.

7. "Universal Soldier"
Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren as reanimated super-soldiers? Sign me up, any time!

They're the undead products of a government program, initially killed in Vietnam and then brought back to life. The catch? Lundgren's character still carries his sadistic traits and starts killing civilians. So, our Belgian hero has to stop him.

You've got absurd science, you've got clichéd one-liners, and a face-off that makes absolutely zero scientific sense. It's 90s era in its finest, however slightly absurd, form.

8. "Fire Birds"
Nicolas Cage takes to the skies as an Apache helicopter pilot hunting down a South American drug lord. The story is as generic as they come, but when you throw in Cage's over-the-top acting, you have a flick that's more entertaining than it has any right to be.

Physics-defying stunts? Aerial combat scenes that look like a video game? Absolutely. We're talking textbook "so bad it's good" here.

9. "Red Dawn" (1984)
The Cold War era, when teenagers could just pick up an AK-47 and become freedom fighters. The plot is straight out of an alternate reality: Soviet and Cuban troops invade the U.S., and a band of high schoolers form a resistance group named "Wolverines."

With Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen leading the pack, they guerilla their way through the enemy lines. Is it rife with stereotypes? Absolutely. Is it also strangely engaging? You bet your boots.

10. "Street Fighter"
Jean-Claude Van Damme returns, this time as Colonel Guile leading a United Nations force to topple General M. Bison.

Based on a video game, the movie feels like one too, only with fewer controls and more perplexity. This thing's got everything: a floating fortress, kidnapped aid workers, and, most importantly, Kylie Minogue as Cammy.

Is it military? Well, they're in uniforms. Is it action? Explosions check that box. Does it make sense? Absolutely not. But that's why we love it.