Top 10 Worst 90s CGI Effects

Nothing says 90s like terrible CGI! For this list, we’ll be looking at the most abysmal special effects within films from that decade. Our countdown includes "Jumanji", "Star Wars", "Escape from LA" and more! Which of these CGI moments made you cringe the most? Let us know in the comments below!
Check out these other great CGI-themed videos:
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#1990s #movies #CGI #badCGI #Jumanji #StarWars #Spawn #MortalKombat #specialeffects

[@WatchMojo]

Which of these CGI moments made you cringe the most? Let us know in the comments below! For more CGI content, click here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWmvfJeumrOYaNU

[@marcusyates3044]

90s Cartoons VS 2000 Cartoons!

[@stormshadowproductions1660]

Please do top 10 times My Little Pony Friendship is Magic & Equestria Girls tackled serious

[@companyfunnyvideo5260]

İf they did have enough money for cgi in 90s they would be the best cgi effects if they did have 100 billion dollars back then

[@abailey9223]

Saw this same exact list 1 week ago with a different narration. Good job 👌

[@whitleysdollhouse877]

The Langoliers

[@xplosiv211]

As a 90's kid, these weren't that bad back in the day. Most of them had a campy feel, so the bad cgi just felt right

[@brandonscott5544]

Cgi running video watchmojo video 📹 👌

[@ibaconbits8997]

In the 90's this was high tech compared to the puppets of before. Not gonna lie tho I actually watched Spawn in theaters with my folks and thought it was coo as hell then again I was just a kid but you right at the time it felt right haha

[@4ytcomment]

Agreed. and it was cutting edge so it was cool af. You didn't really care about the realism. it was just awesome to see these scenes being done. for the most part. some are much worse than others.

[@xplosiv211]

@@4ytcomment for sure. Spawn had really bad parts, but it kinda added to the animated comic book feel off the movie. If you knew spawn before the film, it was just acceptable, it kinda felt right, and again, for the time, it was still pretty cool

[@YourFateG]

Kid will find any thing good for their eyes, and anyone that don't give a dan about it or doesn't analyze well, these things are truly bad, and you see a lot saying too, and the majority of these movies are really not that good on the websites.

[@johnsidney4147]

I'm surprised the Ninja Megazord and Ivan Ooze from the Power Rangers movie didn't make the list.

[@mocano401]

The 90's CGI definitively need a part 2 Top 10

[@lordeflockatee3399]

You’ve just unlocked a memory lol

[@THANATOS-PRIME]

Dang… I can’t believe I spaced that out

[@matthewpaul6904]

To be fair, nobody went into the MMPR movie expecting good special effects

[@therkokid215]

It was supposed to be campy, plus Saban notably cut corners for that movie.

[@psychonaut1829]

I think Jumanji gets a pass, it wasnt good cgi at the time, to me it was meant to be cartoony and it was pretty consistent.

[@Dr.W.Krueger]

It's a bit of a technical milestone though. Hair/fur sim and all that.

[@Valkonnen]

That would be fine if ADI didn't create practical effects that looked fantastic in the same film.

[@MJ_Cruz]

Man, I loved "Spawn" when I was a kid! Disregarding the CGI, 'Just ignored it all and embraced the whole movie itself! This was one of my introductions to superhero movies!!! Still waiting for that Jamie Foxx reboot of Spawn.

[@YourFateG]

Kids will like any bad thing. I liked some bad things as a kid and I feel shameful about it.

[@MJ_Cruz]

@@YourFateG Well, you have a point though. I guess I just really have a soft spot for the movie despite realizing the bad cgi into adulthood lol

[@kri249]

I actually remember thinking how good the CGI was for that movie. Even in the first Mortal Kombat. But then again it was the only CGI at the time and was relatively new. It's only because we've seen improvements over the decades we notice how bad it looks now.

[@MJ_Cruz]

@@kri249 Agreed. Even the 1st MK's CGI is considered worse now that you've mentioned it.

[@CrazyManwich]

The practical costumes for Spawn were fantastic! I wouldn’t mind seeing it remastered with current CGI. Will never happen but I can always dream.

[@AlexSeverinski]

3:37 Technically, this is the CGI Jabba that's been used since the 2004 DVD release. If you wanted to be accurate, you should have used the footage of the actual 1997 CGI Jabba.

[@rayrpger6141]

which is even worse!

[@discod992]

Seeing all these movies gives me a renewed respect for Terminator 2. That film still holds up.

[@danielferrieri7434]

Top Ten Best CGI in the 90s

[@AsianGuy540]

Genius

[@grin3670]

yoo can I borrow some money?🥺 I promise I'll pay it back🙏

[@leeks1408]

Jurassic Park would definitely be on that list

[@HollywoodLego]

Jurassic park would be number one. No doubt.

[@mikitz]

T2.

[@SuperPlaya316]

This just makes me appreciate the CGI used in Starship Troopers

[@smittyvanjagermanjenson182]

That's the same crew who worked on jurassic park, so agreed.

[@freesoul7829]

Thank you. I always say the same. Starship Troopers has GREAT CGI.

[@_MissLoLo]

The brain bug looks properly disgusting

[@rsteelsteel]

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is one of only two movies for which I demanded my money back from the theater, due in no small part to that abysmal climax that claimed the top spot. I was still a teen, and even then felt offended the movie studio put that out as finished product!

[@kaygee5115]

And the second one?

[@TheWrathfulSlayer]

CGI has come a long way! It will only get better as filmmakers will use cutting-edge technology to make it look flawless

[@TrekkieChannel]

OK, you guys have there a pretty bad mistake - this is a video about 90's effects, so why are you using Jabba the Hutt from the 2004 DVD version of Star Wars? The 1997 special edition had a different, much WORSE CGI Jabba the Hutt

[@hunterolaughlin]

Thank you! The 1997 Jabba is much worse than the current CGI Jabba in the Special Edition and it still frustrates me they use the current one.

[@CaloobianMongoose]

1:05 I don't care how bad it might look - the Deep Blue Sea moment is one of the greatest shocking moments in all of cinema

[@_MissLoLo]

a mother fucking shark ate me 🤣

[@shatteredsoldier81]

Spawn deserves a reboot already

[@Prave1987]

I Remember it as a Good movie, mostley becouse i watched it as a kid, and I have never watched it again so i think its an awsome movie 😎

[@tari8134]

The animated HBO Spawn series deserves a Season 2.

[@adampellett4917]

@@tari8134 Bad news is, a certain bastard from Discovery gonna annihilating HBOMax and it’s gonna be worse next year.

[@Petra-ms3ku]

I got escorted out of the theater because I couldn’t stop laughing at that Samuel L Jackson shark scene. Best death scene EVER.

[@fromthehaven94]

Quite the overreaction, for everyone involved.

[@darkmido6087]

I would say this title should be, top 10 90's movies! These movies are gems!

[@nestorsifuentesaguirre2722]

Sorry but even great 90s films never lack horrid cgi

[@fromthehaven94]

In a world where Pulp Fiction, Unforgiven, Silence of the Lambs, GoodFellas, The Fugitive, Shawshank Redemption, A Few Good Men, The Matrix, Jerry Maguire, and Fargo all exist (among many others), that is 100 percent false.

[@darkmido6087]

@@fromthehaven94 all those movies you just listed or the most boring movies out there... but its okay :) we cant all agree what a good movie is, we all got diffrent taste, right ;) my favorite movie off all times is sharknado vs giant octopus! :D i love that movie!

[@fromthehaven94]

@@darkmido6087 🤷‍♂️

[@cyclopstb]

I remember Jabba 1997 looked like. This is not the one.

[@rubeng370]

One thing Corridor Crew (VFX Artist React) taught me was there's a difference between old and bad VFX. Jumanji is a great example of old effects (good at the time), but most 90s that tried it, look pretty bad when it should have been practical instead

[@SolCresta3405]

The 90s weren't exactly a bright time for CGI.

[@thedude8457]

Terminator 2

[@JohnDBIRL]

Jurassic Park

[@robertalter3186]

@@JohnDBIRL Mostly practical effects there.

[@robertalter3186]

@@thedude8457 God-tier.

[@leandrorodriguez297]

Star Wars The Phantom Menace, The Matrix, The Fift Element, and so many others.

[@sogggy]

The Langoliers CGI is bad but what is worst is the way that guy is running 9:40

[@allusive2903]

Best plane crash scene in a movie I ever seen would be from " The Knowing " . By far one of the best use of CGI in a plane crash. Period!

[@formalist6096]

You should see the plane crash in cast away.

[@itzamia]

Girl jokes aren't funny. Period!

[@shahwalkhan5908]

Watching 90s CGI in 2022 is like time travel to stone age 😂

[@destructocid]

Just depends. The CGI in the original Jurassic park movie is far better than any of the Jurassic world films.

[@MrDaveydtd]

just wait until you see what they say about CGI from 2022 in 2052

[@davidmuhoho691]

still better than the CGI crap in She Hulk

[@destructocid]

@@davidmuhoho691 yeah. I’m convinced a lot of these big budget films are simply a way to launder money. The cgi looks terrible in so many current films, you have to wonder where all that money goes.

[@Dr.W.Krueger]

We tried our best. I'm sure you can't do a fraction of that, even if you try. ;)

[@nikos731]

I still believe Reptile from original MK was worse CGI than Anihilation's animalities! (ofc I was 100% certain that something from the MK series would claim the top spot)

[@rluv4evr]

I think "The Langaleers" had incredibly bad CGI Especially as the Langaleers ate their way across the Airport grounds and the airport building itself.

[@floydthomas4192]

At 0:07 the look on martin sheep's face says get me the hell outta this movie

[@BlazerK1914]

I sorta like the Spawn movie, but surely, it’s not a good movie. I respected it, though, as it did introduced me to the Spawn character.

[@leko019]

De alguma forma eles são produtos de seu tempo. Estúdios apreçados em lançarem os filmes, mão de obra escassa e pouco conhecimento de como fazer os efeitos.

[@fromthehaven94]

While I thought Air Force One was merely okay, the reveal of a traitor was unsatisfactory- until that plane crash superceded it.

[@skankhunt434]

It was the 90s give them some credit still better than most the shit made today

[@everlenaoliver6912]

9:19 Hey! The Langoliers was a classic.

[@kevinclapson]

The real embarrassment is that modern CGI still suffers many of the same issues, even with truck loads more money added and much better technology available.

[@toneriggz]

The CGI in Spawn was horrendous, even back then.

[@tmx8686]

It was ahead of its time, looks bad now but it was great back then

[@toneriggz]

@@tmx8686 Nah, it was trash back then. Especially the scenes in hell with Malebogia.

[@horatiocaine147]

Most of the shots are great/ok. Some are awesome (Violator is ahead of its time). It's just that last part in Hell, oh God... They ran out of budget.

[@thestormyc268]

just a few weeks ago i decided to watch Spawn with my dad i had no idea what i was in for but when malebolgia showed up i could not stop laughing

[@alyzu4755]

All true. But adding in the look of pain on Jabba's face as Han Solo walked over his tail was pretty funny. (I do remember seeing a behind-the-scenes blurb on filming this scene and a human actor stood in for Jabba. So Harrison Ford had just walked behind him. 😊)

[@eugeniapatroncosta920]

Make a top 10 best Alan Silvestri scores, please.

[@ShadowMark3_]

8:13 So THAT'S the movie Kojima watched for Iroquois Pliskin.

[@GeeOhJayyy]

Even tho the CGI Effects Were Trash: Spawn was still one of my favorite movies as a kid

[@christhornycroft3686]

Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park were the peak of CGI. Now it’s just used as a replacement for real stunt work, so it all looks fake. You can dump on 90s CGI all you want, but I just watched Thor in 3D and all the Spider-Man movies. I’ve seen much worse. It’s kind of hard to dump on 90s CG when crap like that exists. It’s the equivalent of watching someone on KZbin play a video game.

[@elevatoralarmcoasterandarc1214]

These elements are crazy.

[@Dr.W.Krueger]

Working 38 years in computer graphics and image processing. I like these for their style, not because it looks "real".

[@_MissLoLo]

I genuinely LOVE the bad CGI in Langoliers.

[@DHeartX]

Good thing “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie” didn’t make it.

[@LukeLovesRose]

I can forgive the CGI in Air Force One. The movie wasnt about that. It was the uplifting feeling that we're watching a true President with some balls save the day

[@marcusyates3044]

90s Cartoons VS 2000 Cartoons!

[@Empire_11]

They both are great tbh. But I think that 90’s cartoons are more nolstalgic.

[@larrylobster740]

90’s cause they have 1. Btas 2Johnny bravo 3. SpongeBob (My personal favorite) 4.Rugrats 5.Dexters laboratory 6.Courage the cowardly dog 7. Talespin 8.The flinstones 9.Ed, edd and eddy 10.Johnny bravo 11. Original teen titans 12. Samurai jack What from the 2000’s can beat those shows?

[@skankhunt434]

@@larrylobster740 even though it's anime don't forget about the mighty dbz

[@cadeevans4623]

They might be bad cgi effects but classic effects

[@JurassicGodzillaFan]

Even some good films have bad cgi, like Air Force One, Jumanji and even Deep Blue Sea.

[@therant3837]

1: Uh.... Mojo got it wrong. The Jabba The Hut scene was originally done with a big fat guy that was cut from the original film. I've never even heard of a stop motion scene from the first movie. The whole reason the scene was cut was due to Jabba being a HUMAN BEING and it didn't sit well with the whole Star Wars theme. The original scene should be able to be found here on youtube. I just find it weird how these guys are mocking movies from 20 years ago in comparison to cgi today in which there is no comparison. When these movies came out the cgi was frickin' incredible during that time period. You can tell a younger generation made this video due to their error of the times. I was a teenager when these movies came out. I remember the rave reviews of the cgi in these movies. Back then they were top notch for the time. And uh.... Spawn was the #1 rated cgi effects movie of the year. That was made clear in every tv commercial about the movie. I remember how I was so obsessed with the movie and it's soundtrack that year. Even the music videos for the soundtrack for the time were top notch. Where are you guys getting this from? Comparing cgi from then to now is like comparing a horse plow to tractor. How does that make any sense?

[@ExtremeMadnessX]

Spawn have horrible CGI, that scene in hell is painful to watch.

[@lchambers56]

No. WatchMojo is correct. Lucas used a human stand-in during principal filming, but had planned to edit in a stop-motion alien. It was deemed to expensive/difficult and was cut.

[@therant3837]

@@lchambers56 Well shoot my whiskers off. 😁 I sit corrected.... lol

[@therant3837]

@@ExtremeMadnessX It may be now.... but back when I was in my late teens nothing I had ever seen up to that point was like that. Think of what it was like for kids to watch the first Star Wars movie in 1977. Back then nothing like that had ever really been done. I don't know how old you are but just keep in mind movies like that in the 1990's just weren't made like Spawn back then. It's like Star Wars, ya know? You'd have really had to have grown in that time period. Who knows though, ya know? You might be around my age (43) and grew up in those days and still didn't like it. Anyways.... it just wasn't done to that extreme back then like it is today in sci-fi/horror. Not that I watch that sort of stuff anymore. I found Jesus (or Jesus found me, or both) so that kind of material isn't really in my per view anymore. But at the time..... that was just wicked effects for the time period.

[@michaelrussell3890]

I might have included Reptile from MK1 alongside the MKA Animalities

[@dodgersdoon1130]

That escalated quickly

[@andrewhaase1826]

Dishonorable Mentions: *All Of It - The Lawnmower Man -These are among the worst CGI effects in film history! To give you an idea, Jurassic Park was released the same year and that film's CGI was MUCH MORE CONVINCING. Heck, Terminator 2 was released the year before and looked much more convincing!

[@tomseville2345]

They should have just modified the giant practical nightmare bat from Batman Forever and sold it to the Spawn producers for Malebolgia...

[@Shinobito1]

Those Spawn CGI alarmingly resemble Limbo of the Lost.

[@Rodeo_Wizard]

HEY! Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace should definitely be number 1. Jar Jar was so awful and cringe-worthy, no doubt we still had terrible nightmares. There's absolutely no reason why that Character need to be in a Star Wars film.

[@MediaLoverChris02]

@Mike Wicklund He is from 1999

[@MediaLoverChris02]

@Mike Wicklund No they came out in 1999, 2002 and 2005

Spawn is indeed terrible

[@Randomark3087]

I HATED when they re-did classic Star Wars scenes with CGI.

[@rmannayr2129]

THOSE EFFECTS LOOK SO BAD!

[@liferealgood]

Ugh you making my childhood movie Spawn look turrrrible

[@brianmercure9558]

At 11:47 you ask if we enjoyed this video. I wasn't sure which one you were talking about. The sequences about the bad CGI or the constants ads that kept popping up. Seriously, why did you need three different set of dual ads for a 12 minute video?

[@teishar1]

I expected Stephen dorf turning into a raspberry in blade would’ve been on this list….

[@tonyp1376]

That pun was most definitely intended.

[@dspokemoncards6184]

Love those arceus cards that was a awesome pull

[@ShockedPool]

The CGI Mask of Michael is so bad that I like it!

[@TheBlueFoxOFFICIAL]

The CGI In Spawn remind me of Scott Cawthon’s Pre-FNAF Animations.

[@akilwilliams7466]

I'm just glad we acknowledged it was the 90's so I'm not upset about the CGI because back then it was normal. And leave Jumanji alone lol.

[@stubarron]

Thinking The Lawnmower Man should've made this list.

[@danbeaudet6718]

The cg animation is closely based on the illustrations from the book, that's why it feels weird.

[@Jaheartsjonas]

The Malebolgia character kinda looks like one of those hairless dogs with gray skin and splotches of white fur

[@blairsy77]

Regardless of the CGI, movies in the 90's still managed to be way better than the crap you get today.

[@tari8134]

This is a lie. The 90's had some truly awful movies.

[@dozer11]

Nah. You’re just not looking for good movies. And you’re wearing your nostalgia goggles. There were plenty of terrible movies in the past.

[@blairsy77]

@@dozer11 I didn't say there weren't any bad movies in the past but the percentage of terrible movies now is much higher. Movies in the past didn't have the woke element in them that movies have today.

[@blairsy77]

@@tari8134 Did I say there were no bad movies in the 90's? I don't think so. Overall the 90's was a way better decade for movies than what we've gotten over the last 10 years. There really is no argument.

[@Zyuemperoryoutubecreators.]

so many memories

[@johnny-becker]

The only one of these movies I actually saw was Langoliers but remember, though movies like Devil's Advocate (1997) hold up very well and Addams Family (1991) hold up moderately well, all these movies was designed for 410p screens, not the HD 1080P/4K/8K we had since then. Anyways, if the Langoliers kept the monsters at a very far distance, the crappy CGI would have passed

[@andieznutz6438]

I remember watching spawn as a kid and thinking this CGI is so bad

[@mortadasaleh7423]

Am I the only one thinks that the terrible CGI of the Langoliers is what made them terrifying.

[@carnagegerman]

7:01.. Yes! Anything for WANDAAAA 😅 classic

[@davisphillips993]

Also the robots and Zords in “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.”

[@KimisaruGamer]

Oke i have seen now so many watchmojo video with the same video's in their..well video's :P

[@mpalmer22]

To be fair, some of these bad effects weren't as noticeable on VHS

[@CaptainReynolds-flyinspace]

There is big difference between bad cgi and old cgi.

[@toaolisi761]

Did he just say the first Mortal Kombat movie was a solid entry? The movie has a solid soundtrack, but it does not do the franchise justice.

[@maestromike91971]

I have deep blue sea on DVD. I bought it a long time ago. I liked it.

[@JD_Playtime]

Some of these are terrible, agreed. But some of them are just due to limitations of technology at the time.

[@leebentz6358]

How did Anaconda not make this list???????????????????? Like?

[@josephroy06]

Well you know thats its the 90’s and you cant blame since CGI was still just starting up, most of the movies you mention may have a good story to telll and most producers now are just making a remake of this with still bas cgi and worst story telling. You should make a list of movies that have been remade and compare them who is the better film

[@JoelBrewton]

HONORABLE MENTION! The Ninja Megazord from "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie."

[@dannyfromthea223]

Now that I think back on it all the screen effects just look crazy 😵‍💫

[@disneyvillainrocket1]

8:02 infidels!!! You have touched the forbidden treasure. Now you will never again see the light of day!!! (Aladdin reference)

[@jessesolomon7792]

I still enjoy lost in space and spawn and mortal Kombat today

[@framesdaimaginacao]

Some CGI from the 90's is still better than some current movies, like Orphan 2.

[@skyefairy3262]

I’m surprised shark boy and lava girl aren’t in this list

[@fatmansatchel1017]

I laughed when Sam Jackson got ate by that shark 🤣🤣🤣

[@bloodorigin]

The best thing about mortal Kombat annihilation is the soundtrack.

[@markkleinczy8058]

You missed the first power ranger movie with its terrible megazordes :D

[@jesshurley6407]

Gotta disagree with DEEP BLUE SEA. That movie is freakin legendary and the CGI was more than adequate.

[@fromthehaven94]

But the scene in this list, it needed some work.

[@andrewmange2172]

I have to say the 90s was a mixed bag of great movies and the rise of cgi.. Starship Troopers was probably one of the best.

[@propjoe3519]

Surprisingly "salad" first film @10:55 lmfaooooo

[@ryanstokes5422]

We didn’t have good CGI back then so it’s obvious that malbogia looks like sonic back 2019

[@slanderman3296]

As a kid, these kicked ass. Me and my brother, were actully blown away by the monkeys lol

[@NORFIE123456]

I feel like I'm having De-Javu...I saw this video 2 or 3 days ago...

[@marcelhannotte7624]

the guy thought video games at the time had better graphics then Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997). To give you an idea Final Fantasy 7 was cutting edge, released that same year and Mario 64 was released the year before. It sounds silly looking at it today but at the time the animation was better then anything you saw in video games.

[@TheDealMaster]

It's easy to go back and rip on the 90's effects... but what computers/software were they using, Windows 98? Lol. Maybe even Windows 95? This was soooo long ago. It's kind of hard to trash on them, because all the effects were terrible in comparison to current day. There were a few movies who's effects still hold up today, but it's a very select few...

[@Naruto0s44]

Spawn is super guilty of this shit