The Top 48 Worst Martial Arts Movies of All Time

Martial Arts movies have always been a presence in sense of cinema, the skill of combat displayed as an art. Unfortunately, that is not true for all martial arts movies. Some of them fall quite embarrassingly short, in fact. Covering everything from embarrassing fight scenes to cringe-worthy performances, this is the 48 worst martial arts movies ever made

Worst Martial Arts Movies

Gymkata (1985)

All the action highlights were TRYING to blend gymnastics with karate and it was a circus more than it was martial arts. Gymkata is probably weirder still by virtue of being an 80s movie, but there — that’s my point exactly!!! Although it was different, this piece lacked the execution and instead of being impressed by their synchronicity I chuckled at some points

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

The Hollywood adaptation of the legendary videogame, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li does no justice to the game at all. It was plagued by poor casting and a shoddy script that set the tone for its downfall, which both fans and critics expressed their disappointment in

Double Dragon (1994)

Like so many video game adaptations before and since, the original plot of Double Dragon failed to translate smoothly into a movie with tone-deaf efforts at comedy alongside uninspired action beats. The game just tried to pull in too much of the fandom

The Last Airbender (2010)

Although not martial arts in the traditional sense, a feat of The Last Airbender is its horrid depiction of changing skills. The wooden performances and more tell than show (not) action packed adventure did not earn any rave reviews from audiences

Dragonball Evolution (2009)

Dragonball Evolution was an ambitious attempt to adapt the anime, and it failed miserably. Another one for showing little to no respect toward the source material, in addition to giving some odd action scenes

Beverly Hills Ninja (1997)

It should also be noted that Beverly Hills Ninja is a comedy and as such there’s almost no real martial arts in it. The slapstick humor never quite transcends into well-written fight scenes and the end result leaves you with a less than memorable experience

DOA: Dead or Alive (2006)

Derived from the fighting game series, DOA: Dead or Alive is an attempt to mix advanced martial arts with a beach party atmosphere. Sadly, the story and set pieces are as flimsy as bikinis

The Next Karate Kid (1994)

A part of the iconic franchise, The Next Karate Kid was a major let down post watching all its prequels. A glib story and unexciting fight scenes led it to be one of the most disappointing films in its series

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997)

Annihilation is a sequel to the mildly successful Mortal Kombat movie, and it breaks down on virtually every front. The over-acting and bad special effects played a key role in why it was so horribly received

American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt (1989)

The Worst American Ninja film is the third, Blood Hunt for lazily staged and boring rehash fight (and ninja academy flashbacks) Its missing the charm and thrill that made it become a campy classic

41 Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)

One of the worst rated action films ever made, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever has a confusing story with lackluster fight scenes which lands it on this list of martial arts failures

The Black Ninja (2003)

The catchy name doesn’t really do The Black Ninja any favours, as it’s the type of martial arts flick that leaves no impression at all. The trouble is…. it suffers for poor production value from the start and bad acting, which laughs all over any credit we might give this flick

Karate Cop (1991)

Karate Cop isn’t a Science Fiction/Martial Arts movie by any means, but it has something of that dichotomic in nature. It was low-budget and amateurishly made, which only confused audiences more than it amused them

No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers (1990)

Of the No Retreat, Nio Surrender movies — Part 3: Blood Brothers is very much a misfire with some pretty weak plots and rather pedestrian martial arts work… The dramatic and action moments are failures for the movie

The Quest (1996)

The Quest is a haphazarid, lacklustre martial-arts film which stars Van Damme and also marks his directorial debut. It is strickingly predictable and nothing really original thus easily forgettable, still its a Van Damme flick so i guess you get what do uou expect!

Cyborg Cop (1993)

Cyborg CopClumsy special effects—and no convincing action Sci-fi martial arts mash-up. The movie did not do well at the box office, and it was a failed effort to capitalize on the whole 90s cyborg craze

Kickboxer 4: The Aggressor

Also part of the Kickboxer franchise, The Aggressor faced backlash for being formulaic and poorly-choreographed with fight scenes. Not quite capturing what made the original film so exciting

Tekken (2010)

Another poor adaptation, Tekken is drawn from the popular video game series of the same name. Disappointing fans and critics alike, the film had weak character development supported by a messy action sequence

Three Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain (1998)

The four set of films from 3 ninjas, High Noon at Mega Mountain has absolutely no martial arts to speak off. Unfortunately, audiences never really bought into the comedy and kiddie-like adventures

Kung Pow! Enter the Fist (2002)

Kung Pow! was, while a parody Humor and action both frequently fall flat toe-jam-third in Enter the Fist. Overuse of slapstick comedy and gags can be seen as taking precedence over the actual martial arts in this film

BLOODFIST V: Human Target (1994)

One of over 75 entries in the Bloodfist series, Human Target is undermined by both a cliche-ridden plot and insipid fight scenes. The movie doesn’t break out of the pack in a crowded genre landscape, like so many disappointing martial-arts films

The Hunted (2003)

The Hunted has an intriguing concept but it is marred by clumsy delivery and forgettable fight scenes. The story is wrapped up in such a convoluted way that it doesn’t really help either

Cyborg 2: Glass Shadow (1993)

Even the original film, Cyborg, was just a cheap cult hit and it falls through any comparisons audiences may wish to draw between this stinker of an imitator. Delivering uninspired action and originality, it failed to provide a satisfying movie

Никогда Не Сдавайся 2: Реванш (2011)

Supringsingly bad sequel to the moderately sucsessful never back down, “The Beatdown” fails with a cookie cutter plot and lack of strong martial arts sequences

Showdown in Manila (2016)

Showdown in Manila is every bit a dud, despite its promising cast. No Originality & Creativity – This is reason why it makes place in this list

Ninja Terminator (1985)

One of their early low budget martial arts movies, Ninja Terminator is awash in bad production values and worse fight scenes. Its failed attempt to mix ninjas and science fiction

Tiger Claws III: The Final Conflict (2000)

The Final Conflict has nothing in the way of interesting martial arts to warrant the station as movie #3, and really that should have come well before Furius. A lackluster plot and non-inspired choreography resulted in a disappointing experience for its audiences

City of Masks

A shameless cash-in sequel to cult classic Black Mask, City of Masks is completely devoid of the charm and spectacle that made its predecessor memorable. Even for a series as reliant on over-the-top action, the storyline sucked and it let fansdown

RAGE AND HONOR II: HOSTILE TAKEOVER (1993)

The sequel to Rage and Honor, but with a plot as stale as its martial arts sequences. The drama and action showcase in the film is poor

Chinese Zodiac (2012)

Director: Jackie Chan Even though directed by Jackie Chan, the action in Chinese Zodiac is generic and poorly executed from one scene to another. It does not Michael Bay itself — though, to be fair, it fails to capture the megawatt charge of most of Chan’s early works

The King of Fighters (2010)

Another disappointing adaptation of a popular video game series, this time from The King of Fighters. Not only was there no character development, some of the action sequences were bland; a disappointing combo that let fans and critics down

Kickboxer: Retaliation (2018)

Even as another entry in the iconic Kickboxer series, Retaliation does not live up to what came before. Not to mention a story no one asked for and rote action that just weren’t up to the level of those before it

Cyborg Cop II (1994)

Even if the special effects and such are not up to speed with Cyborg Cop, neither is a very exciting film as their idea of good action sequences sort-of contains people moving from point A to B. Muddled together as a badly done cash-in of the 90s cyborg fad, this film flopped

The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe (1973)

The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe contains no discernible martial arts, near as I could tell. What might have worked was overshadowed by bad production and laughable acting

Karate Kill (2016)

A low rent martial arts flick, Karate Kill suffers from crappy production value and bland action sequences. This nifty little entry attempted to package martial arts with a revenge plot, but the soup it cooked up was simply not as hefty

Fatal Deviation (1998)

Fatal Deviation — Infamous for poor execution and weak combat sequencesAn Irish martial arts moviecreativecommons. Throughout the film, the low budget and production quality show

Hard Target 2 (2016)

Director Roel Reiné takes 116 minutes to destroy everything that made Hard Target such a cult classic. Audiences were disappointed by its cliched plot and underwhelming fight scenes

Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013)

This sequel to the similarly lacklustre Ninja is equally forgettable, with its uneventful plot and limp martial arts

American Shaolin (1991)

This is a low-budget martial arts movie, the production quality terrible and fight scenes uninteresting. The mixing of martial arts and coming-of-age story wasn’t successful for it

The Order (2001)

The Order (2001) – Jean-Claude Van Damme directs and stars in a hot mess of martial arts. The story is nothing to write home about and as usual the lack of originality stops Hard Target being one of Van Damme’s defining works

Bloodsport II: The Next Kumite (1996)

The Next Kumite unfortunately is never able to capture the excitement and intensity that made Bloodsport Harry’s favorite movie. Audiences were underwhelmed by its predictable story and mundane fight scenes

Ring of Steel (1994)

Ring of Steel is a low-budget and highly amateurish martial arts caper with awful production quality and pedestrian fight scenes. However, its fusion of martial arts gladiator storylines fell flat

American Kickboxer 2 (1993)

Released as a follow-up to the action flick American Kickboxer, this film loses even more focus in both plot and mediocre martial arts fights. Its drama and action are both awkwardly executed in the film

The Eliminator (2004)

Basically a low-budget martial arts film, The Eliminator suffers from underproduced material and some pretty lackluster fights. The fusion of martial arts elements with a science fiction narrative fell flat

The Protector 2 (2013)

Loosely based on the shot-in-Larnaca Thai Boxer that made a splash in 2005, this return of The Protector…2 is merely an exercise to bring Tony Jaa out of hiding for anything but Ong-Bak work – and he looks jaded with it. Predictable plot and boring fight scenes were some of the reasons it failed to impress audiences

Double Team (1997)

Boasting a cast starring Mickey Rourke, Dennis Rodman and Jean-Claude Van Damme is Double Team which disappoints with its overly clichéd story and lackluster action sequences. Its pure unoriginality and uncreativeness assured this one a place on the list

White Tiger (1996)

White Tiger, a Martial Arts film on a shoestring budget, suffers both from low production values and unimaginative fight sequences. It did not do well combining martial arts with a crim story line

Best of the 3: No Turning Back

Critics Consensus The third Best of the Best is also the series’ worst: a stupid, awkwardly orchestrated thriller. The drama and action of the movie are often cheaply tried

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