There is something wholesome and disarming about silly action films, despite how armed to the teeth and the violent the protagonists are. These films turn extreme violence into a pulpy spectacle where we are rooting for the hero to succeed with a corny one-liner. These types of films work great for watch parties because there isn’t usually a complicated plot that you need to pay attention to or heady themes to appreciate. They are something you can just put on and have a normal conversation while they are playing, enjoying the feast of violence before you. When watching party action films, the sillier they are, the more entertainment value they will provide. Here are ten of the best silly action films to liven up your next watch party with your friend group.
10 Commando (1985)
Starting off, we have the macho action fest Commando. Commando is a hostage recuse movie from 1985 that was distributed by 20th Century Fox. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a retired Army commando named John. John is enjoying a quiet retirement with his daughter in the mountains when he receives word that his former Army unit has been taken out and that he might be next. John is subdued by the mercenaries, and his daughter is kidnapped by a dictator who John had previously helped remove from power in his home country. John must reequip his military gear and inflict brutal macho violence on all the mercenaries responsible for this ordeal to save his daughter Jenny.
The film goes to great lengths to portray its testosterone-fueled action scenes spectacularly. This earnestness causes the film to go over the line into the campy and silly territory at times. Your friend group is in for a fun time if you put this film on. You will be treated to noisy explosions, epic gun battles, and over 80 brutal on-screen deaths. The film tries not to take itself too seriously, but the sense of humor it has makes you feel like you are watching a cartoon. It wastes no time getting straight to the action. A rocket launcher is used within a minute of the film starting. Its special effects are top-notch, too. Commando received a Saturn Award nomination for its special effects, only losing the award to Back to the Future.
9 Bloodsport (1988)
Next up is the martial arts Jean-Claude Van Damme feature Bloodsport. This film was released in 1988 and distributed by Warner Bros. The film follows a young martial artist named Frank Dux, who is just the coolest guy ever. He has an impressive morning acrobatics routine, is popular with the ladies, and gets to kick guys walking on the street whenever he wants. Frank decided to leave his career in the military when he found a love for martial arts competitions in Kong Kong. Here he meets a master that puts him through some harsh and often hilarious training.
At one point, Frank has to kick a tree to death in what may be the most brutal tree murder ever filmed. Frank enters a martial arts competition and is pushed to the limit in every fight against the greatest warriors in the area. To raise the stakes even further, this tournament features battles to the death, giving some excellent excuses for violent mayhem to occur in the ring. In an interview to Yahoo Entertainment, Jean-Claude Van Damme described how the film was his last shot to be a star, and how this passion provided inspiration for the filmmaking. The allowed him to quickly become an acting sensation.
8 Demolition Man (1993)
Another fan-favorite action film that dips into some wacky territory is the 1993 film Demolition Man. The film was distributed by Warner Bros. and stars Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. This feature is a science fiction action combo that has a unique, if a bit silly, premise. In the near future, crime has gotten so bad that society will go through a complete transformation to become as non-violent as possible. A cop named John lives in the violent time, gaining the nickname “Demolition Man” for his propensity for collateral damage. After a run-in with his criminal nemesis, they are both frozen and emerge in a non-violent future.
The film has a surprisingly solid world-building foundation and makes many fish-out-of-water jokes with its characters. In the future, people will listen to commercial jingles because everything is so corporatized, and using swear words gives you a fine. The action in the film is as outlandish as the premise, resulting in a watching experience that delivers goofy fun.
7 Crank 2: High Voltage (2009)
Crank 2 is the next film on the list. The film starred Jason Statham and was distributed by Lionsgate in 2009. Its premise follows up on the absurdity of the original Crank but turns it up to 11, no pun intended. The main character Chev awakes in an unknown place full of Chinese gangsters, where doctors are removing his heart and replacing it with an artificial one. In the previous film, Chev had to keep himself alive by constantly pumping his adrenaline after getting poisoned. In this follow-up film, Chev’s artificial heart can only sustain itself for an hour, causing Chev to constantly need to recharge it through intense electric shocks and things like jumper cables. Chev’s heart has been “heart-napped,” and he needs to find who kidnapped it and find someone who will put it back in. The film’s strengths are mindless action and crazy scenarios. Saying the film is over-the-top is ironically understating just how wacky the film can get.
6 Gamer (2009)
Gamer is an action sci-fi film that was distributed by Lionsgate and released in 2009. It stars Gerald Butler as a gaming avatar named John, who is a top player in a video game known as “Slayers.” This game was developed through technology that allows people to control other people’s actions as their avatars in a virtual simulation game. John is controlled by a 17-year-old gamer against his will and must survive 30 matches in the game to win his freedom. The game designer is intent on stopping John’s winning streak and starts to introduce unfair elements so the mind-controlling nature of the game is not exposed. The film has solid action, but its direction and editing make it hard to follow.
5 Face/Off (1997)
Face/Off has perhaps the silliest action premise on this list, and is a top contender for the wackiest action premise ever. The film was released in 1997 and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film stars John Travolta and Nicolas Cage as cop and criminal rivals whose living human faces got swapped with each other. The FBI agent hopes to use the criminal’s face to infiltrate the underworld of crime in an experimental procedure, but the criminal gets ahold of the FBI agent’s face too. This results in a sort of Freaky Friday situation where they must pretend to live the other person’s life. The film features no shortage of jailbreaks, plane explosions, and boat chases. While the premise is outrageous, it actually ends up working out in the film’s favor, making for an epic action viewing experience.
4 Broken Arrow (1996)
Broken Arrow is an action movie distributed by 20th Century Fox and released in 1996. It stars John Travolta as a rogue US pilot who stole two nuclear devices from the military. This action soon devolves into an elaborate game of cat and mouse that delivers cheesy action at a high level.
3 True Lies
Next on the list is the action spy thriller True Lies. It was directed by James Cameron and released in 1994. The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger plays a secret agent named Harry, who pretends to be a regular guy with an average life. After he suspects his wife might be cheating, he goes overboard and kidnaps his own wife and the man and finds out his wife wants adventure and offers her a secret spy mission. The outrageous special effects deliver some laughs at how ridiculous the action set pieces are, making it an enjoyable action flick.
2 Last Action Hero (1993)
Last Action Hero is an action comedy released in 1993 by Columbia Pictures. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a fictional action hero conjured by the imagination of a young boy with a magical ticket. In the fictional film world, the boy must work together with the action hero when the film’s villains get the ticket and use it to return to the real world. It is an underappreciated gem that delivers laugh-out-loud moments, though not always intentionally.
1 Raw Force (1982)
Rounding out the list is the 1982 film, Raw Force. The film was distributed by C.A.V Distribution and followed a group of martial arts students who must battle a Hitler lookalike and his gang of slavers. These two groups do epic battle with each other that involves zombies, cannibals, and other wacky plot elements. This is an outrageous action movie that has an endearing charm if you let logic go out the window.
