Stallone on His Movie Misfires: “Maybe One of the Worst Films in the Entire Solar System”

Sylvester Stallone has spent five decades building one of the most recognizable careers in Hollywood. He is the face of two enduring franchises and a symbol of persistence who kept finding new ways to connect with audiences.

Along the way he has also been strikingly honest about choices that did not work. He has talked about scripts that needed a different tone, experiments with comedy that did not fit his voice, and moments when fierce rivalry led him down the wrong path.

The clearest example is the early nineties cop comedy that fans still bring up with a wince. Stallone has laughed at his own expense about that one, calling it “maybe one of the worst films in the entire solar system, including alien productions we’ve never seen.” He later explained that he expected something much edgier and that the tone turned sweet instead of sharp. “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot was supposed to be like Throw Momma From the Train with the mom as this really nasty piece of work,” he said.

Comic book fans also remember his masked lawman from the mid nineties. Stallone has said he mishandled that project and missed what made the character tick. “I think the biggest mistake I ever made was with the sloppy handling of ‘Judge Dredd.’” He has said the movie should have embraced a harsher world view to feel true to its source.

Even within his signature saga he has admitted when he misjudged the mood. Looking back on the fifth installment of his boxing series, Stallone was blunt. “I was very negligent [with] Rocky V.” He added that it did not leave people with hope, which is what the character had always stood for.

There is also the country music detour that paired him with a superstar singer. Stallone has said the film drifted in a direction that did not suit him. In his words, “the film went in a direction that literally shattered my internal corn meter into smithereens.” He has since joked that if he ever tries comedy again it would need to be very dark to feel right.

What stands out in all these reflections is the tone he uses. There is no bitterness. He talks about learning what audiences expect from him and where his strengths lie. He also owns the competitive streak that once pushed him to chase the wrong role.

Those regrets did not define the rest of his story. They nudged him to reset and to deliver later chapters that felt more authentic. He returned to the ring with a quieter voice and reminded people why they cared in the first place. That willingness to admit a miss and keep swinging is part of why his runs as Rocky and Rambo still resonate.

So when Stallone rattles off the films he would like to do over, it reads less like a list of failures and more like a note to self. Try the new thing, but remember who you are. If the tone is wrong, say so. Then lace up again and give people the version that rings true.