The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns (2001)

The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns (2001) features Dwayne Johnson as a CGI scorpion-human hybrid that looks like an unfinished PlayStation 2 cutscene, even by 2001 standards when comparable effects cost half the price. This 90-second abomination, created under a $15 million effects budget, remains the go-to example of rushed blockbuster visuals, retroactively cheapening the entire film. It outperforms #3 by being 40% more cited in worst-CGI lists, despite predating modern benchmarks, proving that early digital failures can define an era.