After spending more than a decade away from his very own cinematic universe, filmmaker and celebrity geek Kevin Smith returns to the place where his entire career began: the View Askewniverse. Opening with Smith’s directorial debut Clerks and set to be followed up this year with Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, the View Askewniverse is one of the more well-known cinematic universes that existed before the Marvel Cinematic Universe dominated pop culture and the popular discourse.

But, as with every movie franchise —let alone a cinematic universe made up of interconnecting stand-alone movies—some installments are simply better than others. Here are the 6 best View Askewniverse entries, and 5 of Kevin Smith’s infamously worst movies, according to IMDb.

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Worst: Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back (IMDb Score: 6.9)

Often considered to be the weakest, if not the outright worst Askewniverse entry, Jay and Silent Bob’s road trip to Hollywood where their royalties to Bluntman and Chronic (the comic they inspired) reside is a fun ride that lacks the wit and depth of the previous movies.

In place of crass but thoughtful satire and relatable slacker woes is a juvenile sense of humor that’s immature yet nostalgic. Some have accused the movie of being self-indulgent and it’s unapologetically so. In fact, Strike Back feels more like Smith’s love letter to himself, his friends, and fans than a sequel to anything in particular.

Best: The Flying Car (IMDb Score: 7.1)

Originally filmed for The Tonight Show, The Flying Car follows Randal and Dante from Clerks as they once again argue about the most mundane of things while stuck in traffic.  If the short were filmed without color, it would’ve seamlessly fit into Clerks.

The six-minute short is a great condensation of everything that makes Clerks great, specifically the sharp dialogue and its accompanying delivery. It’s as long as it needs to be and is worth a watch on Youtube, though it understandably lacks the characterization and depth of its source material.

Worst: Cop Out (IMDb Score: 5.6)

Though not a part of the Askewniverse, Smith’s foray into buddy-cop territory deserves to be mentioned because it all but killed his interest in working in mainstream Hollywood. The movie itself is subpar and forgettable, but its frustrating production cycle is what cemented its infamy.

All of the issues behind the scenes apparently stemmed from its star Bruce Willis —formerly one of Smith’s movie heroes—who gave writer/director Smith a hard time. Smith publicly stated that were it not for comedian Tracy Morgan, he would’ve killed himself or someone during the filming of Cop Out.

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Best: Mallrats (IMDb Score: 7.2)

Somewhat misunderstood and unfairly hated when it was first released, Mallrats proved itself over time. Today, it’s seen as a goofy time capsule of late 90s culture fixations such as its fashion, jokes, and the mere existence of a small-town mall.

Mallrats stood out in a decade known for risqué teen and/or stoner comedies thanks to how Smith effortlessly fused his love of pop culture into the raunchy antics that were the standard of the time. The movie also features one of Stan Lee’s first major cameos, where he appears as himself to give Marvel fanboy Brodie some much-needed advice.

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Best: Chasing Amy and Dogma (IMDb Score: 7.3)

Two of Smith’s most daring works are fittingly tied and given their positive reception, it’s hard not to see why. Underneath the deceptively familiar comedy tropes of these Askewniverse entries was a mix of genre-defying ideas and bittersweet moments between characters that still strike a chord today.

If Chasing Amy was an edgy and progressive romantic-comedy, Dogma was a scathing religious satire that managed not to offend just for the sake of it. These two represent Smiths’ exploration of genres outside of his comfort zone and he has yet to repeat their one-two punch at success.

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Worst: Tusk (IMDb Score: 5.3)

On the flip side, Smith’s first stab at a full-fledged horror movie didn’t go as well as his previous genre shifts. Based on a joke he made with some friends on his podcast, Tusk is that one movie where Justin Long is turned into a walrus

With its gruesome body-horror that’s often compared to The Human Centipede, Tusk, thankfully, has nothing to do with the Askewniverse, but it’s notably one of if not the most divisive of Smith’s works. His efforts to try something new were appreciated, but the same can’t be said for the final product.

Best: Clerks: The Animated Series and Clerks II (IMDb Score: 7.4)

Two of the four successors to Smith’s directorial debut Clerks share the same high score and praise. Given how they’re pretty much the same premise and joke but executed in different ways, their similar reception doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

The short-lived cult-favorite Clerks animated series brought the menial lives of Dante and Randal to new comedic heights, while the critically-adored Clerks II grounded the Quick Stop regulars to give them a moment’s pause to think about entering their 30’s. Both are great extensions of the original movie that don’t surpass it.

Worst: Jay & Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie (IMDb Score: 5.1)

They may be the faces of the Askewniverse, but the mere presence of Jay and Silent Bob isn’t enough to sell a movie. In 2013, the stoner duo graced the animated medium once again but got a lukewarm response in return.

Super Groovy Cartoon Movie follows the two as they bankroll their superhero fantasies with the money they win from the local lottery. The appropriately silly premise is ultimately wasted on the kinds of raunchy jokes one would expect from Smith, only now without the substance that gave his previous works their humanity and lasting impact.

Best: Clerks: The Lost Scene (IMDb Score: 7.5)

Despite being a big deal for Dante, Julie Dwyer’s wake isn’t shown in Clerks. At best, he and Randal talk about it before and after dropping by. The scene wasn’t shot due to budgetary reasons, but it was seen in the movie’s 10th anniversary DVD, albeit in animated form.

The wake is exactly what it is, that being a deleted scene from the original movie featuring the clerks, as well as Alyssa from Chasing Amy, as they get into some awkward hijinks involving a corpse’s genitals and car keys. If not for the animation, it wouldn’t feel misplaced in the movie’s theatrical cut.

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Worst: Yoga Hosers (IMDb Score: 4.3)

What makes Yoga Hosers memorable outside of being bad was that it wasn’t just Smith's first horror-comedy, but his attempt to create a second cinematic universe independent of the Askewniverse.

Part of the True North trilogy that started with Tusk, Yoga Hosers follows the two store clerks that Justin Long briefly met as they fight a horde of sentient Nazi sausages, played by Smith, which were summoned by black magic. The movie is unanimously regarded as the low point of Smith’s career, but this hasn’t dissuaded him from making a follow-up called Moose Jaws, which is literally Jaws with a moose.

Best: Clerks (IMDb Score: 7.8)

Clerks put Smith on the map, and it’s only right that his directorial debut and passion project is the highest-rated of his entire career. Made for $30,000 at most and countless sleepless nights since Smith shot the film in the same convenience store he worked in, Clerks is as personal as filmmaking can get.

The movie became a cornerstone of independent filmmaking and 90s culture, thanks to its sympathetic yet hilarious interpretation of slackers in their 20’s—a demographic that’s often unfairly ridiculed. Since its release, countless aspiring filmmakers copied Clerks, but they could never replicate its charm and success.

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