About
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is an idiomatic expression that is often used in image form on the internet to present and contrast the characters or aspects of a particular media franchise.
Origin
The expression originated from the 1966 Italian epic Spaghetti Western movie, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.[1] One of the posters[2] used to promote the film (shown below) has since become an iconic example of film advertising, and is the stylistic basis for many of the meme’s derivations.
Spread
Being a pre-internet meme, the popularity of the phrase was strongly tied to the success of the film, which propelled it to idiomatic status. Although the film was originally strongly criticized for its depiction of violence, it has since been reevaluated and declared a masterpiece,[3] establishing it as a classic of the Western genre and the phrase as a popular expression.
Notable Examples
