"verges on so bad it's good" so to me that says that it's about as bad as it can possibly get, before crossing the line into something I can laugh at, would that be an accurate representation?

I never saw the movie, but I can accept mediocre for the book. I thought it was a fun take aliens and alternative history. The writing style is a bit like a morally superior american, but I can read past that (...I guess, because I completely forgot that part).