Top 5 Worst Superhero Movies

Yesterday we discussed the Top 5 Best Superhero Movies since 2000, which was a difficult thing to do. A much easier list to choose is the Top 5 Worst Superhero Movies, not because there have been a lot, but because some have been so terrible that they stick in the memory like a traumatic event. These movies share much in common with the best superhero movies, including corny dialogue, ridiculous costumes, and lame origin stories, but for whatever reason, these movies failed to get past these to become decent films.

5. The Punisher (2004) - Corny dialogue, cliched supporting characters, and a witch doctor made this movie something of a disappointment, though my expectations were not too high to begin with. You gotta give them props for originality, though. It's not too often you see a gay mobster.

4. Ghostrider (2007) - Ah, Nicolas Cage, the man whose CGI skeleton has as much acting depth as he does.... As with most of the films on this list, stilted, corny dialogue makes one cringe throughout the whole movie. Eva Mendes plays quite possibly the world's worst journalist, and the relationship between her and Cage is poorly developed. Throw in the random eyewitness who sounds like a crackpot even to the movie audience who knows of the existence of the Rider, and you have the makings of a terrible film.

3. Catwoman (2004) - Halle Berry plays basketball... that's all you need to know about this one. And what kind of superhero movie has an evil beautician as its villain?

2. Hulk (2003) - As with Catwoman, Hulk was hamstrung with a ridiculous nemeses. A pack of wild dogs (including a ferocious poodle!) and a man who can turn into whatever he touches just do not make compelling enemies. While the graphics were decent, the plot was so contrived as to make the movie unwatchable. It's not surprising Marvel decided to start over with the franchise.

1. Batman and Robin (1997) - Without a doubt, hands down the worst superhero movie in existence. This movie nearly spelled the death of the comic book movie genre, would put the Batman franchise in stasis for nearly a decade, and caused a "do-over" with the franchise. Where to start with this wreck? How about casting? First of all, the Governator should never be cast as a scientist. He was completely wrong for the part of Mr. Freeze. And George Clooney is easily the worst Batman to date. Then there was the way the movie turned Bane from one of the toughest, most threatening Batman villains into a brainless henchman. How about a little respect for the man who broke the Batman? Throw in the gratuitous closeups of anatomically-correct bat suits, and you've got a movie that stinks to high heaven.

Second Opinion: Top Five Superhero Movies

I'll preface my own picks for Top Five Superhero Movies by saying that I have not seen the latest superhero movies, including Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk and Fantastic Four:Rise of the Silver Surfer.

5. Batman Begins (2005) - This movie gets the final spot simply because I felt the list would not be complete without a Batman movie and because of the disaster that was its predecessor, "Batman and Robin". This movie was good, but the distance between it and #4 is large.

4. X2: X-Men United (2003) - The appearance of Nightcrawler and Pyro, along with the cast from the first X-Men movie, made for a strong ensemble of characters with plenty of cool powers to go around, but it was a bit lacking in mutant-on-mutant action (fighting, not the other thing). Still, it was a worthy follow up and didn't fail to meet expectations like the third X-Men film did.

3. Spider-Man (2002) - The original was by far the best of the Spider-man movies. It definitely had the look and feel of a comic book, and though the Green Goblin was not among my favorite Spidey villains, it was a quality retelling of the Spider-man origin story. It was well-cast and (mostly) well acted, without too much over-the-top acting, but enough to make it feel like a comic book from the '70s. "My Spidey-sense is tingling!"

2. V for Vendetta (2006) - Not your typical superhero movie, V came close to taking the number 1 spot on my list. Though I had never read the comic, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. A frightening allegory for the increasingly secretive and heavy-handed American government in the midst of a "War on Terror", V took the idea to the extreme to examine where the sacrifice of freedom for security would lead. A brilliant cast brought the story to life, and Portman's Evey was not your typical damsel in distress, but proved to be a strong character in her own right. The action was well-paced, the gore used in moderation, and the story was strong.

1. X-Men (2000) - It was the movie that started it all, that brought about the rebirth of the comic book movie after the recent demise of the genre. Sure, the Blade movie of '98 did well enough to justify numerous sequels, but the Blade comic was not mainstream to the extent that X-Men, Spider-man, Superman, or Batman were. X-Men successfully concentrated decades of comic books down into less than two hours, with a story that both stood on its own while limiting the deviation from the comic books. Unlike X2, X-Men had plenty of mutant vs. mutant combat, and did it well. X-Men made the top spot because it set the stage for many films that were to follow, because, being the first, it was fresh and new, and because it was just a high-quality movie.