11 Awesomely Terrible Comic Book Movies

We’ve all got a movie or so that we really enjoy, even though we understand that it is an absolute Mess. This is my confession of loathsome love. Take it for what you will, as most of these picks may have you shaking your head in shame. But I’d be willing to bet you’re fond of more than a single crappy flick!

Ghost Rider

Nicolas Cage is Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider. Let that sink in and you’ll realize that yes, this movie kind of sucks in a bad way. But you know what? The origin of Ghost Rider, as told in this film, is actually pretty close to the actual origin of Blaze’s Ghost Rider, so that earns some big points. And when Johnny does transform into the fire-headed spirit of vengeance, he actually looks a lot cooler than I had ever expected from the flick. It’s stuffed full of cheese, and there are more than a single cringe-inducing character in the lineup, but what the hell – we get Mephistopheles, we get Blackheart, we get Gressil, Wallow and Abigor. We even get an appearance from living legend Sam Elliott. I think that’s what truly stole my heart… Sam Effin Elliott!

The Amazing Spider-Man

Hey, here’s a really, really unnecessary film! Why was Amazing Spider-Man made? Other than a dollar sign, I have no idea. It’s not a good film, on any level, but somehow Andrew Garfield makes the character work for him. We get another tired origin story… even though we’ve seen and heard this origin in live action film, animated film and of course in print, many, many, many times… and that was an offensively lazy maneuver from the gang of goofeballs who wrote this “story”, but, again, it’s tolerable. Ultimately, what helps push the film into the realm of guilty pleasureness is Rhys Ifans’s depiction of The Lizard (who looks pretty embarrassing when in full-CGI mode, even though we’ve all been aching to see the character on film for years) and Denis Leary’s absolutely amazing performance as Captain Stacy. Leary is just awesome. Well, so is Sally Field and Martin Sheen – those two amazing vets deserve a nod of respect for some solid work.