Nicolas Cage is one of the most prolific actors of his generation, continuously making unpredictable choices in both his acting and the films he takes part in. His resume covers almost every movie category imaginable, including superhero and comic book films, a genre he has been admittedly passionate about.
Cage has gone through several ups and downs in his career, and the time he's spent in superhero movies reflects that perfectly. From Marvel to DC to even manga, he's been in a variety of different and unique adaptations, but the reactions they received from critics and audiences, as well as their scores on IMDb, differ greatly.
6 Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance (2011)- 4.3
Released nearly 4 years after the original, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance was a follow-up that unfortunately already had a lot going against it. It's always difficult to make a sequel that's just as good if not even better than the original. It's even more difficult when the first film wasn't very well-regarded to begin with.
It was widely agreed by critics and audiences that like most failed sequels, Spirit of Vengeance suffered from a forced attempt to be bigger than the original in its scale (this film takes place in multiple foreign locations) as well as an over-reliance on special effects. Cage himself goes out of his way to make his performance as Johnny Blaze bigger and louder than the first time, but it only adds more to an overall uncomfortable and disorientating sensory overload.
5 Ghost Rider (2007)- 5.3
Ghost Rider is a unique comic book character that no one had ever successfully attempted to bring to the big screen before. By the time the first attempt at an on-screen interpretation came around, the hype had quickly turned into a more underwhelming feeling.
Despite the dedication of Cage and the rest of the cast, the film was criticized for its uninspired direction, the poor quality of its script, and the unintentional hilarity of certain moments like Ghost Rider riding up a tall building. It wouldn't be until 9 years later on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D that the Robbie Reyes version of Ghost Rider would receive the critical and commercial acclaim that it deserved.
4 Astro Boy (2009)- 6.3
Loosely based on the manga and anime series from the 1960s, Astro Boy was an animated adaptation that many were not expecting. Sadly, given its failure to make its budget back at the box office, it also seemed to be an adaptation that audiences had very little interest in.
Much of the emotion in the film comes from Cage's energetic performance. He's given a perfect opportunity to prove his talent for voice acting as Dr. Tenma, the creator of the titular character and grieving father of the boy of which he's a duplicate. It may not have the same cult-classic status as the Wachowskis' Speed Racer, but the film is equally enjoyable for its engaging story and decent animation.
3 Teen Titans GO! To The Movies (2018)- 6.8
While the Cartoon Network series Teen Titans GO! has a larger share of haters compared to its more serious predecessor, the film Teen Titans GO! to the Movies was an unexpected hit with critics, audiences, and at the box office.
One of the film's most clever jokes is having Cage himself as the voice of Superman, a reference to how he almost played the role in the canceled superhero film Superman Lives. It's one of several clever jokes and references in a fun satire of the superhero film genre and its tropes that manages to appeal to both the kids who watch the series and the adults who grew up reading DC Comics.
2 Kick-Ass (2010)- 7.6
Based on the indie comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., Kick-Ass was a controversial yet refreshing take on the superhero genre. In a story about a teenage boy's attempt to become a real-life superhero, Cage plays a retired cop who pulls off the attempt a lot better under the codename "Big Daddy."
The ultra-violent and more comedic take on superheroes was something audiences had not seen much of in mainstream film before, and they couldn't get enough of it. While its violent action scenes and excessive use of profanity were subjects of controversy, they weren't enough to keep it from becoming the commercial success that it was when it was released in 2010. The inevitable sequel, 2013's Kick-Ass 2, didn't feature Cage for obvious reasons (Big Daddy doesn't make it to the end of the first one) and by then, both critics and audiences had grown tired of the would-be franchise's forced shock value.
1 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)- 8.4
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is one of those rare animated gems that comes along only once in a generation. Alongside Hailee Steinfeld, Kimiko Glenn, and John Mulaney as alternate Spider-Men and Spider-Women, Cage shines as the voice of Spider-Man Noir, a hard-boiled detective variant of Peter Parker from a black and white universe set in the early 1930s.
There's several valid reasons why this film won the Best Animated Feature Oscar over both Disney and Pixar in 2019. In what has been widely regarded as one of the best superhero films and greatest animated films of the last decade, the film captures everything that makes Spider-Man such a lasting and beloved character. With its heart, humor, and impressive visuals and performances from the voice cast, Spider-Verse has just about everything an audience (Nicolas Cage fans or not) could ask for.
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