Despite some predictions that fan interest would die down, superhero movies are still going stronger than ever. There were two major Marvel releases this summer with Doctor Strange: Multiversus of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder. Of course, before that, there was the ironic pop-culture hit Morbius.
Everyone has their favorite guilty pleasures. When it comes to how many comic book movies there are, guilty pleasures come almost fill a whole library by themselves. Comic book movies had a rough few decades before their mainstream success, and the folks on Reddit have brought their favorite guilty pleasures of this type to the forefront.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Before the MCU came into existence, there was Sam Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy. It was a beloved series, at least for the first two installments. The Spider-Man 3 saw a lot of criticism for being too goofy, but Reddit user Mccgaringer disagrees. They say, "It wasn't the best Spider-Man movie but I can't help but like it."
The film is commonly criticized for being bloated. It features three separate villains, all of which had enough to carry their films. Also, the performance of Tobey Maguire in the "evil Peter" sequence was also disliked when it came out. Years later, audiences will find it still has a lot of the fun charm of the previous Spider-Man films.
The Losers (2010)
The Losers was often compared to older action shows like the A-Team. However, it was actually based on a Vertigo comic that was based on an even earlier comic. This put it firmly in the "comic book movie" realm. Redditor Sisiwakanamaru says, "I know the movie is far from perfect, but I always watch when it is on TV randomly."
They "enjoyed the comradery between the cast." They go on to say that they're glad the cast all went to appear in the MCU and DCEU. That's specifically referring to Idris Elba, Zoe Saldana, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Chris Evans, who has had many comic book roles. While the action is somewhat formulaic and bloodless, all actors give good performances.
Suicide Squad (Extended Cut) (2016)
"I know it’s not a great movie. But it’s not absolutely horrible," says Reddit user whiteguysky about the infamous Suicide Squad. They go on to say, "I feel like the movie got so much more undeserved hate because batman vs Superman. I love the characters and one-liners. I quote the movie all the time." Despite being lambasted by critics, Suicide Squad is perhaps the most influential of DC's recent films.
It had a dark but jokey tone and embraced far more obscure characters. Even more obscure characters were brought by James Gunn's sequel and other future DCEU films. While the lines in the movie might be clunky, they are surrounded by wild action scenes.Additionally, the practical effects in the film are unambiguously great, and it was nominated for its makeup.
Judge Dredd (1995)
Reddit user Dedlaw offers a simple response to the question of what their favorite guilty-pleasure comic book movie is. They simply say, "Judge Dredd with Stallone." This is to differentiate it from the Dredd film with Karl Urban, released more than two decades later. The latter film is a darker and more accurate adaptation of the comic, but the former is a wacky Stallone adventure.
Judge Dredd commits many of the sins of early comic book adaptations, like ditching the iconic costume and changing the origin. However, it makes up for this with tons of action shots of Stallone and ham. The villain, played by Armand Assante, is chewing tons of scenery in every scene he's in. Now that Dredd has a more proper adaptation, audiences look at this one more fondly.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
There are plenty of movies with great action or good scenes that are otherwise poor. A deleted Reddit user nominates X-Men Origins as being one such film. They add that it's a "s**t movie but has many cool moments." It's true that while it also got a lot wrong, X-Men Origins also got a lot about Wolverine right.
The scene where Wolverine turns down the US government's demands because he's Canadian is great. The montage of him and Liev Shrieber's Sabretooth throughout history is a great one. The action scenes aren't half bad as well, like the helicopter set piece. However, the film's best moments are at the beginning instead of toward the end due to the focus on Wolverine diminishing.
The Phantom (1996)
Just because something is a "guilty pleasure" doesn't mean one should actually feel guilty about it. It's just an expression meaning an unconventional opinion. It's clear that Reddit user MrCaul feels this way. They say, "I don't feel guilty about it, but I did enjoy The Phantom even though it wasn't all that good. Just had a fun atmosphere to it, and I was in the right mood."
The Phantom is one of the superheroes even older than Superman himself, so he was overdue for a film by 1996. However, audiences weren't really into his campy outfit at the time of the film's release. Nowadays, the film's willingness to include campier and wackier elements makes it more admirable. Additionally, the performance of Billy Zane as the lead character was just fantastic.
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012)
Reddit user Spidey10 ironically doesn't have a guilty pleasure Spider-Man film. They do like Venom, but most of their post is dedicated to another Marvel anti-hero. They answer the question of guilty pleasures with "Ghost Rider Spirit Of Vengeance. It's not an amazing movie by any stretch, but I love how crazy it is."
One of the appeals of the movie is, of course, Nicolas Cage's wild acting. The film also features other great actors alongside cage, like Idris Elba and Christopher Lambert. The real appeal of the film is its wacky antics; including a scene featured prominently in advertising where the Rider pees flames. The movie has a lot of fun with itself, as it's not explicitly tied to the previous film besides Cage returning.
Constantine (2005)
Redditor Difethalone nominates Constantine as their favorite guilty pleasure, specifically the one "with Keanu Reeves." Fellow Redditor saroyyy adds their comment, "Ah I loved this, especially the personification of Gabriel and Lucifer." The film didn't perform well financially, but enough small details have made Constantine a cult hit.
Keanu Reeves does an admirable job with the lead character using his natural charisma. Constantine must stop the devil's son from crossing over into the mortal world in a plot full of supernatural intrigue. While the effects and acting aren't the best, there are tons of clever foreshadowing. The character ended up getting a better adaptation in the Arrowverse, but some fans still love the film more.
Tank Girl (1995)
Reddit user Self-Medicated-Dad has a surprisingly sweet story to share regarding their guilty pleasure. Their nomination is the film based on the 1995 post-apocalyptic cult classic Dark Horse Comic, Tank Girl. According to them, "Everyone I knew at the time hated it. Years later, I saw it at a rental store, got it, and found out my wife loved it too."
Tank Girl is often cited as the earliest female lead comic book movie. In addition to having feminist themes, it also has an environmentalist message. The film takes place in a post-apocalyptic Australia where the heroines fight against the corrupt Water & Power companies for resources. While some find the film's editing annoying, others find its strong themes appealing.
Green Lantern (2011)
Green Lantern is commonly thought of as being an awkward film for DC, even when it came out. The CGI, acting, and pacing have all been criticized for poor pacing. However, Redditor MonkeyOnYourMomsBack takes a stance against this. According to them, "that movie is fun."
There is plenty about this film that is a ton of fun. The flight sequences and training montages are quite delightful. While the scene where Hal reveals his identity to his love interest is often mocked, there's a campy charm to it as well. While this film has poor elements, like the villain and best friend characters, at its core it's a fun romp with characters and ideas still relatively unexplored in mainstream films.