Rotten Tomatoeshas become an progressively authoritative ( or at least popular ) tool for measure out a film ’s relative merit , as the nigh 20 - twelvemonth - old inspection aggregation situation has essentially interchange the honest-to-god star system and has become so mainstream that studio apartment trust on eminent heaps , called clean evaluation , to market their flick .
Essentially , everyone from studios to film critic to your fair moviegoer has a love / hate kinship with RT , as a “ Fresh ” or “ Rotten ” score now recreate a vast function in set whether a celluloid will come through or break at the box office , as well as the court of public opinion .
The " Tomatometer " has become a battlefield of form for superhero motion-picture show in particular in recent long time . While the majority of movies put out by Marvel and DC delight considerable box office success , there have been quite a few that have fare poorly on Rotten Tomatoes . This in spell has generated considerable debate over thing like whether certain film with “ Rotten ” scores truly are as bad as critics would have us believe , or whether critic reviews even count at all .
irrespective of where you endure on the subject , we ’re not here today to hash out Rotten Tomatoes as an entity , but rather to examine whichsuperhero movieshave received the worst rafts on the website .
According to Rotten Tomatoes , the following are the bad superhero movies ever made .
20. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) - 27%
Critics Consensus : Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice repress a potentially hefty story — and some of America ’s most iconic superheroes — in a grim whirlwind of personal effects - labour action .
There may be no superhero motion-picture show more divisive thanBatman v Superman . Zack Snyder ’s brooding 2016 film pit two of the world ’s most popular heroes against each other while also playing double duty as the opening fusillade in DC ’s share universe program . Although Snyder ’s prequel , Man of Steel , also received sundry inspection , no one was prepared for the critical lashing thatBatman v Supermanreceived , with the moving picture registering a mere 27 % rating on Rotten Tomatoes .
Still , Batman fin Supermanmade over $ 800 million at the box federal agency and pull in a with child following of loyal , passionate rooter , so it could realistically be labeled “ review - cogent evidence . ” Evidently , Warner Bros. pay close attention to the picture show ’s poor brushup heaps , as the studio made a number of course corrections both successful ( Wonder Woman – 92 % ) and not so successful ( Justice League – 40 % ) to try on and improve their simulacrum .
19. Green Lantern (2011) - 26%
critic Consensus : Noisy , overproduced , and thinly write , Green Lantern squander an telling budget and decades of comedian mythology .
Looking back on 2011’sGreen Lantern , it ’s still gruelling to believe it did n’t turn out much dear than it did . The film had a great booster cable in Ryan Reynolds , gifted playscript writers with proven track platter ( including Michael Green , who would later work on such acclaimed photographic film asLoganandBlade Runner 2049 ) , and Martin Campbell , the film maker responsible for arguably the greatest 007 picture show of all time ( 2006’sCasino Royale ) in the director ’s chair . Put all those pieces together and 9 multiplication out of 10 you ’d have the formula for a legitimately good smash hit .
alas , Green Lanternwas much , much unfit than the sum of its part . Over - edited and skylark some of the worst CGI ever seen in a major studio production , Green Lanternwas a heartrending comic book of account version that run out to convey why Green Lantern as a character is so dear among DC ’s fanbase . We ’d only see later thatstudio interferencewas a near - constant trouble during production , which may help explain why Warner Bros. unfreeze a movie so forged that even Ryan Reynolds ’ charisma could n’t hold open it . Green Lanternholds a 26 % rating on Rotten Tomatoes .
18. Ghost Rider (2007) - 26%
critic Consensus : Ghost Rider is a sour mix of morose , glum representation amidst jokey wordplay and hammy dialogue .
The age prior to the press release of the firstIron Man — and thus , the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — saw a number of B and C - list Marvel fictional character inexplicably getting their own motion-picture show , include the demonic antihero Ghost Rider . Starring Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes , 2007’sGhost Riderwas written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson , who had previously write such film asJack Frost , Daredevil , andElektra , so it was already passably unclouded before the film ’s dismissal that it belike was n’t go to be a top - tier up production in terms of quality .
Sure enough , Ghost Riderflopped with critics , though it did contend to happen box office success , gross more than double its ( frankly harebrained ) $ 110 million budget . touch Rider’sfaults are sure undeniable but unlike a bit of flick on this lean -which are licitly bad – Ghost Riderfalls into so - bad - it’s - good territory , mostly due to coop ’s trademark overacting .
17. Suicide Squad (2016) - 26%
Critics Consensus : Suicide Squad boasts a talented cast and a little more humor than premature DCEU efforts , but they are n’t enough to write the dissatisfactory end final result from a muddled plot of land , thinly written characters , and jerky directing .
Considered by most to be the worst celluloid in the DC Extended Universe , Suicide Squad’sbrash , exuberant marketing run convinced many that it would be one of 2016 ’s most entertaining releases when it really turn out to be one of the class ’s worst . Despite feature a couple of prominent name stars in Will Smith and Margot Robbie – both of whom turn out to be two of the film ’s few redeeming qualities – and a director with an impressive body of work , Suicide Squadwas a mass from front to back . David Ayer ’s rugged directing dash , used to great effect in films such asTraining DayandEnd of Watch , is lost amidSuicide Squad’sgarish visual style , jambon - fisted melodious cues , and surface - level grapheme exploitation .
Suicide Squadhas become something of a warning for rampant studio intervention , as the picture show was reportedly contract to pieces in the editing elbow room in ordering to better twin the tone of the film ’s entertaining house trailer ( there are even rumor that the final cut was overseen by the very selling squad that created said trailers ) . Throw in Jared Leto ’s Joker , who was somehow even worse than expect in the iconic role , and it ’s middling well-off to see whySuicide Squadsits at a “ Rotten ” score of 26 % , even if that really does n’t weigh all the much when the film still engender three twenty-five percent of a billion one dollar bill at the global box bureau .
16. Blade: Trinity (2004) - 25%
Critics Consensus : Louder , campier , and more incoherent than its predecessor , Blade : Trinity seems content to accentuate expressive style over core and retrograde conversant themes .
Alongside 2000’sX - Men , the originalBlade(1998 ) is often credit with kicking off the modern comic book flick industriousness and still obtain up today as a kick - ass action motion-picture show . BothBladeandBlade IIperformed moderately well with critic and currently sit at 54 % and 57 % , respectively , on Rotten Tomatoes — not “ clean ” by any mean , but not direful either . Blade : Trinity , the third entry in the franchise , had everything in place to be the ripe of the trilogy . The celluloid was directed by David S. Goyer , who had familiarity with the franchise after having written the originalBlade , and also bring in a turn of exciting co - stars to complement snipe , include Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds .
Unfortunately , Trinitynot only ended up being the least profitable Blade movie , but also the forged by a moderately wide margin . Whereas the first two Blade movies — especially Guillermo del Toro’sBlade II — had a distinctive mediaeval style to congratulate their engaging vampire action , Blade : Trinitywas simply a bad B - film with crummy dialog and a awful scoundrel to boot . That being said , Trinityis worth enduring just for the camp performances being offered by Reynolds and Parker Posey , but there ’s a good intellect the Blade franchise went on an indefinite reprieve after this travesty was unleashed upon the world .
15. Spawn (1997) - 18%
Critics Consensus : Spawn is an overbearing , over - violent film that adds niggling to the amusing Word adaptation genre .
Spawnwas one of the most popular comic book characters to come out of the 1990s , so it ’s no surprise that the first live - action adaption of Todd McFarlance ’s devilish antihero get on the back of much anticipation . If you ’re anything like us and grew up watching the 1997 motion-picture show send by Mark A.Z. Dippé , you may be surprised to learn thatSpawnwas absolutely savaged by critics . In truth , they were right to do it .
For as much asSpawnblew us away with its CGI gist and “ mature ” tone back in the day , the picture show has not aged well one bit . The optical issue are now laughably risky ( remember that awesome scene where Spawn ’s cape wallow out everywhere ? It does n’t look so raging anymore ) and the film spends right smart too much sentence letting John Leguizamo annoy the Irish bull out of not only Spawn ( Michael Jai White , whose performance is one of the moving picture ’s few redeeming qualities ) , but the consultation as a whole as the detestable villain Clown . In an dry wrench , the numbers “ 666 ” add up toSpawn’sRotten Tomatoes account : a lowly 18 % .
http://moviepilot.com/posts/2025-05-22/this-spawn-fan-film-makes-me-want-a-new-movie-even-more-2279427?template=long_form<_source=external,manual Source : moviepilot.com
14. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) - 17%
critic Consensus : Just average . LXG is a smashing premiss ruined by short execution .
It ’s laborious not to feel bad for Sir Sean Connery , as the rather awfulThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemenrepresents the Academy Award - gain doer ’s last on - screen performance . Connery ’s Allan Quatermain is well the best part of this woeful adaptation of Alan Moore ’s acclaimed graphic novel , which thread between nonsensical secret plan points and explosive set piece that end up being undermined by some confutative CGI ( the monstrous Mr. Hyde looked terrible upon vent and the effects have only gotten bad with age ) . Admittedly , the pic is very much watchable in an ironic , semi - detached sort of way but it ’s hard to indicate with that 17 % Rotten Tomatoes score . No marvel Alan Moore hat adaptations of his study …
13. Judge Dredd (1995) - 17%
Critics Consensus : Judge Dredd wants to be both a lawful violent action flick and a parody of one , but theater director Danny Cannon fails to regain the necessary balance to make it act .
Not to be confused with the excellent 2012 filmDreddstarring Karl Urban , Judge Dreddarrived at a time when Sylvester Stallone was have a life history revival meeting of kind thanks to 90s action flick such asCliffhangerandDemolition Man . make another successful action dealership out of a comic ledger adaption was a logical next tone , which bring us 1995’sJudge Dredd . Unfortunately , it was n’t a very good version .
Judge Dredd receive negative reviews from both fans and critics alike for being treasonable to the informant material and it did n’t facilitate that the acting was pretty atrocious across the board ( you roll in the hay you ’re in trouble when Rob Schneider is one of the top - charge stars).Judge Dreddnow stands as one of the lowest - rated cinema of Stallone ’s career and the good thing that can be said about it is that it did n’t outright kill the Dredd franchise , as fans eventually did get a movie deserving have excited about , even if they had to await nearly twenty years for it .
12. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012) - 17%
Critics Consensus : With a washy script , uneven CG work , and a Nic Cage performance so predictably loony it ’s no longer mirthful , Ghost Rider : Spirit of Vengeance drive to be tatty fun but cease up as plain trash .
Remember what we say earlier aboutGhost Riderperforming well at the box office staff ? Well , it was enough to get a sequel green - lit and the end result was 2012’sGhost Rider : Spirit of Vengeance , which once again see Nicolas Cage in the title role . Shot on a much small budget in Eastern Europe by the directing - duet of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor ( Gamer),Spirit of Vengeanceis an interesting moving picture in that , like its precursor , it is far from being a good movie , but its moments of brilliant insanity make it a considerably more pleasurable viewing experience than the originalGhost Rider , or indeed many of the other picture show on this inclination .
Cage turns in a decidedly unhinged execution even by the worker ’s own rarefied standard , on the face of it recognizing the inherent ridiculousness of his character and give us a Ghost Rider who asterisk intently into his foeman ’s eye for an awkwardly long time before stealing their souls and who also pass water attack at one peak in arguably the pic ’s most inspired successiveness . It ’s a pity that the whole moving-picture show does n’t behave this over - the - top , goof tone , as these present moment are so few and far between that the otherwise conventional secret plan and bodily structure stand out all the more . We ’re not surprised that critic hate this movie but candidly , it ’s kind of a guilty pleasance for us .
11. Howard the Duck (1986) - 15%
Critics Consensus : While it has its moments , Howard the Duck suffers from an uneven tone and mediocre functioning .
Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name , Howard The Duckbombed so intemperately in the United States that it was commercialise completely different overseas , with the claim part nearly being rub out from advertising . The claim was changed to “ Howard : A New Breed of Hero ” and the poster all but eliminated him , instead focusing on the brand recognition that arrive with executive producer George Lucas ’ name .
uncalled-for to say , the stratagem did n’t oeuvre and nothing could save one of the worst - review movies of 1986 from break down to reimburse its ( for the time ) expensive $ 37 million production budget . However , much like other cinematic travesties such asTroll 2andThe Room , Howard the Duckhas become a furor classic largely on the long suit of its overall crumminess .
10. The Spirit (2008) - 14%
Critics Consensus : Though its visuals are unique , The Spirit ’s plot of land is almost incomprehensible , the duologue is preposterously mannered , and the character are unmemorable .
The Spiritrepresents Frank Miller ’s first outing as a solo theater director and it evince in the finished product . Having indite some of the greatest graphical novels of all prison term , includingThe Dark Knight Returns , Batman : Year One , andSin City , Miller stress to translate his storytelling art from the pageboy to the ash gray cover but fell well scant of expectation .
Sporting impressive visuals and an all - star shape including Gabriel Macht in the title role , as well as Samuel L. Jackson , Scarlett Johansson , Eva Mendes , and Sarah Paulson in support roles , The Spirithad all the elements to be a not bad laughable book adjustment , but simply give way to run on the level of plot of land . It also does n’t help that the motion picture is campy beyond belief , though depending on your preferences for that sort of thing there ’s a unspoiled chance you may appreciate what this moving-picture show reach in footing of being atrociously , entertainingly bad .
9. Steel (1997) - 12%
Critics Consensus : Steel is a badly - work movie that indulges not only in superhero commonplace , but also the goofy TV - moving picture - of - the - week I .
release at the height of the hoops player - turned - actor era ( what upSpace Jam ? ) , 1997’sSteelcast Shaquille O’Neal as DC superhero John Henry Irons , a.k.a . Steel , and was both a critical and corner office bomb . Shaq ’s lead public presentation earned the hoops star a Razzie Award nomination and the motion-picture show itself was received as a slow , meandering B - movie that was nowhere nigh as exciting as a superhero moving picture should be .
The one salvage thanksgiving is Shaq ’s co - wiz Annabeth Gish , who get praise for her performance as John Henry Irons ’ wheelchair - stick to ally Susan Sparks . In an interesting turn , Steelpremiered only a duet of days afterSpawn , meaning that Shaq just leave out out on the opportunity of being the first African - American man to star as a major superhero in a live - action film .
8. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) - 12%
critic Consensus : The Superman series penetrate out here : the action is slow , the especial effects search tawdry , and none of the actors look interested in where the plot ’s going .
Richard Donner’sSuperman : The Movie(1978 ) is widely regard as one of the undecomposed superhero movies ever made even to this Clarence Day , and even Richard Lester ’s follow - upsSuperman II(1981 ) andSuperman III(1983 ) proved successful , even if they chum up in comparing to Donner ’s original . The same ca n’t be said forSuperman IV : The Quest for Peace , a picture show so bad that it essentially killed Superman live - action movies for nearly 20 years before Bryan Singer make up one’s mind to revive the franchise with the ably namedSuperman Returnsin 2006 .
The major job withSuperman IVis that it lacked the life sentence and soul that made Donner ’s original so memorable and affect , but it was also weigh down with ludicrous plot developments and terrible special effect . The fact that the core cast of Christopher Reeve , Gene Hackman , and Margot Kidder all signed onto this movie is really quite astounding in retrospect , given that the finished production resemble a direct - to - TV release .
7. Jonah Hex (2010) - 12%
Critics Consensus : Josh Brolin gives it his serious jibe , but he ca n’t keep the inadequate , unfocused Jonah Hex from collapsing on the screen .
Any picture starring Josh Brolin , John Malkovich and even Megan Fox should chance upon a baseline spirit level of quality , but Jonah Hexis such a bad movie that its only real save quality is its mercifully short 81 minute run time . Josh Brolin play the title lineament , a badly - marred bounty hunter type in the Old West who ends up doing conflict with a disgruntled Confederate colonel ( Malkovich ) . Brolin does what he can to assay and elevate the fabric , but it proves to be an unsufferable chore in a film that preface subplots ostensibly at whim and then devolve them almost as apace ( the dot - spitting snake mankind is a particular highlighting ) .
Unsurprisingly , Jonah Hexwas plagued with behind - the - scene production problems and it ’s really a pocket-size miracle that it even made it to the screen . With an mortifying 12 % Rotten Tomatoes paygrade , it ’s a shame that it ever did .
6. Batman & Robin (1997) - 10%
critic Consensus : Joel Schumacher ’s tongue - in - cheek attitude hits an unbearable limit in Batman & Robin resulting in a frenzied and mindless movie that ’s too jokey to give care much for .
It ’s scarcely surprising to see thatBatman & Robinhas such a low Rotten Tomatoes seduce . formally the lowest - rated live - legal action Batman picture of all time , Batman & Robinwas so bad that it effectively killed the Batman franchise that Tim Burton and Michael Keaton kick off so promisingly with the successfulBatman(1989 ) , with Warner Bros. opting to put it all on ice untilBatman Beginsfinally revitalized the brand name about a decennary later .
From Arnold Schwarzenegger ’s ill - advised ( though hilarious in retrospect ) onslaught of methamphetamine punning , to George Clooney ’s woeful miscasting , to the infamous Bat - nipples , Batman & Robinis overflowing with terrible idea , all wrapped up in some of the most tatty costume and product design ever seen in a superhero movie . That being said , as far as unintentional comedy classics go , there are few good than this !
5. Elektra (2005) - 10%
Critics Consensus : Jennifer Garner inhabits her theatrical role with businesslike gusto , but Elektra ’s tone deaf playscript is too self - serious and lovelorn of levelheaded dialogue to provide engaging shudder .
A whirl - off / sequel to 2003’sDaredevil , Elektracould have been an chance to push female - driven action films ahead , but is instead remembered as one of the worst mirthful record book movies ever made . Elektrais the definition of a studio apartment - mandate plastic film made with the only intention of cash in on a popular trend . In this case , that trend Fox was chasing was superhero movies but the sarcasm is thatDaredevilwas neither commercially or critically successful , so it was hard to conceive of that an ill - notify spin - off based on a character with even less name recognition was somehow going to set the loge office on fire .
Jennifer Garner told newsman at the prison term that she only didElektradue to contractual debt instrument and it shows in her performance , which is arguably one of the bad of her calling . Thankfully , Fox gave up on bothDaredevilandElektraafter this flick ’s release , finally allowing the rights to both character to revert back to Marvel and paving the way for the considerably better NetflixDaredevilseries .
4. Supergirl (1984) - 10%
Critics Consensus : The personal effects are chintzy and Supergirl ’s wide - eyed , sunny heroine plainly is n’t interesting to see for an hour and a half .
Long before The CW’sSupergirlTV show and Melissa Benoist earned lucky review from critic and fans alike , Columbia Pictures ’ UK division work Superman ’s Kryptonian cousin-german to the big screen with 1984’sSupergirl , which was compose as a spin - off of the springy - action Superman serial starring Christopher Reeve .
WhileSupergirlholds the distinction of being the first superhero film to sport a distaff type in the rubric role , that ’s about the film ’s only redeem quality , as it ’s routinely brought up in word of the bad superhero film ever made . Supergirl ’s cheesy dialogue and pitiable picture are even more unfortunate in retrospect when you believe how stack the pic ’s cast is , with veterans such as Faye Dunaway , Mia Farrow , and Peter O’Toole all appear in this clunker .
3. Fantastic Four (2015) - 9%
critic Consensus : Dull and downbeat , this Fantastic Fourproves a deplorably ill-conceived attempt to translate a authoritative comic series without the humor , joy , or coloured thrills that made it bang-up .
It ’s grueling not to feel uncollectible for the Fantastic Four ( and specially their fans ) , as Marvel ’s “ First Family ” has yet to have a big screen adaptation worthy of their name . But whereas 2005’sFantastic Fourand its 2007 sequelRise of the Silver Surfercame close in some respect to doing the Fantastic Four DoJ , the 2015 reboot was so defective that it makes those previous motion picture look like music genre - define spectacle by comparison .
Like many of the other films on this list , many ofFantastic Four’sproblems seem to stem from behind - the - scene turmoil , with some source reporting that 20th Century Fox and director Josh Trank butted heads throughout production and that Fox ordered reshoots behind Trank ’s back , while other sources claim that it was Trank ’s “ wandering behavior ” on set that chair to Fox ’s dismissive mental attitude towards the filmmaker . Whatever happened , it ’s clear that none of this hullabaloo resulted in a quality pic being produced , asFantastic Fouris plagued with numerous problems , most prominent of which is that the whole endeavor feel all unnecessary . Superhero picture show should never be this drilling .
2. Catwoman (2004) - 9%
critic Consensus : Halle Berry is the lone bright spot , but even she ca n’t save this laughable action mechanism thriller .
Yikes . The 2000s gave us all sort of sorry superhero movies but it ’s inauspicious that two of the worst were female - driven , with bothElektraandCatwomanseemingly providing studios with plentiful evidence that these types of movies did n’t work . Or , you have it off , peradventure it was just because they were awful movies ? Anyway , Catwomanwas released in 2004 and star Halle Berry as the femme fatale . Berry was only a duad of years get rid of from her historic Oscar win and had already prove she could successfully play a superhero with her performance as Storm in the X - Men moving picture , so Catwoman seemed like it would be a purrfect ( I ’m so sorry ) fit .
Unfortunately , Berry ’s public presentation was about as far from Michelle Pfeiffer ’s incredible enactment of the role from 1992’sBatman Returns , as Berry ’s version lacked the seductive nature of Pfeiffer ’s and alternatively was over - the - top and hyper - sexualized . That being said , Berry ’s carrying out could have actually worked if the movie around her was actually watchable , butCatwomanis a soulless , over - edited , boring affair that is just a muss . Audiences were clearly able to sniff out this stinker from a geographical mile away , asCatwomanproved to be a turkey at the box office .
1. Captain America (1990) - 8%
Critics Consensus : lack a script , budget , steering , or star capable of doing DoJ to its source textile , this Captain America should have been left under the ice .
accord to Rotten Tomatoes , 1990’sCaptain Americais the worst superhero movie of all time and we ’d be inclined to agree . Long before Marvel Studios and Chris Evans team up up to do the character justice on the braggart screen , there was this badly - conceived resilient - military action adaptation , which only manage to bring in … $ 10,000 at the box office . No , that is not a typo . It certainly does n’t help thatCaptain Americais a rugged lineament to get right given his cockeyed rig and overly - patriotic symbolization , but the celluloid does n’t even endeavor to manage these elements with anything resemble nuance , rather delivering a see experience overflowing with camp .
There ’s also hardly anything resembling a script holding it all together and the whole thing just has “ low budget ” write all over it ( probably because the budget was indeed very abject ) . When Marvel fans wax poetic about the Marvel Cinematic Universe and what it ’s done for elevating superhero motion-picture show as a whole , Captain Americais a prime illustration of the dark geezerhood that came before .
