Is Green Lantern the worst DC movie?

When comic book movie, Green Lantern made its debut back in 2011, the film was not met with a positive response. Critics were less-than impressed with the movie, audiences agreed, and Green Lantern flopped at the box-office.

Budgeted at $200 million, Green Lantern struggled to make a profit and was viewed by some as being one of the worst movies of the year. Lead star Ryan Reynolds agreed and Green Lantern quickly became a continuous punchline in the actor’s anecdotes.

In the years that have followed, there has been little reappraisal of the movie. Most audiences seem to agree that Green Lantern was a misfire, and certainly not a great example of a good DC Comics movie.

But is Green Lantern the worst DC movie? If few people like the film and even the lead actor pokes fun at it, does this mean Green Lantern is truly awful?

Not necessarily.

Just because Green Lantern has a bad reputation, that doesn’t mean it is the worst DC film. Sure, it’s bad, but is it the bottom of the barrel bad? Hmm… let’s take a look.

The general consensus is that Green Lantern is not good. IMDb currently has Green Lantern rated as 5.5/10, which is a below average score, while Rotten Tomatoes has it rated at a pitiful 25%.

These scores are a reflection of how the movie is perceived and it does not paint a positive picture. But does this make Green Lantern the worst DC movie of all-time?

No, not at all. Take a look at some of the other notoriously bad DC movies and you’ll see there are far worse movies out there.

2010’s Jonah Hex starring Josh Brolin has an IMDb rating of 4.7/10, and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 12%, which is worse than Green Lantern. Meanwhile, 2004’s Catwoman starring Halle Berry has an IMDb score of 3.4/10 and a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 8%, which puts it below Jonah Hex!

And things get worse! Following hot on the heels of Catwoman is 1997’s TV movie, Steel, which starred Shaquille O’Neal. The film also has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 8%, but when it comes to IMDb the movie’s score is just 3.0/10!

And then there is the oft-forgotten Justice League of America TV movie from 1997, which is truly bad, and far worse than Steel. Justice League of America is so bad, it doesn’t even have a Rotten Tomatoes score, while its IMDb rating is an embarrassing 2.9/10.

Of course, it is important to remember that opinions about movies are subjective, and what one person dislikes, the next person adores. However, the ratings and scores for the above films do make it fairly clear these pictures are considered to be bad, and are worse than Green Lantern.

So, is Green Lantern the worst DC movie? No, it is not.

Green Lantern is not a good DC movie, and most people will agree with this, but it’s arguably not the worst. Jonah Hex, Catwoman, Steel, and Justice League of America are far, far worse.

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Alex is the editor and writer of I’ll Get Drive-Thru – a blog which specialises in all things related to Batman and DC Comics. After graduating with a degree in film & television studies, Alex studied journalism, before acquiring NCTJ accreditation. Prior to creating I’ll Get Drive-Thru, Alex was a magazine editor, a senior copywriter, and a freelance writer. He is now, and always has been, a Bat-fan!