10 Comic Book Movies That Should Have Been R-Rated

2. Ghost Rider

ghost rider Ghost Rider was more successful than most of the movies on this list - it grossed $228.7 million against a $110 million budget - but as a film, it kinda stunk. The assertion that a film about a guy having to pay back an inadvertent debt to the Devil should be rated PG-13 is ludicrous, and it goes without saying that the film would have been far more entertaining as an R-rated vehicle in the vein of something like Blade or The Punisher. Sure, the budget would probably have been halved - and the visual effects look terrible enough at this level - but it would have allowed the filmmakers to get away with so much more. This became achingly apparent in the sequel, Spirit of Vengeance, which was budgeted at roughly only half that of the original film, and again, managed to make over double that at the box office. Still, the film was widely panned as one of the worst of the year, which isn't too surprising, given that Columbia Pictures hired Neveldine/Taylor - two guys who made names for themselves directing R-rated cult hits like Crank - and then asked them to deliver a neutered PG-13 effort. Bring Neveldine/Taylor back for Ghost Rider 3 - if it happens - and let them do it by way of Crank. Simple.
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Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.