Skylar Mavar, Senior from Biloxi, Mississippi
I watch a lot of movies and, for some reason, they feature Nicolas Cage. So, here are my top 5 movies with Nicolas Cage.
- Willy’s Wonderland
Willy’s Wonderland is a “Five Nights at Freddy’s” knockoff–except this time the guy fights back. Nicolas Cage plays an unsuspecting tourist working off debt in some creepy kid’s fun time place where the animatronics sacrifice anyone who enters. It’s really funny because it’s bad. Like, everything about it is bad. There are few redeeming qualities. For example, my favorite part is how Nicolas Cage doesn’t utter a single word. We don’t even know his name, he’s just “The Janitor.” It’s funny because why would you feature a voiceless Nicolas Cage?
- Teen Titans Go! To The Movies
To understand my choice, you need a little cultural context. In the 90s, Nicolas Cage was set to play Superman in the live-action Superman film directed by Tim Burton. Due to budget constraints, the movie was never filmed. In 2018, Nicolas Cage voiced Superman in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. It’s hilarious to me because after two decades, Nicolas Cage finally gets to play Superman but it’s for a cartoon movie that used to get a bad reputation. He does eventually get to silently cameo as Superman in Andy Muschietti’s The Flash (2023), but we know how that went…
- The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is probably one of the most meta pieces of media I’ve experienced. To truly appreciate this movie, you have to understand Nicolas Cage’s rollercoaster of a career. Nicolas Cage plays himself and stars alongside Pedro Pascal. The pairing alone makes the movie attractive. I thought the movie was a joy to watch because of all the references made in the film. Nicolas Cage looked like he was having fun when commenting on his career. This movie could just be a huge ego trip for him, but I say that’s what makes it good. For a moment, people were genuinely worried for his career, but this was Nicolas Cage’s way of saying “I bounced back. I’m thriving. Suck it.”
- G-Force and Astro Boy
Tied for second place, we have G-Force and Astro Boy. Again, more cultural context except this one is more well-known. Following the economic crash of 2008, Nicolas Cage admitted to being broke because of the $6 million worth of debt he accumulated. This required him to work his butt off, so he began accepting less serious roles. G-Force and Astro Boy, elementary films meant for children but stacked with a star-studded cast, were his first works in 2009.
- Knowing
Knowing is the only good Nicolas Cage movie on this list that I’d genuinely recommend. While this was filmed before Nicolas Cage’s claim of debt, it is his first movie of 2009, giving Nicolas Cage fans hope for his career. The ratings for this movie are low, but my opinion trumps all and I say it was simply ahead of its time. Anyway, Nicolas Cage basically predicts and attempts to avert a cataclysmic disaster. I watched this movie when I was eight and while it did traumatize me at the time, I can appreciate it now.
Honorable Mention: Renfield (2022) because I never imagined I would see Nicolas Cage interact with Awkwafina in this lifetime.