5 Best Nicolas Cage Movies, According To IMDb

Nicolas Cage simply can't phone in a performance. Over 40+ years of acting turns, Cage has constantly demonstrated an ability to go for broke in even the lamest movies, like "The Wicker Man" or "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance." When it comes to the best Nicolas Cage movies, this man delivers cinema magic you won't get anywhere else. Cage is a unique actor whose externalized performance tendencies and ceaseless dedication to his characters are astonishing. He's a one-of-a-kind artist whose good for far more than just spawning memes. Instead, he reflects how acting can look like anything. You don't need to just imitate yesteryear performances. 

You can instead blaze new kinds of physical acting or line deliveries, like Cage does so effortlessly. With his first major TV starring role, "Spider-Noir," preparing to hit the small screen, now's as good a time as any to reflect on all the art Cage has given cinema. One of the many ways to engage in such vital reflection is by exploring what films of his resonate the most with IMDb users. The five highest-rated Nicolas Cage features (ranked below from "worst" to best and only focusing on live-action titles) on this site exemplify the exciting array of genres this actor has thrown himself into over his impressive career.

They also suggest which projects have left the greatest impression on general audiences. The five most beloved Nicolas Cage movies on IMDb speak volumes about what makes this cinematic treasure so special.

One element informing this list is what kind of movies don't show up on it. Given that the current top 25 highest rated films on IMDb lean heavily towards action-oriented English-language features, it's fair to say that many more challenging and tonally unorthodox works often get more divisive ratings on this site. That's certainly affected what Nicolas Cage star vehicles do and don't excel on IMDb. Productions that have generally great marks from critics like "Wild at Heart," "Moonstruck," "Mandy," "Red Rock West," and "Pig," among many others, have more mixed IMDb ratings. They're just not the kind of projects that soar to tremendous heights amongst these site's inhabitants.

In a virtual domain where the original "Gladiator" is ranked significantly higher than "The Great Dictator," it shouldn't be surprising that the top five highest rated live-action Nicolas Cage movies on IMDb includes "The Rock." This Michael Bay directorial effort is held in high esteem by IMDb users, who view it as one of the better uses of Bay's very specific and propulsive filmmaking style. The chemistry between leading men Cage and Sean Connery is also a source of constant praise, ditto the consistently escalating style of explosion-laden mayhem.

Would "The Rock" secure the same level of notoriety amongst all Nicolas Cages movies among, say, film academics? Perhaps not. It is, however, a champion among this man's acting credits on IMDb.

The one role that changed the course of Nicolas Cage's career forever was the lead character of 1995's "Leaving Las Vegas." One of the best Nicolas Cage movies according to Rotten Tomatoes, "Leaving Las Vegas" arrived roughly 13 years into Cage's acting career. He hadn't even been a full-on leading man for an entire decade when he tackled the challenging role of alcoholic Ben Sanderson, who goes to Las Vegas to die. This was a heavy part requiring Cage to communicate this man's tragedy within the classically externalized qualities he usually brought to his performances. In weaker hands, this could've been an over-the-top nightmare and a tonal disaster.

In execution, though, Cage is mesmerizing. The "authenticity" of the role will vary from viewer to viewer, but there's an innately compelling and heartbreaking quality to Cage's portrait of a man who has resigned himself to the disease destroying his body and mind. Even in his most pronounced acting flourishes, Cage never forgets that quality. With a performance like this, it's no wonder Cage won his first Oscar (in the best actor category) for "Leaving Las Vegas." This leading man turn kept on garnering new fans in the years since that award season triumph, as seen by its sterling IMDb reputation.

With "Leaving Las Vegas," Cage's bravura work opened up new doors for his career. No wonder IMDb users have fallen over themselves to praise this title.

For younger movie fans, writer/director Andrew Niccol's name might not be instantly familiar. However, his 1997 directorial debut "Gattaca," though one of those movies that was marketed as something different than its final form, was impactful enough to cement him as a genius for a generation of film geeks. Since "Gattaca," Niccol has struggled to launch projects that are similarly beloved, as seen by his more derided forays into mainstream cinema like "In Time" and "The Host." However, for IMDb users at least, one of his post-1997 works rates highly: the 2005 Nicolas Cage star vehicle "Lord of War."

"Lord of War" followed arms trafficker Yuri Orlov (Cage) whose ascent to immense power in his field inevitably comes at a terrible cost. One day you're smuggling some guns, the next you're heading towards a tragic downfall. This motion picture garnered positive-to-mixed notices from film critics, but IMDb users clearly feel more passionately about this production. Many of the IMDb reviews for "Lord of War" hail the project as an incredibly prophetic one, also celebrating its commitment to a bleak tone. Several of these reviews especially laud "Lord of War" for its ability to communicate darker aspects of the world to previously oblivious viewers.

Cage's chops in the lead role are widely praised across these reviews, particularly how he perfectly compliments the escalating madness in Niccol's script. Folks profiteering off bloodshed are chilling, but they do make for popular cinema in "Lord of War."

Nicolas Cage loves comic books. His stage last name was derived from the comic book character Luke Cage while one of his sons is named Kal-El after Superman's Kryptonian name. Given this long-simmering passion, it's no surprise Cage has frequently brushed up against comic book movie roles in his career. Beyond voice-over roles in the family-friendly titles "Teen Titans Go! To The Movies" and "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," Cage also anchored two "Ghost Rider" movies and silently cameoed as Superman in "The Flash." Then there was his stint playing Big Daddy in 2010's grim superhero movie parody, "Kick-Ass."

Adam West was the inspiration behind Nicolas Cage's Big Daddy character, particularly in Cage's speech patterns for this warped parent of adolescent crime-fighter Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz). Embracing West's distinctive speech patterns and a kooky aura means that Cage delightfully chews the scenery in his unhinged "Kick-Ass" role. His gusto performance is one of many elements IMDb users praise in what some consider one of the 15 best action comedies ever. The barrage of grim punchlines and "realistic" interpretations of superhero narrative motifs was up the alley of IMDb's devotees, who have a distinct leaning towards comic book movies.

Just look at how "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame" are both among the site's 75 highest rated movies. Given how much IMDb users gravitate towards superhero movies, it shouldn't be surprising one of Cage's expressions of his love for comic book media is also one of his most beloved films on the site.

With only four feature-length narrative movie directorial efforts, filmmaker Spike Jonze established himself as an extraordinary talent — his music video, documentary movie, and commercials work has only reinforced this. The motion picture world has been a little dimmer since his last feature length narrative production, 2013's excellent "Her." While the world waits to see if Jonze ever helms another non-documentary feature, at least we can watch the four classics he has directed. That quartet includes his meta-motion picture "Adaptation," with Nicolas Cage starring as a fictionalized version of the film's screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman, as well as the man's (entirely fictional) twin brother Donald.

This wonky story, which involves Meryl Streep playing a very heightened version of real-life author Susan Orlean, blurs the lines between reality and fiction to magnificent effect. It's no wonder folks who've rated "Adaptation" on IMDb are as won over by it as critics. This audacious work nails a tone that's both darkly comic and bittersweet. Meanwhile, rather than devolving into impenetrable showbiz jargon, deeply tangible humanity wafts off its meta-storyline. Much of that comes from Cage's incredible performances, both of which reflect the kind of dedication and specificity only he could bring to a role.

Given how its form is designed from the ground up to alienate as many people as it enchants, it's impressive "Adaptation" ranks so highly on IMDb. That's the power of both a great Nicolas Cage star vehicle and a narrative movie helmed by Spike Jonze.