Weirdest Summer Blockbusters

The late Steve Irwin aka the Crocodile Hunter was ahead of his time in 2002. These days, a reality star making the jump to the big screen in a cameo role would be perfectly logical. But a nature host leveraging his popularity into an action movie? Pop culture at its finest. Why didn't Jack Hanna ever get a movie deal?

Disney has found a decent amount of success turning their theme park rides into movies, but thank the powers that be that 'Pirates of the Caribbean' was already in production when "The Country Bears" hit theaters in 2002. Based on the animatronic music experience of the same name, "Country Bears" starred Haley Joel Osment as a talking bear looking to get back to his roots. His banjo playing roots.

Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, mentally challenged brothers, mobster antics, conversations on the wonders of the female reproductive organs — "Gigli" had it all. Except the gel that could hold it all together. Without any real action and a meandering plot, releasing "Gigli" in the summer of '03 was a bit of a headscratcher. Then again, maybe there wasn't a "best" time to release the wonderfully weird flick….

No one would deny the mega-popularity of "American Idol" back in the early 2000s, but the idea of a feature-length spin-off raised even the biggest diehard's eyebrows. Pitted against the Marvel's Hulk movie, "From Justin to Kelly" featured Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini singing and dancing their hearts out in a throwback to the Frankie and Annette movies of the '60s (a genre that was weird even back then).

Jules Verne's classic has seen a few cinematic adaptations in its time, but a modern take had the opportunity to take the whirlwind direction in an awe-inspiring direction, capitalizing on modern technology and action filmmaking. Instead, the producers behind the 2004 version opted for silliness. Not a bad thing, just bizarre. The cast included Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan, Macy Gray, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Broadbent, Rob Schneider, Luke & Owen Wilson, John Cleese, and Kathy Bates. There may never be a better cast.

"Batman & Robin" clearly derailed Warner Bros.' Batman franchise with its wacky color scheme and production design choices (we're still talking about Bat-nipples 15 years later). So imagine audiences' amazement when the company takes the world in a new direction, following Halle Berry as a new version of the 'Batman Returns' character Selina Kyle in a 'Catwoman' movie. The S&M-inspired leather costume was only the tip of the crazytown iceberg. 'Dark Knight Rises' only wishes it could be that bold.

Just bumping their previous is-this-really-happening? movie 'White Chicks' off the list, the Wayans comedy family's 'LiTTLEMAN' (actual spelling) stars Marlon as a half-scale version of himself, a criminal posing as a baby to pull off his latest heist. I don't this is what George Lucas and James Cameron were imaging when they were breaking new ground with digital effects.

Originally titled 'Pacific Air Flight 121,' the filmmakers behind the straightforward thriller granted vocal Internet fans their wish by sticking with the B-movie inspired 'Snakes on a Plane.' But Hollywood may never listen to web commenters ever again after 'Snakes on a Plane's' disappointing box office numbers — with all the hype, the film only grossed $34 million.

Director Matthew Vaughn, a veteran of the gritty crime thriller business, took a sharp right turn with his fantasy spectacle based on the book by author Neil Gaiman. Genre-blending is a tricky stunt, especially for a summer blockbuster, and 'Stardust' had no qualms stuffing action, comedy, and fantasy magic into its wild narrative. The movie was totally out of place in the summer season, amongst the conventional Hollywood blockbusters that stick to their set pieces and move people in and out of the theaters as quickly as possible. Perhaps that's why the movie didn't click with general movie-goers (and why it's one of the best summer movies in a long while).

'Bruce Almighty' was a huge success for Jim Carrey, so a sequel was only logical. But one with the untested leading man Steve Carrell? That followed his dimwitted news anchor character who was now a sweet family man? Riffing on the story of Noah? Apparently so.

Unlike Marvel and their 'Avengers' mega group, DC Comics have had a difficult time launching big blockbusters based on their trove of characters. Maybe its because they choose that aren't Batman or Superman are among their strangest. The mystical Western Jonah Hex had enough going against it. Adding campy humor and Megan Fox to the mix only made this one more bizarre.