Superhero films are proliferating the movie market. Not a year goes by without at least three of them being at the cinema. Given the seemingly never-ending stream, some real gems get lost in the shuffle. So let’s look at seven underrated superhero movies that you must watch ASAP.
Let’s go back to 1993. There had been three theatrical Batman films at that point: The 1966 film and the Tim Burton films; Batman and Batman Returns. The success of Burton’s first film resulted in an animated series about the caped crusader being made. It was widely praised and after it’s first season a film was greenlit, which at the last second secured a theatrical release. Due to this and poor advertising, the film was not a success in theatres but was rediscovered later on home video.
The film, like the show it spun out of, focused on the dramatic and tragic elements of the Batman mythos. It was a dark and moody psychodrama. It was also a love story, a rare thing when it comes to Batman on screen.
The premise involves an old flame of Bruce Wayne’s coming back to Gotham after many years. She’s a reminder to Bruce of the time before he committed to his crusade of being Batman and fighting crime. She’s the only thing the made him come close to reconsidering the whole thing and having a normal life, but then it ended. Compounding the painful memories that her reappearance dregs up, a shadowy, cloaked figure dubbed the Phantasm appears and starts killing crime bosses.
Batman is blamed for the murders. So now he must clear his name by solving the mystery of the Phantasm. Twists and turns abound. It’s phenomenally well written, acted, animated, and moving in a way few films of this kind are. It’s only one of two big-screen Batman movies that are actually about Batman as a character. The other might also be on here…
Nah, I’m not talking about this one. Though it really tries and was the first live-action theatrical film to even remotely try to give us a perspective into the man behind the mask. But that’s not why it’s on this list. It’s a goofy romp, even a comedy at times. And it knows what it is.
After the last Burton film apparently scarred children, the studio wanted a Batman film with a lighter touch. Enter Joel Schumacher as director. What he made harkens back to the ’60s show starring Adam West. Although that series is often labelled campy, there’s sometimes debate on the matter. With this film, there is no doubt.
It’s bold and brazen, taking cues from the Batman comics of the ’50s and early to mid-’60s. Batman was going to space and wearing rainbow coloured costumes during those periods, so if you only know Batman as dark, you’re in for a shock. That’s the beauty of Batman, he’s malleable. This is why he’s endured. This film portrays a valid take on the character, one that feels kind of novel in this day and age.
It has a pop-arty, neon enthused aesthetic, mixed with a light touch of the gothic look carrying over from Burton’s Batman. This dichotomy is best exemplified in Tommy Lee Jones’ portrayal of Two-Face. Though really, he doesn’t play up the duality as much as act like a lunatic. Constantly. This is because he’s fighting to keep up with Jim Carrey’s portrayal of the Riddler. Watching these guys ham it up is reason alone to give this one a watch. Oh, and its title holds true.
The Phantom is a very old comic strip character. He’s one of the very first superheroes, having been created in 1936, predating Superman. He exists in the transition period between the pulp action heroes and the full-fledged costumed superheroes. He was the first character to wear tights, setting the precedent for those who followed.
In 1996 a feature film was released, starring Billy Zane and directed by Simon Wincher. I would recommend it on the same level that I would recommend Batman Forever. It’s a fun ride and competently made, I think. I feel that many of the people that are down on it don’t understand what it’s aiming for and the context it operates in.
Like its source material, it’s looking at pulp fiction and the adventure serials of the time. It has these influences in common with the Indiana Jones movies, so those films may come to mind when watching this. As a result of those influences, the film is played relatively straight, though it has a good sense of humour about itself also. It can be silly and bombastic, and how much its influences carry it may be up to personal taste, but as a sort of throwback, it works quite well.
Back to the psychodrama. Ang Lee’s Hulk film from 2003 is one of the rare superhero movies that deal with mental illness. Making the Hulk an allegory for mental health issues was first done in a big way in the ’90s comics written by Peter David.
This film takes cues from that run, giving Bruce Banner an abusive father, from which stem his anger issues. Eric Bana portrays an emotionally distant Banner, a man unable to hold on to relationships due to a detachment and uncertainty of self. There’s something inside of him, a repressed trauma, given form when a lab accident turns him into the Hulk.
The film has a mood and atmosphere, unlike any other superhero film. It can be really tense at times, due to the paranoia that Bruce is feeling as the clock ticks down to his first “hulk-out”. The film moves at a deliberate pace, people citing this as a negative. The film isn’t wall-to-wall action, but when it does happen, you feel Bruce’s catharsis. It takes time to be introspective and to build up the sense of dread that Bruce experiences.
Based on the Dark Horse comic of the same name, this Guillermo Del Toro directed film was one of the few early 2000s comic book films that fully embraced its source material. It was unafraid of the high concept, Lovecraftian fantasy elements that permeated the book on which it was based. As with all Del Toro-helmed pictures, this film has fantastic production design. It’s intricate and sometimes over the top, but that’s all very deliberate.
It focuses on a demon, the titular Hellboy, who was brought to our plane of reality through a portal during a Nazi experiment when he was a baby. He’s taken in by the allies, as an adult, he works of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence, protecting humanity from supernatural threats. Ron Pearlman portrays him with pathos and humour.
Its tone and pacing are fairly balls to the wall. Like Batman Forever and The Phantom, it acts a fun romp. It’s a bit more artful in its execution though, and you’ll be much more invested in these characters, as they have engaging arcs.
Can you guess that I like Batman? Like, an awful lot. This is the aforementioned film that’s really about the character of Batman. This film is a character study, through and through. It takes a good, long look at why a person would dress up like a bat and fight crime.
Most superhero movies either skimp on the origin entirely or pad it out even if there’s not enough there for a whole film. Batman’s origin can be summed up in a sentence: His parents were murdered in an alley. There’s a lot more to explore though, and this film beautifully exemplifies that. This is a guy that is simultaneously trying to clean up the corruption in his city while also dealing with his trauma. To that end, he creates a symbol to inspire fear in those who prey on the innocent.
But hey, I ain’t gonna explain the whole film to you. I want you to watch it. I feel it’s become overlooked in the wake of its sequel, The Dark Knight, also directed by Christopher Nolan. A lot of people haven’t seen it, as many jumped on to this franchise with The Dark Knight because of all the hype surrounding Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker. It’s one of the clearest and cleverest interpretations of the Batman story, specifically the origin, in any media outside of comics.
What? A Marvel Studios film that’s underrated, you ask? An Iron Man film, no less? Starring one of the biggest stars on the planet, Robert Downey Jr.? These Disney-produced, big-budget behemoths almost always kill it at the box office. This film certainly did, and it had a tough act to follow: The Avengers. When it released in 2013, Iron Man 3 was one of the highest-grossing films ever. And yet, it’s been found to be a very divisive movie, especially with internet-fan discussion.
This is mainly due to a twist involving the villain of the film, which I won’t spoil in case you haven’t seen it (but seriously the numbers say that everyone on earth saw it), but suffice it to say, there were few legitimate criticisms with regard to that. It, like Batman Begins, is a strong character study. It’s also a deconstruction, figuratively and literally.
Tony is stripped of all his tech for a good chunk of the movie and forced to deal with his anxiety. Said anxiety emanates from his feelings of powerlessness after the alien invasion in The Avengers, and from his questioning of what makes him Iron Man.
Apart from being one of the strongest character arcs that Tony has gone through, and indeed, any Marvel Cinematic character has gone through, it’s a great action flick. It’s a thrill ride brought to you by the writer of the Lethal Weapon movies, Shane Black. He directs and co-writes here. It’s set at Christmas time (a signature of Black’s), so it makes for a great holiday movie. It moves at a clip, has sharp and witty dialogue, and in my opinion, is one of Downey’s very best performances as Tony.
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