All superhero movies!

Topic

[Jon]

Right, so like I mentioned in the Marvel movies thread, I want to create a tier list maker for all (most) superhero movies, but I kinda need everyone’s help to see if it seems correct so far or not… The current tier list I created is here:

https://tiermaker.com/create/superhero-movies-live-action-updated—march-2022-1644905

But I’m making several changes, so I’ll make a new one once we’re all set… for now, I’ll post an image with all the movies I’m considering, I tried to order them in a way you’ll understand, the “other” and “original” categories are ordered by franchise and by chronological order… so the question is:

Does it look good? Am I missing anything? Should I remove anything? Any opinions basically…

The criteria is: Live action, theatrically released Superhero and SH-related movies, so there’s a bit of leeway in there… I’m also including movies from streaming services (Netflix, D+, etc…) but I am excluding the older Direct-to-video and made-for-TV movies, ’cause the quality is pretty shit, and also, we’re gonna get A LOT more streaming movies in the near future.

 

Edit: removed picture, look below…

 

Btw, the changes I did compared to the one on the tier-list maker site are:

– changed a lot of posters

– removed: the old F4, Captain America, Punisher and Nick Fury (not theatrical), Alita, Ghost in the Shell, Avatar the air bender (those are manga adaptations I suppose, although I did leave Dragon Ball, maybe I should remove it), the two 30 days of Midnight movies and the two AVP movies (not SH movies)

– added a lot of movies, but most notably, the Conan related movies, the GIJoe movies, the Underworld movies (they’re basically like Blade/Morbius), Power Rangers movies, and many foreign movies…

I’m not sure if I should leave the Zorro movies in… and the same for some others.

• This topic was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Jon.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Jon.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Jon.

Replies

That is a lot of work you put in.

Nice…

Okay, so I’m gonna add:

Sky Captain & The world of tomorrow
Last Action Hero
UltraViolet
Aeon Flux
Buffy (the movie)
The Divergent movies (I suppose those fit well enough)
KungFu Hustle
Jupiter Ascending

But I was thinking about the Highlander movies, they’re pretty much Super hero movies, right? It even got a cartoon… that’s kind of a giveaway. Also, I suppose Jet Li’s The One should go in there as well…

How about the Riddick movies?

Do you have Robocop?

Just the first one… I hope.

Yeh, the 4 movies are in there… I wouldn’t have put them in there, but apparently everyone considers Robocop a superhero

Also, I refreshed my memory, and no, there’s no superpowers in the Divergent series, so that’s a no. But I did remember about the Matrix… ha! That counts too, right? I mean, Neo is basically Superman.

Eh, hopefully some more people will chime in to give a veredict.

There’s a lot on there I haven’t even seen, and most that I have seen I don’t have any desire to see again. Some I didn’t even know existed … Robocop sequels … did they even get cinematic releases? Did anybody bother seeing them?

So, in summary, it was easy ranking Batman 66 and Superman 78 (both 10) but after that it’s a struggle

 

 

DavidM wrote:

Robocop sequels … did they even get cinematic releases? Did anybody bother seeing them?

Yes they did get cinematic releases, no they didn’t do very well. Hence Robocop 3 went for a PG rated approach and did even worse.

They were scripted by Frank Miller if I remember correctly but I think he suffered a fair bit of meddling.

I think that’s also why a lot of people include Robocop in a ‘superhero’ definition because it leans very heavily on comics. The main character is basically Judge Dredd and uses liberal chunks of his catchphrases and there are chunks of DKR in there.

Verhoeven wanted to direct it as a serious film; and to explain the tone they wanted, Neumeier gave him comic books, including 2000 AD, featuring the character Judge Dredd.^[12][21] Neumeier and Miner wrote a third draft based on Verhoeven’s requests, working through injuries and late nights; this 92-page revision included a subplot involving a romantic affair between Murphy and Lewis.^[11][12][21] After reading it, Verhoeven admitted he was wrong and returned to the second draft, looking for a comic book tone.

Out of my current list of around 230, I’ve seen like 200… =/

I don’t remember a lot of them though, but I know I’ve seen them.

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Todd

FAUST: LOVE OF THE DAMNED (2000) surprisingly did get a theatrical release. It was based on the Tim Vigil comic – probably best described as a low budget rip off of THE CROW, SPAWN and HELLRAISER. I assume Spawn is on there somewhere.

Also… SCANNERS is a tough one. Kind of a superhero movie…? I saw Meteor Man, but did I miss Blankman? Ah – there it is!

Also, there are a few 70’s European movies like Superargo and Danger: Diabolique that could fit. Or the recent, They Call Me Jeeg.

Don’t forget the Cicakman trilogy, Malaysia’s finest superhero.

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Todd

Anonymous wrote:

FAUST: LOVE OF THE DAMNED (2000) surprisingly did get a theatrical release. It was based on the Tim Vigil comic – probably best described as a low budget rip off of THE CROW, SPAWN and HELLRAISER. I assume Spawn is on there somewhere. Also… SCANNERS is a tough one. Kind of a superhero movie…? I saw Meteor Man, but did I miss Blankman? Ah – there it is! Also, there are a few 70’s European movies like Superargo and Danger: Diabolique that could fit. Or the recent, They Call Me Jeeg.

Alright I’ll check those… Diabolik I chose not to include (there’s even a new movie with a retro-feel) because he’s more of a James Bond type of guy, buuuut, I think he wears something that could be considered a “costume” so it might apply… but it’s really just regular clothes and a ski mask

garjones wrote:

Don’t forget the Cicakman trilogy, Malaysia’s finest superhero.

Yeah I’m seeing a lot of asian SH movies… I’m actually debating whether I should just stick with american/european releases (or even just american), because there’s a real shit-ton on asian stuff, and it’s all VERY obscure… don’t know what to do.

I’m also thinking of adding the theatrically released (only!) animated SH movies, because I suppose a lot of people would expect to see the Incredibles and into the Spider-verse in there… plus there’s actually not that many, so it’s not a huge deal.

Also, I updated the spread in the first post to include the recent additions…

Is this one on there?

 

Not yet… I had already taken the poster for it and a few others, I neet to put them in the list.

I think I’m gonna remove the “foreign language” (aka non-english) movies and maybe put them into another category… problem is it’s hard to get info on those, so I’m still not sure what to do with those, but I’m trying to get as many as I can for the moment.

Okay, question: Would you guys consider the following movies/franchises “superhero” enough to warrant addition?

– Transformers series
– Riddick series
– Edge of Tomorrow
– Peter Pan
– Dark Tower
– Buck Rogers
– Buckaroo Banzai
– Universal Soldier
– Terminator series (except the 1st I guess)
– Ghostbusters

video game movies like:
– Resident Evil (Milla Jovovich) series
– Mortal Kombat
– Street Fighter
– Double Dragon
– Mario Bros (the movie)
– Sonic

These are the parameters I’m using to define a “superhero movie”: They can be based on comics or not, but they have to be “Superhero” related, which is a bit vague, but let’s say that it can imply “special abilities” of whatever kind/origin, but it can also be non-supers as long as they’re costumed and obviously act heroic (i.e. save people or the world) at some point, even if it’s not in the movie per-se but if it’s implied they will… so like a superhero origin story for example… oh and bonus points if they fight criminals or supervillains of whatever kind/origin.

I feel all those movies I posted kinda fit the bill, but I’d like to hear opinions.

Transformers and GI Joe are similar, but probably not really. If Last Starfighter is not a superhero movie, then Transformers isn’t.

Buckaroo Banzai for sure, but then also Doc Savage the Movie.

Hell, Santa Claus the Movie for that matter. Is ELF a superhero movie? Rise of the Guardians, maybe. Jack Frost? ;)

If Flash Gordon and John Carter are on there, then Buck Rogers would be, but what is the Buck Rogers movie? The old serials opens up a bunch of superhero films AND STAR WARS becomes one. What is the genre defining difference between STAR WARS and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY really? And then is Indiana Jones a superhero?

 

Well I have GI Joe in the list, because they totally fit the bill: Distinct costumes, “special abilities” (even if not supers) and they fight to save the world. The movies are even more superhero, or at least the first, with all the super suits and whatnot.

Transformers are a bit more complicated, because yes, they have special abilities, and they have costumes of a sort and yes they save the world, but the hero journey is usually applied to the human characters and the Transformers themselves don’t really have character arcs, it’s almost as if they’re the weapons (or special abilities) the humans use, sentient and all, but still… so no, not similar to GI Joe imo, and I really don’t know what to make of them.

Kind of the same applies to Indiana Jones in the sense that, well, first of all he’s not a “hero” at all… his character is already fully formed and his job is not saving the world, he just happens to do so accidentally in his adventures, so no, I wouldn’t put Indy in the list, and that’s the same logic behind not putting stuff like Tomb Raider, National treasure, the Mummy, etc, on the list. They don’t really fit the bill.

I do have the Doc Savage movie, because I’m considering pulp heroes as “proto-heroes” for the moment being, however I haven’t watched Buckaroo Banzai so I don’t really know if it fits in with those, but sounds like it.

I don’t know which Santa Clause movie you’re referring to, but I’m just gonna say no, unles there’s a movie where SC is a superhero… but I do have Rise of the Guardians in the list too, haven’t seen it but sounds like a SH kid animated movie. I’m wondering if I should also add Frozen.

And lastly, yes, I forgot to ask about it, but I am also wondering if the SW main series is a SH series, because it kind of really is. I would probably leave Rogue One and Solo out, but at least the main 9 movies are basically SH movies, imo.

You could add Jack Nicholson’s WOLF directed by Mike Nichols. It’s essentially middle aged Spider-Man. I’m serious about Jack Frost though. A man is reincarnated as a snowman that saves his family. Or Beethoven. Is The Sixth Sense a superhero origin story?

I’d be inclined to limit it. If James Bond is a superhero then why isn’t Indiana Jones? Jones origin story is Temple of Doom like Bonds is Casino Royale.

Tarzan obviously becomes a super hero when the definition gets loose, and if Transformers are superheroes then so are Godzilla, Kong and Gamera,

What? Who said Bond is a superhero? He’s not, and neither is Indy.

Also, no man wtf, the Transformers are absolutely nothing like Godzilla or Kong… That said, the set up for Godzilla is that he is a hero, at least according to the more japanese context of the term, so yeah, you could arguably add those to a SH list, they are after all “protectors of the world” (Kong and Godzilla I mean)

HOWEVER, there’s something to the tone and they type of story, not everything fits in a “superhero movie” category obviously. Godzilla and Kong are monster movies, and those have a different idea and goal than a SH movie. The transformer movies on the other hand are very much “heroic action” movies…

But again, there actually IS an argument (or at least in my head) for both franchises being SH-adjacent at least, if for different reasons. So yes, I’m trying to limit it, but also trying to not restrict it.

 

If it was my list, it would include films directly based on actual superhero comics, as well as films that are clearly modeled after the superhero comic book genre. That limited definition would exclude the Transformers, Alien, Predator, Matrix and similar films that, while qualifying as heroic action, are not modeled after superhero comics any more than the Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, or Fast & Furious films.

But it’s not my list, and not my rules.

njerry wrote:

If it was my list, it would include films directly based on actual superhero comics, as well as films that are clearly modeled after the superhero comic book genre. That limited definition would exclude the Transformers, Alien, Predator, Matrix and similar films that, while qualifying as heroic action, are not modeled after superhero comics any more than the Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, or Fast & Furious films. But it’s not my list, and not my rules.

I mean, I’m doing it so people (anyone) can rank the movies, so that’s why I’m asking… plus I’m prone to overthink shit… xD

That said, your parameters are quite vague as well since sometimes it’s hard to know what something was modeled afteral. I guess I’ll take out the more egregious ones like the Resident Evil series (RE is really based on a zombie game, at the core), Star Wars, Tron, etc, which we can easily say they weren’t SH inspired.

However the Matrix IS modeled after superhero comicbooks, so they’re staying, plus I’ve seen them in a lot of SH lists too. Same for Ghostbusters, not as many times, but I’ve seen those in SH movie lists too, which makes sense.

But with the Transformers and others, going by what you said, weren’t they “clearly modeled after superheros”? Since they were created as cartoons and toys? Yeah it gets tricky like that.

So I guess that leaves the question, what do I do about:

– All the pulp-era/old-school stuff like: Conan (+Sheena, Sonja, Kull), Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Buckaroo Banzai, Doc Savage, Zorro, the Spirit, the Shadow etc… I mean, they were probably not inspired by SH, but the inverse, they inspired SHs, no?

– Video Game stuff like Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Double Dragon… I know originally they’re just supposed to be games where you fight other people, but in the end it’s always the same shit and they end up getting involved in saving the world and all that… Plus they all have costumes and superpowers, bascially… I mean, the more obvious one is MK.

– Some animated movies… since I don’t see many kid animations, I’m not sure what to make of these:
-Disney Hercules (yes, the old animated one)
-The Iron Giant
-Lego Movie 1 & 2
-Bolt
-Spies in Disguise
-Wreck it Ralph

 

Yeah, Mythic heroes inspired pulp heroes that then inspired superheroes. I mean, if you don’t keep it tight, then THE TEN COMMANDMENTS becomes a superhero blockbuster.

Which reminds me, don’t forget to add THE CLANSMAN (aka BIRTH OF A NATION).

Soooooooo… should I keep those pulp/old-school heros or not?

You know, making jokes and sarcastic comments ain’t helping very much =/

Anonymous wrote:

FAUST: LOVE OF THE DAMNED (2000) surprisingly did get a theatrical release.

Also, are you absolutely sure about this? I haven’t found any info on it being released theatrically beyond film festivals and such… but since it’s a spanish/american movie or something like that, maybe it released abroad

Oh and lastly, fun fact, while searching for info I came across several articles and discussions about whether the Transformers are SHs… apparently there was even a huge on-line debate some years back about it. Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus… Some people say yes, some say no… so I guess I’ll just flip a coin or something.

 

I don’t consider Transformers superheroes.

I would say they are more sci-gI adventure/action.

I honestly don’t either, but eh… I mean in the end the whole point of this is making a tier list so people can rank the movies, but you don’t have to rank them all, you can ignore whatever you want, so I might as well leave them there for whomever thinks they are…

Speaking of which, I haven’t seen anyone else consider the Underworld movies as SH movies, but I’m just gonna go ahead and make the executive decision of leaving them in for the exact same reason… I really think they should be viewed as such, so hey, maybe I’ll start a thing (probably not lol).

Anyhow, so I reached a decision about the criteria for this tier list and how I’ll limit it:

– I’m gonna take 1980 as the cutoff/starting point, with a couple of necessary exceptions (mainly the 66 batman movie and the first Superman movie, maybe one or two more) because there’s just not a lot of “super” going on pre-80’s, and that allows me to not worry about all the pulp hero/old school movies from before that.

– I’m also choosing 2015 as a cutoff/starting point to include non-theatrically released movies, because streaming originals are already a thing, and it’ll become even more prominent going forward, it’s gonna be hard to ignore… also the quality of those ain’t the same as your typical 80’s/90’s/00’s direct-to-video or made-for-TV dreck… and well, 2015 because why not?

So we have: theatrical only from 1980 to 2015 and a more open selection from 2015 and onwards… I’ll still not include the dreckier looking stuff.

– And lastly, I’m limiting this to english language movies, which mean production from the US, UK, Canada, Australia and any other country that produces a movie in conjunction with any of the above and that produces a movie in english… there’s a couple of those.

So no “foreign” movies I’m afraid, because I’m gonna be honest, there’s waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many (most look like shit too), and it’s difficult to get info on them to determine if they’re even SH movies, and sadly I haven’t seen nearly enough of them (more than I expected, but still too few) and I’m guessing most people haven’t either, so for the purpose of a tier list, there’s really no point to it.

So that’s pretty much it, I just need to decide on a few movies and I should be done. I’m debating on whether to include a selection of non-SH comicbook adaptations at the end of it all, so that people can also rank them even though it’s mainly a SH movie list… I’m sure a lot of folks would like to also rank the Road to Perditions and History of Violences of it all.

Actually, I’m gonna check, because if I apply the aformentioned criteria, there might not be a ton of them, so I could just add them all… but yeah, I need to check.

Did you include those Superman movie serials from the 40’s with a black and white animation of Superman flying?

This is quite a labor of love Jon…

Nope, they don’t fit the cirteria… Thanks… I hope you’ll do your own tier list when I’m done setting it up =)

Okay I think I’m done, let me try to post an external image, ’cause it’s REALLY big… (okay it works)

Riiiight… well that’s about 445 movies =/

Uh, I really really REALLY searched far and wide and looked at a metric ton of lists on a ton of places (to get ideas and to see what people categorize as what)… and after waaaay longer than I’d care to admit, I think I’m okay with this… I even put some of the upcoming movies so I won’t have to update it next month =P

Yeah, so it should all be pretty straight forward except for the “SH movies not based on CBs” section, where most of the “controversial” decisions were made, but I didn’t do it nilly willy, there’s pretty much good reasoning behind it, mostly the aformentioned lots of research I did… hell, I even managed to find a couple of lists which included the Underworld series, which might the be the most controversial pick in there.

Also, again, just as a reminder, it’s ordered both chronologically and by movie series, and I already explained the criteria above… I’ll wait a couple of days to see if you guys have any coments or whatever, then I’ll do the tier list, and post the link to it (and my ranking) on another thread.

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DavidM, Todd

I don’t know if you already have this on the list or if it even qualifies:

Hero at Large (1980)

It is, and it does =)

I’ve created the tier list, I’ll create a thread soon enough, I just wanna do my first draft before posting it, see how it all works.

[Rocket]

Sorry for coming in late but being a Chris Evans fan, I don’t see PUSH with him and Dakota Fanning. Did you rule it out or is it just an omission?

Since I’m late I ‘m not worried at inclusion.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by Rocket.

No, it’s in there alright… wasn’t gonna forget one of my favorite movies ;)

Look for Hancock, then the sphynx (Next) and then there’s Push =P

Also, I’m ready, I’m gonna create the rating thread.

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Rocket

I know it’s probably too late, but this one just came to me:

Yeah, I had it along with other international movies, but I decided not to add any foreign language movies, because it’s a fuckin’ pain in the ass to get info on them… plus it doesn’t make sense because most posters are in foreign languages, you can’t even know what the movie is called… and almost no one has seen most of them… so yeah, I opted not to. But I did have it in the list at some point =P

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The Puma Man with Donald Pleasance as the villain.

Your project is bringing back memories.

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JRCarter

Puma Man! He flies like a moron!

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Al-x

Meteor Man

Dark Man

The brother from another planet

The original Man who Fell to Earth

😁

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JRCarter