Best superhero movie of all time? (Nominations thread)

[Ryujin]

The best villains usually are.

I would tend to disagree with that statement, but understand it. The best villains usually think they are heroes. The best villains are generally either right, in their own minds, right for the wrong reasons, or right but their "fix" is even worse than the problem they perceive. I think that Killmonger was objectively right.

 

[Reynard]

Bozeman was great but it's the fully realized villain, and Jordan's portrayal of him, that elevates this movie to incredible heights.

What's important isn't just the representation, it's the tackling of big themes that matter to today, and making the audience think and empathize with these incredible characters and relate it to our own world.

Not even the questionable CGI in the end battle can take away the power of Black Panther and Killmonger 's conversation overlooking Wakanda at the end of the film.

Black Panther is a masterpiece.

If a film cannot stick the landing, it cannot be an A+ by definition.

 

[OB1]

If a film cannot stick the landing, it cannot be an A+ by definition.

Wait, are you arguing that Black Panther doesn’t stick the landing because of a couple of mediocre SFX? The dramatic action, characters and themes of the movie are landed perfectly at the end.

 

[Reynard]

Wait, are you arguing that Black Panther doesn’t stick the landing because of a couple of mediocre SFX? The dramatic action, characters and themes of the movie are landed perfectly at the end.

I think the movie's overall quality was undermined by a very poorly done climactic battle (even forgiving wonky FX). Again, i think Black panther is a very good movie, but I would not A tier it because of the final battle.

 

[Tonguez]

I think the movie's overall quality was undermined by a very poorly done climactic battle (even forgiving wonky FX). Again, i think Black panther is a very good movie, but I would not A tier it because of the final battle.

I dont think the battle was the climax of the movie though, the movie was a social discourse in superhero trappings, the climactic scenes were in the celebration of culture and in the dialogue, the action was part of the entertainment but not the central journey and in that the movie hit a good balance between its story and the superhero veneer

 

[Reynard]

I dont think the battle was the climax of the movie though, the movie was a social discourse in superhero trappings, the climactic scenes were in the celebration of culture and in the dialogue, the action was part of the entertainment but not the central journey and in that the movie hit a good balance between its story and the superhero veneer

Like I said, very good movie but not A+ tier for me.

 

[Art Waring]

If I am being as neutral as possible (which is hard considering all the super-hero feels I have inside) I think the best one might be Blade.

It at once captures the essence of the character, while also being extremely broadly accessible.

An honorable mention that will probably get a lot of pushback based on rigid definitions: Robocop.

My first pick would be Blade for sure, made long before marvel films were cash cows (setting a different precedent), with a more serious tone.

His earlier, and much less serious film is Death Machine I think (starring Brad Dourif from the 80's Dune & Child's Play), check it out if you get the chance (likely its streaming free somewhere).

As for Robocop, I think it fits in fine, as he has his own comic books (& inevitable crossovers), and there are plenty of comic book characters with similar backgrounds (former normal Joe who is mortally wounded and transformed into a cyborg is common enough). Cyborg (real original name there bud), Bloodshot (Valiant Comics?), and even the Winter Soldier come to mind.

 

[Ryujin]

My first pick would be Blade for sure, made long before marvel films were cash cows (setting a different precedent), with a more serious tone.

His earlier, and much less serious film is Death Machine I think (starring Brad Dourif from the 80's Dune & Child's Play), check it out if you get the chance (likely its streaming free somewhere).

As for Robocop, I think it fits in fine, as he has his own comic books (& inevitable crossovers), and there are plenty of comic book characters with similar backgrounds (former normal Joe who is mortally wounded and transformed into a cyborg is common enough). Cyborg (real original name there bud), Bloodshot (Valiant Comics?), and even the Winter Soldier come to mind.

I though that Bloodshot was more of a "body repair nanites" thing, than actual cyber?

 

[Clint_L]

Wait, are you arguing that Black Panther doesn’t stick the landing because of a couple of mediocre SFX? The dramatic action, characters and themes of the movie are landed perfectly at the end.

If sub-par effects are disqualifying, then most of these films are disqualified. Will you believe a man can fly? Not through watching the original Superman; those effects are totally janky by today's standards! Still an important movie (not that great, though; the plot is pretty dumb, with a stunningly lazy deus ex machina used to get Superman out of having to make a truly horrifying decision. One that The Dark Knight has the courage to follow through on). I have a lot of love for this film (Christopher Reeves; Margot Kidder; that soundtrack!), but it's kind of overrated, IMO.

If you want to look at films that impacted the film industry at a wider level, I would go:

1. Batman - ushered in the superhero film as cultural phenomenon, much more so than Superman did.
2. The Avengers - instigated the MCU/ superhero movie takeover of Hollywood, which is still playing out.
3. The Dark Knight - made superhero films critically acceptable.
4. Black Panther - helped convince Hollywood that films made by and starring Black artists could also make serious bank.

 

[OB1]

Like I said, very good movie but not A+ tier for me.

Fair enough, if we were picking favorite Superhero movies of all time, Age of Ultron and X:2 would be tops for me. I can rewatch those two flicks on endless repeat.

If sub-par effects are disqualifying, then most of these films are disqualified. Will you believe a man can fly? Not through watching the original Superman; those effects are totally janky by today's standards! Still an important movie (not that great, though; the plot is pretty dumb, with a stunningly lazy deus ex machine used to get Superman out of having to make a truly horrifying decision. One that The Dark Knight has the courage to follow through on). I have a lot of love for this film (Christopher Reeves; Margot Kidder; that soundtrack!), but it's kind of overrated, IMO.

If you want to look at films that impacted the film industry at a wider level, I would go:

1. Batman - ushered in the superhero film as cultural phenomenon, much more so than Superman did.
2. The Avengers - instigated the MCU/ superhero movie takeover of Hollywood, which is still playing out.
3. The Dark Knight - made superhero films critically acceptable.
4. Black Panther - helped convinced Hollywood that films made by and starring Black artists could also make serious bank.

Exactly my point, Clint, SFX and CGI aren't everything! I'm actually not a huge original Superman fan myself (I know, heresy) and don't think it's held up well at all, but I think it's also incredibly important to the genre. Maybe we get Batman without it, but I doubt it.

What kills me about how people see Black Panther is that that the talk tends towards it's importance in diversity of voices (which is important!) but to me, the more important thing it did was prove that Superhero movies could have complex themes and characters in addition to awesome action, finally following through on what the Dark Knight started (but didn't pull off quite as well). It's just too bad BP didn't give the studios the guts to give more filmmakers larger control over the stories and to be bold, though perhaps Superman this summer might be the next.