CBMs That Aged Well?

[Lily Adler]

Discuss which CBMs aged well over time.

 

[Enriquespy]

So many, but I'd give note particularly to Burton's Batman films, given that they were designed practically as period pieces. (save from some Princey details).

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Batman Returns, definitely. Batman, not so well.

 

[Bayne]

Working on the assumption that anything from TDK/IM onward is still too new to really judge how its aged, I think the older film that has aged the best is X2. X1, ironically, may be the one that has aged the worst.

 

[metaphysician]

Ang Lee Hulk. Yes, it has clunky pacing and some campy elements, but those elements were recognized as bad ( or at least iffy ) even at the time; they look no worse now. Meanwhile, it had some of the best characterization yet for a whole bunch of characters, and "Hulk vs the Army" wasn't matched until Avengers.

 

[Drizzle]

Pre-TDK trilogy and MCU, Spider-Man 2 has aged the best IMO. It fits right in with the more recent CBMs. Really the only more "modern" element that's missing from it is that nobody really has a cell phone in the movie, even though they were definitely in abundance back in 2004. It's totally on brand for Raimi's Peter to be unable to afford one anyway.

Batman Returns, definitely. Batman, not so well.

In terms of style, Returns feels very much in its own universe. Batman 89 is a hybrid mashup of 1940s meets the 1980s which makes it less timeless.

 

[Lily Adler]

Have the Guillermo del Toro CBMs aged well? Hellboy and Blade 2?

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Blade is still awesome.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Have the Guillermo del Toro CBMs aged well? Hellboy and Blade 2?

I watched Blade II a short while ago. Absolutely holds up.

 

[Drizzle]

Have the Guillermo del Toro CBMs aged well? Hellboy and Blade 2?

Even though I haven't seen either of them in well over a decade, I think it's safe to say that the Hellboy movies have aged well enough since they mostly relied on practical effects.

 

[Lily Adler]

Blade is still awesome.

Only the final battle hurts it in my eyes:

 

[Lily Adler]

Good news. Hellboy 2 is on Peacock and Blade is on Tubi for free with ads.

Hellboy 2004 is on HBO Max.

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

Blade is still awesome.

Imo it’s better than 80% of the MCU. It’s overflowing in energy and inspiration, with Snipes at the top of his game. It really set the tone for the late 90s/early 00s, with a lot of movies later taking inspiration from it.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Only the final battle hurts it in my eyes:

Have to admit, I normally give the first Blade a pass these days. It has some great moments (esp the opening nightclub scene), but I find the second movie far better.

 

[Frodo]

IMO alot of the sort of top 10 comic book movies that get throw around have all aged well for the most part.

Inevitably, some will date more than others, but that's unavoidable.

All of these films are crafted in the context of the times they are produced in, so alot of films, at least, are gonna be reflective of that.

Even the timeless ones still reflect, in one way or another, are going to reflect times they were released in.

For me, the standard of whether or not a film has "aged well" is whether or not the film is still good or excellent overall, after a couple of decades.

The story still works, the acting is still moving, and it hits the right notes.

In other words, can you watch it 20 years later and still say, " The film still is still good".

That type of feeling as opposed to looking back on something and saying " Well, it was cool at the time, but now it's meh".

 

[Mandon Knight]

The SFX in Superman (1978) for it's time, still resonate well and 'stand up' for me. Its sheer charm, spectacle and wonder still dazzle today.

 

[Babillygunn]

Crazy as it may sound, I feel like Batman 66 holds up the best. It still totally reaches what it was aiming to do.

 

[Shinobi Shaw]

Aside from Blade and the others mentioned, I think Sin City holds up well.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

The practical flying effects from Supergirl (1984) are some of the best I've ever seen. Better than in the Reeve Superman movies.

 

[Frodo]

Helen Slater was so pretty then .
Still is in IMO.

The film wasn't that good, but she certainly did have an earnestness, warmth, and sweetness about her as Kara/ Supergirl.

 

[Babillygunn]

Helen Slater was so pretty then .
Still is in IMO.

The film wasn't that good, but she certainly did have an earnestness, warmth, and sweetness about her as Kara/ Supergirl.

One of my first crushes (along with Holly Robinson on 21 Jumpstreet). Both are still beautiful

 

[henzINNIT]

Blade 2 has some of the worst and most over-used digital doubles ever. If you cut those, the rest holds up very well, but they were dated like 6 months later.

I'd put in a second vote for X2. Effects have and will age CBMs the most but X2 was very smart and restrained with its usage. It mostly still looks great.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Blade 2 has some of the worst and most over-used digital doubles ever. If you cut those, the rest holds up very well, but they were dated like 6 months later.

That is true, actually. I forgot about that! The fight between Blade and the Bloodpack is... not good!

 

[Batgirl0202]

The Crow (1994) would be at the top of my list. Perhaps it's the association with Brandon Lee's tragic death but the movie still gives me the chills every time I see it...

Daredevil '03 Director's Cut. Definitely an underrated gem. Much darker than I was expecting...

Hulk '03. I appreciate how Lee tried to incorporate horror themes into the narrative, which I feel elevated it above typical CBM fare...

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Daredevil '03 Director's Cut. Definitely an underrated gem. Much darker than I was expecting...

Agree with this