Which Superhero films belong in the National Film Registry?

[Batmannerism]

Fant4stic
Catwoman
Elektra
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Don't forget Batman v Superman, Daredevil and Green Lantern. Ah, classics!

 

[Webfoot Hero]

Fant4stic
Catwoman
Elektra
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

For examples on how not to do a CBM.

 

[I Am The Knight]

I seriously thought that STM was already in the NFR.

 

[Erzengel]

I got upset that ROTJ is not in the NFR, but then I didn't see Titanic.

 

[Drizzle]

Bee Movie is eligible for the NFR this year!

 

[Ivan Drago]

I got upset that ROTJ is not in the NFR, but then I didn't see Titanic.

Why would ROTJ be in the NFR?

 

[Mister J]

Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, The Dark Knight, and The Avengers are some of the biggest, most influential movies of all time.

Superman was one of the earliest blockbusters, it's depiction of a man flying was innovative in it's day. Christopher Reeve's performance is/was one of the most iconic in cinema. It kicked off the superhero genre as we know it, the same genre which is currently dominating cinema.

Batman changed the way filmmakers marketed blockbusters. It ushered in a period where it was cool to be a darker, quirker sort of blockbuster. Jack Nicholson's performance is one of the most iconic villain performances of all time. The movie played a big role in changing the perception of the Batman character and franchise.

Spider-Man was one of the first post 9/11 blockbusters, and played, IMO, the biggest role in the current superhero boom we're seeing now.

Don't even need to explain TDK's significance at this point.

And then you have films like Batman Begins. Batman Begins kickstarted the current "reboot" craze.

There are definitely Superhero films that could belong in the NFR. But, I did ask a question, and you answered, so fair enough.

I'd piggyback on this, particular to Superman and The Dark Knight. Fair argument to be made for Batman, but I could only see either it or TDK included.

I'm hard-pressed to see any other inclusions from the genre, with a passing nod to the Avengers due to deftly bringing a shared universe to life and reeling in a gobsmacking amount of money.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Fant4stic
Catwoman
Elektra
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Don't forget Batman v Superman, Daredevil and Green Lantern. Ah, classics!

The Spirit is the golden standard you two forgot.
Its toilet assault influenced the lavatory sink assault in BvS.
Treasure to uphold.

 

[Doctor Octopus]

I bet Samuel L Jackson so sorry he did that Spirit movie lol.

 

[Erzengel]

Why would ROTJ be in the NFR?

Best trilogy ever.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

I bet Samuel L Jackson so sorry he did that Spirit movie lol.

I don't think he looks back to his past work that much.

 

[jmc]

Superman The Movie without a shadow of a doubt.

 

[John Locke]

Superman the Movie, the Dark Knight and maybe Avengers.

 

[Batmannerism]

The Spirit is the golden standard you two forgot.
Its toilet assault influenced the lavatory sink assault in BvS.
Treasure to uphold.

Ha ha ha ! The Spirit. Oh yeah, I totaally blocked that stinker out of my mind.

Holy crap, Batman v Superman is like "The Godfather" compared to "The Spirit", that film is truly awful.

 

[BoredGuy]

To stick to the strictest standards, I'd say just three-

Superman- The first true CBM, huge cultural significance
The Dark Knight- An amazing film that elevated the genre
Avengers- First-of-its-kind Event film, created (for better or worse) the new world of interconnected cinematic universes

 

[Yowza]

Honestly, I think the National Film Registry is a farce. Pictures, art, and culturally relevant snapshots to look back into time each decade should be the priority of a film registry as opposed to some story gonna play out.

Anyway, Superhero films are fantasy based adaptations so therefore wouldn't qualify for this. That's not to say people shouldn't be able to stockpile them in their doomsday bunker for a marathon session on a dreary day if that's what they so choose.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

Only movies that deserve it are:

Dark Knight
Avengers
Superman the movie
Raimi Spider-Man 1&2

Sorry Ock,

I can only agree with these three:

Dark Knight
Avengers
Superman the movie

Leaning more toward Burton's Batman than Raimi's Spider-Man too.

 

[metaphysician]

Honestly, I think the National Film Registry is a farce. Pictures, art, and culturally relevant snapshots to look back into time each decade should be the priority of a film registry as opposed to some story gonna play out.

Anyway, Superhero films are fantasy based adaptations so therefore wouldn't qualify for this. That's not to say people shouldn't be able to stockpile them in their doomsday bunker for a marathon session on a dreary day if that's what they so choose.

Exactly how many decades have to pass before films count as "culturally relevant"? Is the requirement that an art form must have existed before the country were founded?

 

[Erzengel]

13 Lakes was released in 2004 and inducted in 2014. Seems like 10 years is when it counts.

 

[Yowza]

Exactly how many decades have to pass before films count as "culturally relevant"? Is the requirement that an art form must have existed before the country were founded?

A lot of these films are adaptations and follow a certain format designated by the studio so aren't really indicative of the current world in which we live. A snapshot back into time that gives an indication of human culture as a frame to look into this period of time in resoundingly insightful way is what I think warrants being stored. Minimalism is key. I think a film registry should be looked at sort of as a timecapsule like those plastic balls we put stuff in then buried in the ground back in elementary school remember those? A national film registry should be something similar; although I think something more appropriate would be a mass media/art registry but oh well...

 

[ouroboros]

I'd stump for BATMAN '89 at the very least. Even after the success of the Reeve SUPERMAN films, Hollywood still looked upon comic-book properties as stuff that didn't justify more than bargain-basement spending.

The budget on '89 BATMAN wasn't huge, but it looked a lot more expensive than it was, and its success jump-started Hollywood's interest in comics as a source of big-budget blockbusters. Not that everyone got on the bandwagon at once-- Warner Bros pretty much took no chances in the 1990s with the DC properties, but movies made with exotic (and probably low-priced) franchises-- THE CROW, BLADE-- proved that even films w/o the "big names" could do well at the box office-- and it may be that such films in turn stimulated the big-name films of the 2000s.

As to what constitutes cultural significance-- I think a lot of us could cite reasons why we think superheroes are culturally significant. Whether they would impress people outside the choir is anyone's guess.

 

[OutOfBoose]

STM and TDK - yes.

TA - no. Because the whole ensemble thing doesn't work without other MCU films. On it's own it's just an X-Men analogue, albeit great one.

 

[DACrowe]

Superman: The Movie - It birthed the genre and features an iconic performance from Christopher Reeve and John Williams' score.

Batman (1989) - Gave more legitimacy and was generational touchstone in the '80s and '90s, with also a historic performance from Jack Nicholson, and its Oscar winning production design, not to mention Elfman's score.

Spider-Man (2002) - More than any film kickstarted the modern superhero movie craze in the 21st century, has historical significance as a definitive piece of escapism in the shadow of 9/11.

Spider-Man 2 (2004) - Better film than Spider-Man and one of the most standalone "pristine" superhero movies with terrific storytelling, that kind of defines what folks imagine a "superhero movie" is.

Batman Begins (2005) - Created the modern "reboot" craze in Hollywood, turned master auteur Christopher Nolan into a household name, leading to the cache to make more "respectable" movies like Inception and Interstellar.

The Dark Knight (2008) - A masterpiece, one of the best films of the decade that turns the post-9/11 Bush years into paranoid, uncomfortable allegory. Plus, Heath Ledger's wonderful performance.

Iron Man (2008) - Began the shared universe adventure of Marvel Studios that dominated Hollywood cinema for at least 15-20 years onward.

The Avengers (2012) - Perfected the shared universe formula that all of Hollywood would chase onward.

*The Dark Knight Rises - Just by association and apparently predicting the ascension of real-life American super villain, Donald Trump.

 

[Jochimus]

I suspect The Dark Knight WILL get there eventually, and MAYBE Superman: The Movie. The Avengers I'm not real sure about.

 

[DawnOfJustice16]

Watchmen
Superman 2
Superman the movie
The Avengers
TDK Trilogy
X-Men 2