Your Top 5 CBM's You Consider Underrated

[Leenie]

The original Ninja Turtles movie from 1990. Way better than it had any right to be, or even needed to be.

You know what? I'm going to have to agree with this.

Sure, I may have some fond nostalgia towards this movie (it was actually one of the first movies I remember seeing in theaters, along with The Little Mermaid, and Duck Tales), but considering the tone of the film, it was actually a pretty ballsy move to make this film more like the early comics.

There's a lot of stuff in here that makes this a film with heart and a coherent story, too. I personally think it's a good movie (it's very much undeserving of the RT rating right now, at the very least, if you ask me). I would much rather rewatch this movie over pretty much any mediocre CBM out there right now.

 

[Lantern Venom]

You know what? I'm going to have to agree with this.

Sure, I may have some fond nostalgia towards this movie (it was actually one of the first movies I remember seeing in theaters, along with The Little Mermaid, and Duck Tales), but considering the tone of the film, it was actually a pretty ballsy move to make this film more like the early comics.

.

That film was way ahead of its time. A limited budget adaptation of a comic with conceptually whimsical lead characters who inhabit a dark world should have been disaster. Even now, the film still holds up as a cohesive piece of cinema.

 

[The_Manhunter]

More underrated CBMs from me:
Fantastic Four (2005)
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Fantastic Four (2015)

I like all 3 of the F4 films, but my favorite is by far the newest one, which I think was very unfairly maligned, and had a really great cast and design.

I have to compliment you here. While I personally don't like the FF films I am very glad that someone else did!

 

[henzINNIT]

Not a lot to add here. Blade and Blade 2 are often forgotten about. Kick Ass has been somewhat soured by a mediocre sequel. Superman Returns has some pacing issues but is quite lovely.

My pick is definitely Spider-Man 3. While I can understand the complaints, and recognise the strains of a troubled production; it's still more good than bad, excellent in places even. Raimi reigning champ of superhero trilogies imo.

 

[halo10]

1. Sin City
2. Wolverine:Xmen Origins
3. Daredevil
4. 30 Days of Night
5. Blade 2


6) Incredible Hulk
7) Kick Ass
8) Constantine
9) V for Vendetta
10) Blade

( honorable mentions: League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,Hulk, Spawn)

 

[lordofthenerds]

1. The Amazing Spider-Man
2. Hulk
3. Daredevil
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
5. Batman Forever

 

[Doctor Octopus]

Agreed about Hulk and Daredevil.

 

[Rorschach2012]

The First Avenger
Watchmen
Batman Forever
First Class
Blade

 

[Mandon Knight]

Agreed about Hulk and Daredevil.

Daredevil is HUGELY underrated, for me the director's cut is up there with the genre greats....

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Daredevil is HUGELY underrated, for me the director's cut is up there with the genre greats....

It has a good amount of improvement over the theatrical release, but still retains a good number of flaws that holds it from being one of the greats.

 

[PeterBenParker]

Daredevil is HUGELY underrated, for me the director's cut is up there with the genre greats....

 

[Mandon Knight]

Would add Thomas Jane's 'The Punisher' to this list....

 

[scarlet-witch]

1) Sin City
2) Hellboy 2
3) Thor: The Dark World
4) The Watchmen
5) X-Men

They're all talked about a lot (except Sin City) but they never seem to end up on favorites lists.

 

[Breogan]

The Mask of Zorro.
Although the film (not the sequel) tends to be liked well enough, it tends to be ignored, despite being released on the cusp of the new superhero movie boom (1998), and having most every trait to qualify, yet due to its pulp origin, more proto-superhero roots and swashbuckler/western setting, it's not often included in the narrative.
Despite the undeniable influence, already being an ongoing comic before many comic heroes, (and even at the time of release having a MARVEL comic series)...

Yet it's still skipped in the comic book movie hero narrative.

Case in point; ^the above mentioned "between Batman & Robin(1997) and X-Men(2000)" which costumed hero character is more successfully bridging the gap "in terms of setting up the genre" ?

Lets look at the numbers:

(1997) Batman & Robin..............................................$238,207,122
(1997) Spawn.................................$87,840,042
(1997) Steel........................$1,710,972
(1998) The Mask of Zorro................................................$250,288,523
(1998) Blade...............................................$131,183,530
(1999) Mystery Men.................$33,461,011
(2000) X-Men....................................................................$296,339,527

Yet it's ignored as a comic book hero movie , and it's impact on the genre.
The Mask of Zorro is "underrated", as far as it's never counted in that narrative, for the reason said above.

Further evidence how it's constantly overlooked and underrated in the narrative- from the "How it all began" thread.

If we were to put all these CBMs on a Graph, these would be when it would spike:

Spoiler

Superman in 1978.
Batman in 1989
Blade in 1998
X-Men in 2000
Spider-Man in 2001
TDK and Iron Man in 2008
Avengers in 2012

While Blade is kinda the outlier, I think it gave a small resurgence before X-men and Spider-Man.

Great post. I agree with this list 100%.

Good post.

This is the exact list I would have written. .

Excellent list. I definitely agree with all your choices for the most historically significant comic book movies.

^ X-Men or to a lesser extent Blade did that

...without X-Men and Blade reviving the genre after B&R killed it would Spider-Man have gotten made? we'll never know

X-men and Blade can be credited with giving the genre some of it's credibility back after B&R, ...

...proving that B-listers can be popular. But Blade and Iron Man did that oreviously.

For me its movies like Batman, The Crow and Blade.
...To me These were superhero films done right.

Superman The Movie (1978)
Batman (1989)
Blade (1998)
X-Men (2000)
Spider-Man (2002)
Iron Man (2008)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Avengers (2012)
Guardians of the Galaxy (2015)
Deadpool (2016)

All game changers

Case in point it's completely absent from most ^ narratives.

 

[Iceman]

Watchmen, and from this year GotG2. I think a bit too much low level humour masked a lot of surprisingly good emotional moments.

 

[Iceman]

Further evidence from the "How it all began" thread.



Case in point it's completely absent from most's narrative.

That doesn’t make it underrated really as I think most people like that film? Its influence isn’t mentioned because most people don’t know it’s based on a comic. After decades of reading comics and seeing countless more in shops, I can’t ever remember seeing a Zorro comic. Would love to try one though.

 

[Breogan]

The Shadow. All day, every day.

The Shadow

Yet rarely gets the red flag as when Zorro is mentioned.
As for comics, as indicated had one before many Superheroes.

It's not directly based on those comics, yet those original 40's - 50's comics were retelling of the original McCulley pulps, so yes indirectly.
I agree, hence ...

... it tends to be ignored, despite being released on the cusp of the new superhero movie boom (1998), and having most every trait to qualify, yet due to its pulp origin, more proto-superhero roots and swashbuckler/western setting, it's not often included in the narrative.

I recognize why it's not included due to it's roots in the pulps.
Despite it already being a comic, before many comic book heroes and their films.

Despite the undeniable influence, already being an ongoing comic before many comic heroes, ...
... it's never counted in that narrative, for the reason said above.

As far as the character in the "superhero" movie genre in the broadest sense from Fairbanks to Mask in the later boom.
Yeah I think that's where it's impact is underrated.
I think the quotes from the "How it all began" thread, do speak to that.

The most important film for the comic book genre was actually The Matrix. That movie is WHY the X-Men had to have on black and become the powerhouse it became ...

Personally I believe Batman 89 started the black costume trend.

Just because X-Men had black costumes doesn't mean it was afraid to be a comic book movie. It had loads of superpowers on display, the most in any CBM up to that point. It had a theme to the story and lots of complicated characters, even though the action was limited due to the budget but if that was afraid to be a CBM then Batman 89 must be considered that as well since Batman wore an all black costume.

The who "started" the "all black costume" discussion and narrative becomes hysterical in this context.

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

X-Men
Spider-Man
Thor
Spider-Man 3
Batman Forever

 

[Iceman]

It's not directly based on those comics, yet those original 40's - 50's comics were retelling of the original McCulley pulps, so yes inderictly.
I agree with you. That's why I said...

I recognize why it's not included due to it's roots in the pulps.
Despite it being a comic, before many comic book hero films, or even their comics.

As far as the character in the "superhero" movie genre in the broadest sense from Fairbanks to Mask in the later boom.
Yeah I think that's where it's impact is underrated.
I think the quotes from the "How it all began" thread, do speak to that.


The "all black costume" discussion does to.

Oh right. I didn't know about the background, thanks. If people had seen it as being in genre it would have likely given it a boost, but I think the biggest influencers will always be your super-well-known, modern day, traditional costumed heroes (mostly) with superpowers. That's just what people seem to think of when talking CBMs even though a comic could theoretically be about anything from a romcom to a real world military story. It's just a medium and I think people are ignoring that and mainly talking superhero films, even if they were original and made for film rather than based off a comic. The conversation is making me want to rewatch Zorro

 

[Breogan]

Oh right. I didn't know about the background, thanks. If people had seen it as being in genre it would have likely given it a boost, but I think the biggest influencers will always be your super-well-known, modern day, traditional costumed heroes (mostly) with superpowers.

Yeah the "(mostly) with superpowers" always becomes the awkwardly invoked caveat, that then has the uneasy side-effect that you've suddenly disqualified Batman and all his films, one of the most recognized and influential superheroes who you can't have this discussion without, in comics and film. (and we know who influenced him).

The conversation is making me want to rewatch Zorro

ohhh yeaaa ZORRO.

id love for Antonio to come back for old man Zorro

i would watch it

So would I.
There is another somewhat overlooked aspect, the re-surging popularity of Old Man ____ hero.
So where did we already see it, Old Man Zorro?
Before Old man Wayne creeped out the shadows in Beyond,

before the blade wielding Old Man Logan emerged ....

The Hopkins /Banderas Zorro pretty much already launched with Old Man Zorro.
That was the movie, seems many forget the first in the Mask relaunch, was already just as much about Old Man Zorro, as the new Legacy character.

Including his secretly raised and estranged daughter....

Daughter^ bad-ass blade wielding, raised and manipulated by the bad guy trying to control her, ...she has to escape their influence, and recognize who she really is.

Finally, with the truth of who his daughter is recognized, and embraced, knowing the legacy is forever passed on. He lets go.

Both "Old Man" originals, dying and finding solace in passing on the mantle and greater purpose.
I went there...Yes these are reused tropes, still a significant character whose presence and influence is repeatedly overlooked and underrated in this contexts.