5 Forgotten Superhero Movies That Still Hold Up Today – SlashFilm

For the better part of 25 years, Hollywood has largely been defined by superhero movies. From early hits like “X-Men” and “Spider-Man” to some of the biggest movies of all time like “Avengers: Endgame,” these comic book figures have been remarkably popular for a long time now.

Even before the MCU, there were plenty of great superhero movies, it’s just that they were fewer and further between. You would occasionally get something like Tim Burton’s “Batman” or “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” but these would usually be one-offs rather than the start of a trend that Hollywood would latch onto. One thing that’s true both before and after the superhero boom though, sometimes these movies don’t become cultural touchstones. Sometimes, they’re forgotten.

Though in the era of superhero dominance, even once-forgotten gems get reclaimed. Disney didn’t think M. Night Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable” would appeal to audiences in 2000, as it was largely centered on the idea of comic book heroes. Oh, how times have changed. That movie, as an example, has since been embraced as one of Shyamalan’s finest, even inspiring an entire trilogy, with “Split” and “Glass” following years later.

But what about the truly forgotten gems? What about the superhero movies that never got their day in court? Or the ones that did and are rarely discussed in the here and now? We’re going to look back at five forgotten movies in the genre that still hold up to modern scrutiny, perhaps even better than they did when they were first released.

Is it totally fair to say that “Megamind,” a big-budget animated feature from DreamWorks and Paramount with a star-studded voice cast that made over $320 million at the box office, is truly forgotten? Maybe not. Especially since Peacock ordered a “Megamind” animated series in 2022, turning it into a franchise. That said, within the larger canon of superhero cinema, it’s not often brought up, not nearly as much as something like Pixar’s “The Incredibles.” I’d argue it should be.

The movie centers on the evil genius Megamind (Will Ferrell) who finally manages to defeat his Superman-like nemesis, Metro Man (Brad Pitt). However, the absence of Metro Man leaves our villain without a purpose in a superhero-free world. It’s a pretty brilliant play on the whole “evil villain versus superhero” trope that dates back to the earliest days of these characters in the pages of comic books. Who is Batman without the Joker? And who is the Joker if he’s an alien voiced by Will Ferrell at the height of his comedic powers?

Director Tom McGrath delivers a damn funny animated flick, one that actually serves as a nice bit of commentary on the genre. Also, Brad Pitt is stellar as Metro Man, with an absolutely hilarious third-act reveal that I won’t spoil for those who haven’t seen it. To this day, every time I think of Ferrell as Megamind saying the line, “Granted, you have talent,” I laugh. This is to say nothing of Tina Fey, who elevates the proceedings as Roxanne Ritchi, the movie’s tribute of sorts to Lois Lane. It’s good stuff.

In its day in 2012, “Chronicle” was absolutely a hit. So much so that there was still talk of “Chronicle 2” happening in 2021. All the same, it’s one of those movies that certain people know that never quite permeated the culture in the way that many other superhero movies of the 2010s did. Blending found footage elements with a much darker twist on a super-powered origin story, it remains one of the more unique takes on the genre we’ve seen over the last 15 years.

Directed by Josh Trank, who would later direct Marvel’s surprisingly important flop “Fantastic Four,” it centers on three high school friends who gain superpowers after making an unexpected discovery. It doesn’t take long before the fun of it spins out of control and their bond is tested. It features a pre-super stardom Michael B. Jordan, as well as then-up-and-comers Dane DeHaan and Alex Russell. It was also written by Max Landis, who has since been ousted from Hollywood. The less said about him in relation to this movie, the better.

Setting that aside, there’s no denying that all involved were onto something with “Chronicle.” It’s a stellar example of doing a lot with relatively little. Credit to Fox for rolling the dice on it at the time. It feels like one of those, “What do we have to lose?” things that sometimes happen in Hollywood, resulting in something that feels downright special. It’s bleak. It’s visually compelling. It’s entertaining through and through. It’s got the goods even for those who typically don’t even enjoy superhero fare. It’s pound for pound one of the best original superhero movies ever made.

More than any movie on this list, I can practically hear the snarky comments about “The Green Hornet.” Either to the effect of “we didn’t forget about it” or “we wish we had forgotten about it.” Whatever the case, this one certainly wasn’t as big as Sony Pictures wanted it to be. More than that, in discussing superhero movies that still hold up today, I’d argue this movie has aged surprisingly well, so much so that I’d encourage people to revisit it with fresh eyes some 15 years later.

Based on the famed George W. Trendle character of the same name, the movie centers on playboy Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) who inherits his father’s large media company after his passing and teams up with his assistant Kato to become an unlikely masked crime fighting team. Seth Rogen was devastated by reviews for “The Green Hornet,” which weren’t terribly kind at the time. Maybe it was seeing him as miscast in the lead role. Maybe it was the comedic tone that didn’t seem to fit with the character’s traditions.

But in the here and now, we’re at a point where superheroes have been done so many times on screen that seeing something that diverts from the norm is downright refreshing. Maybe people wanted a more pulpy “Green Hornet” at the time, but what director Michel Gondry gave us was, with the benefit of hindsight, a little more unique. It’s genuinely funny. It looks good. It’s out-of-the-box. It’s not profoundly great, but it certainly deserves better than its reputation suggests.

James Gunn is the man who delivered Marvel’s most unlikely box office smash hit “Guardians of the Galaxy.” He’s since become the co-head of DC Studios, most recently directing “Superman.” His superhero bonafides are many and massive, generally speaking. But in 2019, he produced a super dark original superhero movie that is pretty much humanity’s worst-case scenario of a Superman-esque alien actually came to earth.

Directed by David Yarovesky, “Brightburn” was described as “Man of Steel” meets Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” by /Film’s Chris Evangelista at the time. He’s not wrong. It’s admittedly not for everyone but for horror fans who don’t mind the superhero schtick, this is a very unique slice of genre fare. The story centers on an alien who resembles a human boy raised by adoptive human parents. Despite his parents’ best efforts, he uses his powers in sinister ways.

“Brightburn” was a very low-budget effort that got a decent audience thanks in no small part to Gunn’s name being attached. Even so, it was by no means a smash hit at the time of its release and for those wanting something a little more standard within the genre, it may have been downright off-putting. But for those who can handle something more gnarly and off the beaten path, this is an unflinching, very dark, possibly more realistic take on the “Superman” mythos without the DC Comics branding attached. With all due respect, DC would never. Thai movie goes f*****g hard.

By far the least-seen movie on this list, director Adam Egypt Mortimer’s “Archenemy” was an admirable attempt to make an original superhero movie that just came at the wrong time. Released in late 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic was still raging on with theaters around the world still closed, this one never really had a chance. All the same, this raw, gritty, complex look at superheroes deserved far more attention than it ever got.

It centers on Max Fist (Joe Manganiello) who claims to be a hero from another dimension who fell through time and space to Earth. Here, he has no powers and no one believes his stories except for a local teen named Hamster (Skylan Brooks). “Archenemy” is ultimately about a complicated man trying to do some good. While not as cut and dry as many bigger-budget, studio comic book movies, “Archenemy” is compelling, even if its ambitions aren’t fully realized in no small part due to the constraints of its budget.

Manganiello delivers a compelling performance as Max Fist while Mortimer presents some big ideas and offers some beloved character actors meaty roles. Namely Glenn Howerton, of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” fame, who memorably plays The Manager. It’s a colorful, strange, intriguing little movie. For those who sad Manganiello’s “Deathstroke” movie from director Gareth Evans never happened, this is worth seeking out. He gets the chance to flex his anti-hero chops, which it feels like he was born to do.