Tim Burton’s first Batman film shouldn’t be overlooked, and admittedly there’s no funky Prince soundtrack in this sequel. But a pair of unforgettable villains keeps Batman Returns steady as one of the greatest Batman movies ever.
Batman and Robin (1997)
Worst movie of all time, or the best attempt at bringing Adam West’s brand of Bat-camp to the big screen? I still love this Joel Schumacher disaster, seemingly about two gay superheroes (George Clooney and Chris O’Donnell) being freaked out by the hypnotic appeal of a eco-terrorist drag queen (Uma Thurman)
Constantine (2005)
Probably the greatest attempt at a superhero horror film, Keanu Reeves makes an awesome chain-smoking exorcist in John Constantine’s only film adaptation. The production design is sticky and dark: Rachel Weisz is captivating as a woman investigating her Catholic twin’s unlikely suicide: and Tilda Swinton, Djimon Hounsou, and Peter Stormare are too damn cool as figures on either side of the heaven-hell divide
The Crow (1994)
Brandon Lee’s emo comic book story is best remembered for the actor’s tragic death on set. It’s impossible to remove the loss from your mind while watching The Crow, a film where death and eternal life are powerfully felt in every frame
The Dark Knight (2008)
There’s not much left to say about the peak of Christopher Nolan’s millennium-era Batman revitalisation. Christian Bale made the cowl truly intimidating again after the more stylised franchise entries above, and Heath Ledger’s Joker probably won’t be beaten in our lifetimes (sorry, new guy Barry Keoghan)
Dredd (2012)
Comic book fans will forever be salty that Karl Urban didn’t get a chance to return as the butt-chinned judge, jury, and executioner in a sequel to this rad slice of dystopia. It’s a bit The Raid structurally, with Dredd and his powerful psychic partner (Olivia Thirlby) taking a 200-story slum tower floor-by-floor to slay drug kingpin Ma-Ma (Lena Headey).
Hellboy (2004)
Only the most creative fanboy was worthy of adapting Mike Mignola’s German expressionist style from the Dark Horse Hellboy graphic novels, and we got just that in Guillermo del Toro’s detailed superhero effort.
Hulk (2003)
It’s hard to tell just what the hell is going on in the final act of Ang Lee’s sole superhero film. Something about Eric Bana’s enraged protagonist, and his abusive relationship with his military dad Nick Nolte?
The Legend of Zorro (2005)
Set in the swashbuckling 1850s, The Legend of Zorro aligns more closely with the western genre than being strictly a superhero movie per se. Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones are totally heroic, though, as the masked-up swordsman and his ass-kicking bride Eléna, now sadly divorced but fighting their way back to love with dashing stunts.
The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)
Between introducing Will Arnett’s egotistical Batman in The Lego Movie and revamping Spider-Man in wild animated style, Phil Lord and Chris Miller produced this loving computer-animated comedy that’s simply bricking awesome.