ranking superhero movies: an "academic" analysis

[Vic Sage]

I've now gone beyond the rankings of superhero movies that I posted in the Wonder Woman thread, in order to create this study that ranks superhero movies based on 4 criteria (Rotten Tomatoes "fresh" percentage, RT critic's average score, Metacritic score [when available] and IMDB rating); it then averages their rankings in each of these categories. These categories represent a cross-section of both critical and popular opinion, so aggregating them gives us (I would argue) a good cross-section of different views on these films.

Here is the criteria i used for defining a "superhero film" (as i previously stated):
* English language live-action feature films,
* Released theatrically in the US after the publication of Action #1 (1938), that are
* Based on a pre-existing US or UK comic-book or comic-strip superhero.

This resulted in a list of 102 movies (not including the recently released "Spider-Man: Homecoming," for which not enough data has yet emerged).

The list includes a few comic-strip based pulp characters that preceded Superman (flash gordon, the phantom, Dick Tracy, Sheena), but there are prose or radio-based characters that have not been included (Tarzan, Lone Ranger, Conan, the Shadow, Green Hornet, Zorro, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, etc.), because this exercise is really about seeing how the American film industry has converted 4-color sequential "superhero" stories into live-action motion pictures. So adapting radio shows or prose or animation, or creating original movie superhero characters, or comparing theatrically released films to tv shows or d2v movies, or comparing US adaptation to foreign films, are all very different things with significantly different artistic and economic models involved. Ultimately, this gets into some arbitrary line-drawing, but without parameters, I'd have to include myths, legends, religious tales, anime, etc. from all over the world, from every medium, and it would be totally unwieldy and a less useful exercise. And we wouldn't be comparing apples to apples, as it were.

Anyway, here are the results of this unscientific survey:

rank TITLE
1 DARK KNIGHT, the
2 LOGAN
3 IRON MAN
4 DARK KNIGHT RISES, the
5 SPIDER-MAN 2
6 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
7 SUPERMAN
8 WONDER WOMAN
9 AVENGERS
10 X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
11 CAPTAIN AMERICA III: CIVIL WAR
12 BATMAN BEGINS
13 SPIDER-MAN
13 CAPTAIN AMERICA II: WINTER SOLDIER
15 DEADPOOL
16 DR. STRANGE
17 MEN IN BLACK
18 SUPERMAN II
19 X-MEN II: x-men united
20 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2
21 X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
22 HELLBOY II: the golden army
23 CROW, the
24 KICK-ASS
25 X-MEN
26 ANT-MAN
26 V FOR VENDETTA
28 HELLBOY
29 BATMAN (89)
29 BATMAN RETURNS
31 AVENGERS II: AGE OF ULTRON
32 IRON MAN 3
32 CAPTAIN AMERICA: FIRST AVENGER
34 WATCHMEN
35 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
36 SUPERMAN RETURNS
37 KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE
38 DREDD
39 THOR
40 FLASH GORDON
41 WANTED
42 IRON MAN 2
43 MASK, the
44 BATMAN: The Movie (66)
45 INCREDIBLE HULK, the (08)
46 THOR: DARK WORLD
47 MAN OF STEEL
48 MEN IN BLACK III
49 WOLVERINE, the
50 SPIDER-MAN 3
50 X-MEN III: the last stand
52 X-MEN: APOCALYPSE
52 ROCKETEER
54 BLADE
54 MYSTERY MEN
56 BLADE II
57 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN II
58 DICK TRACY
59 HULK (03)
60 CONSTANTINE
61 SWAMP-THING
62 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (90)
63 X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE
64 MEN IN BLACK II
65 BATMAN V SUPERMAN
66 BATMAN FOREVER
67 PHANTOM, the
68 KICK ASS 2
69 DAREDEVIL
70 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS (16)
71 FANTASTIC FOUR II: rise of the silver surfer
72 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II: Secret of the Ooze (91)
72 TANK GIRL
74 SUICIDE SQUAD
75 PUNISHER (04)
76 FANTASTIC FOUR (2005)
77 GREEN LANTERN
77 SUPERMAN III
79 BLADE III: Trinity
80 PUNISHER WAR ZONE
81 GHOST RIDER
82 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (14)
83 RETURN OF THE SWAMP-THING
84 SHEENA
85 SPAWN
86 BARB WIRE
87 LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN
88 JUDGE DREDD
89 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III (93)
90 ELEKTRA
91 GHOST RIDER II: spirit of vengeance
92 JONAH HEX
93 SPIRIT, the
94 CROW II: CITY OF ANGELS
94 HOWARD THE DUCK
96 BATMAN & ROBIN
97 FANTASTIC 4 (2015)
98 SUPERGIRL
99 STEEL
100 SUPERMAN IV: the quest for peace
101 CATWOMAN
102 SON OF THE MASK

While i have personal quibbles about the order (everyone would, i imagine), i think the top 10 are the right 10 (more or less), and the top 40 are the right 40 (except for the criminally overlooked ROCKETEER, ranked 52). So, in the aggregate, i think this is a pretty good list to approach an objective understanding of the comparative quality and success of these films.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I've seen all of the top 22. I agree about The Rocketeer; I really liked that movie and it should be ranked higher. It could easily swap positions with Iron Man 3.

I also think that, as low as it's ranked, Dick Tracy should be ranked even lower.

I was trying to think of any movies that you've missed, but nothing's coming to me. If I think of anything, I'll be back!

[MFS62]

What about the Flash Gordon and (there was one) Buck Rogers serial films? Same bad acting, different rockets. High camp before there was camp.

Later

[Vic Sage]

see selection criteria: theatrical features only; no serials or tv series.
it's a different challenge (and arguably easier) to adapt a comic book series into the episodic chapter/based storytelling format of serials and tv, and so not quite comparable. Same thing with adapting them into animated films/series.

Edited July 28, 2017 by Guest

[Vic Sage]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I've seen all of the top 22. I agree about The Rocketeer; I really liked that movie and it should be ranked higher. It could easily swap positions with Iron Man 3. I also think that, as low as it's ranked, Dick Tracy should be ranked even lower. I was trying to think of any movies that you've missed, but nothing's coming to me. If I think of anything, I'll be back!

I wouldn't rank ROCKETEER outside of the top 25. And at least DICK TRACY has a couple of Sondheim songs and cool visuals.

[MFS62]

see selection criteria: theatrical features only; no serials or tv series. it's a different challenge (and arguably easier) to adapt a comic book series into the episodic chapter/based storytelling format of serials and tv, and so not quite comparable. Same thing with adapting them into animated films/series.

But they were originally released in theaters, when $.25 would get you the next chapter of the serial, cartoons, coming attractions and a double feature. They kept the kids coming back every week. Just because they're (to use your word) "easier" doesn't mean they aren't valid representatives of the superhero comic-to-cinema theme.
They were filmed as complete movies, with the story beginning in episode 1 and continuing to the end of the final episode. They had pretty elaborate sets and special effects for those pre-CGI days. The fact that they were released in weekly segments was exactly how their fans had been introduced to them in the Sunday papers or comic books. It was a natural transition.
Not all serials qualify because the heroes weren't super (e.g.- Gene Autry's Radio Ranch, Don Winslow of the Navy. Ace Drummond, and Tim Tyler's Luck) nor did they originate in comic format. But I think a case can be made that the Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers films should qualify. They flew into space to save the world (or universe) from evil. Also- they were later re-released in non-serialized form as complete movies. You might rate them down at the bottom of the list, but they do belong on it as much as the DeLaurentis feature you did include.

Later

[Vic Sage]

Chapter serials were the equivalent of tv series, before tv was prevalent. They were NOT filmed as movies; they were made as 20min episodes and then cut together as films later, to make more money off them. I happen to like the Flash Gordon serials (the first one, anyway... not so much Buck Rodgers, but the Captain Marvel series was better than either of them), but turning sequential, episode based comic strips into sequential episode based shorts is simply not the same thing as choosing from among all the Flash Gordon strips and serials ever made to create a single stand-alone feature film. And to include those serials, you then have to include every other comic-based serial (of which there were many), and then there is no rationale for keeping out episodic tv shows that replaced them, and that way madness lies.

[MFS62]

OK. I see your point. I didn't realize there were other comic based serials. I checked the list of all serial movies a few months ago and don't remember any superhero ones. Of course, I wasn't looking for them at the time.
BTW - I was a Captain Marvel fan more than any DC hero fan.
At least we agree on something.
Later