6 Superhero Movies That Get More Hate Than They Deserve

As with any film genre, the superhero category is filled with both gems and turds. There are movies that everyone seems to unanimously love, and then there are others that people wish were never created. With superhero movies, it’s difficult to say what makes something “good” or “bad”. I personally believe that just because a film sticks so close to the source material, it doesn’t automatically make it a good movie. Likewise, if the film deviates from the comic it’s based upon, it doesn’t automatically mean it’s bad either. I wish more people agreed with the latter point, though they seem to be too caught up in themselves and go ballistic if you so so much as hint that you like a movie they consider to be “bad”. That being said, here are six superhero movies I think get way more hate than they deserve.

6. The Incredible Hulk

I was pleasantly surprised when I first watched The Incredible Hulk. Honestly, I thought it was going to suck, mainly because I was still bitter about Ang Lee‘s Hulk from 2003. In this rare case, a reboot was actually better than the original! However, people are still dedicated to smashing this movie to pieces for some odd reason.

I thought it was a well-planned, well-acted film that did the best it could with a tarnished brand. For one thing, we didn’t have to suffer through another origin story. The film picked up right away with Bruce Banner already blessed/cursed with the powers of the Hulk. That means we had more time to watch Hulk smashing tanks and kicking ass. I think it also helped that this film was tied into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which allowed for cameos by notable figures such as Tony Stark and Samuel Sterns. The only thing I found disappointing about this film is that we’re unlikely to ever get a sequel.

5. Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Confession time: I watched Hellboy II: The Golden Army before I watched the first film, so maybe that could affect my judgment. But I thought this sequel was amazing! The first film was your classic origin story, which is why it may be a favorite amongst fans who love seeing the growth and emergence of a hero. To me, that story was all right, but it wasn’t as much fun nor as entertaining as the sequel’s Golden Army.

Hellboy II dove right into the action and introduced us to awesome new characters like Prince Nuada and Johann Kraus. Speaking of which, even though I despise Seth MacFarlane, his portrayal of Kraus was one of my favorite parts of the whole movie. Other amazing scenes include Hellboy’s fight against Mr. Wink, Liz and Hellboy meeting the Angel of Death, and Kraus possessing a Golden Soldier. All excellent scenes, some of which were done with very little CGI! That’s a hell of an accomplishment for films of this generation. I really don’t understand the hate against this movie…

4. Punisher: War Zone

Now, when it comes to Punisher: War Zone, I DO understand where all the hate comes from. This film was super campy and a huge contrast from the serious 2004 version of the film starring Thomas Jane, which, coincidentally is one of my favorites. But even with these stark differences, it’s not like this movie was necessarily “bad”. In fact, it was probably a lot more faithful to the Punisher comics than the 2004 version.

The Punisher may seem like a dead-serious antihero on-par with John Rambo or Rorschach, but if you go to some of the earlier editions of the comics, his character is a bit goofy. He actually had a van that would “launch” guns at him when he called for them. He also worked extensively with his partner-in-crime Microchip, who was missing in the 2004 adaptation but is present in Punisher: War Zone. Aside from its faithfulness to the source material, this was a good popcorn movie that did a better job of capturing the Punisher than its predecessor did. I’d consider Jane’s film as more of a Frank Castle movie. If you want a more accurate picture of the Punisher, give War Zone a shot.

 

3. X-Men: The Last Stand

I know this entry will ruffle some feathers, but I will defend this movie to the death. X-Men: The Last Stand is not a bad film. Virtually any point people say against this film, I can counter. You’re complaining that they brought in “too many” mutants and didn’t give them enough background? Well let’s see you say the same about X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past. They ignored the relationship between Professor Xavier and Juggernaut? Well, let’s hear you say the same thing about Nightcrawler and Mystique in X2. You’re upset that they killed off Cyclops? They completely undermined that character from the very beginning of the franchise when they decided to make Wolverine front and center. Nobody cared about Cyclops. Get over it.

The only excuse I’ll accept for The Last Stand being bad is in regards to what they did to Phoenix, though that really didn’t bother me. I would’ve loved to have seen more emphasis on Phoenix, but I’m totally fine with what we got. It was a simple yet enjoyable movie that reminded me of the Marvel Civil War storyline. We also got to see Juggernaut and Beast make an appearance, the latter of which had one of the best portrayals in an X-Men film to date. The huge fight on Alcatraz sealed the deal for me. How can you not enjoy watching Iceman and Pyro facing off while Colossus and Wolverine pulled the Fastball Special? My sole complaint is that we didn’t have Nightcrawler come back. Thanks, Alan Cumming.

2. The Dark Knight Rises

I’ll go on record as saying that The Dark Knight Rises is one of my top superhero movies of all time. I’m all for respecting people’s opinions, but I can’t help but cringe when people say that this film sucked. I think the main reason for the hate is because people were expecting something like The Dark Knight (which I personally think wouldn’t be as loved if Heath Ledger didn’t die). Other complaints I saw over The Dark Knight Rises include the political overtones, the poor portrayal and demise of Bane, and the occasional plot-hole.

It’s funny how people complain about politics being “forced” into movie plots ONLY when it’s something that goes against their own beliefs. But I won’t get into that because I’m too busy defending Bane. After the horrible version we saw of this key villain in Batman and Robin, how can you criticize Tom Hardy? It’s not an exact copy of the character straight from the comics, but he was a hell of a lot better than the moronic henchman we saw tagging along behind Poison Ivy. And you have to admit that the two major Batman vs. Bane fight scenes were downright epic. As for the plot holes, welcome to comic book movies! They’re everywhere! Even your precious Joker film had its fair share of plot holes, but people seem to be too busy worshipping Ledger’s performance to say anything. All I’m saying is, if you’re going to complain about The Dark Knight Rises, at least have decent evidence. Don’t regurgitate things you read online and expect to provide a viable argument.

1. Iron Man 3

You had to have known this was coming. Iron Man 3 has gotten so much hate that people have actually called it the worst comic book film in history. Let that sink in. They’ve considered it worse than Ghost Rider, Batman and Robin, and Howard the Duck. Once again, I understand where some of the hate comes from: the Mandarin twist. Aside from that, is the movie really bad? No, it’s not.

Similar to the case of X-Men: The Last Stand and Phoenix, people were tremendously upset about a super powerful villain being reduced to a wimpy underling. I get that, I really do. But does that warrant all the hate against the film? It was a Tony Stark movie as much as it was an Iron Man movie. We got to watch Stark use his own resourcefulness and determination help him break into the Mandarin’s compound, fix his suit, and defeat Killian’s army. It completely baffles me when people pawn this film off as being terrible without giving a logical excuse besides the Mandarin twist. The ending scene alone should’ve won audiences over. Tony Stark summoning all the armors to help him in battle? Pure awesomeness.

Half of the time, I’m convinced the hate against some films is just part of a bandwagon effect and that people are afraid to support movies when the popular theme is to hate on them. Screw that. I’ll support every movie on this list with no hesitation!