8 Years Later, These 7 Superhero Movies Are Better Than Ever

2017 was an interesting and, in hindsight, seminal year for superhero movies. It had quite the mix of quality, producing one of the worst superhero movies ever made and a few of the all-time best, all in one year, with an underrated one in there, too. With eight years having passed since these movies were released, it’s up in the air whether they still hold up today, as they near the ten-year mark.

Whether it came from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Extended Universe, or another studio, the superhero films of 2017 are now more relevant than ever, with some super interesting stuff that contributed to what is undeniably the golden age of the genre at the theater. This list will discuss seven of 2017’s most meaningful superhero movies. Most received solid-to-great reviews from critics, but they have all aged incredibly well. Now, as the genre nears what seems to be an inevitable implosion, we can look back at these movies and recognize how good they are, eight years later.

7

‘Power Rangers’ (March 24th)

Power Rangers is one of the most popular children’s franchises of all time. So, when a major motion picture adaptation was announced—the first one in 20 years—people were both very excited and worried about what the future could look like for the franchise. Film adaptations of campy properties are quite divisive, and 2017’s Power Rangers sure lived up to that legacy. But the big question is: did it end up being any good?

While not many people went to see it at the time, a cult following has risen from the ashes over the years and declared this movie an underrated gem. The prospects of a sequel may be gone, but people still fight for 2017’s Power Rangers to this very day. Many claim that the movie was ahead of its time and should have been far more successful than it was. This isn’t to say that it’s a perfect movie by any means, but it most certainly didn’t deserve the reception (or lack thereof) that it received.

6

‘Wonder Woman’ (June 2nd)

While this shouldn’t have been the case, DC beat Marvel to the punch with one of the first major female-led superhero movies with Wonder Woman. DC had quite the leg-up on Marvel in this case (they should have made a Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) movie far before), and ended up making a movie that was incredibly well-done. Wonder Woman proved to both audiences and studios that female-led superhero films can work and should have been prioritized far sooner. It’s because of Wonder Woman that movies like Captain Marvel came shortly after, to great success.

Wonder Woman remains one of the best films to come out of the DCEU to this very day. Sure, it may not be a very high bar, but Patty Jenkins‘ movie is one of the few DCEU projects that is unanimously agreed upon to be great. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is a total badass and holds this film on her shoulders like it’s nothing. It’s got some wonderfully thrilling sequences and keeps people entertained through the entire runtime.

5

‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ (July 7th)

Much like Power Rangers, Spider-Man: Homecoming got some flak from hardcore Spider-Man fans at the time of release. The movie still did incredibly well and was a critical success, but Spidey fans didn’t love how much Peter Parker (Tom Holland) relied on Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in his journey to take down the Vulture (Michael Keaton). Almost a decade later, though, people have come to really appreciate the movie for what it is.

Spider-Man: Homecoming perfectly captures the life of a high school kid and gives audiences the student era Spider-Man that they had always wanted. Peter truly is just a kid trying to make due in a world of gods and iron titans. Fans have also begun to better understand and appreciate the message of the movie: Spider-Man denying Stark an Avengers membership so he can stay a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and be more street-level. The complaints people have about him “not growing” from this movie really come from Avengers: Infinity War pretty much undoing his arc here. Now that more people get this, Spider-Man: Homecoming is far more appreciated by the fans.

4

‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (November 3rd)

After the success of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel Studios got another major hit a few months later with Thor: Ragnarok, the third movie in the Thor franchise. This film had a lot of weight on its shoulders following Thor: The Dark World, a film so bad it led many to believe the hero’s big-screen solo journey was all but over. To everyone’s surprise, Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) journey to stop his long-lost sister with the help of Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) ended up being one of the best MCU movies ever made.

Audiences everywhere adored the more humorous take on the God of Thunder, as it allowed them to connect with him more. This humor, paired with the thrilling action, made for a movie that reinvented Thor as a character and finally established him as a worthy part of the MCU’s trinity. Many note that they think Ragnarok saved the franchise, and that could be considered very accurate. It also developed Thor’s character immensely as it took his hammer from him and made him realize his power comes from within, not his weapon.

3

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ (May 5th)

Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok weren’t the only MCU hits that came out in 2017. The third smash hit was a sequel to one of Marvel’s best movies, Guardians of the Galaxy. After the mass success of the first, many wondered if Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was going to be a worthy successor to James Gunn‘s first masterpiece about a group of misfits teaming up to save the galaxy from a tyrannical despot.

Luckily, Gynn more than delivered. The film further develops the cosmic world of the MCU and the Guardians themselves, specifically Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), as he meets his father, Ego (Kurt Russell), for the first time. Guardians 2 connects audiences to the titular team even more, thansk to charming jokes and a few very emotional scenes that give them depth and relatability. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was never going to surpass the first movie, but it is still a phenomenal film that kept people invested in the Guardians and had them wanting to see more of this team in the future of the MCU.

2

‘The Lego Batman Movie’ (February 10th)

It’s absolutely hilarious that one of the best Batman movies ever made is a Lego parody. Despite being a comedy that is incredibly meta, The Lego Batman Movie depicts the heart and soul of Batman better than most films centering on the iconic superhero. Following Batman (Will Arnett) as he has to learn to work with others, The Lego Batman Movie has a message that is well-known but still presented in a bold, refreshing, and hilarious way.

Indeed, The Lego Batman Movie is absurd, but side-splittingly funny, embracing the campy aspect of the central character without ever feeling dismissive of his legacy. With humor for both kids and adults, this film is enjoyable for the entire family, translating to considerable success at the box office and also leading to a sequel. It contains all the charm of a Lego movie, while honoring the character in ways some movies truly have not, which makes this an incredibly special Batman movie.

1

‘Logan’ (March 3rd)

Before other Marvel heroes blew up via the MCU, the “Big Three” for Marvel were Spider-Man, Hulk, and Wolverine. Indeed, the three-clawed mutant has been one of the most popular superheroes in cinema, and for very good reason. Hugh Jackman holds one of the longest runs as an actor portraying a superhero, starting his journey in 2000’s X-Men. Before he made a reappearance in Deadpool & Wolverine, Wolverine supposedly had his final bout as a hero in cinema in 2017’s Logan. Despite its R rating, it had a huge box office return, was a critical triumph, and it quickly became one of the best comic book movies ever made—and it still is.

Logan told the story of a very old Wolverine slowly losing his powers, causing him to finally age after decades. In this more fragile state, he is tasked with transporting a young mutant girl brought to his doorstep, while trying to take care of Charles Xavier (Sir Patrick Stewart), who is also dying. Logan is genuinely a masterpiece and one of the most well-crafted superhero films put to screen. Director James Mangold made a thoughtful, emotional, and impactful tale of legacy and mortality disguised as a superhero movie, not to mention a loving farewell to one of cinema’s most seminal superheroes. Logan is now the standard for what can be done in an R-rated superhero film.

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