The superhero genre isn’t particularly hard to pin down. Superhero movies have distinct qualities that became quite clear over the last decade, when the genre exploded and took over Hollywood and pop culture as a whole. The most straightforward adaptations stick closely to the comics, retelling origin stories or dealing with classic themes concerning their titular hero or heroes. Think of movies like Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man trilogy, which not only embraces but actually takes pride in its comic book origin, fully indulging in the genre’s more colorful, humorous, and fantastical aspects.
Not every superhero movie is the same, though, and while some surely let their geek flag fly, others prefer to adapt it into something different. Indeed, some adaptations favor other genres more, to the point where they stop being superhero movies and become something else entirely. They might still be fun, colorful, and silly, but they undeniably favor other genres more strongly, resulting in new stories that just happen to have comic book characters in them. That doesn’t make them better or worse than the average superhero adaptation, just different. This list will discuss these movies, which don’t juggle genres but rather fully embrace one over the other.
‘The Crow’ (1994)
The Crow stars the late Brandon Lee as Eric Draven, a man who is killed along with his fiancée on the eve of their wedding by a gang of ruthless inner-city thugs. A year later, Eric rises from the grave thanks to a crow to take supernatural revenge on the men who killed him and his love. One by one, he claims the lives of those who ended his, making his way to the top enforcer, Top Dollar (Michael Wincott).
For some reason, The Crow is always lumped into the superhero genre, mostly thanks to its source material, the 1989 comic book by James O’Barr. However, it’s not hard to see that the film is actually a supernatural revenge story that has little to do with a traditional superhero tale. As with most revenge movies, The Crow features a vengeful and ruthless anti-hero leaving a path of carnage and blood in his wake; unlike most other revenge movies, however, Eric is already dead, giving his quest a righteous angle. Thanks to its Gothic aesthetic and the performances of its cast, especially Brandon Lee in what would be his final film role, The Crow has endured as a classic of ’90s rebellion and a timeless Gothic romance. Its success led to a franchise, including multiple sequels and a remake, but none have been able to match the original’s genius.
‘Blade’ (1998)
Wesley Snipes first played the Dhampir hunter Blade in the 1998 movie of the same title. Based on the Marvel Comics character, Blade follows the titular character as he hunts down vampires to avenge his mother’s death. For their part, the vampires have benefitted from modern technology and seek Blade’s unique blood to summon an evil god that will help them execute the human race.
Blade is a defined superhero who has starred in several comics and plays a crucial role in the Marvel Universe, most notable as a member of the Midnight Sons. However, his first big screen adaptation eschews the superhero vibe and tone to instead become a supernatural action horror story. Indeed, the R-rated film has more violence, blood, and style than most of the MCU’s efforts combined, largely thanks to its status outside the common superhero playfield. Like the character himself, Blade is a loner of a movie, playing by its own set of rules and indulging in its stylized violent instincts. A proud entry into the ever-growing pantheon of vampire cinema, Blade has shades of the superhero genre, but they’re never strong enough to overtake the distinct action-horror approach that makes it far more similar to something like From Dusk Till Dawn or Sinners than Doctor Strange or even Hellboy.
‘Unbreakable’ (2000)
M. Night Shyamalan‘s Unbreakable stars Bruce Willis as David Dunn, a man who strangely and almost miraculously survives a high-fatality train crash. The publicity surrounding his survival attracts the attention of Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), a comic book theorist and collector with brittle bone disease who suggests he might have superhuman abilities similar to those found in superhero stories.
Unbreakable was Shyamalan’s big follow-up to The Sixth Sense, reuniting him with Willis. Although the film does exist within the superhero space, it’s more of a psychological sci-fi thriller; in fact, if anything, Unbreakable is a character-driven deconstruction of the superhero genre. The approach might’ve seemed nothing special in 2000, but today, after a decade of superhero dominance, the film is nothing less than prophetic. Shyamalan treats the superhero genre with reverence while remaining wary of its trappings. The result is a film that is clinical in its inspection of the genre, quietly observing the “man” part in “Superman.” Unbreakable doesn’t opt for big setpieces or any of the expected spectacle that comes with a superhero movie; instead, it focuses on the psychological turmoil that comes with existing as both a human and a superbeing, making it a true one-of-a-kind in modern genre cinema.
‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
The superhero genre was forever changed upon the release of Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight. Christian Bale reprises his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in a film that sees him allying with DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) and future Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) to stop the Joker (Heath Ledger), a deranged anarchist seeking to destroy Gotham from within.
Instantly and universally acclaimed, The Dark Knight is by far the most lauded comic book adaptation ever made. The film does a great job of adapting the Joker and perfectly captures the unique quality of most Batman storylines: the inmates are running the asylum. However, it’s also safe to say that The Dark Knight is not really a superhero movie; in fact, it seems desperate to shed any type of superhero connection beyond the protagonist and the main villain. The film is a classic crime saga with thriller and action elements, set in a morally decayed city and featuring ambiguous characters desperately trying to control an uncontrollable force of chaos. The Dark Knight is still a masterpiece of modern cinema and a crowning achievement in Nolan’s prestigious career, but it achieves those titles by actively avoiding any similarity to the superhero genre overall. It’s a valid approach, and arguably the main reason why its legacy has endured.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ (2014)
Before he was the main architect of the DCU, James Gunn made a huge splash and a name for himself with 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Chris Pratt leads an ensemble cast, including Zoe Saldaña, Dave Baustista, Bradley Cooper, and Vin Diesel, in a story about a ragtag team of outlaws who come together to stop a despot from using a powerful weapon against the galaxy.
Don’t be fooled by Guardians‘ place in the MCU. The film is far from a superhero movie; instead, it’s a straight-up sci-fi comedy. Indeed, Guardians has more in common with a space opera than with a superhero movie. For starters, the main characters weren’t exactly A-listers in Marvel (they arguably still aren’t, although the movies greatly increased their fame). The story also focuses more on their relationships and dynamic as a team than on a typical superhero dynamic, mainly because none of them feels like an actual hero. Yet, that’s where Guardians‘ greatest strength lies: it arrived at a perfect time and represented something truly refreshing within the MCU. The film spanned two sequels, cementing its place as one of the MCU’s best trilogies and arguably the best example of a group of characters benefiting from the franchise’s overwhelming success throughout the 2010s.
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