12 Alternative Superhero Films To Consider

It's no secret that the superhero film genre has expanded significantly over the last decade. Thanks to the likes of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, 20th Century Fox's X-Men franchise, Marvel's expansive cinematic universe, and Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, superhero films and comic book adaptations are the hottest commodities in Hollywood right now. That trend will only quicken over the next few years, too. Marvel is showing no signs of stopping and will soon release three films a year up until at least 2028. Warner Bros. is building an entire DC Cinematic Universe off of last year's Man of Steel, that includes Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016 and nine untitled projects slated for release from 2016 to 2020. Fox has finally hit its stride with Bryan Singer's X-Men: Days of Future Past, which will give way to a sequel in 2016 and various spin-offs to go along with Josh Trank's reboot of The Fantastic Four. Then of course there's Sony, the studio building an entire universe around The Amazing Spider-Man franchise that includes villain-centric spin-offs for Venom and The Sinister Six, a female-led superhero pic in 2017, and two more Amazing Spider-Man installments. With as many as thirty superhero films on the horizon from these big studios alone, the cinematic landscape for the next decade feels a bit crowded. However, the "big four" studios aren't the only ones making superhero films. In fact, some of the projects made by other companies are arguably more enjoyable than any Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy that's come our way. Since it's easy for these projects to slip between the cracks and get lost in the tentpole superhero shuffle, here's a list of 12 films to check out. Some are bigger budget fare, while others are small indie pics that may have gone completely unnoticed. In any case, they should help keep you motivated to navigate the treacherous waters ahead and combat some of that big-budget superhero fatigue caused by the likes of Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, Iron Man, and Captain America. 12) The Rocketeer Directed by Captain America: The First Avenger helmer Joe Johnson, The Rocketeer is part superhero film, part Indiana Jones adventure. Based on the comic created by Dave Stevens, it stars Billy Campbell (Crime Story, The Killing) as stunt pilot Cliff Secord, who discovers a jet pack in 1938 that enables him to fly but also captures the attention of Howard Hughes (LOST's Terry O'Quinn), the FBI, and a group of Nazis led by Neville Sinclair (former 007 Timothy Dalton). The visual effects of the film feel quite dated by today's standards, but that somehow only adds to The Rocketeer's charm, and helps solidify it as one of the pulpy serials that it was paying homage to. The film is a lot of fun, and contains much of the heart and lightheartedness that many feel is lacking in today's superhero fare. It may not be for everyone, but we definitely recommend checking this one out. 11) V For Vendetta The next film on this list features a masked vigilante who prowls the streets enacting judgement on the oppressive society that had a hand in his tragic past. No, it's not another Batman movie... it's V for Vendetta! The 2006 adaptation of Alan Moore's eponymous graphic novel is not a superhero film, per se, but if we can bend the rules for characters like Batman, the Punisher, and Daredevil, why not bend them for V? At its core, V for Vendetta is a political thriller that stars Hugo Weaving (Captain America: The First Avenger, the Lord of the Rings trilogy) as an anarchist who stages a series of terrorist attacks in hopes of sparking a revolution against a fascist regime that now rules the British government. Natalie Portman plays a woman named Evey, who gets caught up in V's mission and eventually befriends him. V for Vendetta is a film with actual depth and substance behind its ideas, and is packed with both an emotional punch and a literal one. James McTiegue may have been sitting behind the director's chair for this one, but the influence of the Wachowski siblings (who produced the film) definitely shows in V's action sequences. If anything, V for Vendetta serves as a great re-watch on the fifth of November each year, with the titular character stating: "Remember, remember, the fifth of November, the gun powder, treason, and plot. I know of no reason the gun powder treason should ever be forgot." 10) Mystery Men Mystery Men is a film perfect for a list like this becuase of how it not only serves as an entry into the superhero genre, but shows tremendous skill at playing around with and subverting superhero film tropes. It's the Zoolander of superhero comedies, and I'm not just saying that because Ben Stiller stars. Mystery Men stars Stiller, William H. Macy and Hank Azaria as Mr. Furious, The Shoveler, and The Blue Raja, respectively, a trio of misfit superheroes with unimpressive powers. They are continually upstaged by world-famous hero Captain Amazing (Greg Kinnear), who becomes bored by his own effectiveness at stopping crime and uses his alter ego, a billionaire lawyer, to argue for the release of insane supervillain Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush). His plan backfires, of course, and when he's captured by Frankenstein and his goons, it's up to Mr. Furious and his team to save the day. Mystery Men plays out like a street-level Avengers, as Mr. Furious, the Shoveler, and Blue Raja are forced to recruit more heroes into their team to go up against Frankenstein. The movie is goofy as hell and definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but it's just ridiculous enough to be a funny satire of superhero films and an enjoyable cult classic. 9) Super James Gunn has now become one of the most successful directors in Marvel Studios' ranks, as his space opera Guardians of the Galaxy has made $587 million at the box office, spent four weeks at the #1 spot, and was the highest-grossing film of the summer in the United States. Guardians wasn't Gunn's first foray into the superhero genre, however. That title belongs to his 2010 film Super, starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon and Nathan Fillion. Wilson stars as Frank Darbo, a short-order cook who only has two good memories from his "disappointing life," marrying his wife Sarah (Tyler), and a time where he helped a cop catch a purse snatcher. Sarah eventually leaves Frank for a strip club owner named Jacques (Bacon), who gets her hooked on drugs. This causes Frank to sink into a depression, and then later have a vision in which he's touched by the hand of God and meets the Holy Avenger (Fillion), who tells Frank that God has chosen him for a very special purpose. Frank does what any normal human being would do, and creates a superheroic alter-ego for himself called Crimson Bolt. He's then joined by a foul-mouthed comic book store clerk named Libby (Page), who assists him as his sidekick Boltie. Frank takes to the streets with a pipe wrench and "fights crime" by brutally beating various rule breakers and shouting his catch phrase, "Shut up, crime!" Eventually, he gains public attention and eventually goes after Jacques to save his wife. Super was thought of as a simple Kick-Ass clone before it came out... but it's so much more than that. It's incredibly weird, very funny and packed with some deep emotional stuff, all sandwiched between bizarre and darkly comedic moments. It's frankly one of the weirdest entries on this list... but that's what landed Gunn the Guardians gig, and we're totally okay with that. 8) Defendor Like Super, Defendor tells the story of a broken man who adopts the persona of a real-life superhero. Directed by Peter Stebbings, the 2009 film stars Woody Harrelson as Arthur Poppington, a mentally ill man who dresses up as a vigilante named Defendor on a quest to find his arch enemy, Captain Industry, who he believes is responsible for the death of his mother. The film isn't one of the best alternative superhero pics ever made, but is worth watching for Harrelson's performance alone. He's also joined by a cast that includes Kat Dennings (Thor: The Dark World), Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy), Elias Koteas (The Killing) and Michael Kelly (Man of Steel, House of Cards). If the darkly comedic, bizarre stylings of Gunn's Super aren't your style, and if more mainstream "real-life" superhero films like Kick-Ass are weighing you down, Defendor is definitely worth a look and offers enough comedic bits and comic sensibilities to satisfy your superhero craving. 7) Chronicle Found-footage films frequently walk a fine line between unique visual technique and cheap gimmick. Luckily, Chronicle falls into the category of the former, and is easily one of the more enjoyable and well-executed entries into the sub-genre. Directed by Josh Trank, who has now been given 2oth Century Fox's reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise, Chronicle stars Dane DeHaan (The Amazing Spider-Man 2), Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station, Fantastic Four) and Alex Russell (Carrie) as three Seattle high-school teenagers who stumble upon an unknown object that gives them telekinetic abilities. Over time, they begin to bond and experiment with their abilities, eventually learning to harness telekinesis for a variety of purposes, including flight. They first use these powers for harmless teenage mischief and personal gain, but DeHaan's character eventually goes down a darker path and begins using them for more sinister purposes. The found-footage effect is presented in a believable way, as most of the film takes place from footage picked from a camcorder that the characters carry around with them. As the action in the film gets bigger, the footage expands slowly into other recording devices, which perfectly fits the film's growing stakes and ambition. Chronicle cost a mere $12 million to make and grossed $126 million. Despite its initial success and acclaim, Fox has had a particularly hard time getting a sequel off the ground. That's okay, though, because Chronicle will survive just fine as a standalone gem in the alternative realm of superhero cinema. 6) Megamind It's a shame that we haven't received more animated superhero films released in theaters, because the few that we've seen have shown that it's easier to translate the iconic visuals of a comic book in animation than in live action. Take a film like Megamind, for example. The lead character's gigantic blue head and leather outfit wouldn't work anywhere else than on a comic book page or in a world created by DreamWorks Animation. Megamind is a clever retelling of the classic Superman/Lex Luthor relationship, but with a fun twist. The title character, played by Will Ferrell, is a super-intelligent supervillain with a nemesis beloved by the world over: the powerful and handsome Metro Man (Brad Pitt). After losing battle after battle with Metro Man, Megamind finally succeeds in destroying his nemesis... and then has to live in a world without him. What follows is not just a great examination of Superman's relationship with Lex Luthor, but a look at the superhero genre as a whole. Megamind eventually grows bored of having no one to fight and designs a new nemesis. Of course, not everything goes to plan, and he must try to set things right and discover a newfound purpose of becoming a hero instead of a villain. Megamind is incredibly funny and pokes a lot of fun at classic superhero tropes. While some people may not appreciate what DreamWorks has done here, I definitely dig it and would love to see more superhero films follow in a similar vein. 5) Kick-Ass Kick-Ass is the quintessential "real-life superhero" film, despite the fact that it sports some pretty outlandish concepts (the young and incredibly badass Hit-Girl only being one of them). The film sparked a not-so-stellar sequel, but stands well enough on its own without it. Based on the Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. comic of the same name, Kick-Ass was directed by Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class, Kingsman: The Secret Service) and stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Godzilla, Avengers: Age of Ultron) as ordinary teenager Dave Lizewski, who sets out to become a superhero after pondering why they don't exist outside of fiction. What follows is a sometimes brutal interpretation of how that situation might play out in the real world. Eventually, Kick-Ass catches the attention of vigilantes Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) and her father Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), and aids them in their fight against crime boss Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) and his son, played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Kick-Ass is an excellent interpretation of the source material, a ton of fun to watch, and is packed with some emotional that depth one wouldn't expect from a film like this. It also manages to play around with superhero staples, delivers one of Nicolas Cage's best performances in years, and lives up to its name and truly does kick ass. 4) Unbreakable Today it's hard to remember a time when M. Night Shyamalan was a reputable name in Hollywood and a director who cranked out original, interesting, and well made projects. He gets a lot of credit for directing The Sixth Sense, but Unbreakable may very well be his best film. Like Megamind, Unbreakable succeeds in taking classic superhero stories and the dichotomy of a hero and his arch-nemesis and gives it a new spin. The film tells the tale of a Philadelphia security guard named David Dunn (Bruce Willis), who slowly discovers that he possesses super-human abilities. He's helped along by a stranger named Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), who was born with Type 1 osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare disease that causes his bones to break incredibly easily. Shyamalan meant for the film to serve as a parallel to the three-part structure of the traditional superhero origin story. Rather than portraying a regular man's rise to becoming a superhero, the film takes its time and examines how Dunn's discovery of his abilities effects both him and his dysfunctional family. By the end it may be a bit frustrating, as Unbreakable feels like it really lacks a third act, but you have to give Shyamalan some credit for thinking outside the box and trying something new with a concept like this. 3) Hellboy & Hellboy II: The Golden Army 2004's Hellboy and its 2008 sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army aren't just two of the best efforts in director Guillermo del Toro's filmography. They're arguably two of the best comic book films ever made, and definitely belong near the top of this list. Based on the Mike Mignola graphic novels, the Hellboy films tell the tale of a demonic beast who comes through a dimensional portal in his youth and is raised by Trevor Bruttenholm (John Hurt), who later founds the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). Hellboy (played excellently by Ron Perlman) grows up to become one of BPRD's best, and most reckless, agents, and is joined by other super-human teammates, including an amphibious humanoid named Abe Sapien (David Hyde Pierce) and the volatile and pyrokinetic Liz (Selma Blair). The Hellboy films serve as an entertaining foray into the more supernatural corner of the comic book world, which we're rarely treated to. It only takes one viewing to see why del Toro is the perfect choice to make the long-rumored Justice League Dark adaptation for Warner Brothers, as his unique visual style and dark quirks serve the supernatural elements nicely. 2) Watchmen Zack Snyder has called his 2009 adaptation of Alan Moore's seminal graphic novel Watchmen "the anti-Avengers," and it's clear to see why. The film not only sports a much darker and more harrowing aesthetic and subject matter, but features a team of not-so-super heroes who disbanded but are brought back together when it's discovered that someone may be conspiring against them and attempting to kill them. Along the way, they discover that there's actually a much bigger, more sinister plot at play. Watchmen was deemed "un-filmable" for quite some time, by Snyder managed to give the graphic novel an incredibly true and respectable adaptation that I personally greatly enjoyed. The film stars Patrick Wilson as Nite Owl, a retired superhero similar to Batman, Billy Crudup as Dr. Manhattan, the only one with actual super powers, Matthew Goode as "the smartest man alive," Ozymandias, Jackie Earle Haley as masked and violent vigilante Rorschach, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian, a tough superhero commissioned by the U.S. government, and Malin Akerman as the crime fighter Silk Spectre. Existing within an alternate history, the film takes place in a world under constant threat of nuclear annihilation. If you're looking for "alternative" superhero cinema, it doesn't get any more subversive or twisted than this. 1) The Incredibles Like Megamind, The Incredibles shows that the only true way to bring superheroes to life is through computer animation. Brad Bird's 2004 film from Disney and Pixar tells the tale of a family of superheroes who have been forced to hide their powers and live a quiet, suburban life. That comes easier for some members of the household than others, but when a new threat arises, they all come out of hiding and band together as one to save the day. Bird himself has described the film as an homage to 1960s comic books and spy films, and those influences are clearly and loudly felt throughout. It's sports the fun, adventurous tone that audiences so crave from superhero cinema, but continue's Pixar's trend of imbuing the proceedings with heartfelt stories that carry true depth and emotion. The Incredibles succeeds as both a superhero comedy and a pastiche of classic superhero stories. It also manages to poke fun at the genre as a whole while fully embracing all of its quirks and cliches. Characters laugh about supervillain monologues and discuss the dangers of wearing capes on the job. But Bird never crosses the line and openly makes fun of the genre. Instead, his love of it shines through and makes The Incredibles one of the greatest and most enjoyable superhero films ever made. Tell us what did you think of this list? Are there any alternative superhero films we missed that you think belong with these entries? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.