Every 2016 Superhero Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

As the superhero movie genre continues to boom and shows no signs of fatigue, we are getting more and more comic book films every year. 2016 was a landmark year in this respect as all three of the major superhero movie universes – Disney’s MCU, Warner Bros’ DCEU and Fox’s X-Men universe – released two films a piece. Unfortunately, while this is heaven for any comic book fans old enough to remember when one big superhero film a year was a massive event, the high quantity of movies didn't exactly guarantee that each one would be of a high quality. In fact, the hit ratio this year was decidedly lacking. We’d argue less than half of 2016’s superhero movies truly nailed it. And that's including other comic book or superhero related films that were not from one of those three major franchises. Now that Doctor Strange has made its way into cinemas, we're taking a look back at every 2016 live-action superhero movie from worst to best. Take a look at them on the next page and if you disagree with us, be sure to leave own your list in the comments section down below.. 8) Max Steel You would be forgiven for never having heard of this movie before. Given the success of the superhero genre and the likes of Transformers, this adaptation of the Mattel toy range must have seemed like a surefire hit. Unfortunately, at some point the studio realized they had a turkey on their hands and quietly released the film in a blockbuster graveyard slot in October. Naturally, it subsequently sunk without a trace - hardly making back a quarter of its $20 million dollar budget. There's really no defending Max Steel. Despite a script from reliable Marvel screenwriter Christopher Yost (most known for his work on the Thor movies), it's a lifeless, joyless, studio-mandated attempt to kickstart a money-making superhero franchise. The plot is dumb and half-baked – something about a boy who meets a sentient alien suit of armour – and the designs and look of the film is ripped off from several other movies – chiefly Iron Man. Furthermore, the characters are thin, the actors are either bland or left to squander with the awful material and the direction from Stewart Hendler aims for stylish but is just plain distracting. You most likely would have done anyway, but we would urge you to avoid this paint-by-numbers superhero origin movie. 7) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – from producer Michael Bay – offended many fans of those beloved heroes in a half-shell due to its creepy CGI realization of the characters, muddled storytelling and general Bayisms (e.g. leering over Megan Fox). The sequel didn’t have a high bar to match, then, so it won’t come as a surprise that Out of the Shadows is better than its predecessor. That said, it's still not a great movie. Dave Green's Out of the Shadows does go some way in winning back the fans by drawing much more from the 1980s cartoon series, including appearances from Shredder’s bumbling henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady. The Turtles are also more at the front and centre of the movie, with Fox’s April and Will Arnett as her cameraman pushed to the sidelines. On the other hand, the movie is even stranger and crazier than the last one, with a bizarre plot that's hard to get your head around just because it's so nonsensical. The excessive action also means that such things as character depth are swept aside. Then again, both of these criticisms are just indicative of the sort of film this is. You don’t expect intelligent human drama in a movie about pizza-loving martial artist reptiles. Unfortunately for TMNT fans, Out of the Shadows’ poor box office performance has led to the announcement that a third film is probably not in the works. 6) Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice At this point, it just feels mean-spirited to criticize Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. After being one of the most hyped superhero movie events ever, many fans found the film to be a crushing letdown – not all, it has to be said, but definitely the majority. So, just why did it disappoint so many? Well, unfortunately, that question has many answers. With a dour tone, a meandering story and some supremely silly moments, BvS might have distinctive and stylish visuals but it stinks in the story department. Anyone only interested in the titular fight between Bats and Supes will be left infuriated, as well, as it's basically over before it's even begun (and it ends in the most ludicrous of ways). Half the members of the cast – Henry Cavill included – are hardly given anything to do, while others like Jesse Eisenberg are just miscast. On the other hand, Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot make great first impressions and we look forward to seeing what they can do outside of the confines of this movie. The money men at Warner Bros. won’t be paying much attention to the criticism, as the film still made something approaching $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Geoff Johns, Zack Snyder and the creative team, however, will be looking to avoid BvS’ reception with next year’s Justice League. 5) Suicide Squad It’s a tough choice to pick between BvS and Suicide Squad, as both came as disappointments after some strong publicity campaigns that got us very excited. While BvS was the big, serious tentpole release, Suicide Squad looked to be a breath of fresh air – the anarchic younger cousin of the DCEU that championed the villains for a change. In the result, it shared many of the same problems with the previous film. In its bid to capture the fun spirit of that other ensemble comic book film about a group of anti-heroes (hint: it rhymes with Ruardians of the Ralaxy), Suicide Squad was fast-paced and hyperactive at the expense of a clear, engrossing narrative. There was a lot of enjoyment to be had from certain characters or specific scenes, but the whole product was harmed by the choppy editing. One major area of contention was Jared Leto’s Joker, in terms of his physical appearance and the changes made to his relationship with Harley Quinn. On the upside, Margot Robbie’s Harley became an instant icon and managed to please most of the character’s millions of fans out there. As yet, we haven’t seen the Extended Edition, so it’s unknown if Suicide Squad can still be saved. Our guess though is this one will always be widely written off as a letdown, even if it develops a cult fanbase over time. 4) X-Men: Apocalypse While the rest of the year’s superhero movies tried to break out of the mold, X-Men: Apocalypse was resolutely determined to offer a slice of superhero movie 101 – with lots of city-levelling action and a villain out for world domination. While old school fans who were bored of superheroes fighting superheroes might have welcomed the return to the norm, others felt that Apocalypse was simply a reheat of bits from several previous X-Men movies, without bringing anything new to the table. That said, at least Apocalypse is competently put together, unlike its DCEU compatriots. Bryan Singer has now been helming these movies for 16 years, so he can probably direct an X-Men film with his eyes closed. Likewise, several members of the cast turned in great performances. Evan Peters was great value as Quicksilver, Jennifer Lawrence got to complete Mystique’s character arc and Michael Fassbender was on fire, in one hugely traumatic scene in particular. Sadly, the film did manage to totally waste the considerable talents of Oscar Isaac in the title role. As it is, Apocalypse is comfortably the weakest of the First Class trilogy, but it's certainly better than the worst efforts of the X-Men franchise. Just like Singer seemed happy to aim for, it’s a decent popcorn-muncher and an entertaining enough way to while away a couple of hours. Call it a distinctly mid-level entry into the genre. 3) Deadpool The first superhero movie of the year set the bar high in terms of both audience reaction and box office success. A few years ago, it was unthinkable that a foul-mouthed, irreverent character like Deadpool would get his own film (hence his butchered appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine). Yet ,2016 granted fans of the Merc with a Mouth their dearest wish and brought the anti-hero to the screen entirely faithfully in a movie that perfectly matched its central character. From the hilarious opening credits to the Ferris Bueller-parodying mid closing credits scene, Deadpool was the most tonally original superhero film in years. Ryan Reynolds thankfully got another crack at the whip and nailed it this time, while director Tim Miller should be commended for making the most of the R-rating in some great action sequences. Yes, once you get past the anarchic, self-aware humour, it does have all the usual superhero origins story tropes in tow. Sometimes, though, we don’t mind a familiar package if it’s wrapped up in a new and refreshing way. The news that Miller is standing down as the director on the sequel is a sad one. But, whatever stumbling blocks Deadpool II is facing at the moment, the first one’s success has ensured that Ryan Reynolds is now the new face of the X-Men franchise. Take that, Hugh Jackman! 2) Doctor Strange Fourteen movies in, and not even the introduction of magic and mysticism can stop the Marvel Cinematic Universe in its tracks. Those who worried that Doctor Strange would be one step too many for the franchise can rest assured that it is another very solid installment from the Marvel machine. Benedict Cumberbatch is naturally on fine form as one of those arrogant geniuses he so likes to play, and he's ably supported by a terrific cast including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong and Tilda Swinton (who seriously threatens to steal the film as the Ancient One). Still, it’s not the actors who are the main draw here, but the visuals. Director Scott Derrickson delivers the most eye-popping Marvel movie yet, as Strange and his cohorts warp reality in a series of psychedelic, trippy action sequences. Visually, it's probably the studio's most exciting film yet. The only sizeable issue with Doctor Strange is that, beneath the magic, we have seen a lot of the elements before in previous movies. But you can’t blame the Marvel people for sticking to their winning formula. And as long as we enjoy the results, it’s not necessarily a negative. After this, we definitely look forward to seeing Strange interact with the other Avengers in Infinity War and in a sequel which can more fully explore this fascinating corner of the MCU. 1) Captain America: Civil War There's only one film that can be claimed as the best superhero movie of the year. Bringing just about every hero in the MCU together for an emotionally-resonant, fanboy-pleasing punch-up, Captain America: Civil War was everything we hoped it would be. It’s tough to say whether it is the best Marvel movie so far, but it's certainly up there. Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. both give terrific performances as the two friends brought into conflict by both their differing ideologies and their personal feelings for the Winter Soldier. The Russos’ direction is superb, and marries the grand comic book splash panel fight scenes (oh boy, that airport sequence) with the more down-to-earth tone of The Winter Soldier. Not to mention the fact that it gave us two great non-origin story superhero debuts in Spider-Man and Black Panther. Earning comfortably over $1 billion at the global box office, Civil War stands as the highest-grossing film of the year. Obviously all the previous movies helped to give it a boost, but what this really proves is that if you give the public a good film they'll come to watch it. Let’s hope all the various superhero movie franchises out there remember that in future.