8 Of the Most Underrated Comic Book Movies of the Past Decade
1. Bloodshot
Starring Vin Diesel as Ray Garrison, Bloodshot is iconic because it’s Valiant Entertainment’s first stab at the big screen. It also acts as the beginning of a new era not just for Valiant, but for the comic book film genre in general. Ray Garrison is a unique character for Vin Diesel to play because of his vulnerability and brokenness, contrasting the typical character Diesel has played in the past. This fresh character combines with the video game-style graphics and a plot that stays true to its original comic book roots for a satisfying watch. Valiant was acquired by Dan Mintz of DMG Entertainment in 2018, with big plans for the development of the Valiant franchise.
2. Batman VS Superman: Dawn Of Justice
Though lacking some depth in the plot, Batman VS Superman: Dawn Of Justice has some flashes of style. Director Zack Snyder’s interpretation of Batman (Ben Affleck) is modern and bad-ass, interestingly contrasting with the more old-fashioned interpretation of Superman (Henry Cavill).
3. Dark Knight Rises
Okay, it’s not exactly ‘underrated’ - but Heath Ledger always gets all the attention when it comes to Batman. Following the success of Dark Knight and the iconic role of Ledger’s Joker, (a character that many claim to have killed him) Dark Knight Rises gave the world another legendary, meme-worthy villain with Bane. Tom Hardy’s performance as Bane is just as untouchable as the previous Batman film’s head villain. Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman character gets an honorable mention too.
4. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World was a box office bomb, but then slowly became a cult classic after the world acquired a much-deserved taste for it. Based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley, the film decided to cast deliciously awkward Micheal Cera as Scott Pilgrim, and then have him embark on a mission to battle 7 of his ex-girlfriends in order to win over another woman, Ramona Flowers. Bill Pope, who contributed to the visual effects on the Matrix movies, also worked on Scott Pilgrim.
5. Aquaman
Aquaman did an amazing job of not taking itself too seriously, relaxing the overall vibe of the film with funny and ironically cringey moments. One of the most notable of these moments is when Aquaman and Mera emerge from the ocean and then walk onto the beach while a cover of Toto’s Africa by Pitbull starts playing. Seeing Willem Dafoe ride an armored hammerhead shark was also really satisfying.
6. Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse
The fact that an animated Spider-Man movie could unexpectedly outshine so many high budget superhero and comic book films of its time makes this possibly the most underrated comic book movie of the past decade. The animation and its style make it a literal comic book movie, totally bringing the pages of a comic book onto the big screen. The script, written by Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman, perfectly tells the classic story of the kid from Brooklyn who gets bitten by a radioactive spider.
1. Bloodshot
Starring Vin Diesel as Ray Garrison, Bloodshot is iconic because it’s Valiant Entertainment’s first stab at the big screen. It also acts as the beginning of a new era not just for Valiant, but for the comic book film genre in general. Ray Garrison is a unique character for Vin Diesel to play because of his vulnerability and brokenness, contrasting the typical character Diesel has played in the past. This fresh character combines with the video game-style graphics and a plot that stays true to its original comic book roots for a satisfying watch. Valiant was acquired by Dan Mintz of DMG Entertainment in 2018, with big plans for the development of the Valiant franchise.
2. Batman VS Superman: Dawn Of Justice
Though lacking some depth in the plot, Batman VS Superman: Dawn Of Justice has some flashes of style. Director Zack Snyder’s interpretation of Batman (Ben Affleck) is modern and bad-ass, interestingly contrasting with the more old-fashioned interpretation of Superman (Henry Cavill).
3. Dark Knight Rises
Okay, it’s not exactly ‘underrated’ - but Heath Ledger always gets all the attention when it comes to Batman. Following the success of Dark Knight and the iconic role of Ledger’s Joker, (a character that many claim to have killed him) Dark Knight Rises gave the world another legendary, meme-worthy villain with Bane. Tom Hardy’s performance as Bane is just as untouchable as the previous Batman film’s head villain. Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman character gets an honorable mention too.
4. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World was a box office bomb, but then slowly became a cult classic after the world acquired a much-deserved taste for it. Based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley, the film decided to cast deliciously awkward Micheal Cera as Scott Pilgrim, and then have him embark on a mission to battle 7 of his ex-girlfriends in order to win over another woman, Ramona Flowers. Bill Pope, who contributed to the visual effects on the Matrix movies, also worked on Scott Pilgrim.
5. Aquaman
Aquaman did an amazing job of not taking itself too seriously, relaxing the overall vibe of the film with funny and ironically cringey moments. One of the most notable of these moments is when Aquaman and Mera emerge from the ocean and then walk onto the beach while a cover of Toto’s Africa by Pitbull starts playing. Seeing Willem Dafoe ride an armored hammerhead shark was also really satisfying.
6. Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse
The fact that an animated Spider-Man movie could unexpectedly outshine so many high budget superhero and comic book films of its time makes this possibly the most underrated comic book movie of the past decade. The animation and its style make it a literal comic book movie, totally bringing the pages of a comic book onto the big screen. The script, written by Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman, perfectly tells the classic story of the kid from Brooklyn who gets bitten by a radioactive spider.
