The Dark Knight is often held up as the “Citizen Kane of superhero movies,” and for good reason. Christopher Nolan’s 2008 masterpiece was a rich crime epic that explored issues relating to surveillance, escalation, the war on terror, duality, and inherent vices, and wrapped it up with some of the most satisfying elements of the DC comics mythology. The Dark Knight isn’t just hailed as a great genre film, but a work of prestige filmmaking that ranks as one of the best and most influential works of American cinema within the 21st century.
There have been very few superhero films that have come close to matching what The Dark Knight did, as Nolan’s film had a clarity of vision; while he was inspired by the original stories by Bob Kane, he did not have to set up an extended universe or include post-credit scenes. While it may be an insurmountable masterpiece, there are some other superhero films that have captured some of the same brilliance. These ten superhero movies are almost as good as The Dark Knight.
10

‘Unbreakable’ (2000)

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Image via Buena Vista Pictures

Unbreakable is a film that was ahead of its time, as it’s possible that audiences would have responded more favorably to M. Night Shyamalan’s subversive origin film if it has been released in an era where superhero cinema was more popular. While it was initially a box office disappointment, it became successful enough as a cult classic that it eventually inspired the spinoffs Split and Glass, which helped to reunite the original cast.
Unbreakable has a brilliant premise, as it revolves around the superpowered man David Dunn (Bruce Willis), who is informed of his abilities by the mysterious comic book collector Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson). While Shyamalan is often criticized for the way he ends his films with a twist, the final reveal made in Unbreakable is a satisfying one, and makes the story even stronger upon every rewatch.

Unbreakable

Release Date

November 22, 2000

Runtime

106 minutes

9

‘Batman Returns’ (1992)

Directed by Tim Burton

Image via Warner Bros.

Batman Returns was a subversive sequel that became more stylized, experimental, and disturbing than its predecessor; in the same way that there was a significant uptick in quality between Nolan’s first two superhero movies, Tim Burton perfected the version of Gotham City that he had created in the 1989 Batman film.
Batman Returns is a dark, psychological film about broken people, and crafts an interesting series of relationships between Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton), Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfieffer), and Oswald Cobblepot (Danny DeVito), each of whom suffer from severe psychological disorders. Burton embraced the neo-noir sensibilities of his version of Gotham, and wrapped up the story in a holiday setting, which has turned it into a great Christmas film for those that like to watch darker things during the holiday season. It’s not just better than Batman, but one of Burton’s best films overall.

8

‘Superman: The Movie’ (1978)

Directed by Richard Donner

Image via Warner Bros.

Superman: The Movie was the first film to prove that superheroes had a place on the big screen, and still holds up today as one of the most purely entertaining blockbusters ever made. While there are too many modern superhero films that aim to be irreverent, smug, and self-referential, Superman: The Movie was unafraid to be completely sincere, as it celebrated the wholesome story of a child of two different worlds.
Superman: The Movie benefitted from one of the greatest casting decisions in comic book film history, as Christopher Reeve personified the charisma, integrity, and humanity that made Clark Kent such a great character, which made his transformation into the Man of Steel even more inspiring. Even though the sequels began to steadily decline in quality as they grew sillier, Reeve’s performance as the Man of Tomorrow was always excellent.

7

‘The Incredibles’ (2004)

Directed by Brad Bird

Image via Pixar Animation Studios

The Incredibles is one of the best films Pixar has ever made, even though Brad Bird’s superhero adventure story is a lot darker than it is remembered as being. The Incredibles is set within a world in which people feel that they no longer need superheroes, leaving all the former caped crusaders to live domestic lives where they don’t feel that they are doing any acts of heroism or providing any service that betters society.
The Incredibles is a great family drama that explores how each of the characters’ personalities are exemplified by their powers, and captures many of the struggles met by different generations. Although it’s a film that draws from some elements of classic science fiction, it is very impressive that Bird was able to craft a fully fleshed out universe based purely on ideas from his own imagination.

6

‘Spider-Man 2’ (2004)

Directed by Sam Raimi

Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment

Spider-Man 2 is one of the best sequels ever made, as Sam Raimi was able to go into more depth with the world that he had so brilliantly established in the first Spider-Man film from 2002. Like The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2 has the benefit of having an amazing villain; Dr. Otto Octavian (Alfred Molina) is a tragic character who forms an interesting dynamic with Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire).
Spider-Man 2 perfectly embraces the source material, as it adds a good amount of humor, but isn’t afraid to take things seriously when it comes to the complex romantic relationship between Peter and Mark Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). Given that Raimi was previously best known for his work on the Evil Dead franchise, it’s not surprising that Spider-Man 2 also contains some elements of body horror that make it more intense.

5

‘Logan’ (2017)

Directed by James Mangold

Image via 20th Century Studios

Logan is one of the rare superhero films that has a sense of closure, as it offered a beautiful ending to the story of the X-Men franchise that had begun in 2000. Logan examines how a much older Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is once again forced to become a hero, despite the fact that he has grown to see many of his friends perish and die.
Logan was able to tell a grittier, darker story that drew from classic westerns like Shane and Unforgiven, while also offering a definitive conclusion to the story arc of Patrick Stewart’s Professor Charles Xavier in a heartbreaking emotional play. Like The Dark Knight, Logan was both a massive box office sensation and an award season player; it became the first superhero film to ever receive an Academy Award nomination in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.

4

‘The Crow’ (1994)

Directed by Alex Proyas

Image via Dimension Films

The Crow is a dark, disturbing revenge thriller that became a cult classic, inspiring a new generation of gothic neo-noir revenge films. Director Alex Proyas created a unique visual style that combined intense martial arts, elements of supernatural paranoia, and a shadowy presence of darkness that felt like a real nightmare brought to life.
The Crow is a film that has unfortunately become impossible to separate from its real-life tragedy, as the actor Brandon Lee was killed in an on-set accident. While Lee’s likeness was recreated in order to complete the film, his presence makes the story of a resurrected avenge even more eerie in retrospect. Few superhero films are this stylized and subversive, but The Crow also has a powerful story about the capacity for love that spans time and space, which keeps it grounded in a sense of genuine emotion.

3

‘V for Vendetta’ (2005)

Directed by James McTeigue

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

V for Vendetta is an adaptation of one of the greatest graphic novels of all-time, as Alan Moore’s original work is considered to be a modern classic. V for Vendetta is as much a story about superheroes as it is about vigilantes; the film follows the enigmatic freedom fighter known only as “V” (Hugo Weaving), who protects the young girl Eve (Natalie Portman) and leads her to lead a resistance movement against the totalitarian government.
V for Vendetta contains one of the best depictions of fascism in modern media, as it shows how a vindictive government can take control of the media, police force, and every level of societal infrastructure. Although the film brilliantly utilizes the stylistic action style made popular by The Matrix, it also contains important political rhetoric that has grown even more relevant within the last few years.

2

‘The Batman’ (2022)

Directed by Matt Reeves

Image via DC

The Batman is unlike any other superhero film, as Matt Reeves crafted an epic, three-hour crime film that explored a “cat and mouse” chase between Robert Pattinson’s Batman and the elusive serial killer known as “The Riddler” (Paul Dano). While The Batman is certainly inspired by crime classics like Zodiac and Chinatown, it’s also a perfect character study about Bruce Wayne himself; over the course of the film, Bruce learns that being a hero of the people is very different from being a violent vigilante that beats criminals to a pulp.
The music, production design, score, and excellent cinematography by Greg Fraser are incredible, making The Batman one of the most aesthetically pleasing superhero films ever made. While there was trepidation about a new Batman film after the success of The Dark Knight, Reeves proved himself worthy of fulfilling Nolan’s legacy.

1

‘Batman Begins’ (2005)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Batman Begins is the first installment in Nolan’s superhero trilogy, and was the first film to truly embrace Batman’s origin story. Using a brilliant non-linear structure, Nolan explored the key events that shaped Bruce (Christian Bale) into a student of the League of Shadows, and explained why he was inspired to return to his home in Gotham City to take down the institutions of corruption and criminality.
Bale gives an amazing performance that embraces the duality of the character, which is made even better thanks to Nolan’s commitment to realism. While it was the first Batman film to truly explore him as a character, Batman Begins also did a great job at spotlighting supporting figures like Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), the the original character Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes).

KEEP READING: 10 James Bond Movies That Are Good, Not Great