Blade (and Blade II)
Looking back now, it feels crazy to think that either of the first two Blade films received a less-than-positive reaction. 1998’s Blade, starring Wesley Snipes as the titular Daywalker, helped kickstart the comic movie boom of the 2000s. It also proved that comic properties can be successful with an R-rating and delivered one of the most memorable Marvel movie scenes of all time with the infamous blood rave.
Blade II saw legendary director Guillermo del Toro helm a Marvel project, bringing the kind of imagination and ingenuity that he has become so well known for.
Those first two Blade films are just below the 60% threshold required for a “fresh” designation on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning that nearly half of the reviews submitted for the films were negative. Time, however, has been much kinder to Blade and Blade II. On Letterboxd, the popular review site and social media service of choice amongst film buffs, Blade and Blade II hold ratings of 3.4 and 3.2 out of 5, respectively. Many prominent critics and film voices have given those films four and five star ratings on the site in recent years.
The massive wave of superhero films over the last decade, and the overall sameness that has plagued much of the genre, has painted Blade in a new, much more positive light.
Man of Steel
To say that Zack Snyder’s DC films are divisive would be a massive understatement. While a group of the filmmaker’s dedicated followers have vocally defended his comic book movies, they haven’t always clicked with critics or casual moviegoers.
Man of Steel is largely the exception to that rule, though. The Superman relaunch in 2013 gave us Henry Cavill as Clark Kent, one of the most well-received casting decisions to come out of DC movies in the last decade. Michael Shannon delivered a fantastic performance as General Zod. And Snyder managed to avoid many of the story pitfalls that plague his other films, while putting his trademark visual style to good use.
There may be a couple of questionable decisions made in Man of Steel, but none of them are major difference-makers in the long run. Had Snyder been able to take the focus he demonstrated in Man of Steel to his next couple of DC films, the franchise may not be in the middle of a hard reset.
Constantine
Keanu Reeves’ Constantine movie was years ahead of its time. In a post-John Wick world, Reeves’ talents are much more understood, and there’s certainly a bigger appetite for supernatural blockbusters.
The fact that Constantine is likely getting a sequel from Reeves and director Francis Lawrence tells you all you need to know about how this film has aged with audiences. It’s a bonafide cult classic that would’ve been an instant hit had it been released a decade later.
Batman Forever (and Batman & Robin)
Joel Schumacher’s two Batman outings are just too insane not to adore. Neither are particularly “good,” but they’re both so off their rocker and unique that they provide seemingly infinite rewatch value.
Batman Forever gave us one of the most killer villain duos in history, with Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey playing unhinged versions of Two-Face and the Riddler, respectively. The fact that they hated each other on set makes the energy of their on-screen relationship even more chaotic.
And who can forget the Bat-nippled, pun-filled antics of Batman & Robin? It’s genuinely one of the zaniest, most outrageous comic book adaptations to hit the screen. That may not have been what anyone wanted in the mid-90s, but it makes for an incredibly fun time now.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
There are plenty of flaws to be found in Andrew Garfield’s second outing as Spider-Man, but the massive swings taken in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 deliver far more hits than misses.
Any time Garfield and Emma Stone share the screen as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy is electric. Dane DeHaan was such an inspired choice for Harry Osborne and it’s unfortunate we didn’t get to see more of him. And Jamie Foxx was a great Electro! Yes, the character design was awful, but look at what he was able to do with a better look in Spider-Man: No Way Home. If you’re willing to look past the bright blue makeover, Electro’s journey in this movie is actually very good.
Had Sony not been pushing so hard to build out a bigger universe and set up a Sinister Six movie, the reaction to Amazing Spider-Man 2 would’ve been a lot better.
Eternals
Like Constantine and Blade, we’re going to look back on Eternals a decade from now and realize how ahead of its time Chloe Zhao’s sweeping superhero epic actually was.
Eternals is one of the only MCU films that actually has its own look and style. Zhao utilized natural light as much as possible to give us a more beautiful view of that universe than any of her predecessors. Just from a technical standpoint Eternals is miles ahead of most contemporary Marvel movies.
The cast of Eternals is an all-time ensemble, led by stars like Angelina Jolie and Selma Hayek. But it’s the younger, rising stars that really steal the show. Brian Tyree Henry and Barry Keoghan both bring the house down on multiple occasions, and Lauren Ridloff is nothing short of mesmerizing. This collection of stars all understand the assignment and keep the film toeing the line of heartbreak and joy that is the human condition.
People didn’t like the unconventional narrative structure of Eternals, and the fact that it focused more on the love story between gods and men as opposed to more traditional superhero antics clearly didn’t sit well with some. But Eternals has the worst Rotten Tomatoes score of any film in the MCU is simply baffling.
One day Eternals will get the respect it deserves. One day…
Daredevil
Is the Charlie Cox Daredevil series a better take on the character than the Ben Affleck version that hit theaters back in 2003? Yes, and it’s a tough case to argue against. But that doesn’t mean the Affleck movie isn’t also pretty good in its own right.
Certain parts of Daredevil haven’t aged all that well, especially when it comes to the film’s dialogue. Other elements of the movie, however, have only become more exciting in the 20 years since its release. Colin Farrell’s Bullseye is without a doubt one of the most memorable villains in any Marvel movie. He’s crazy in the most perfect way, and he’s made even better when paired with controlling presence of Michael Clarke Duncan’s Kingpin.
There’s a creative edge to Daredevil that is about as 2003 as you can get, and it feels so refreshing after seeing more than a decade of MCU storytelling. More movies should be willing to show their character sleeping in a water coffin to drown out the noise of New York City, set to the melodic sounds of 2000s butt rock. Why is that a vibe we stopped trying to capture?
I wish Affleck’s Batman movies would’ve had the same energy.
Ghost Rider
Not to be lazy, but a lot of what I said about Affleck’s Daredevil movie also applies to Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider. This film is very much a product of its time and makes for a phenomenal rewatch in the 2020s.
There isn’t another actor alive who makes the kind of choices that Cage does. His acting style is so one-of-one that they made an entire movie about it, starring Cage as himself. That style is on full display in Ghost Rider, making it unlike any other Marvel movie to-date.
The pseudo-grunge soundtrack holds up. The look of his actual Ghost Rider is fantastic. Cage is committed in a way that is truly necessary if you want to bring the Spirit of Vengeance to life. And let’s not forget this movie also features a scene in which Sam Elliott hops onto a horse and turns into an Old West Ghost Rider, blazing a path through the desert alongside Johnny Blaze. That scene alone is enough to make Ghost Rider a film worth revisiting every couple of years.
Ghost Rider is a wonderfully cinematic character, and it’s disappointing we haven’t seen another crack at it on the big screen.
