Amazon Prime Video's Top Superhero Movies
There's a reason why superhero movies have become so popular and have seen a massive resurgence in the 2000's. It's not that they weren't around, they were just fewer and further between. Some part of it is the pure power of technology. While watching Superman from the 70's is awesome (RIP Christopher Reeve), it's hard to compare it to the massive impact IMAX and 3D/4D viewing has made on movie going, and movie productions.
Also, the world has been changing. The troubles that hound us are no longer "simple", they are incredibly complex and have become far more social, and while we can talk to our friends who live thousands of miles away at a push of a button, loneliness and solitude have become much more pronounced.
Lastly, heroes are no just super anymore, as you can see from the list below. They are flawed. We need these giants to show us their true selves, warts and all, and these days, we get to see it. Batman's phobias, misfit teenagers, and aging mutants that have seen it all, and are tired.
But we're not. We want it all, and we'll take our heroes as they are, and have the most fun ever watching them win, whether it's their very first fight, or their last.
Here are 9 of the best superhuman movies that you can watch right now on Amazon Prime Video.
WONDER WOMAN (2017)
Most people know and remember this phenomenal superhero movie as the first big role of talented Israeli actress, Gal Gadot, but there are so many reasons why this movie broke more glass ceilings than most. First, let's talk money. It made over $100 million in it's opening weekend, the first to star a female superhero, AND the first with a female director (Patty Jenkins). This is also a first superhero that follows her heart, and uses compassion, empathy and love, more than any kind of need for vengeance or glory. The supporting cast is also unique, boasting Saïd Taghmaoui (Moroccan), Eugene Brave Rock (Native American), and plenty of nationalities like British, American, Australian, French, Russian and Japanese. As a side note, Patty Jenkins made sure that 95% of the entire crew were all women.
The story is pretty spectacular. An entire island of Amazonian women spends their days training, riding horses, wearing lots of gold, and just being awesome. One day, a human male washes up on Themyscira, which is hidden from the world by magic, a fighter pilot in WW2 trying to beat the Germans. Diana (Wonder Woman!) brings him in to nurse him back to health. He's the first man she's ever seen, and needless to say, they get along. But Steve the pilot brings devastating news about the war, and Diana refuses to stand aside, going back with Steve to the "real" world. She discovers that her actual enemy is not a nation, but Ares, the God of War himself. Will she, her pack of misfits and Steve, be able to win this battle for all of mankind?
BATMAN & ROBIN (1997)
This now infamous film is so well known for it's awful, horrible, huge failure that it's become a true cult classic, whether you love Batman or not. So much so that George Clooney has been known to give people their money back that have seen it, true story. There's so much to see, and hear here: the ice puns made by Dr. Freeze ("Freeze in hell, Batman!"), the cartoonish way in which Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) kisses men and they fall madly in love, Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone) is super hot and rides a motorcycle like a badass, the knucklehead Bane keeps bumping into things, Alfred uses a super high tech computer that Batman doesn't even know how to use... The list is long. Though this was voted as #1 in Empire magazine's "50 Worst Movies Ever" (February, 2010), we think it's what makes it so delicious.
The story is a irrelevant, because frankly, watching this in the 2020's is a riot, everything feels like a joke. But, here goes. Gotham City once again faces an evil, horrible bad guy, and he's called Mr. Freeze. We love Schwarzenegger in this role, he brings giddy fun to freezing everything with a giant freeze gun. He's making all this fuss because he believes that by freezing the city he will find a cure for his sick wife. Enter the glorious Poison Ivy, who causes Robin to fall in love with her, and wants plants to take over the world. Lastly, we get Alicia Silverstone to help the duo out. Will they be able to defeat what feels like 400 evil bad people in this film and save Gotham City?
MEGAMIND (2010)
Will Ferrell voicing a character can result in either two outcomes: a terrible mess, or a brilliant performance that's perfect for the role. Thankfully, this movie was the latter, proving once again just how huge, and just how popular animation movies are, and probably always will be. The roster of actors on this films is pretty incredible: Tina Fey, Brad Pitt, Ben Stiller, J.K. Simmons, just to name a few. With the tagline "It's big for a reason", you know that both kids and adults are going to have a great time. When the movie creators came together to make this movie, they used a singular tagline that they followed through the near decade it took to make: What would have happened if Lex Luthor killed Superman?
This film was also surprising and unusual, because it starts with Megamind killing his nemesis, Metro Man, who is the good guy. Whoa! Go easy on the kids there, DreamWorks! There's just one problem. After killing his rival, he's alone. There are no other superheros left. What's an evil genius with a giant head to do? Well, he tries to go on a date with reporter Roxanne Ritchie (Tina Fey). They end up falling in love, but that's not enough for Megamind, he needs a rival. A terrible accident happens and he accidentally makes Roxanne's cameraman, Hal, into an evil Titan. Will Megamind join forces with him and become even worse, or will he decide to switch to the good side and rescue planet earth?
BLACK PANTHER (2018)
This Oscar winning blockbuster made a splash throughout the world, reaching corners few have reached before, or after. With an almost exclusively black cast, this movie was considered a huge risk, especially considering the hundreds of millions spent to make it. Obviously, the risk payed off. Partially because this was no regular superhero movie, it was a teaching moment for us all. The way the Wakanda world was crafted, the different tribes, cultures, hundreds of extras from different African countries, women were shown as powerful and strong as the other warriors, different standards of beauty were introduced, and it felt like there was space for everyone.
The story revolves around T'Challa (RIP Chadwick Boseman), who returns to Wakanda from the real world after the death of his father, the King. This stunning, technologically advanced society is hidden from the rest of us, yet has the power to cure diseases and create weapons that don't exist in the regular human world. But things have changed in Wakanda since he's been gone, and he is confronted with a lot of opposition, others who are desperate to take the crown for themselves. So, he decides to team up with a CIA agent. Will they success in stopping Wakanda entering a third world war with the rest of the world?
CATWOMAN (2004)
Coming straight off her Oscar win for her incredible role in "Monster's Ball", Halle Berry decided it was time to let her hair down and paint the town red. In other words, she wanted to have some fun while dressed in a leather cat suit and perform tons of cool stunts. To this day, she stands by her decision to make this ill-fated superhero film, and even went to the Razzie awards in person to accept "Worst Actress" with a huge smile on her face. It's true, this is one of those movies that you love to hate, but you still love it. Sharon Stone does a great job here playing an evil sociopath, and watching the two collide is a delight. Could there have been an actual plot? Sure. Could more have been done with this originally complex character? Sure. But then it wouldn't be such a great, feel good, terrible movie.
Speaking of plot, this one is super complex so hold on. Patience is a shy, meek, frumpy looking woman that doesn't have a great sense of fashion, or, a boyfriend. This is terrible, of course. So, the only logical thing to do is visit a mystical woman with 500 cats and get marked by one called Midnight. Patience then discovers that the cosmetics company she works for is actually harming innocent people with their evil face cream. Patience runs off with these important papers, but gets chased down, and falls into the river. Cats revive her, led by Midnight, and suddenly, she's Cat Woman. Her hair is short and awesome, her clothes are tight, she can play basketball for some reason, and drinks a lot of milk. Will Patience have the strength to save women all over the world from buying this dangerous face cream?
DEADPOOL (2016)
This 2016 monstrosity of a hit, especially with those who adore violence, lots of swearing, blood gushing and bad guys getting their butts kicked, became a shocker to the entire Hollywood community, for multiple reasons. First, when it came out, there were a bunch of other superhero movies also in that space, such as Justice League, and Batman Vs. Superman. These were super polished, PG rated, good overcomes evil, no swearing allowed blockbusters. And here comes this silly guy, one of the biggest anti-heroes around, talking to your face, and breaking that precious fourth wall. The word Meta was made for Deadpool.
Another reason was Ryan Reynolds, who spearheaded the creation of this film and script for over a decade. At the time, he was mostly known as the "funny guy", but not a powerhouse of entertainment. The PR campaigns were also a surprise, with the main character making fun of Wolverine, and sitting on a fur rug, seducing you to watch the film. Also, unlike all the Avengers gang, for example, no one in the film was well known, other than Reynolds.
The story here is simple, yet effective. Wade Wilson is a mercenary who falls in love with a young woman. They're happy and all, but then he's diagnosed with terminal cancer. An unknown bad guy offers a cure, and even superpowers, but the cost is his body being completely disfigured. Will Deadpool find this awful sadist, kill him, and rescue his girl? You gotta watch to find out.
KICK-ASS (2010)
Something that has become, happily, a big part of superhero movies is a sense of humor, sometimes dark, sometimes light. This seems only apt considering the subject matter is literally men and women in funny suits doing funny things that we know are created in front of a green screen. Kick-Ass is very much aware of all this, and gives as a narrator that brings us into the real world, explaining how superheros came to be. Our hero Dave, a teenager who loves comics, tries to be a superhero. This gets him stabbed, but he doesn't give up. Though just a kid, he gathers followers, and even more "regular" heroes as a part of his team. It's really cool to see young people being empowered in this way, especially since they don't actually have any powers, and the dynamics are so relatable, funny, and touching.
The entire plot revolves around Dave, AKA Kick-Ass, fighting back against crime after getting stabbed trying to save someone else. In the fight he almost loses his life, but is saved by the father-daughter duo, Hit-Girl and Big Daddy. They all have excellent reasons for getting even with the crime lord that has been terrorizing them and their town. This bad guy happens to have a son, an evil counterpart to the others who calls himself Red Mist. Will Kick Ass and his small gang of powerless superheroes manage to beat the big boss, and his son, thus saving their small town and ridding it of drugs and crime?
LOGAN (2017)
For those among you that have watched both the excellent, and the not so great X-Men movies, you're all aware of Wolverine, arguably one of the most beloved characters of the franchise. In these movies, there are mutants all over the world, but in Logan, they're nearly extinct. Wolverine, real name Logan, looks like he's knocking on heaven's door as well. It was shocking for many to watch this R-Rated version of a superhero film, with very few moments of levity in it. This is a hardcore drama, with heavy violence. The rough, dark film was nominated for a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar, and garnered heavy acclaim for Hugh Jackman and everyone involved. In 2017, Logan became the #1 superhero movie of all time on Rotten Tomatoes.
The story is a sad one, but works perfectly with our aging, angry Logan. It's 2029, and humans have almost wiped out mutants. There's a beautiful relationship between him and the much older Professor X, who he's nursing. Both are in pretty bad shape, and both are barely hanging on to their powers. One day, a young girl shows up, who, according to Professor X is very special. We won't spoil the reason why, but Logan has to transport her to Canada where she can be safe, and perhaps save the entire mutant kind. Will he succeed?
BLACK ADAM (2022)
First off, we have to mention the SNL sketch that appeared when Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) hosted in 2022. It hilariously makes fun of superhero costumes. One of the reasons to bring this up is the truly surprising fact of this being the first real, kind-of bad guy that Johnson has ever played, that literally kills people. A true anti-hero, Black Adam has no time for quips and small talk, he's come to reclaim his place - but the world has changed quite a bit in 5,000 years. We love the depiction of an Arab country, along with Arab and Muslim actors and extras, and we love how small the cast is who are battling the hero, all from the Justice League. While many superhero films deal with power and having way too much of it, few combine the theme of relinquishing of it, and Black Adam does this beautifully.
Our anti-hero Black Adam is awakened from a 5,000 year slumber, and apparently he's a mega god with bonkers powers, he's indestructible, and all that. He was made that way because he said the word "Shazam". When he wakes up, he murders everyone except the young mother and son that awakened him. The Justice League comes to stop him, but Adam is way to busy finding all the bad guys in charge of enslaving the people of Khandaq, the town, and killing them. There are multiple revelations throughout that we won't spoil about how Adam got his powers and the history about where he came from, but the bottom line is, can he be one of the good guys and save Khandaq and the rest of the world from evil?
Conclusion
These nine films are just the tip of the iceberg of what you can find on Amazon, and if you're a Prime member, there are so many for free. There's something for everyone here, which is what we tried to accomplish on this list. Family movies, very dark and R rated films, as well as PG-13 films that may depict some violence, but are suitable for most. There are phenomenal female heroes bursting boundaries, much older former heroes we can watch redeem themselves, as well as teenagers that are exploring what being someone with powers really means. The entire genre is one that most people can relate to, because we all want to be saved, but we also want to know that if these superheros have their flaws, that makes us a little bit super, too.
