Sayak Basu
Whenever we attempt to talk about a movie on superheroes, we have to keep in mind that these movies are naturally made as an escape from reality as we see it. What we see around us is a gloomy and monotonous world which is just going by with its own pace, with there being no chance of us getting any redemption from the drudgery of everyday life. There is corruption and evil lurking all around us and the only thing which can prevent all of this is a force that is more powerful than the average human not only in terms of physical strength, but also when it comes to a sense of responsibility or duty towards one’s fellow citizens. And this is the concept that gave birth to superheroes and the entire genre of superhero fiction. It must be remembered that this genre developed during the Modernist period, a time when artists were still hopeful of a certain kind of redemption of the soul. These characters offered us the escape which was nowhere to be seen in our daily existence.
One of the most famous superheroes in history is the teenage New Yorker Spider-Man. Spidey’s original name is Peter Parker and when a radioactive spider bites him, Peter suddenly develops unique powers. Later, it begins to feel like Peter himself is creating the character as he goes along. Spider-Man is Marvel’s company mascot. The character can easily be called one of the most popular fictional characters in history.
Despite the huge success of the ‘Avengers‘ series, there is no character who comes even close to having as large an impact on popular culture as our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Spider-Man movies have also done well since Toby Maguire portrayed the character for the first time. The actors have changed, the storylines have been given certain twists, but there is no other character who still seems to be constantly evolving and as fresh as Spider-Man. If you’re a fan of Spider-Man and are looking for films that are thematically and stylistically similar to it, then we’ve got you covered. Here’s the list of best movies similar to ‘Spider-Man’ that are our recommendations. You can watch several of these movies like ‘Spider-Man’ on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.
7. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
I have always firmly held on to the opinion that the three Captain America films are the finest among all the MCU films that have released till date. The action, thrill, and adrenaline rush offered in the Captain America films are just like what we see in Stallone, Schwarzenegger or Jackie Chan films. There are some incredible action sequences, and the lack of any outrageous superpower of the leading character makes the film a more balanced and nuanced product. When we meet Steve Rogers for the first time in this film, he is meek and physically weak, but there still is all the determination and sheer will power that we have come to associate with Captain. A scientific experiment helps him reach the peak of his human capacities and come out as Captain America.
The movie works as a World War II war film, an espionage story, and also as a superhero flick. It is this multi-layered approach in filmmaking that makes ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ a unique film in Marvel’s oeuvre. Both Captain and Spidey are people who can go to any extent to help those in need. They are righteous and live by a strict set of principles, a key reason why this film finds its mention on this list. The movie received wide acclaim from both critics and audiences, with praise being directed towards its unique settings, the story, and the action.
6. Hellboy (2004)
Hellboy’s origin story is a marked departure from Spider-Man, and that is the reason it is important to be aware of such a superhero while discussing our teenage savior. Hellboy is actually born through an occult ritual carried out by the Nazis during World War II, but is taken away from their grips by the Allied forces and grows up in America as a crime fighter. The plot of the 2004 movie based on the character starts in 1944 when the FBI finds Hellboy. We then move sixty years into the future when Hellboy has grown up. But his past soon catches up with him and the crime fighter has to take care of the forces of evil which might otherwise cause harm to his near and dear ones. Guillermo del Toro‘s direction managed to make this film into a complete visual treat. The leading character is also played masterfully by Ron Pearlman, who manages to bring an element of fun to this beastly but benevolent creature.
5. Iron Man (2008)
The movie responsible for bringing the Marvel Cinematic Universe to life, ‘Iron Man‘ can easily be considered to be the most impactful film in the history of movies based on Marvel characters. It is with the casting of Robert Downey Jr. in this feature that Marvel got the boost in building its massive franchise and taking their products to newer heights. The film also helped revive the actor’s career and made him one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood. The Iron Man stories are always more about Tony Stark than his alter ego. It is Stark’s journey of being a superhero from a narcissistic genius entrepreneur that is the main focus of the Iron Man trilogy.
In this film, we follow Stark as he develops the entire concept of Iron Man and even builds an arc reactor from scratch to escape from a terrorist camp. He later works on the suit to make it into a high-end weapon which he can fit into. The main difference between Spider-Man and Iron Man is that Stark never wants to hide his identity. He relishes the fact that he is a superhero and even proudly proclaims, “I have single-handedly privatized world peace”. New doors in the world of entertainment have been thrown open with this movie, and as long as superhero movies are made, 2008’s ‘Iron Man’ will be considered a watershed moment in the genre’s history.
4. Superman (1978)
There is no other character in comic book history which comes close to Superman in terms of the influence the character has had on the world and pop culture in general. The name ‘Superman’ has almost become a synonym for something courageous or powerful. Superman is our prototype superhero, and thus it was imperative to include one of his films on this list. The 1978 film about the superhero had some incredible people working on it. The story is written by none other than Mario Puzo, the writer of ‘The Godfather‘. Among the members of the cast are legends of the screen like Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman, while the eponymous character is portrayed by Christopher Reeve.
The movie serves as an origin story of Superman where he is sent to the earth, learns about his powers, falls in love with Lois Lane and eventually fights off an evil plan by his archnemesis, Lex Luthor. ‘Superman’ can easily be termed as the first film of the Superman genre. The movie also released at an important time in Hollywood history when after the release of ‘Jaws‘ (1975), directors were coming up with new ideas for making a blockbuster summer hit. Just a year before, in 1977, released ‘Close Encounters Of The Third Kind’ and ‘Star Wars‘ — two films which changed the landscape of Hollywood films to a great extent. Along with ‘Superman’, these two years firmly established two popular genres which continue to bring massive amounts of revenue even today.
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3. Batman (1989)
Tim Burton‘s 1989 film might not be the greatest Batman movie to hit our screens, but its influence on pop culture and the resurgence in popularity that it provided to the caped crusader surely cannot be ignored. In the film, we meet Bruce Wayne when he has already become Batman and is protecting his city using his alter ego. However, nobody except his butler knows about his dual identity and Bruce is intent on keeping it that way. The movie, however, does show us the origin of the most famous villain in comic book history — the Joker. Joker’s character is first introduced as Jack Napier, second fiddle to a mob boss who falls into a vat while fighting Batman and is eventually turned into the psychopathic criminal.
Jack Nicholson‘s portrayal of the character and his famous dialogue, “Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?” remains iconic to this very day. Burton clearly mentioned that he always wanted the movie to be a fight among two disturbed individuals – Batman and Joker. Both of them are hiding their true nature under a garb while trying to do something they truly believe in. It is like a clash of ideology between two people.
The movie was hailed at that time as a very important work in the superhero genre, with Nicholson winning hearts with his performance. When we compare the characters of Peter and Bruce, both of them want to hide their respective identities and have decided to fight for the people for similar reasons — Peter’s uncle and Bruce’s parents were killed right before their very eyes. However, the worlds in which they dwell is a bit different. While Peter’s world still has some elements of fun and enjoyment, Bruce’s Gotham City is always full of terror and evil, protected only by the watchful eyes of its “silent guardian, its “watchful protector”, its very own dark knight.
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2. X-Men (2000)
2000’s ‘X-Men‘ started a series that is going on even today and shows no sign of stopping. After directing the features ‘The Usual Suspects’ (1995) and ‘Apt Pupil’ (1998), director Bryan Singer decided to work on a superhero film, and thus came to existence this multi-starrer. Singer was very clear when he started working on X-Men that he will not just make a superhero film. Instead, what he will make can work as an allegory of the social situation in America. Through ‘X-Men’, Singer wanted to tell a story of how we always fear and prosecute people who are different from us.
The film starts off with the story of Magneto when he was young, and then moves on to show how Rogue and Wolverine came to join Charles Xavier and his school of mutants. After a meeting with the government regarding certain policies which have to be followed by mutants, Magneto’s minions end up kidnapping a government official. We follow the X-Men as they fight Magneto’s rogue group knows as The Brotherhood’. The characters of Charles Xavier and Magneto are sometimes compared to Martin Luther King and Malcolm X — two of the leaders in the fight for civil rights for African-Americans. While one of them sang of peaceful protests, the other did not hesitate from saying that rights can be snatched away if they are not justly handed over. One important aspect which connects this film with Spider-Man is the fact that just like the mutants, Parker has gone through a genetic mutation as well. However, neither has lost the humane aspect of their personalities, and they always fight to preserve that.
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1. The Dark Knight (2008)
If there was ever any doubt whether critics will take superhero movies seriously, it was all washed away when Christopher Nolan took it upon himself to tell Batman’s story once again. ‘The Dark Knight’ is set in Gotham City which is being greatly troubled by the Joker. It is only Batman who can manage to bring this maniacal supervillain down. But the question is, does the Joker really need to be taken down?
The character of Joker is what we can call a perfect existentialist. He is a believer in chaos, in uncertainty, in letting the animalistic instincts run wild. Joker has lost all hope on life and is the perfect cynic. He believes that we are only wearing a garb of civility while carrying layers of darkness within us. He wants to trigger that. He wants us to show our true selves to him — deadly, gruesome, and evil. And thus he can say — “Madness is like gravity. All it needs is a little push”. Joker even proves such is the case when he burns half of Harvey Dent’s face and turns him into Two-Face, reflecting the exact nature of every single human being.
Against all this despair and lack of hope stands one man. He too has faced trauma as much as the Joker has. But he somehow still believes redemption is possible, that hope has not yet left our world. This man, our hero, continues his struggle against hopelessness despite going through extreme personal tragedy himself. Thus Batman becomes our antagonist’s perfect foil. The philosophical questions the movie throws at us, coupled with the performances of Heath Ledger and Christian Bale, has made ‘The Dark Knight’ a benchmark for movies that want to use their stories as an allegory. Thank you, Nolan, for ‘The Dark Knight’. I, (despite being an atheist), thank god for you!
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