Best Superhero Movies On Netflix, According To Critics
When it comes to binging the best movies, Netflix is the place to go. With every genre imaginable, the opportunities are endless, and if you're a fan of superheroes, action, and big explosions, this is the article to check out. In case you find yourself endlessly scrolling through Netflix for your next superhero flick to watch, leave it to the critics at Rotten Tomatoes to make things easier.
What's so great about Rotten Tomatoes is that there are two types of ratings: from the critics (Tomatometer) and from viewers like you called the "Audience Score." See a tomato icon next to the movie? That's a good sign, meaning that the superhero movie you're interested in has gotten positive feedback. See a green, slime-like splat? It's probably best to skip over the movie and pick something else. Based on what's streaming on Netflix right now, below are some superhero movies that have made the cut with both the critics and Average Joes.
The Dark Knight is a definitive movie of its genre
The Dark Knight has received a 94% on the Tomatometer, which ties with Avengers: Endgame, and 94% from audiences, as well. Josh Wilding with ComicBookMovie.com has dubbed The Dark Knight "A masterpiece. Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is not only one of the greatest comic book movies you'll ever see, but also one of the best films of all-time. He's not wrong.
The movie centers around Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and DA Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), who have, so far, helped Batman (Christian Bale) keep Gotham City safe. Things take a turn when a new kid in town, also known as the Joker (Heath Ledger), throws the town into complete chaos. It's up to the good guys to stay on the good side of things, but the Joker has the skill to blur these lines for them.
Fans can go back and forth about who has played the "best Batman" throughout the years, but Heath Ledger's rendition of the Joker is in a lane of its own. Paul McGuire Grimes from KSTP-TV raved of Ledger's performance by saying, "Heath Ledger gives one of the best performances of the last twenty years. When you watch his take on the Joker, it's one of complete surprise and mystery." It isn't a secret that Christopher Nolan knocked The Dark Knight out of the park, and if you haven't seen it yet, literally run to the nearest television and turn it on now.
Batman Begins is easily one of the best films featuring the iconic DC Comics superhero
Three years before The Dark Knight came out, director Christopher Nolan released Batman Begins, a tale about young Bruce Wayne and where his journey began. Wayne (Christian Bale) relocates to Asia, where he's taught invaluable skills by League of Shadows leader and martial arts master Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson), though he doesn't initially realize that his master is Ra's al Ghul. (It's complicated.) With the help of his loyal friends, Alfred (Michael Caine) and the brilliant Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), Wayne transforms from billionaire to superhero and creates Batman. When he realizes that the League of Shadows intends to destroy Gotham City, he steps up to the plate to stop the destruction of his home.
Even though Batman Begins didn't quite receive the same love as 2008's Dark Knight, it still holds rave reviews. Mike Massle's (Gone with The Twins) opinion is spot-on: "All in all, it definitely changes the course — for the better — of this formerly failing franchise." It's true that Batman has been done over and over again, but Christopher Nolan, along with the incredible cast, brought the hero back to life. For that reason, Batman Begins received an 84% on the Tomatometer and a 94% from the audience.
The Old Guard brings something new to the table
In July 2020, director Gina Prince-Bythwood released The Old Guard, based on the novel by Greg Rucka, as a Netflix Original. The Old Guard gives a different perspective on what it means to be a "superhero" and centers on Andy (Charlize Theron), who is a part of an immortal team that has been fighting together since the Crusades. When Andy captures a new member named Nile (KiKi Layne), viewers go on a wild ride with her as she figures out who this secret team is and what it takes to keep their identity a secret. Based on hundreds of critic reviews, the Tomatometer comes in at 80%, while the Audience Score hits 70%.
According to Soraya Nadia McDonald (via The Undefeated), "Given a team of highly regarded actors in Charlize Theron, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and KiKi Layne, Prince-Bythwood delivers both satisfying, high-octane flights and a proper storyline to stitch them together."
Code 8 is a humbler and grungier indie X-Men
XYZ Films released Code 8 in 2019, and Netflix picked it up to stream in 2020. The movie centers around a world where a small portion of people have special abilities but are forbidden to use them. Connor Reed (Robbie Amell) is living in poverty while trying to take care of his dying mother and the never-ending bills to maintain her health. He has powerful electrical abilities that lead him down a dark path of committing petty crimes, and with each crime, he's one step closer to helping his mother. The question is, does Reed chose family over freedom or freedom in exchange for his mother's life?
Rob Hunter with Film School Rejects puts it this way: "Think heist movie with off-brand X-Men, and you'll be right on target." Who doesn't like a knock-off X-Men movie with well-rounded actors using superpowers? Code 8 is action-packed, and viewers will have a good time following Reed down the rabbit hole of right vs. wrong. The Tomatometer score has totaled 80%, and the Audience Score comes in at 62%.
Psychokinesis (Yeom-lyeok) is a quirky but violent Korean superhero movie
In 2018, a fun little Korean film called Psychokinesis (Yeom-lyeok) was directed and written by Sang-ho Yeon, best known for Train to Busan. Psychokinesis is considered an action, comedy, and fantasy movie, but boy, does it pack a punch in the superhero genre, as well. When Seok-heon (Seung-ryong Ryu) drinks water affected by a meteor, he finds that his skills are a little ... amplified. By day, he's a bank security guard, and by night, his mission is to protect his daughter Roo-mi and those around her. A construction company, run by an organized crime syndicate, is taking over the area, and Seok-heon knows that with his newly acquired powers, he can use them for good.
Upon seeing the movie himself, Decider's Joe Reid says, "Stream it... This is a movie that starts out pretty strange, but it absolutely rewards you for sticking with it." Rohan Naahar of the Hindustan Times says Psychokinesis is "A much-needed antidote to the colossal scale of Avengers: Infinity War, an inventive superhero tale in the vein of Chronicle [and] Unbreakable. Critics have rated Psychokinesis at 80%, with an Audience Score of 58%.