The movie’s official title didn’t need to be Lee Cronin’s The Mummy to tell us it was from Cronin. This movie feels exactly like his breakout major feature, Evil Dead Rise. So much so that one wonders if this wasn’t simply a repurposed Evil Dead script, as it plays out much more like an entry to that franchise than a Mummy one.

It contains many of the strengths of Rise. It has gore that is not holding back or trying to comfort the audience as major studio horror is wont to do. There are some truly gross and unnerving scenes, all the more enhanced because they often involve children, which most of us find disquieting. The Mummy also has that dark Irish humor in its sensibilities. Rise had some darker jokes, as does this one, either involving gore or certain situational jokes.

Yet where this one completely falls flat compared to Rise is, in part, the tonal issues. This film feels much more like a compromised studio project, with Blumhouse or someone jamming in more conventional big budget storytelling, and tonal beats that mostly clash with the humor and more visceral approach to gore. It feels like Cronin’s vision is fighting through the weight of muck.

To that end, The Mummy can be frustratingly mummy-free. It feels like the Egyptian connections are entirely ancillary and this certainly has nothing to do with any of the story of prior Mummy films. Again, this feels more like a Deadite or demon possession movie; indeed, the script directly states it is a demon possessing the lead child. Aside from a flair or sand or some scarabs, it feels like the mummy flavor was tossed aside.

Worst of all, though, is the near lack of characterization or plot. The lead parents, played by Jack Reynor and Laia Costa, have little to them past being worried parents. There are the barest semblances of themes of marital conflict and guilt, but they seem left on the cutting room floor of this already overly-long 134-minute work. The coexisting Egyptian investigation side plot feels tacked on as well.

Once again, The Mummy franchise has been plagued with an unsuccessful reboot. Of course, the studio hardly seems to care, as they announced a continuation of the Brendan Fraser franchise months ago. Whatever happened behind the scenes, this mummy probably should have stayed buried.

Tell us your thoughts on Lee Cronin’s The Mummy and rank it on the new Flickchart now!!!

CRAWL (2019) is a horror/thriller written by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen, and directed by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D), with a simple premise: If battling a hurricane wasn’t enough, what if our movie’s heroes also had to deal with terrifying creatures of the natural world? THRASH (2026), written and directed by Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow, Violent Night), rips off the exact same premise and makes a change that is ultimately just cosmetic, while sacrificing tension and character development for ramped-up action.

In Crawl, Kaya Scodelario stars as Haley, a competitive University of Florida swimmer who receives the call from her sister that she hasn’t heard from their estranged father (Barry Pepper), despite the Category 5 hurricane headed for their small home town. Haley makes the ill-advised trek into Coral Lake and discovers her father trapped in the crawl space of their former family home, and hunted by a pair of ill-tempered alligators. Together, the pair must find a way to escape the crawl space before the waters rise so they can hopefully signal for help.

Thrash follows Lisa (Phoebe Dynevor), who gets caught in the hurricane threatening Annieville, South Carolina after she is called into work. Eight and a half months pregnant and alone after the father has left her, Lisa fears losing her job if she doesn’t stay. Meanwhile, young Dakota (Whitney Peak) is alone in town because her growing agoraphobia in the wake of her mother’s death won’t allow her to leave, even as the situation worsens. Of course, these two ladies will wind up working together to survive the storm, but, to complicate things, as the waters rise the town is being overrun by a pack of bull sharks.

Extremely similar setups – waters rising, apex predators circling – but these films diverge in the execution. Aja keeps Crawl lean and scary, focusing on developing his two stars into full-fledged characters, and letting the tension of their situation breathe. A few other characters are briefly introduced into the film – a trio of looters, a pair of police officers – but as they quickly succumb to the gators, they serve just to underscore the peril facing Haley and her dad.

Meanwhile, while Thrash is a similarly lean length (both movies clock in under 90 minutes), Wirkola packs his film with a bevy of characters and perilous situations. There are three foster children (Alyla Browne, Stacy Clausen, Dante Ubaldi) under the “care” of abusive Mr. Olsen (Matt Nable), who has refused to leave town out of sheer stubbornness. And Djimon Hounsou stars as Dr. Dale Edwards, a marine biologist who has been tracking the unusual movement patterns of the sharks. He happens to be the uncle of orphaned Dakota, and takes up with an ambitious news reporter (Andrew Lees) so he can get into Annieville and rescue his niece.

With so many more characters comes the opportunity for Wirkola to craft more deadly scenarios, and the pacing of Thrash is frenetic. The film zips from one small-town shark encounter to the next, scarcely taking the time to breathe. The result is consistently entertaining, but not overly scary, particularly as the fates of most of Wirkola’s characters become pretty predictable.

Aja, meanwhile, consistently ramps up the tension in Crawl. There’s plenty of action, but also time taken to let the story breathe, and help the audience care about the characters at the center of it.

Both movies are brisk, don’t overstay their welcome, and should satisfy fans of gnarly creature action or tales of survival. But there’s no doubt that Crawl‘s alligators take a bigger bite of proper storytelling, while the sharks just kind of Thrash around, making noise.

Crawl is currently available to stream on Paramount+. Thrash is recently released on Netflix.

The Drama (2026)

With The Drama, Norwegian director Kristoffer Borgli continues his fascination with the fragile absurdities of identity and relationships, following up his sleeper hit Dream Scenario (2023) with something both more romantic and more quietly unsettling.

The film centers on Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson) in the days leading up to their wedding. It opens with a wonderful meet-cute as Charlie spots Emma reading alone in a coffee shop, but Borgli quickly fractures that familiarity. What follows is not a linear love story, but a mosaic: moments from the past, present, and imagined realities intercut and reframed, testing not just the relationship, but the characters’ ability to withstand the weight of intimacy itself.

Formally, The Drama is alive in a genre that often isn’t. The editing and cinematography inject a restless dynamism, constantly shifting perspective and tone. Scenes don’t just progress, they echo, contradict, and reinterpret each other, creating a feeling that love is not a story we move through, but one we rewrite as we negotiate one another.

Borgli cleverly stages the film within the recognizable framework of a romantic comedy, the aforementioned meet-cute, first date, eccentric friends, screwball beats, but plays every note slightly off-key. The humor is sharp, but tinged with melancholy; the absurdity lands, but leaves a bruise. It’s a film that indulges in the mechanics of the rom-com while toying with it.

Pattinson’s Charlie feels like a distant cousin of a Woody Allen protagonist—neurotic, self-conscious, and emotionally evasive, but freed from Allen’s incessant autobiography. His anxieties read less as performative quirk and more as genuine self-sabotage, giving the character a surprising emotional arc beneath the irony.

Zendaya, meanwhile, is the film’s emotional center. She gives Emma a layered interiority, balancing independence with vulnerability. This is a woman who does not need Charlie, but wants a connection with him, and fears what his absence might reveal about her. Zendaya communicates this tension with remarkable control, often through silence: a glance, a pause, a shift in posture.

What emerges is a fascinating tonal blend, rom-com structure, dark comedy sensibility, and the observational bite of a comedy of manners. The film is at once humane and ridiculous, grounded and hyperbolic, tender and cruel. It resists easy catharsis, instead lingering in the uncomfortable truth that love is as much about projection and fear as it is about connection. I don’t know what the future holds for Emma and Charlie. The Drama doesn’t resolve love it observes it, distorts it, and honors its complexity.

There’s nothing like the release of a new horror-action-comedy. Especially when it’s about two sisters fighting back against corrupt rich people who are secretly Satanists that have confined said two sisters in a fancy hotel. But enough about Ready or Not 2!

As funny as it is that these movies with major plot similarities released in back to back weeks, They Will Kill You proves that a movie is not what it is about, but how it is about it. Director Kirill Sokolov adopts a Quentin Tarantino approach to the material, quite apparently influenced by Kill Bill and Tarantino’s overall aesthetic. They Will Kill You wields stylized action, eccentric music choices, and title cards to set up character backstories in a way that makes no attempt to hide who Sokolov looks up to.

The result is a fun and gory movie. Zazie Beetz bring a strong presence as the lead. Her character isn’t exactly complicated or full of dramatic heft, but she brings a plucky and forceful charisma that makes the character work as much as it needs to for this type of movie. Likewise, Heather Graham and Tom Felton are delightfully goofy as some of the minor antagonists. Patricia Arquette is a little rougher, sliding in and out of an Irish accent that doesn’t quite work; one wishes they dropped that angle entirely, since it could only ever distract from the performance.

Those looking for depth or nuance won’t be rewarded. They Will Kill You only makes the vaguest assertions of a thematic concept, and the characters are rather thinly written. Emotional investment isn’t something you will get here, and thus it is missing something that could elevate it to the next tier of quality.

Yet for a facsimile of a Tarantino movie, Sokolov has a grand time. There is plenty of wry humor, and it plays with its endless array of immortal thugs, letting them get chopped up in a variety of ways. A notable sequence involves a dislodged eyeball mobilizing across the hotel setting in what looks like some mixture of practical and digital effects. If self-ambulating eyeballs are your thing, They Will Kill You is likely your type of movie.

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A common critique of modern trailers is that they often spoil too much story. Many give away key plot beats, the funniest jokes of a comedy, or the best scare scenes. The intent is obviously to lure in an audience with the best parts. Yet if the best parts are the only good parts, it can feel like watching the movie is a waste of time.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, on the other hand, has so little story that it feels more like watching an extended trailer than a feature film. It is the sequel to the successful The Super Mario Bros. Movie, a film that was a smash success even though it had a rough and uneven plot. At least it had a plot, as trope-laden and shallow as it was.

There is essentially no plot in this movie. It opens with a new villain, Bowser Jr., kidnapping new princess Rosalina, with the goal of powering a device that will let him take over the universe. This is the only plot beat to come for the remaining 99 minutes, with the rest of the film consisting of main characters wandering around reference-laden environments with the general aim of rescuing other characters but with little actual agency in doing so.

Reference-laden is the most generous description of what feels like a Where’s Waldo? of movies. Each scene is a new page where Nintendo loyalists can spot a different property or game element being referenced. Admittedly, this goes deep into the well and seems to be priming for a Super Smash Bros. movie due to the berth of pulls, if not because of any actual plot point. There is a childish fun to this approach, and Brian Tyler’s score is a delight with its musical references.

But the movie unfortunately has as much character development as a Where’s Waldo? book, which is to say none. Mario and Luigi have no arc or development of any kind, and the introduction of Yoshi adds nothing besides a cute pet creature. Bowser and Peach get the closest approximation of character arcs due to each having new familial relations, yet Peach never has an actual dialogue scene with her new relation, so it hardly matters. Bowser, meanwhile, has actual change, but Jack Black‘s performance is so shoved to the periphery that it never really has impact. There’s no attempt to replicate the success of the song “Peaches,” a bizarre choice for such a commercially-inclined movie, but another hallmark of what feels like a lazy and rushed work.

Admittedly, Illumination‘s animation approach suits these Nintendo characters well. There are some beautiful environments and recreations of various Mario video game landscapes, though sadly the actual Galaxy parts are minimal. For a movie named after one of the most highly-regarded 3D Mario games, this pulls very little from the named source material. Given the animation quality, it would have been neat to see some of Galaxy’s finer moments brought to life. But this is too busy serving as a reference book than actual movie.

One could say these Super Mario movies represent a sea-change for video game movies. More and more are being made, and many are more successful than the embarrassing attempts of the past. The last Mario made tons of money, and this one is doing the same. Yet it’s a shame that mediocrity defines The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. The filmmakers should have reached for the stars instead of merely drawing a reference to one.

Tell us your thoughts on The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and rank it on the new and improved Flickchart!

Last time, we examined the nascent efforts to adapt Marvel Comics onto the big screen, and why they failed. After one massive dud and three movies that didn’t even get an American release, it looked like Marvel movies were destined to be a joke. How much brand damage could happen before accepting fate? Yet luckily (depending on who you ask), this was not to be the end of Marvel’s forays into movie-making. And despite decades of false starts, cheap films, and looking with envy at the success of Superman and Batman movies, the spark remained to bring some of the most famous comic book characters to life. Come 1998, everything changed.

Come with us as we dive into the late 90s and early 00s where the future of blockbuster filmmaking was decided.

Era Two: The Modern Age Begins

Marvel’s second period would be night and day from the rough start that came before. While this era was not without struggles, filmmakers finally figured out how to hit the right tone to make these characters work on the big screen. That, and studios allocated serious budgets to these movies. It would become clear, though, that money wasn’t everything.

There is no denying that the ability to hire talented actors, directors, and create cutting-edge special effects were central to the success of this era, and led to serious box office numbers for the superhero movie. Of course, Warner Bros. had already been doing this with Tim Burton‘s highly successful Batman series, carving the path forward for confident investment into the genre. Where Batman ran, Marvel could fly, or web-swing as it were. The big-budget success of Marvel’s flagship characters of Spider-Man and The X-Men signaled a sea change in the industry.

All the same, not all was roses and butterflies. There were a few notably weaker efforts, and monetary success motivated studios to start churning out movies left and right, leading to the third era of Marvel movies. For comic fans, despite higher-quality filmmaking, there were varying approaches to comic book authenticity. One could tell there was still some embarrassment about the subject matter, and there were attempts to tone down the more outlandish qualities of the source material. There are varying thoughts on whether this was a smart idea, but the battle between being overly seriousness or overly silly would be ongoing.

Blade (1998)

When we last left our story, Marvel had just had a movie completely canned to avoid embarrassment and damage to the brand. Whether that was a truly necessary decision, it did reveal a changing approach to their adaptations and that guys like Avi Arad (Marvel Studios founder and major producer for most Marvel movies at the time) saw the potential for more. This potential was cemented in 1996 with the creation of Marvel Studios.

Marvel had already created one film company back in 1993, and was successful in optioning rights for animated TV shows in the early 90s. But with the lack of success on the movie front, they needed a new tack. Thus, Marvel closed the first company, and with personal investment from Arad and Issac Perlmutter, Marvel Studios obtained the necessary start-up capital to begin again.

Their goal was simple: pre-production would be controlled by Marvel Studios where a singular creative team could commission scripts, hire a director and cast, and take the fruits of this work and sell it to a larger studio for production and distribution. This would help preserve the quality of the art while getting around their inability to fully finance production. 20th Century Fox was an early studio open to this arrangement, having already struck deals with Marvel for particular characters, and it forged a seven-year agreement with Marvel.

Troubles arose as Marvel Entertainment Group was forced to declare bankruptcy in December 1996. Overall problems in the comics industry came to a head, leaving Marvel with lots of work to resolve their massive financial issues. This resulted in some projects being canceled and Marvel Studios losing bargaining power. Marvel was forced to option off a massive chunk of their character rights to aid in recovering from bankruptcy.

The result?

Their character’s film rights scattered to almost all the major studios. This would make for a very long road for the rights to find their way back to Marvel Studios. Some of Marvel’s desired projects were never made as a result, such as a Namor movie.

The bright side was Marvel Studios now had many lines in the water for film production. Surely, with deals for their famous characters like Spider-Man or Wolverine, one of their golden boys could change their fate.

Their fate did change. Yet it came from an unlikely source: Blade.

Prior to this film debuting, Blade was a C-tier character at best. He was a somewhat goofy remnant of Blacksploitation stereotypes, fanatically fighting vampires in the smaller, supernatural side of Marvel’s universe. The character was certainly an odd choice for one Marvel’s first big-budget movies.

The early concepts for Blade bore little resemblance to the final product. New World Pictures initially obtained the rights in order to make a western-style film with the character, though this went nowhere. Marvel’s first film company then started developing a concept that would star LL Cool J, though this also fizzled out. Simultaneously with Marvel’s bankruptcy, New Line became interested in developing a low-budget Black superhero film. Seeing Marvel was desperately optioning off rights, it pounced.

Initial conversations focused on a Black Panther movie, which attracted Wesley Snipes, but that too fell apart. Screenwriter David S. Goyer then aligned with Snipes and producer Peter Frankfurt to pitch their version of Blade to New Line. They wanted a gritty vampire action film that would modernize the character for the 90s.

As studios are want to do, New Line kept pushing the project in strange directions, such as trying to make it a spoof or changing Blade to a white man. Goyer fought hard, though, and eventually got New Line committed to financing his version of Blade. While the studio tossed out names like Denzel Washington to star, Goyer remained committed to Snipes, and the deal was done.

Goyer and Snipes recruited Stephen Norrington to direct, whose career is a strange story of its own. David Fincher was an early possibility for director, though he eventually moved on. With the creative team set, filming underwent and the movie was prepared for release. Yet initial test screenings were disastrous, requiring extensive reshoots that delayed the release by a year. Stan Lee shot a cameo as well, which was also cut. Then, finally, the film released in August 1998.

Thankfully, Blade slayed at the box office. It dethroned Saving Private Ryan and held the top spot for two weeks, finishing its run with a $131.2 million gross. While critical reviews were mixed, there were a number of notable positive reviews including from Roger Ebert who praised its visual style. Perhaps it wasn’t an unmitigated success, but it did more than enough to prove that Marvel movies could be taken seriously. Talks were already ongoing for a sequel and even trilogy, and at last Marvel’s fortunes seemed to be turning.

Despite this success, Marvel itself made only a mere $25,000 from the film. With the nature of the deals and signing away the rights, Marvel only saw a sliver of the success. This would be something that haunted Marvel moving forward and would soon motivate them to get more of a slice.

Likelihood of Doomsday Connection: Medium-Small

As we’ll mention with the other Blade movies, Blade already returned to the MCU in Deadpool & Wolverine. Because his character got a sendoff of sorts there, we think his chances of returning are smaller, but not outside possibility. As for any other character such as Stephen Dorff‘s Deacon Frost or Whistler, we think it is super unlikely.

X-Men (2000)

Despite taking till the year 2000 for a movie to release, attempts at adapting the X-Men started back in the 80s with Orion Pictures. The first effort was among the many unproduced films mentioned in the last article. A second attempt saw Stan Lee and Chris Claremont working with James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow. This effort went farther, with Bigelow set to direct and producing a story treatment. But after Lee mentioned Spider-Man to Cameron, it diverted his attention and lead to the collapse of this version.

With multiple failures in hand, Marvel tried to get Columbia Pictures to buy the rights to no avail. Thus returns Avi Arad to the picture. Arad was having success with the animated X-Men cartoon on Fox, which did well enough that Arad managed to entice Laura Donner to purchase the film rights. She agreed to work with Fox and hired Andrew Kevin Walker to write the script. While this early script would be edited repeatedly, early elements such as focusing on Wolverine joining the X-Men, his rivalry with Cyclops, and having Magneto as the main villain all stayed in the finished film.

Several directors were offered the job, including Robert Rodriguez, and Paul W.S. Anderson, who both turned it down. Eventually, Bryan Singer was offered the role on the strength of The Usual Suspects. Active development started in 1996 with further rewrites that put focus on Rogue and sought to bring out more of the themes of prejudice and the dichotomy between Professor X and Magneto as the MLK and Malcolm X analogues. Yet by late 1998, the disastrous failure of Batman & Robin left studios cautious. While Blade‘s success convinced Fox that Marvel characters could carry movies, Fox decided to reduce X-Men‘s budget, requiring some ideas to be cut.

Despite cuts, X-Men‘s production started to heat up and signaled the entry of some figures that will become notable later in our story. Kevin Feige, future president of Marvel Studios, was hired as an assistant producer based on his impressive knowledge of comics, and he became Arad’s second-hand man. He was also reportedly charged with reigning in Singer during filming, as Singer was prone to tantrums and allegedly abusing pills. Singer also banned the comics on set, so Feige would sneak them to the actors to help them understand the characters.

Joss Whedon, meanwhile, was hired to provide rewrites to the third act, but he ended up rewriting the entire film. Fox and Singer dumped most of this script, feeling it was too focused on sardonic wit and pop-culture references, though some lines survived. Keep that in mind for later!

Just as the filmmakers realized the importance of getting the script right, they also realized a proper cast was needed. The inclusion of famed actors like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen was only natural, but casting Hugh Jackman as Wolverine was a big risk, as he was a relatively unknown actor at the time. The studio wanted Russell Crowe, but Crowe pointed them to Jackman. The rest is, as they say, history.

Realizing that they had something brewing between this and Blade, Marvel Studios negotiated a deal with now-defunct Artisan Entertainment to license 15 characters into development, including TV shows, films, and more. Unfortunately, or fortunately for the future, most of these deals lead nowhere.

X-Men debuted in July 2000 and dwarfed Blade‘s box office by earning $296.3 million worldwide. While Blade brought the keys to the door of success, it was X-Men that stuck the keys in and unlocked it. Unlike the mixed critical response of Blade, X-Men received largely positive reviews with many noting that it finally found the way to take fantastical comics characters and place them in a lived-in aesthetic that felt grounded and made something cartoonish into something more realistic and digestible. Ebert did thumb it down, though.

Despite some detractors, X-Men is now recognized as revolutionizing the genre. No longer were comic-book movies dependent on major characters like Batman or Superman, nor were they cornball. Instead, audiences could experience popular comic-book teams like the X-Men in a modern action movie that actually worked. Though they didn’t realize it at the time, Marvel had just changed the face of the box office forever. Outside of Marvel itself, this film changed how DC approached their movies, despite the fact that they had been more successful to date.

Much is made of the movie’s sleek 00s aesthetic and abandonment of classic comic-book costumes. While some credit this choice as a reason for the film’s success, many detractors felt the movie abandoned its comic-book roots in the process. To be fair to Singer and Fox, Stan Lee and Claremont completely supported the decision. Speaking of Lee, he finally filmed a cameo that made it into a movie, starting a trend that would occur in most Marvel movies until Lee’s passing. The torch of change was shining bright.

Likelihood of Doomsday Connection: Happening

Recent trailers confirmed the return of this era of X-Men to Doomsday. Stewart, McKellan, James Marsden‘s Cyclops, and Rebecca Romijn‘s Mystique are already officially part of the cast. We think the possibility of further cast members returning is fairly high as well, with this film’s version of Sabretooth and Toad having already popped up in Deadpool & Wolverine. It seems a certainty that Fox’s X-Men franchise is going to be a foundational part of the Doomsday/Secret Wars duo.

Blade II (2002)

Plans for a Blade trilogy were already brewing prior to the first film completing production. All it took was box office success, and they had that. Sequels were nothing new to action franchises, but comic-book films seem particularly suited due to the source material due to their serial nature. While Goyer wanted to use Morbius for the second film, apparently Marvel Studios wanted to give him his own franchise. It seemed the rights hadn’t gone to Sony at this point.

Regardless, Norrington turned down directing the sequel. Thus, New Line Cinema turned to up-and-comer Guillermo del Toro to direct, as Goyer and producer Frankfurt had become fans after working with him on Mimic. Studios were already recognizing the value of obtaining talented directors to raise the quality of the work, and they hoped Del Toro would bring his skillful visual style to the table.

Indeed, Del Toro left the script alone and focused on visuals and tone, wanting to make vampires monstrous again in the wake of a recent literary turn towards rendering them as tragic heroes. Little did he know what the late 00s would bring. To hone his craft, Del Toro studied all of the first film’s dallies as he wanted to make his movie look like a blend between comics and anime.

Snipes was happy to return, as his turn as Blade had redefined the character. Snipes was responsible for creating many of Blade’s mannerisms, weapon choices, and more, and he was essential to the sequel. Returning would cement his legacy as the character.

Blade II released in March 2002 and became the highest grossing of the franchise, earning $150 million worldwide. While critical response was even more mixed than the first film (though Ebert was positive once again), it was becoming clear that Marvel movies were no longer jokes but serious box office forces. This would be proven all the more true later that year.

Likelihood of Doomsday Connection: Small

Aside from what we already said about the Blade character, nothing else from this film specifically seems likely to return. The villains in this one weren’t particularly memorable, and aren’t notable past being played by character actors like Ron Perlman and Norman Reedus, who would have successful genre careers afterwards.

Spider-Man (2002)

Now we come to Marvel’s big gun. If there were three comic-book characters that were the peak of recognition and popularity prior to the 2010’s, it was Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man. While the other two belonged to DC and already had successful decades-long franchises, Spider-Man had somehow managed to elude hitting the big screen and was beat to the punch by more minor characters in Marvel’s catalogue.

It wasn’t for a lack of trying. Many iterations throughout the 70s and 80s reached various stages of development. Roger Corman made an attempt with Orion Pictures but got into financial disputes with Stan Lee about budget, and the failure of Superman III left studios balking on more superhero movies at the time.

Then Cannon Group obtained the rights and for some reason thought Spider-Man was a werewolf character. Tobe Hooper was set to direct a script where Peter Parker turned into a human spider monster. Lee caught wind of this and essentially killed it. Another version came to be with John Cusack considered for Spider-man and Doc Ock as the main villain. That one faltered too, and following two of Cannon’s movies bombing (including notably Superman IV), it slashed the budget, leading to more creatives dropping out and another version failing.

The last serious attempt was in the 90s. As previously mentioned, Lee brought the character up with James Cameron, who wound up getting fairly deep into development of an adaptation. Cameron was perhaps too far ahead of the curve and envisioned a darker take with profanity and a sex scene atop the Brooklyn Bridge. He planned on casting Leonardo DiCaprio as Spider-Man, but disputes arose between Cannon and other companies as the rights had split apart at this point. One more version thus died.

It seemed that Spider-Man would never be made until the success of Blade and impressive development of X-Men reignited interest in the genre. Nothing like the possibility of money to shake studios into action. Marvel had left bankruptcy by 1998 and reclaimed all of the rights to Spidey before promptly selling them to Sony.

While Sony grabbed the rights to all prior treatments, it opted to use none of them and sought its own screenplay and director. After cycling through many big names such as Michael Bay, Tony Scott, and Ang Lee, it landed on David Fincher. Just when it seemed Fincher might direct a superhero movie after all, he balked at the idea of doing an origin story while Sony insisted they needed one. Chris Columbus was then offered the job but turned it down for Harry Potter. We’ll leave it to you to decide whether he made the right choice.

It would be none other than the Chair of Columbia Pictures, Amy Pascal, who suggested Sam Raimi. Despite the flak Pascal gets today, at the time she picked Raimi because she knew he was passionate for the character. Raimi earned the job in a big meeting with Pascal, Arad, and others because of the clear love he showcased.

David Koepp was hired to write a new screenplay, though he ironically borrowed heavily from the Cameron treatment. He did make some notable changes such as keeping Peter and Mary Jane apart at the end of the movie and changing the main villain to the Green Goblin. Further rewrites were done by other screenwriters, though one controversial constant from Cameron’s script was that Peter would organically shoot webbing, rather than creating a device that did so. Raimi felt it pushed credibility to have Peter invent such a device, which would become one of the most criticized elements by comics fans.

While the studio considered many actors for Peter Parker, Raimi always had his eye on Tobey Maguire based on his work in The Cider House Rules. Columbia was initially hesitant, but his audition blew them away. Stan Lee, meanwhile, wanted to cameo as J. Jonah Jameson, but the studio felt he was too old. Thankfully they did, as this led to J.K. Simmons being cast, which is considered perhaps one of the most pitch-perfect castings for any comic-book character. Lee later admitted Simmons did much better than he would have done.

For Norman Osborn, diverse actors such as Nicolas Cage, Jason Issacs, and Billy Bob Thornton were all offered the part, but each turned it down. Willem Dafoe was intrigued at the idea of a comic-book film and accepted it, insisting on wearing the costume himself. Speaking of the costume, a more comic-book accurate version was initially created with an animatronic mask, but Dafoe was reportedly derisive of it. The film changed tacks to a more battle-armor look costume, much to fan’s disdain, with many feeling it looked cheap and resembled a Power Rangers villain.

While any concept of a connected cinematic universe was still years off, Feige was lurking in the background as an associate producer and made an effort to have Hugh Jackman cameo as Wolverine. Ironically, it wasn’t rights issues that prevented it but rather the fact that they couldn’t find the Wolverine costume. Still, the hope of a connected universe could be said to first realistically brew with this movie. Spider-Man is also notable for being the first film to use the classic “flipping pages” Marvel title card, which served as a nice nod to source material.

Spider-Man debuted in May 2002. With production occurring over much of 2001, initial posters and some scenes featured the Twin Towers, but these were removed after the 9/11 attacks. None of this prevented a buzzing critical response. CG effects were not new at this point, yet Spider-Man had implemented them in a seamless, advanced way. It blew the minds of many executives and audience members to learn many shots were not someone in a stunt suit.

Critics were quite positive, with many feeling the character had been rendered with real heart and that comic-book films had leapt forward with a grounded drama alongside the costumed hijinks and action. The upside-down kiss became a pop culture moment, and Danny Elfman’s score helped cement an iconic superhero theme. Ebert thought it was… fine.

Audiences responded with their dollars too. Spider-Man blew past expectations, becoming the first film ever to gross $100 million in a single weekend and had the highest opening of all-time at that point. Despite stiff competition from the second Star Wars prequel, Lord of the Rings film, and Harry Potter film, Spider-Man claimed the top spot at the box office in 2002 domestically and finished with a worldwide gross of $825.8 million. This was coupled with a super successful home video release and plenty of merchandising tie-ins.

Needless to say, Marvel finally hit the big time. Continuing our metaphor, if X-Men unlocked the door, Spider-Man kicked the door off its hinges. The trifecta of Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man had shown that Marvel comic-book films could matter, had potential, and did matter. Not only were they to be treated seriously but could dominate the box office.

Marvel’s financial troubles were left behind and with the money trough opened, Marvel Studios was no longer a desperate whelp trying to make cash however it could. It now wanted a bigger piece of the pie that its properties were earning. Marvel Studios thus hired David Maisel as its new president and COO on the promise he would make Marvel more money.

Maisel started working out deals for TV films with the Sci-Fi Channel, though they went nowhere. Marvel also licensed Namor to Universal for a film. That too never came to fruition. As is so often the case with the smell of cash luring, decision-making is compromised and the art suffers. Despite this early success, Marvel was not immune.

Likelihood of Doomsday Connection: Medium-High

Both Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe already debuted in the MCU in Spiderman: No Way Home, which was the first MCU movie that really showed the possibility of the multiverse concept. However, while we think it isn’t likely that much of the Raimi films will be in Doomsday, we speculate that it is highly likely Tobey will reprise his Spider-Man once again. As one of the Marvel cornerstones alongside X-Men, Feige will likely want some element of these in the grand finale to this era of Marvel filmmaking.

Daredevil (2003)

If any film is emblematic of that turn in the story, it is Daredevil. To be fair, this wasn’t rushed into development because of money. Fox had obtained the rights to Daredevil back in 1997 and was keen to have Chris Columbus direct. But perhaps they wanted to focus mostly on X-Men and allowed the rights to expire.

Disney was in talks to get the rights, but those fell apart and Columbia wound up with Daredevil alongside Spider-Man. Yet like Fox, Columbia let the rights expire. Daredevil wound up split between two studios, with New Regency getting the primary rights and Fox signing back on to distribute.

Mark Steven Johnson was hired to write and direct based on his experience writing the Grumpy Old Men series for Fox, and the strength of his Daredevil script. Many were floored by it, with Kevin Feige noting it was one of the best Marvel Studios received. One of Feige’s jobs at Marvel at this time was reviewing scripts, and he among others were gung-ho at what seemed to be a more mature, darker, character-driven work. With Spider-Man‘s box office success, Fox threw more money at the film, ready to get their own mega-hit.

While Fox wanted to film in Canada, Johnson fought hard to film in LA to better recreate the gritty feeling of Hell’s Kitchen. Plus, Ben Affleck was reluctant to travel to Canada, causing Fox to acquiesce. As to Affleck himself, he was cast on the back of the leading-man status he obtained in the late 90s and early 00s. The studio had considered a number of other actors first, including Affleck’s best friend Matt Damon; Damon turned it down despite the fact that he and Affleck had grown up as big fans of the character.

Jennifer Garner was cast as Daredevil’s love interest and famed femme fatale, Elektra. It was on set that Affleck and Garner met and fell in love, resulting in a major Hollywood marriage that lasted thirteen years. Affleck ironically calls this the one movie he regretted doing.

As for the major antagonists, Michael Clarke Duncan was cast as Kingpin, notable for being a Black version of a character who is always white in the comics. Colin Farrell also joined as the super-accurate killer Bullseye. Johnson intended to present a source-accurate version of the psychotic villain, but the oft-derided writer and Marvel’s one-time editor-in-chief Joe Quesada apparently talked him out of using the comics costume, and Farrell wound up depicting Bullseye with his native Irish accent.

Daredevil released in February 2003, with everyone involved ready to replicate Spidey’s success. Unfortunately, they found critics far less kind, and the latter ripped the movie apart on multiple levels. Most found the film dramatically shallow with a confusing story and mismatched tonal issues. Contemporary reviews were kind to the performances, though people have become less favorable towards those as time has gone on.

Even Stan Lee felt they took his creation and made it too tragic. The film’s reputation has soured more and more, with Johnson admitting he tried to put too much into the movie, though he also blames the studio for forcing him to cut it down and emphasize the romantic elements. Daredevil has a director’s cut that many consider a better movie.

This critical response didn’t kill the movie’s box office, though. It was one of the biggest February openings at the time and finished with a worldwide gross of $179.2 million. Arad commented that he saw it as an unmitigated success, with all five Marvel releases since 1998 doing well and two potentially strong ones still coming that summer.

It wouldn’t be enough to get a direct sequel. While there was a spin-off film (we’ll get to that next article) that Affleck recorded a cameo for, Affleck was not pleased with the final product and only agreed to return if they told the stories he wanted to tell. Apparently they refused, and Affleck soured on the idea of playing anymore superheroes (though this wouldn’t last).

Daredevil is notable for starting a trend that soon became a signature of Marvel movies: a post-credits scene. While cinema had had post-credits scenes in the past, they were usually jokes and funny little stings more than storytelling devices or sequel teases. Daredevil used its post-credits scene to tease the return of Bullseye, if in a semi-humorous way. Of course, this wouldn’t pay off, but the idea of a stinger intrigued Feige and others. There would be one or two more experiments before stingers became a foundational part of the MCU.

Anyway, while Fox eventually tried to do a reboot in the late 00s, nothing came together in time and the rights reverted to Marvel. By that time, Marvel Studios was pursuing its own path, a path that would change the course of comic-book movies. Daredevil would have a future, but not on the big-screen. We’ll get to that later.

Likelihood of Doomsday Connection: Medium

Daredevil is a street-level character and not necessarily suited to the cosmic exploits of Doomsday. Not to mention, there is an MCU version of the character that is well-liked. That said, we think there is some chance of Affleck returning for a small cameo. Despite the issues with this version of the character, Feige will likely want him back, as he is part of the history of Marvel movies. Plus, Jennifer Garner already came back. We think there is little chance of Farrell’s Bullseye coming back, and Duncan sadly passed in 2012, so his Kingpin won’t be making a return.

X2: X-Men United (2003)

The success of the first X-Men started immediate development of a sequel. Envisioning his own Empire Strikes Back, Singer searched for a darker storyline that could bring real gravitas to the series. David Hayter and Zak Penn were hired to write separate scripts which later were combined, taking the best elements from each. Hayter worked further with Singer to refine the script. Singer initially turned to the famed Dark Phoenix saga, but Penn convinced him that plot line needed further development first. Further rewrites were done by Michael Doughtery (Trick ‘r Treat) and Dan Harris.

The team made initial attempts to give more screen-time to other X-Men such as Cyclops and Storm, but Fox demanded the movie be cut down and the focus wound up on Wolverine again. Elements such as the Danger Room and Sentinels were cut out once again, as they had been in the first film. By summer 2002, filming started with most of the cast returning and newcomers Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, and Kelly Hu joining.

Speaking of Cumming, he joined as popular character Nightcrawler, another element cut from the first film. Despite the notable use of digital effects, Singer still utilized practical effects, which remain the standout aspects of these early superhero movies. The looks of characters like Mystique and Nightcrawler remain impressive due to the makeup and costuming.

The cost is an often arduous process of application, with Rebecca Romijn having to spend nine hours in the makeup chair for the first film to get all of the scales applied. The process was thankfully refined to a mere six hours for this movie, and Nightcrawler’s look only required four hours, except for Nightcrawler’s shirtless scene which needed nine hours. Little mercies.

Adding to the overall struggles was an extensive production. While praise is rightfully directed for filming not entirely on green- or blue-screen sets, the other side of that is the labor involved. This film had over 64 sets in 38 different locations, and many a problem had to be solved such as finding insufficient snow in Alberta, two stuntmen suffering nearly fatal injuries, Hugh Jackman’s stuntman enduring an injury, and hilariously, McKellen and Stewart lacking knowledge on how to play chess for their scenes together. Worst of all was Singer’s continuing erratic and demanding behavior, which caused clashes with Halle Berry and others.

Despite Singer’s crazed antics, it did not hinder X2. It released in May 2003 as the widest release ever, debuting on 7316 screens. It was part of a mighty 2003 box office season that saw itself and four other films all cross $200 million in one summer. It finished at $407.7 million worldwide and received rave critical reviews. The movie was not without detractors, but most felt it improved upon the first film and deftly handled its ensemble cast to provide great thrills, real humanity to its underlying themes of prejudice, and continued to up the ante for comic-book movies. With X2, not only did Marvel confirm its popular success, but it also saw comic-book films taken seriously as top-grade action movies. Even Ebert liked it!

Likelihood of Doomsday Connection: Happening

While we already discussed that a chunk of the main cast of the X-Men are returning for Doomsday, X2 is getting its unique character joining as well, with Cumming’s Nightcrawler reprising the role for the first time since this film. It really is all hands on deck.

Hulk (2003)

One of the few original successes joined this era of Marvel movies. Outside of Spider-Man, Hulk was probably the only other Marvel character that mainstream audiences had familiarity with. Avi Arad had been trying to make a movie happen since the 90s, with Universal acquiring the rights at that time. Universal remains one of the few non-Disney studios to still have stake in any Marvel characters. Stan Lee worked alongside John Turman to develop a script that included all of the key elements from the comics. But Universal was concerned and developed further scripts, though many elements of this initial script wound up in the final film.

The creative team of Jonathan Hensleigh and Joe Johnston was put at the helm, but Johnston soon dropped out. Further rewrites were done, with Zak Penn providing some treatments. Two of his scenes did not wind up in this movie, but would be put into the 2008 film. Hensleigh was prepared to take over as director and pre-production began, yet in 1998 escalating costs caused Universal to put the movie on hold. Hensleigh attempted rewrites to lower costs, but his frustration over the process caused him to drop out as well.

Michael France, who initially helped out Lee and Turman back in the 80s, returned to rewrite, yet he found Universal’s executives split on whether to make it a serious action film or a comedy. He decided on the serious route and added the element of Bruce Banner’s father being a primary antagonistic figure. While producers were finally pleased with his script, still more rewrites were commissioned. Ang Lee became involved by 2001, passing on the opportunity to direct the third Terminator. He had further rewrites done, drawing inspiration from Universal horror and Greek mythology.

Lee cast Eric Bana as Banner after seeing him in Chopper. Bana was simultaneously auditioning for Ghost Rider, but he lost that part. Bana was a fan of the Hulk show, though he wasn’t the first choice for this part either, with Tom Cruise, Ed Norton (more on him in a future article), and Billy Crudup all reportedly turning down the role. Lee also lured in Jennifer Connelly and Nick Nolte with his Greek tragedy pitch.

At last, filming was underway in early 2002. Unlike most, cowriter James Schamus didn’t feel inspired by the success of Spider-Man in the middle of filming. Instead, he was worried they weren’t up to the level of that movie. Bana reported that the sets were deadly silent with Lee bringing a serious arthouse approach to the filming. Production finished all the same, and Stan Lee provided what was starting to become his standard cameo. Lou Ferrigno, who played the TV Hulk, also cameoed. Extensive CGI was used to create Hulk and the comic panel look that Ang Lee wanted.

Indeed, Lee’s entire approach was to recreate the feeling of a comic onscreen. The results of his committed direction were mixed. While critics appreciated his ambitious attempts and stylistic depiction of comic visuals, with Ebert providing a positive review, others criticized the movie as dramatically lacking and then too silly when the action scenes came. Despite being comic-accurate, the Hulk dogs were singled out for criticism as well as most of the other digital effects for looking cheap and cartoonish. Retrospective reviews have lauded it for standing out among the other comic films at the time and even those since.

Hulk certainly didn’t fail at the box office. It had a fairly strong opening weekend and finished worldwide with a $245.4 million gross. Still, a high mark had been set. While plans for a sequel were immediately underway, Schamus eventually walked out due to creative differences and Universal never got anything else off the ground in time for the release date Arad wanted. The rights reverted to Marvel, with the odd caveat that Universal retained first right of refusal on distribution for returning the rights early, thus still holding the keys on Hulk movies making it to the theater. This is why there has only been one solo Hulk film since.

Likelihood of Doomsday Connection: Low

We think the only character with any chance of making it to Doomsday would be Eric Bana’s Hulk. But funnily enough, Bana has directly commented on his returning to the role by opining that he very much saw it as a one-off role and said he could not see it happening. While actors have lied about returning to their roles in the past, we think Bana is genuine in his lack of desire. This movie probably won’t make it to the big dance.

The Punisher (2004)

By the end of 2003, Marvel Studios was looking brighter and brighter. Without any box office bombs and many sequels brewing, they were trying to strike the iron while it was hot. As previously mentioned, Marvel had hired David Maisel as its new president and COO, earning the job by pitching that Marvel should self-finance and produce its own films. This would give Marvel the most profit and most control. Kevin Feige liked this idea as he saw the potential of having a shared cinematic universe that mirrored the comics. But could such an idea work with so many characters licensed out? Well, Feige noted that Marvel maintained control of some of the key Avengers characters, and many other characters would soon return under Marvel’s wing.

This happened after The Punisher released (see our earlier article in this series). As Blade entered production, Marvel saw the potential for another Punisher film and included the character in their 2000 deal with Artisan Entertainment. This deal was unique for giving Marvel equity ownership and a stake in the cost of production, thus functioning as an experiment of sorts for the type of production Maisel envisioned, even if it wasn’t intended as such.

Despite the issues with Hulk‘s script, Marvel still liked Jonathan Hensleigh and signed him here to write and make his directorial debut, with his wife Gale Anne Hurd producing. He drew primarily from two main comic storylines, aiming to give Frank Castle a gritty, grounded storyline to differentiate him from the other comic characters in development at the time. However, Hensleigh was quickly frustrated with Artisan not providing the budget he wanted, requiring more of the same type of edits that had driven him from Hulk. Action scenes were cut down, storylines reduced, and studio interference played the unfortunate role it often does.

France, another cowriter from Hulk, joined to help Hensleigh in the rewrites and was key in pushing the film to shoot in Florida, where it would be cheaper. Hensleigh wanted to replicate the griminess of ’60s and ’70s action movies such as Bonnie and Clyde, Mad Max, and Dirty Harry, with a dose of Othello for good measure. France attempted to introduce comics characters like Jigsaw and Microchip, but was shut down by Hensleigh.

The Punisher opened on April 16, 2004 and did decently in its opening weekend. However, it was the least successful Marvel movie in the new millennium, finishing with a worldwide gross of only $54.7 million against its $33 million budget. Critics rather harshly derided it as cheerless violence and sporting a silly plot. Most of the cast was criticized as well, with John Travolta singled out as not up to the task of his role, though Thomas Jane‘s turn as Punisher was one of the few bright spots. Some did praise the throwback to grittier revenge movies of the 70s and as accurately aping the aesthetic of Punisher’s 70s comics.

This wouldn’t be enough to get it to a sequel. As production wrapped, Lions Gate purchased Artisan and took over distribution. Though Lions Gate was never involved with the actual production, it was initially interested in working with Avi Arad on a sequel. Development lingered for three years but never made it anywhere due to creative issues and budgetary fights.

Though Lions Gate would eventually produce another Punisher film, it was a reboot. And the difficulties seemed to push Lions Gate off making more comic-book movies. Lions Gate had acquired all of the deals Artisan had with Marvel and initially produced eight animated films for the direct-to-DVD market. But afterwards, whether because of a positive relationship with Arad and Marvel, or annoyance, Lions Gate decided to release the rights for all other characters except Punisher back to Marvel. And thus, Marvel’s dream of self-financing seemed to grow closer to reality.

Likelihood of Doomsday Connection: Low

We rate the chances of Jane’s Punisher appearing just slightly higher than Dolph Lundgren’s. While neither seem likely to get the nod with so many other higher-profile characters to fit in, there is some small chance Marvel may want to gather all of the Punishers since all of the actors are still living. But we just don’t see it happening.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Despite The Punisher being the first arguable failure for Marvel Studios, this would be quickly forgotten in the wake of its biggest success to date. Because Spider-Man was the juggernaut that it was, a sequel was immediately greenlit with Raimi returning. They also hired Smallville‘s Alfred Gough and Miles Millar to write a script, with David Koepp soon joining the writing team and Michael Chabon hired to do rewrites.

Raimi picked through the various treatments to pick the elements he liked best and narrowed down on a story that would focus on Doc Ock as the main villain and Peter Parker’s struggle between personal responsibilities and being a hero. It would be Raimi who altered Doc Ock’s backstory into a tragic figure that Peter admired, which added further dramatic weight.

Despite the excitement, there was trouble in paradise. Tobey Maguire had back issues develop and he was reportedly quietly pushed aside for Jake Gyllenhaal. Maguire fought hard to get the role back, including getting the head of Universal Studios to pressure Columbia into restoring him to the cast. It worked, and Maguire delighted in the reverse of fate by performing many of his own stunts and even dropping a line about his back that wound up in the final film.

While CGI effects were growing in prevalence in Hollywood, Raimi still leaned into practical effects and stunt work. Massive sets were commissioned in addition to filming in NYC and Chicago, including one for Doc Ock’s lair that put filming on hiatus for eight weeks. But with that much financial success, the studio got of the way to let the creatives cook. Doc Ock’s tentacles were physically created as well to add realism in addition to the CGI that was used.

With the right elements in place, Spider-Man 2 was another smash success. Critics lauded what was seen as a step up in the dramatic storytelling with true emotional weight. The performances and action were all universally praised as well, with Ebert giving it a 4/4 and calling it the best superhero film since the genre launched. Many today still consider it one of the best comic-book movies and action films of the 00’s. It won an Academy Award for Visual Effects to top it all off.

As for what really gets the studios salivating, money rained down on this movie. It hit $200 million within eight days, a record at the time. It took many other weekend and day of the week records, and finished with a gross of $795.9 million worldwide. A third film was already approved before release, but this gross likely emboldened them all the more.

Likelihood of Doomsday Connection: Medium-High

As already mentioned with Tobey above, we think he’ll likely return again after No Way Home was so well received. But as with Spider-Man, we don’t think any supporting characters like Kirsten Dunst‘s Mary Jane or James Franco‘s Harry Osborn will return. Alfred Molina already reprised his role as Doc Ock but likely won’t be in any Avengers film.

As we close the door on this era of Marvel, it’s clear the intrepid company was in a much better place. Saved from the brink of destruction and bankruptcy, it found itself with an opposite view as 2004 closed its doors. Despite mixed critical reception to a few films, most were positively received and two were considered among the best of the decade. Not only was Marvel saved, it was starting to take over as a dominant cultural force.

Still, there was a price to this for comics fans. As good as the movies often were, there were numerous changes from the source material as many felt comic-accurate costumes or character origins were still too zany for mainstream audiences with the X-Men being the notable victims of this mentality. Furthermore, Marvel Comics thrived on its shared universe and crossovers. Yet with so many different studios owning the rights, the chances of such crossovers seemed near impossible. It seemed there was only an appetite for Marvel’s flagship characters. More obscure characters like Iron Man, Thor, or Ant-Man didn’t seem the most marketable.

Next time we’ll see how the fruits of success fed Marvel Studios and motivated them to go further. Already, the seeds were being planted for Marvel to get into film production. This would take time though, and in the meantime, there were sequels and spin-offs to be made. Will comic book movies be able to escape the plague of diminishing returns and creative bankruptcy that often seizes studios when they sense a money opportunity? Or will Marvel mar the reputation it had built up over the course of late 90s and early 00s?

Ranking Era Two

Time to rank the next era! We have a much stronger set of movies this time, even if with some duds. Let’s see how they stack up!

#9: Daredevil

Pulling up the rear of this era is Daredevil. It’s not an entirely terrible movie and if we were ranking the director’s cut, it might not be last. Despite the reputation of this era being a bunch of origin stories, this and many others were actually trying somewhat unique approaches to avoid a simple rote telling of a hero’s creation. But Daredevil still felt obliged to tell the origin in flashback and it hurts the dramatic momentum when it happens.

The film takes so long to reach its main plot that it then rushes through the introduction of Kingpin, Bullseye, and more. Focus is instead put on extended scenes of Affleck and Garner flirting, with little dramatic heft. Garner is a clear miscast for fans of the comic-book character, unable to come across as convincingly intimidating. Affleck fares slightly better, if only just. The movie is also hilariously bound to the early 00s with the soundtrack wielding the notable “Bring Me to Life” and other such songs punctuating moments.

The villains are given quite a bit of short shrift with no clear idea of the threat they pose, past Bullseye just appearing and killing people. The taint this had on the reputation of the character is unfortunate, given the few neat things the movie does. The depiction of the radar vision brings one of the few genuine romantic moments and the potential was here for a solidly gripping take on the character. Sadly, it fell short.

#8: Blade II

The Blade sequel isn’t an entirely bad experience, but it lacks more than a bit in plot. While Wesley Snipes is more assured in the role, the script is even weaker than the first movie. The vague overtones of more thematic depth involved in a family of original vampires who are cruel to each other are lost in the silliness that started to overtake this entry. Further, none of these villains are distinctive and well-written enough to really work.

Kris Kristofferson’s Whistler returns in a convoluted manner, but he’s a welcome presence all the same. The smaller performances from Reedus and Perlman who were still building their reputations are fun to see, both suiting their roles well. It’s also funny how this plot resembles that of the superior X2 by having heroes and villains team up. Must have been something in the writing room air.

#7: Hulk

Hulk suffers from many of the same problems as Daredevil. With comic-book films still navigating tone, many of the scripts layered on too much melodrama without the proper balance of true character development. Ang Lee saw the dramatic potential for a Hulk movie and tried to develop it into the epic tragedy it could be. But it gets far too self-serious at times for a film with super poodles and a giant green rage monster.

The cast is solid all around. Bana seems a suitable Banner, and Sam Elliot as General Ross is also inspired casting. Nolte’s character is too erratically written to truly work as a villain, but it’s no fault of Nolte. This is just another movie that tried to do too much. Like Daredevil, it wanted to put all the good stuff on screen at once and ended up giving everything short shrift.

That said, Hulk avoids last place due to Lee’s admittedly unique approach and making the movie look like a comic book come to life. With screen transitions and other editorial cuts trying to resemble panels changing, Hulk does remain distinctive even over 20 years after its release. One can admire what Lee was going for with it, even if it often didn’t work.

#6: The Punisher

The Punisher is carried over some of the other movies in this era purely on the strength of Thomas Jane’s performance. Jane brings a real gravitas to the role and anger that most other takes on the character lack. But like the other movies below this one, it is laden with script issues.

It features an overly-long origin story that goes on and on. The villains are underbaked with it seeming to rely mostly on John Travolta’s star power. But Travolta seems directionless with his character, and is easily one of the weakest Marvel villains across all of the movies.

While the unrelenting tone is a strength in some ways, it is almost too relentlessly grim. This needed better designed action scenes to sustain the method the movie used. But at the least, the grit the movie has suits the character. Like all of these lower half films that are half-baked, it has good ideas. We think at least this one’s good ideas shine the brightest.

#5: Blade

Blade is where the films cross from average or mixed to good. Not to say Blade doesn’t have its own flaws, but the strengths outweigh the weaknesses here. It all starts with Snipes who owns the role and helped transform the character forever. While he may reflect certain tropes of the era, the stoic, black-leather clad, and sporter of occasional whips Daywalker remains a distinctive character today and the comics version changed to match this portrayal. Snipes brings a natural presence that carries the entire trilogy.

Not to be overlooked is Kris Kristofferson as Blade’s mentor. His gruff take on Whistler almost seems in disbelief about the movie he’s in, which somehow works with the tone Norrington created. His relationship with Blade is perhaps the highlight of the movie.

To be fair, Blade comes across as dated in many respects. This is the era where The Matrix took off and everything felt derivative of that aesthetic. The pounding club music that comprises the score also dates it to a late 90’s style. Yet, there is a visual flair throughout that helps make the action pop. While Stephen Dorff is a better villain than the one in Blade II, his motivations aren’t much more complicated than conquering the world.

Blade probably could have used with some beefing up to the script. But it is by and large entertaining at the least, and set the mold for all of Marvel’s future success.Plus, the cheese of Blade’s iconic line is hard not to smile at. It was the first Marvel film to recognize that comic characters can work on the big screen if treated like human beings, even when they aren’t.

#4: X-Men

For all that Blade does right, X-Men expands on it positively, and in some pretty direct ways. The black leather look carried over to this film and the overall cool color palates as well as having a grizzled veteran as the lead character. It’s easy to take for granted how much this movie does right, now that we have over 25 years of experience furthering the strengths of big screen superheroes, but everyone involved deserves lots of credit. Special effects finally caught up enough to display the diversity of powers in these characters without it looking totally silly.

While the depth of the conflict between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men wouldn’t be developed further until the sequel, all of the basic ingredients are here. The battles take on their appropriate gravitas because actors like Stewart and McKellan bring their stage training to the forefront and lend it power. The metaphor of mutants as the disenfranchised part of society works even here because the bigoted behavior of Senator Kelly feels recognizable.

And, even if limited in scope, the battles between the mutants still have a spark and fun. Seeing Cyclops blast Sabretooth with an eyebeam for the first time or Storm sparking Toad with lighting (ignoring the infamous cringey line) had to be a blast. The extensive makeup work for Mystique remains impressive as well. Though Berry’s failed attempt at an African accent in this movie is amusing. The film also let Hugh Jackman show his talents to the world. He may have had complaints regarding comic authenticity but he brought enough of the attitude to cement his career.

X-Men does have awkward pacing at times and it does feel like the ensemble gets short shrift to Wolverine more than a bit. Yet it does just enough to cement itself as a solid comic book action flick and still presents as a decent alternative to the Avengers-style team-up movie.

#3: Spider-Man

With now three major big-screen takes on the Webhead, different generations all have their favorites. Newer fans consider this take dorky and silly now, but we find it is the best interpretation of Stan Lee’s awkward hero to date. Tobey Maguire alone has portrayed Peter Parker as the dopey moody dork that he is in when he first gets his powers. While he may not nail the quippiness of Spidey’s costumed form, he still has his share of solid funny moments.

So much of Raimi’s film still works. The moments where Parker learns and discovers his powers are excellent. Raimi approaches it with such a love for the comics and his desire to bring to life not just the lead characters but a complicated supporting cast and making the civilians as much of a force as anything else is still appreciated. The MCU should be lauded for advancing the boundaries of where superhero movies were in this era, but one thing that’s been lost is that these heroes are saving regular people most of the time in the comics pages. Spider-Man spends plenty of time with the costumed hero helping out average Joes and it pays off in the climax with Green Goblin. Speaking of, Dafoe’s performance still remains a delight with Raimi’s quick zooms helping emphasize the finer points of it.

This movie has its problems too, to be fair. The origin story does feel rather split from the second half where Spidey deals with the threat of Green Goblin, though Raimi does thread Goblin’s origin into the first half to be fair. The Goblin costume has also aged horribly and one wishes they had stuck with the original concept. And as important as the MJ and Peter romance is supposed to be, with the iconic upside kiss scene, it still feels somewhat underdeveloped. But overall, Spider-Man is a strong introduction to the character and remains a fun time 20+ years later.

#2: X2

While the stereotype is that sequels provide diminishing returns, in this early era of superhero movies, sequels benefited from the filmmakers figuring out the finer points and getting bigger budgets. Such was the case here, as X2 improves on the first film in every way. There is still a large focus on Wolverine but the ensemble gets more breathing room here with Magneto and Xavier’s relationship becoming a standout with more screen time. It’s not an accident that this frenemy relationship wound up as the centering point for the prequel, later sequels, and in the Doomsday trailer. Their metaphorical representation of the extremist and moderate response to oppression works well on the page and these actors deliver it live neigh perfectly.

The interesting part of X2‘s plotting structure is that the Brotherhood are not the main villains and team up with the X-Men for a chunk against a greater threat represented in William Stryker (a perfectly smarmy Brian Cox), who wants to eradicate all mutants. The film picks up from the threads of the first movie quite well, using Mystique as a wild card character to introduce other Brotherhood characters at the right moment. The introduction of Pyro, Iceman, and more focus on Rogue as the younger mutant characters forms a strong subplot on the way people react to somebody different and why Magneto’s viewpoint feels right to so many people.

That’s not to mention the excellent action set-pieces. The opening Nightcrawler White House attack remains iconic and may be Singer’s finest moment as a director. Not to be overlooked are the brutal battle between Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike (sadly a bit underdeveloped) and Jean Grey’s heroic rescue of the team from being drowned. X2 understands why grand moments on the comic-book page work and found a way to bring the tone of such scenes to the silver screen.

X2 isn’t without chinks here and there, but it remains one of the best comic films out there. While it may have lost the friendly war with the Spider-Man films as far as quality or money goes, this rivalry was to both franchise’s benefit. With the releases of these two flagship movies, it felt like the sky was the limit for Marvel.

#1: Spider-Man 2

And boy did Spidey ever swing through that sky in this one. We won’t bury the lead here: Spider-Man 2 rules this era and will likely remain as one of the top films even after the MCU gauntlet arrives. This features one of the best recreations of a comic book storyline with its translation of “Spider-Man No More.” It understands the weight of Peter’s struggle between being a hero and a regular human being from the opening scene, humorously featuring real NYC pizza joint Joes. Indeed, much of the opening act is showing how much Peter has falling through the cracks by being a hero, a running theme in the comics.

The film’s structure asks the important question of why heroes matter and what sacrifices they require. The dissolution of friendships with Harry and Mary Jane for varying reasons, failings in a professional capacity, and feeling helpless against the superpowered threats he faces all are given proper weight. This movie feels so much like the 70’s era books brought to life, especially with Raimi’s funny camera cuts and framing techniques. And speaking of threats, Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock remains the standout Raimi villain for the depth he has. The scene of his tentacles coming to life is also some excellent horror in the middle of an action film.

Peter’s navigation of this conflict is so relatable to those of us who have split responsibilities in life. Which makes the scene at the 2/3rds mark with Aunt May sound so strongly on why we need heroes. Dare we say it outshines Uncle Ben’s famed statement on great power and great responsibility? If only because Rosemary Harris is such an excellent and unheralded gem of these movies. She nails that scene.

An article as long as this one already is could be written on Spider-Man 2‘s merits. We cut it short here by stating this one rocks from start to finish. Even the final shot packs a punch of melancholy and thus more emotional depth into what seems like a moment of triumph for the characters. Hats off to you Sam Raimi and company.

Marvel Chart

1. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
2. X2: X-Men United (2003)
3. X2 (2003)
4. Spider-Man (2002)
5. X-Men (2000)
6. Blade (1998)
7. The Punisher (2004)
8. Hulk (2003)
9. Blade II (2002)
10. Daredevil (2003)
11. Fantastic Four (1994)
12. The Punisher (1989)
13. Howard the Duck (1986)
14. Captain America (1990)

Project Hail Mary is an artistic “all hail” to originality, at least mostly. This is an adaptation of a best-selling Andy Weir (The Martian) novel, but in a world where Hollywood big-budget sci-fi action films are dominated by continuations of long-existing franchises or other popular IP, Project Hail Mary stands tall as a one-off work. Raking in a large opening weekend box-office and rave critical reviews, 2026 has its first bonafide non-animated hit.

For fans of the novel, this film is largely a success. Directors Phil Lord & Chris Miller have largely faithfully recreated the book in their own plucky comedic style that brought them such success with The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street franchises. With Ryan Gosling at the helm, utilizing his humorous and self-depreciating acting style, Ryland Grace’s journey to the stars to save the world is an enjoyable ride that captures much of the sci-fi problem-solving that defines Weir’s work.

The largest flaw of Project Hail Mary is its pacing. In adapting a lengthy book centered on many types of problem-solving, the requirements of adaptation necessarily result in streamlining. Yet by attempting to be reasonably accurate to the book’s plot structure and sections, Project Hail Mary acquires bulk without some of the underlying structure beneath it. Lord & Miller should have aimed for a shorter or longer film to resolve this issue.

This is a minor complaint, as much of the story still works quite well. The movie doesn’t give short shrift to its world-building or visual style. Multiple “money” IMAX shots of gorgeous space scenes are worth the price of admission. There is also an apparent focus on rendering many aspects as practically as possible, a welcome choice in granting authenticity to scenes where two spaceships travel past each other or that feature Rocky, the alien and arguable co-protagonist.

Speaking of, while the trailers unfortunately spoiled Rocky’s inclusion (a big surprise of the book), this does allow a spoiler-free review to discuss this dynamic. And what a wonderful one it is. Though the movie must race past some cultural exploration, Gosling and James Ortiz‘s voice performance create a welcome tandem in the classic buddy-comedy vein. This friendship forms the heart of the film’s hopeful ideas on how to save the future, and the possibilities of science. The pair are a delight to see interact, with attention to detail paying off in the movie’s biggest emphatic moments.

Grace’s character arc may be a tad simplistic and other aspects may lack the depth the book provides. But Project Hail Mary now has Weir batting two-for-two for big-screen versions of his works. So long as creative filmmakers are given the tools needed to succeed, movies like this are beacon of hope for those wanting the box office to be varied and vibrant. Like Grace helping to save the world, this film helps pull cinema back from the brink.

Tell us your thoughts on Project Hail Mary below and rank it on Flickchart!

A common refrain when it comes to adaptations is that the book is always better than the movie. And usually, that’s right. By their nature, books enjoy more robust storytelling as the only limit to the scope of a story and depth of a character is the imagination of the author. There are no budgets to contend with, and wrestling with attention span is an easier matter as books are rarely designed to be consumed in one sitting. Plus, great books actively engage the imagination of the reader, allowing a personal connection to the material in a way that cinema does not.

Yet for every rule, there are exceptions. In The Martian, many believe they find one. Let’s take a close look at both the book and the movie and make a Flickchart choice.

The Novel

Author Andy Weir has been a fan of science-fiction since a young age. His parents came from STEM backgrounds and he grew up reading greats like Issac Asimov and Robert Heinlein. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before he dipped his toe into writing his own stories. Though he learned programming as his “real job,” Weir self-published his own sci-fi stories throughout his 20s.

While these stories were decently successful and helped him earn a place writing comics, Weir’s first attempts to find a publisher were not successful. Undeterred, he kept writing and wound up crafting a fairly notable short-story, “The Egg,” which was adapted into several YouTube short films, a play, and even served as a conceptual backdrop for rapper Logic’s third album. Still, Weir pressed on towards the big kahuna: publishing a novel.

In one of the great success stories for self-publishing, along came the The Martian. Weir was emboldened to craft a truly scientifically-accurate sci-fi story, and he developed the idea of a survival tale set on hypothetical space missions to Mars. He conducted extensive research to make his book as correct as possible, despite lacking backgrounds in most of the subjects needed to make the book convincing.

As in the past, Weir attempted to shop the novel in the traditional manner. But agent after agent rejected the book once again. He self-published the novel in serialized form on his website. Then, a turning point happened. Readers requested he place the full story on Amazon Kindle to read.

Weir complied, initially offering it for free but then selling it for 99 cents. The Martian took off and hit Kindle’s bestseller list. Agents then came to Weir and asked him for the book. Once it reached a publisher it hit the New York Times bestseller list. It is a heck of a story proving that anyone can make great art and eventually find an audience.

And indeed, The Martian is great art. Weir’s style befits a modern sci-fi audience. With a process-focused writing style, the joy of reading the book is the attention to detail in problem solving. Mark Watney serves as the protagonist, stuck on Mars and left for dead after a mission was aborted due to a freak weather event. Watney is a botanist and engineer and must figure out how to survive on the alien atmosphere of Mars, and contact NASA for rescue.

Much of the book’s tension centers around the methodology of fixing every issue that arises. How does he eat? How does he breathe consistently? How can he expand what supplies he has? How can he fix his communications relay? These, and many other problems are what he spends the novel’s length doing, and Weir’s writing goes through the scientific processes of implementing the solutions and accounting for potential errors. With much of the novel written as journal entries, it takes on a semi-epistolary style which further adds to the realism.

Understandably, Weir anticipates that for some readers too much of this hard scientific style will overwhelm and bore. To account for this, Watney’s personality is that of a charismatic smart-ass, contending with his situation with as much pluck as possible and smarting off to the nature of his situation as well as NASA. This dose of humor adds to the readability of the book and gives it all a sense of optimism despite the overwhelming odds.

That said, the story is ultimately barebones and focuses so much on problem-solving that it can feel lacking at times. There is little in the way of character arcs, and most of the side characters serve a highly utilitarian purpose. The lack of something more can hold the book back at times, and the introduction of a romance between two characters feels like a random attempt to address the problem that is half-baked at best.

Likewise, there isn’t much going on here thematically. Some could read the depictions of NASA as a critique of bureaucracy, but even that feels a bit afield. The clearest theme is on keeping up hope despite everything that goes wrong, and the importance of one human life. The closing chapters hit on this idea a little bit. This still feels like a passing concern for Weir, though.

Despite these lacks, The Martian is largely a riveting book. For someone really into science, this is a dream come true. And even where it lacks on a literary level, The Martian succeeds at the core tenets of storytelling by keeping the reader flipping to the next page. Time spent with Watney never feels like time wasted.

The Film

With the book exploding in 2014, Hollywood wasn’t going to sit around and wait. Seeing that the iron was hot, they struck. Fox had already obtained film rights back in 2013, sensing a winner. Drew Goddard wrote a treatment and was slated to direct. He piqued Matt Damon‘s interest. Goddard was lured away by the shiny light of comic book cinema, so Ridley Scott was approached next to direct. Scott had, ahem, some experience in sci-fi.

Like Weir’s readers, Scott was hooked by the emphasis on hard science. He saw potential to balance teaching viewers and entertaining them through a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster. With Scott signing on, The Martian was fast-tracked.

The film sought to shoot practically, but filming on actual Mars was slightly impracticable. The nation of Jordan would substitute for the red planet’s vast orange deserts, as it had for some prior Mars films. Many sets were built, as well as a replica Mars rover. Notably, the production grew actual potatoes for filming, with the plants serving as Watney’s primary sustenance for most of the film.

The film was largely a hit. While not as massive as some sci-fi movies, it still managed to crack the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2015. It had serendipitous timing, as it released just a few days after water was found on the real Mars. Critics were kind, and the movie received a bevy of Oscar nominations. It was lauded for its scientific accuracy as well, with only a handful of deviations needed for some of the tension.

Indeed, The Martian is an excellent film. Scott serves as an ideal choice for director. Freed from the flaws that sometimes plague his own scripts, Scott’s focus and filmmaking talent keeps the film flowing and makes the nearly two-and-a-half-hour runtime fly right by. It rarely feels like there is any dead space in the storytelling, and his shot composition keeps the movie visually interesting within the limited confines of the story.

Damon is also an excellent lead. He believably pulls off delivery of some rather thick scientific dialogue, and he has the charisma necessary to live up to the book’s characterization of Watney. More than a few moments feel translated from text to film nigh perfectly.

The Martian really pops as a movie because the side characters and moments with NASA feel more developed and alive. While not changing much substantially from the script, the film medium allows these other characters to be more well-rounded, and we get a sense of where they all stand with each other in a more visceral way. Leaning on performers such as Jessica Chastain and Kata Mara allow these NASA officers to be believable people instead of mere plot devices. Their scenes are more rushed than in the book, which is true of the entirety of the movie, yet Scott’s visual and concise storytelling ends up bolstering the weaker aspects of the book.

There are a few tiny changes to the ending to deliver a more “Hollywood” conclusion. Mileage may vary on whether making subtext more literal is an improvement. One can argue that the movie drags things out too long, but the feel-good moments are crowd-pleasing.

If one is more enraptured with technical descriptions of hard science, then the novel is still likely the preferred way to consume this story. But for our money, the movie improves on the book by bringing visual and aural dimensions that make the entire experience more visceral. The side characters feel more real and more important, the human element is larger, and the science aspect remains front and center.

Regardless of preference, this is a case study on how to do adaptation correctly. Every author would be lucky to get a movie with such fidelity to their work that winds up being a box office and critical success. The Martian is out of this world, pardon the pun.

The Bride plays like a movie where its director and writer Maggie Gyllenhaal had about ten different ideas to reinvent The Bride of Frankenstein as a modern feminist tale. Rather than be discerning and shave off the ones that didn’t work or she didn’t have time to develop properly, she decided to put all of them into one movie. The result is a bold film, chock full of literary and film references, that is a total mess and becomes increasingly sloppy the longer it goes on.

One can admire that Gylenhaal is swinging for the fences in her second directorial effort. She shows off all sorts of pop culture knowledge by having a meta opening featuring Mary Shelley, just like the original film. But as perhaps an exemplar of the movie’s problems, this reference morphs into a strange plot device wherein Shelley’s ghost is going to possess our lead character. This, presumably, is supposed to lead somewhere, yet it never really matters at all.

The Bride is full of Chekhov’s guns that aren’t fired, or aren’t effectively fired. The movie morphs from being about Frankenstein’s Monster, here named Frank (Christian Bale), seeking a companion to ease his loneliness, to become a Bonnie and Clyde-like tale of two monsters on the run who inspire a movement. It is a movement confined to one scene, but a movement all the same. Whether it is this social revolution, a meta-element of Shelley becoming a character in her own story, or the constant Fred Astaire references, none of it adds up to a satisfying whole.

Jessie Buckley provides a satisfying enough performance, if veering a little too broad at times. She veers between two personas, playing both The Bride as well as Shelley’s possessing ghost, and she does a fine enough job balancing these. Bale also provides one of the warmer, more affable turns of his career. Penelope Cruz and Peter Sarsgaard appear as a pair of detectives tailing the monsters, though their characters are another thread that doesn’t go much of anywhere. They each bring their own strengths, but they are underutilized for the amount of screentime they have.

Likewise, there is plenty of visual style and aplomb. There are several dance scenes, including where Frank imagines himself on the big screen dancing like Astaire, here a fictional actor named Ronnie Reed (Jake Gylenhaal). These sequences are fun and amusing, if a somewhat on-the-nose reference to Young Frankenstein.

Neither the acting nor the cinematography can save this version from its sloppy writing. It veers off in so many different directions that it becomes a frustrating exercise. The film feels like the editor very much struggled with the second and third acts as well, with continuity falling more and more by the wayside. Characters are getting shot in Niagara Falls and somehow a “few hours later” on the same night appear in Indiana.

The Bride is aiming to be a bold feminist punk rock examination of The Bride of Frankenstein. Past these vague overtones, though, it’s not clear what the true takeaways are to be. This needed a lot more refinement and editing time to be shored up into something better.

Comment below with your thoughts on The Bride and rank it on Flickchart soon!

Best Foreign Language Film

It Was Just an Accident
No Other Choice
Nouvelle Vague
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value

And The Winner Is…

Taking an easy lead with 36.7% of the vote, No Other Choice wins this category handily. This marks the second win in this category for Park Chan-wook, after he previously won for The Handmaiden.

No Other Choice — 36.7%
Sentimental Value — 28.6%
The Secret Agent — 18.4%
It Was Just an Accident — 12.2%
Nouvelle Vague — 4.1%

Best Documentary

The Alabama Solution
Come See Me in the Good Light
John Candy: I Like Me
The Perfect Neighbor
Predators

And The Winner Is…

Taking more than a third of the votes, Colin Hanks’ documentary, John Candy: I Like Me, wins this award with 34.1% of the votes. This marks the third year in a row that this category has gone to a documentary about a famous figure after Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie and Super/Man: A Christopher Reeve Story.

John Candy: I Like Me — 34.1%
The Perfect Neighbor — 26.8%
Come See Me in the Good Light — 19.5%
Predators — 12.2%
The Alabama Solution — 7.3%

Best Animated Film

The Bad Guys 2
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2

And The Winner Is…

No surprise here, as KPop Demon Hunters easily takes the win, earning nearly half the votes with 49%.

KPop Demon Hunters — 49%
Zootopia 2 — 29.4%
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain — 9.8%
The Bad Guys 2 — 5.9%
Elio — 5.9%

Worst Film of 2025

The Electric State
Love Hurts
A Minecraft Movie
Snow White
War of the Worlds

And The “Winner” Is…

In a fairly close match, Snow White beats War of the Worlds by only two votes, winning with 33.3% of the votes. This marks the second time a retelling of Snow White has won this category, as Snow White and the Huntsman was voted the worst film of the year at our second awards.

Snow White — 33.3%
War of the Worlds — 28.9%
A Minecraft Movie — 17.8%
The Electric State — 13.3%
Love Hurts — 6.7%

Most Anticipated Film of 2026

Avengers: Doomsday
Disclosure Day
The Odyssey
Project Hail Mary
Spider-Man: Brand New Day

And The Winner Is…

No surprise that the latest film from Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey, earned an easy victory in this category with 35.6% of votes. This marks the third time Nolan has won this award, having previously won for The Dark Knight Rises and Tenet — making him the director to win the most in this category.

The Odyssey — 35.6%
Disclosure Day — 20.3%
Project Hail Mary — 18.6%
Avengers: Doomsday — 16.9%
Spider-Man: Brand New Day — 8.5%

Best Underranked Film

Hamnet
No Other Choice
Roofman
Sentimental Value
Train Dreams

And The Winner Is…

Clint Bentley’s gorgeous film, Train Dreams, also took a dominating lead in this category, as the film wins with 34.% of votes.

Train Dreams — 34.5%
No Other Choice — 25.5%
Sentimental Value — 16.4%
Roofman — 12.7%
Hamnet — 10.9%

Most Underrated Film

Black Bag
Caught Stealing
No Other Choice
One of Them Days
Train Dreams

And The Winner Is…

This close race came down to two nominees, each of which receiving 27.3% of votes, with previous winners already No Other Choice and Train Dreams both winning this category.

No Other Choice — 27.3%
Train Dreams — 27.3%
Caught Stealing — 21.8%
One of Them Days — 14.5%
Black Bag — 9.1%

Most Overrated Film

F1
Frankenstein
A Minecraft Movie
One Battle After Another
Sinners

And The “Winner” Is…

Winning by a single vote, A Minecraft Movie, one of the highest-grossing films of 2025, beats Joseph Kosinski’s Best Picture Oscar nominee F1. A Minecraft Movie wins with 26.8% of the votes.

A Minecraft Movie — 26.8%
F1 — 25%
One Battle After Another — 17.9%
Sinners — 17.9%
Frankenstein — 12.5%

Most Surprising Film

Caught Stealing
The Naked Gun
Thunderbolts*
Train Dreams
Weapons

And The Winner Is…

In another overwhelming win, Zach Cregger’s horror epic Weapons wins Most Surprising Film with 36/2% of the votes.

Weapons — 36.2%
The Naked Gun — 22.4%
Thunderbolts* — 17.2%
Caught Stealing — 12.1%
Train Dreams — 12.1%

Most Disappointing Film

Avatar: Fire and Ash
Happy Gilmore 2
Highest 2 Lowest
Honey Don’t!
The Running Man

And The “Winner” Is…

And we have another tie! Earning close to a fourth of votes each, Honey Don’t! and The Running Man each earn 23.5% of the votes. This is the second time an Edgar Wright film has won this category, as Last Night in Soho previously won this award as well.

Honey Don’t! — 23.5%
The Running Man — 23.5%
Avatar: Fire and Ash — 17.6%
Happy Gilmore 2 — 17.6%
Highest 2 Lowest — 17.6%

Best Looking Film

The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

And The Winner Is…

Considering it’s nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Directing at the Oscars, it’s no surprise that Ryan Coogler’s Sinners wins this category with a commanding lead, getting 32.8% of votes.

Sinners — 32.8%
Frankenstein — 25.9%
One Battle After Another — 17.2%
Train Dreams — 17.2%
The Fantastic Four: First Steps — 6.9%

Best Writing

Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler — Sinners
Zach Cregger — Weapons
Rian Johnson — Wake Up Dead Man
Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier — Sentimental Value

And The Winner Is…

Also with a powerful lead, Paul Thomas Anderson wins this category for his sprawling Thomas Pynchon adaptation, One Battle After Another, which wins with 37.3% of votes. With this win, Anderson becomes one of only two people to win this category twice, tying Wes Anderson for the most wins. Paul Thomas Anderson previously won this category for his last feature, Licorice Pizza.

Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another — 37.3%
Ryan Coogler — Sinners — 23.7%
Rian Johnson — Wake Up Dead Man — 16.9%
Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier — Sentimental Value — 13.6%
Zach Cregger — Weapons — 8.5%

Best Directing

Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another
Ryan Coogler — Sinners
Zach Cregger — Weapons
Guillermo del Toro — Frankenstein
Rian Johnson — Wake Up Dead Man

And The Winner Is…

In another big win for Anderson, One Battle After Another wins with 42.6% of the votes, beating second-place Sinners by only two votes. With this win, Anderson also becomes one of only three filmmakers to win both Best Writing and Best Directing for the same film, joining previous winners Bong Joon-ho for Parasite and Daniels for Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another — 42.6%
Ryan Coogler — Sinners — 39.3%
Guillermo del Toro — Frankenstein — 11.5%
Zach Cregger — Weapons — 4.9%
Rian Johnson — Wake Up Dead Man — 1.6%

Biggest Breakthrough

Odessa A’zion
Clint Bentley
Indy the Dog
Chase Infiniti
Eva Victor

And The Winner Is…

In another major win for One Battle After Another, Chase Infiniti wins with 34.6% of the votes after her breakthrough in Anderson’s latest.

Chase Infiniti — 34.6%
Odessa A’zion — 26.9%
Eva Victor — 17.3%
Indy the Dog — 17.3%
Clint Bentley — 3.8%

Best Supporting Actress

Glenn Close — Wake Up Dead Man
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas — Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan — Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku — Sinners
Teyana Taylor — One Battle After Another

And The Winner Is…

In another massive win, Amy Madigan wins for her role as Aunt Gladys in Weapons with 36.7% of the votes.

Amy Madigan — Weapons — 36.7%
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas — Sentimental Value — 18.3%
Teyana Taylor — One Battle After Another — 18.3%
Wunmi Mosaku — Sinners — 16.7%
Glenn Close — Wake Up Dead Man — 10%

Best Supporting Actor

Jacob Elordi — Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo — Sinners
Jack O’Connell — Sinners
Sean Penn — One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård — Sentimental Value

And The Winner Is…

Winning by only one vote, Sean Penn‘s performance as Colonel Lockjaw in One Battle After Another just barely beats Stellan Skarsgård’s performance in Sentimental Value, earning 28.3% of the votes.

Sean Penn — One Battle After Another — 28.3%
Stellan Skarsgård — Sentimental Value — 26.7%
Jacob Elordi — Frankenstein — 20%
Delroy Lindo — Sinners — 13.3%
Jack O’Connell — Sinners — 11.7%

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley — Hamnet
Rose Byrne — If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Sally Hawkins — Bring Her Back
Renate Reinsve — Sentimental Value
Emma Stone — Bugonia

And The Winner Is…

In a surprisingly major lead, Rose Byrne wins with 34.5% of the votes for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.

Rose Byrne — If I Had Legs I’d Kick You — 34.5%
Jessie Buckley — Hamnet — 23.6%
Sally Hawkins — Bring Her Back — 18.2%
Emma Stone — Bugonia — 12.7%
Renate Reinsve — Sentimental Value — 10.9%

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet — Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio — One Battle After Another
Michael B. Jordan — Sinners
Josh O’Connor — Wake Up Dead Man
Jesse Plemons — Bugonia

And The Winner Is…

Another major win comes for Timothée Chalamet, winning for Marty Supreme with 36.1% of all votes.

Timothée Chalamet — Marty Supreme — 36.1%
Michael B. Jordan — Sinners — 27.9%
Jesse Plemons — Bugonia — 19.7%
Leonardo DiCaprio — One Battle After Another — 9.8%
Josh O’Connor — Wake Up Dead Man — 6.6%

Best Overall Cast

One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Wake Up Dead Man
Weapons

And The Winner Is…

In a huge win, Coogler’s Sinners wins with a major 44.3% of all votes.

Sinners — 44.3%
One Battle After Another — 32.8%
Wake Up Dead Man — 9.8%
Sentimental Value — 8.2%
Weapons — 4.9%

2025 Outstanding Achievement in Film

Paul Thomas Anderson
Josh Brolin
Ryan Coogler
Michael B. Jordan
Richard Linklater
Josh O’Connor

And The Winner Is…

Ryan Coogler wins 2025 Most Outstanding Achievement in Film for his impressive work in writing and directing Sinners. Coogler just barely beats Paul Thomas Anderson in this category by one vote, as Coogler wins with 28.8% of votes.

Ryan Coogler — 28.8%
Paul Thomas Anderson — 27.1%
Josh Brolin — 11.9%
Michael B. Jordan — 11.9%
Richard Linklater — 10.2%
Josh O’Connor — 10.2%

Best Scene

Agnes Finally Sees Hamlet — Hamnet
The Snowman Cabin Montage — The Naked Gun
Car Chase Through the Hills — One Battle After Another
“I Lied to You” Musical Number — Sinners
Aunt Gladys Gets What’s Coming to Her — Weapons

And The Winner Is…

And yet another win for Sinners, as the film’s incredible “I Lied to You” musical sequence easily wins this category with almost half the votes, earning 47.5% of the votes. Meanwhile, The Naked Gun becomes the least voted for nominee in any category, getting only one vote.

“I Lied to You” Musical Number — Sinners — 47.5%
Car Chase Through the Hills — One Battle After Another — 27.1%
Aunt Gladys Gets What’s Coming to Her — Weapons — 15.3%
Agnes Finally Sees Hamlet — Hamnet — 8.5%
The Snowman Cabin Montage — The Naked Gun — 1.7%

Best Picture

One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
Wake Up Dead Man

And The Winner Is…

In an impressive win for Best Picture, Sinners becomes 2025’s Best Picture, winning with 45.9% of all votes.

Sinners — 45.9%
One Battle After Another — 32.8%
Train Dreams — 9.8%
Sentimental Value — 6.6%
Wake Up Dead Man — 4.9%

Those are your 15th Annual Flickcharters’ Choice Awards Winners! Our Best Picture Sinners leads the winners with four wins, with One Battle After Another earning three wins, while No Other Choice, Train Dreams, and Weapons all win two. Thank you to everyone who voted this year. Now it’s time to start watching 2026 films for next year’s awards!