For decades, Roger Ebert was America’s most prominent and influential critic. Loyal to the Chicago Sun-Times, he was known for his no-holds-barred approach and his unusual points system that rated movies on a scale of 1 to 4. His passionate reviews wowed movie lovers because they were neither overly critical nor overly kind. He was never swayed by the industry wave either, and he frequently praised movies that other critics had lambasted. Because of his informed and fun writing style, he became the first to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.
As a prominent critic, Ebert loved every genre equally, though he was mesmerized by superhero movies. Unfortunately, he died in 2013, just as Marvel movies began to dominate the box office in a way that had never been witnessed before. This list might have been longer if the famous critic was still alive, and there’s hardly a doubt that movies like Avengers: Endgame and The Batman would have impressed him.
Here are 10 superhero movies Roger Ebert had the chance to see and fall in love with.
10 Batman Begins (2005)
Ebert's Score - 4/4 Stars
- Release Date
- June 15, 2005
- Cast
- Ken Watanabe , Liam Neeson , Gary Oldman , Tom Wilkinson , Linus Roache , Christian Bale , Katie Holmes , Mark Boone Junior , Michael Caine , Rutger Hauer , Cillian Murphy , Morgan Freeman
- Runtime
- 140 Minutes
After being forced to bear with subpar Joel Schumacher films in the late ‘90s, Batman fans finally got Batman Begins, which packs a thwack and delivers the goods. Here, Christopher Nolan’s vivid, eye-popping cinematography places us right in the middle of Gotham, beside a Caped Crusader who is still learning the ropes. He battles his former trainer Ra’s al Ghul, and other miscreants, and it's no easy task.
The First Batman Movie That Impressed the Famous Critic
Roger Ebert, who had panned all previous Batman movies, praised this version for its realistic depictions of the hero’s assets – the Batcave, Batsuit, and Batmobile – and its focus on storytelling and characterization rather than endless action. He declared that “this is the movie I did not realize I was waiting for," and most of us can admit that we felt the same way. Years have passed but this story of the metamorphosis of a bratty silver-spooned pantywaist into a hero continues to mesmerize on repeat viewings.
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9 Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Ebert’s Score – 4/4 Stars
- Release Date
- June 25, 2004
- Runtime
- 127
Widely regarded as the best Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man 2 finds Peter Parker juggling relationship problems and the usual headaches brought about by supervillains. This time, a nuclear experiment gone wrong kills Dock Ock’s wife, provoking the psychopathic scientist to unleash vile acts of cruelty. Meanwhile, Mary Jane Watson is getting engaged to another man. Will Peter cope?
The Best Superhero Movie… At the Time
Ebert called Spider-Man 2 “the best superhero movie since the modern genre was launched with Superman (1978)", adding that it “effortlessly combines special effects and a human story, keeping its parallel plots alive and moving." Few would disagree with his assessment. At the time, The Dark Knight had not yet been made, so the Sam Raimi film was the jewel of its genre. The visual effects were rich too, with the colors and contours on Peter’s costume appearing richer and more defined.
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8 Hellboy (2004)
Ebert’s Score – 3/4 Stars
- Release Date
- April 2, 2004
- Runtime
- 122
Set in both the post-World War II era and the modern era, Guillermo Del Toro’s moody, absorbing study of a demon saving the world from nefarious figures offers just the right mix of superhero fun and noirish urban atmosphere. Hellboy’s titular character (Ron Pearlman), is a superpowered being who was summoned by the Nazis from hell but is now working as an agent for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. In his new role, he kicks plenty of butt.
Ron Perlman Carries the Film on His Shoulders
Hellboy’s fast-moving plot puts some sense into all the weirdness, and Ron Perlman’s great performance adds to the film's high-caliber impact. Roger Ebert acknowledged this, noting that in Perlman, the film “has found an actor who is not just playing a superhero, but enjoying it.” He also admitted that the whole Hellboy story felt weird, but Perlman was “an actor in the process of making an impossible character really work."
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10 Really Fun Movies Critics Hated
Sometimes, even the best critics can miss the point of a film. Sometimes, a movie is just entertainment.
7 Blade II (2002)
Ebert’s Score - 3.5/4 Stars
Blade II
- Release Date
- March 22, 2002
- Runtime
- 117 minutes
The enemy of your enemy is your friend, and the “one and only Blade” bites into that notion in the breathless, energetically paced Blade II. For his second big-screen outing, the Marvel character (Wesley Snipes) joins forces with an elite group of vampires that he doesn’t particularly like to fight against a new breed of mutant vampires who plan to unleash global genocide on both vampire and human races.
Ebert Disagreed With Other Critics
Right from the start, the film explodes with sonic power, with Snipes virtually disappearing into his character, letting his passions emerge gradually. Predictably, Ebert was awed. He felt Blade II was a big improvement to the original, and described it as a “rather brilliant vomitorium of viscera, a comic book with dreams of becoming a textbook for mad surgeons." Interestingly, most critics hated the film. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a dismal score of 54%.
6 Superman (1978)
Ebert’s Score – 4/4 Stars
- Release Date
- December 13, 1978
- Runtime
- 143
InSuperman, director Richard Donner skillfully interweaves personal stories with military-related quagmires, building a lucid, evocative, and thought-provoking meditation on superhero affairs.The film has a standard Man of Steel origin story. The hero lands on Earth, grows up, and then attempts to stop Lex Luthor’s plan to tamper with missiles.
Everything Is Good, Except Brando
Roger Ebert placed Superman on his ten-best list of 1978. He would later include it in his "Great Movies" list. He praised Christopher Reeve, admitting that the wrong casting “would have sunk everything.” He also praised the movie as a whole, stating that it was “a wondrous combination of all the old-fashioned things we never really get tired of: adventure and romance, heroes and villains, earthshaking special effects.”
However, despite his perfect rating, he still dedicated some time to Brando-bashing, saying the actor was “allegedly paid $3 million for his role, or, judging by his dialogue, $500,000 a cliché."
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5 Iron Man (2008)
Ebert's Score - 4/4 Stars
- Release Date
- April 30, 2008
- Runtime
- 126
Set against the backdrop of the War in Afghanistan, Iron Man has an acute eye for military sensibilities, way more than the comics. Nevertheless, the primary story of this exhilarating tale concerns Tony Stark's efforts to translate inventiveness into crime-fighting. After getting captured by terrorists while in the Middle East, he builds himself an iron suit that enables him to obliterate them. He then heads back to America, where he gives local criminals the same treatment.
The Beginning of a New Era
In this sinuous superhero drama, Robert Downey Jr. cements his reputation as one of the genre’s best actors. His arresting performance makes it easy to comprehend the international stardom he has achieved since. Well, Roger Ebert saw it all early, writing, “At the end of the day it's Robert Downey Jr. who powers the lift-off separating this from most other superhero movies.” Thanks to this picture, Marvel took off and never slowed down.
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4 The Dark Knight (2008)
Ebert's Score - 4/4 Stars
- Release Date
- July 14, 2008
- Runtime
- 152
It’s Batman versus the Joker in The Dark Knight, and the result is epic chases, shocking moments, and lots of memorable quotes. No motion picture has embedded itself more firmly in fans’ collective imagination than this intriguing, still-unparalleled superhero film, which epitomizes everything that cinema – at its optimal best – strives to be.
Revolutionizing the Superhero Landscape
Roger Ebert was appreciative of how The Dark Knightredefined the potential of superhero movies by melding comic-book tropes with real-world events. Like everyone who watched the film, he praised the Joker as having “more depth and poetry than we might have expected.” Additionally, he commended Nolan for infusing economic desolation and existential dejection into the scenarios, while maintaining a strong sense of determination in his characters.
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3 The Crow (1994)
Ebert's Score - 3.5/4 Stars
- Release Date
- May 11, 1994
- Cast
- Brandon Lee , Rochelle Davis , Ernie Hudson , Michael Wincott , Bai Ling , Sofia Shinas , Anna Thomson , David Patrick Kelly , Angel David , Laurence Mason , michael massee , Tony Todd , Jon Polito , Bill Raymond , Marco Rodríguez , Kim Sykes , Rock Taulbee , Norman Max Maxwell , Jeff Cadiente , Henry Kingi Jr. , Erik Stabenau , Cassandra Lawton , Lou Criscuolo , Todd Brenner , Joe West , Thomas Rosales Jr. , Jeff Imada , Tierre Turner , Tim Parati
- Runtime
- 102 Minutes
Based on the 1989 comic book series by James O'Barr, The Crow heavily leans on the “He’s gonna make them pay” trope. We are introduced to musician Eric Draven (Brandon Lee), who gets murdered together with his fiancée on the night of his wedding. Who will exact revenge? Brother? Friend? No! It’s Eric himself. He comes back from the dead and delivers beatdowns to the gang responsible.
A Visual Masterpiece
There’s a newer version of The Crow, but you’d be wise to ignore that for this ‘90s gem that remains a masterpiece of creepy, supernatural mood cinema. Roger Ebert called it "a stunning work of visual style" and it’s easy to see what he sees. There are endless chills, heightened by the clever use of shadows and indicative sounds. It’s extremely unfortunate that Brandon Lee died during filming, but despite the tragedy, this remains a layered, intricate piece about a tragic event and the great actor who used it to create his final, most enduring work. In summary, Ebert would describe it as “the best version of a comic book universe I’ve seen.”
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10 Worst Action Movies Ever Made, According to Roger Ebert
Nowhere was Ebert’s criticism more obvious than in his reviews of the action movies he hated.
2 The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Ebert's Score - 3.5/4 Stars
- Release Date
- June 23, 2012
- Runtime
- 136
Life isn’t so amazing for Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man. He is trying to figure out what’s next between him and his first crush, Gwen Stacy. He is also wallowing in the usual curiosity that always follows teens who weren’t raised by their biological parents. His search takes him to the lab of Dr. Curt Connors, aka, Lizard.
A Familiar Story... Yet Still Enjoyable
This powerful depiction of a superhero crumbling from within is propelled by a first-rate cast and the sure hand of appropriately named director, Marc Webb. Ebert felt that this reboot — the last Marvel film he ever reviewed — provided more logical reasons for why Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man, even though the oft-told story was now bordering on monotony. He felt it was "probably the second best" Spider-Man film and was thankful for the fact that “its action scenes are easier to follow in space and time.”
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1 Superman II (1980)
Ebert's Score - 4/4 Stars
Superman II (1980)
- Release Date
- June 19, 1981
- Director
- Richard Lester
- Runtime
- 127 Minutes
Movie fans might be furious at how everyone good at something always feels the need to quit at some point. Superman, too, reaches that point in Superman II, wanting to live a normal life as Clark Kent. However, the hydrogen bomb he sent to outer space to save Earth has freed General Zod and his gang. And where else for them to revel in post-captivity bliss than Earth?
A Worthy Sequel
Roger Ebert was as ecstatic as he was while watching the first film. He loved that director Richard Lester allowed satire “to make its way into the film more easily” and that he made good use of the magnetic and charismatic Christopher Reeve, “whose performance in the title role is sly, knowing, and yet still appropriately square.” The film sure is extremely comedic, the kind that would fit into James Gunn’s DC oeuvre or the MCU’s catalog. Just ignore the outdated special effects when you watch it today.
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