The 10 Best Superhero Movies That Weren't Based on Comics (Part 2)

While most superhero movies are based on comic books, especially Marvel Comics and DC Comics, there are a few independent feature films in the genre. Here, we're going to focus on superhero movies that are NOT based on a comic book. Here are 10 independent superhero movies that are NOT based on a comic book!

10) Super Heros Movie

Released in 2008, Super Heroes Movie is a parody of the superhero movie in all its glory. Directed by Craig Mazin, the feature film is a continuation of films like Scary Movie. But here, it is no longer horror franchises, but superhero movies that are parodied. The opportunity to meet our favorite heroes, from Superman to Ant-Man, in totally has-been, offbeat, disturbing and totally stupid versions. It's a bit funny, but above all very stupid.

9) Superheroes despite him

Another parody, but this time, in French style. After offering a surprisingly interesting reinterpretation of Nicky Larson, filmmaker Philippe Lacheau tackles the superhero movie. Led by his usual gang (Julien Arruti, Tarek Boudali, Elodie Fontan), Superhero in Spite of Himself is below expectations, and especially the usual standing of the director. It's nice, but the film never flies very high and its concept quickly turns empty. Too bad, the idea of ​​putting this actor in the shoes of a real superhero was interesting.

8) Miraculous – the film

Adapted from the eponymous series, Miraculous – the movie tells the adventures of Ladybug and Cat Noir who will have to face Hawk Moth and his horde of supervillains in the streets of Paris. More geared towards a younger audience, it nevertheless prevents Miraculous – the movie from being a superhero movie at whole, which was born from the spirit of Jeremy Zag.

7) Project Power

Released in 2020 on Netflix, Project Power takes all the codes of comics, but is not adapted from a comic book. Led by Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the feature film immerses viewers in a universe dominated by superheroes. Very much inspired by The Boys, the story tells how a drug allows its users to develop superpowers. Unfortunately, Project Poweris a bit of a disappointment. Even though the film has more soul than most Netflix productions, it never really takes off. The fault lies with a telephoned script, a too uneven pace and totally failed action scenes. Too bad…

6) How I Became a Superhero

Other production French film directed by Douglas Attal, How I Became a Superhero is considered the very first true superhero film in French cinema. Led by an XXL cast (Pio Marmaï, Leïla Bekhti, Benoît Poelvoorde), How I Became a Superhero is an ambitious film, a unique proposition in the landscape of French cinema. Unfortunately, the execution sometimes lacks panache. Especially if we compare it to Hollywood cinema. The artistic direction is terribly disappointing, and the work lacks an innovative vision. Nevertheless, Douglas Attal's proposal will be a landmark in the history of French cinema for its unique risk-taking.

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5) They call it jeeg robot

Released in 2015, They Call Me Jeeg Robot shares many elements with How I Became a Superhero. This Italian B-series, without a big budget, tells the story of an average individual who, after an accident, becomes a superhero. Jeeg Robot is, however, a more convincing proposition than that of our friend Attal. Jeeg Robot tries to shift the stereotypical codes of the superhero film. Without completely succeeding, the film is nevertheless a singular work, which offers a refreshing prism to the genre. The action scenes are Dantesque, and the identity of Italian cinema omnipresent.

4) The Prodigies

A little-known French animated film released in 2011, The Prodigies skillfully plays with the codes of the superhero film. It is an uneven proposition, but definitely generous. The visual treatment, the choreography, the image, and the treatment of the action have something unique in their genre. Too bad the plot, which borrows so much from X-Menthat Unbreakable, is too weak to really take the film to other spheres. In any case, we do not know if Josh Trank has seen The Prodigies, but Chronicle owes a lot to Antoine Charreyron's film.

3) Brightburn – the child of evil

Produced by James Gunn, Brightburn is a horrific retelling of the Superman story. Directed by by David Yarovesky, the feature film imagines how, in a realistic and horrific way, a 10-year-old child, with his whims and mood swings, would address Superman's powers. Of course, things don't go as smoothly as with Clark Kent. Brightburn is effective entertainment. Truly trashy in its depiction of violence, the film avoids the self-righteous happy ending, and makes no concessions.

2) The Adventures of Rocketeer

Back to the 1990s. In 1991, Joe Johnston, the director of Jumanji, Jurassic Park III and Captain America: The First Avenger, signs a superhero film like no other. The story takes place just before the Second World War, and tells the story of Cliff, a young pilot passionate about aviation. The young man then comes across a mini-rocket that gives him the ability to fly. He will then build himself a whole armor and fight Nazism under the pseudonym of Rocketeer.Joe Johnston signs a fairly classic film but carried by a pleasant rhythm and atmosphere borrowed from the cinema of Steven Spielberg of the 1980s. A calibrated entertainment but overall effective.

1) Chronicle

Before he broke his teeth with his remake of Fantastic Four, Josh Trank made arguably one of the best independent superhero movies. With Chronicle,he revolutionizes the genre. Firstly because the film is not adapted from any comics. Then, because he decides to offer a superhero film shot in found footage. A first. Finally, because the film has allowed the world to discover two talented actors: Michael B Jordan and Dane DeHaan. If the director offers a different aesthetic, he nevertheless takes up the clichés of the genre. We find teenagers who must learn to manage their powers. But unlike the usual blockbusters, Chronicle decides to take another, much darker route. It depicts a youth attracted to the dark side of the Force, a youth disguised by its powers, its prerogatives, by this opportunity to be someone. In fact, it is a bit of the antithesis of “with great power comes great responsibility”.