Flannel-Era Crimefighters
The 1990s were a unique time in Hollywood when superhero films were not beholden to franchise motives and pre-determined fanbases. They were allowed to be obscure, original, even R-rated. Gothic style, practical effects and elaborate production design were the zeitgeist for the genre.
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- DirectorSam RaimiStarsLiam NeesonFrances McDormandColin FrielsA brilliant scientist left for dead returns to exact revenge on the people who burned him alive.Unable to secure the rights to Batman or The Shadow, Raimi decided to create his own superhero and struck a deal with Universal Studios to make his first Hollywood studio film, based on a short story he wrote that paid homage to Universal's horror films of the 1930s.
- DirectorWarren BeattyStarsWarren BeattyMadonnaAl PacinoThe comic strip detective finds his life vastly complicated when Breathless Mahoney makes advances towards him while he is trying to battle Big Boy Caprice's united mob.Developed by the screenwriters of Top Gun and the Bond films of Roger Moore, passing from Spielberg to John Landis and others before Beatty's arrival, Dick Tracy has all the trimmings of this category, filmed on elaborate Universal Studios sets, scored by Danny Elfman and full of over-the-top make-up effects. A sequel was planned, but a controversy over the film rights ensued. Beatty created The Dick Tracy TV Special in 2008, which featured him reprising the character to be interviewed by Leonard Maltin.
- DirectorScreaming Mad GeorgeSteve WangStarsGreg Joung PaikJimmie 'JJ' WalkerPeter SpellosYoung man merges with mechanical device, becoming cyborg superhero. Strange creatures emerge, seeking to reclaim device. He uncovers plot to genetically engineer monstrous creatures.A real relic of its time, The Guyver qualifies. Tons costumes and effects, time-honored direct-to-video clichés, full of nobodies except for one has-been star and fall-backs on corny humor.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsBilly CampbellJennifer ConnellyAlan ArkinA young pilot stumbles onto a prototype jetpack that allows him to become a high-flying masked hero.I loved this picture as a kid. I call it a picture because I feel old for remembering it and liking it. Especially old after having seen Guardians of the Galaxy for the first time yesterday and reflecting now on the near-campiness of what was considered astounding blockbuster production value within the bracket of my lifetime. Still, be it pure '90s or not, it's one of Disney's most overlooked movies, look back at pulp matinee serials filled with all kinds of heroics and nostalgia in the spirit of big-studio era Hollywood.
- DirectorRobert TownsendStarsRobert TownsendMarla GibbsEddie GriffinA high school teacher from a troubled inner city Washington D.C. neighborhood becomes a super-powered hero and takes on the gang that has been terrorizing his streets.Rarely does it happen the other way around, as with this childhood fave, from which Marvel Comics produced a 6-issue limited series spin-off.
- DirectorMike BinderStarsDamon WayansDavid Alan GrierRobin GivensA simpleton inventor becomes a superhero with a bulletproof costume and a low budget.As a 7-year-old, I rented the video from Blockbuster every single Friday after my short-lived tae kwon do lessons. I like to think I had a substantial hand in the film's cult success.
- DirectorAlex ProyasStarsBrandon LeeMichael WincottRochelle DavisA man brutally murdered comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée's murder.Alex Proyas' lurid cult fantasy, a madly poetic imagining of the ability of sheer love to overpower life's oppressive darkness, is grim, delirious and alluringly atmospheric, a striking, otherworldly vision of Poe and Hawthorne interpreted for the MTV generation of nihilistic futurism, postmodern neo-noir and glam metal, all taking place in a brutally disintegrating, vice-plagued dystopian nightmare.
- DirectorChuck RussellStarsJim CarreyCameron DiazPeter RiegertBank clerk Stanley Ipkiss is transformed into a manic superhero when he wears a mysterious mask.Another Dark Horse Comics flick, The Mask was my favorite film when I was 8 years old. It was among the top ten moneymakers of '94, cemented Jim Carrey's megastardom, and introduced the world to Cameron Diaz.
- DirectorRussell MulcahyStarsAlec BaldwinJohn LonePenelope Ann MillerIn 1930s New York City, The Shadow (Alec Baldwin) battles his nemesis, Shiwan Khan (John Lone), who is building an atomic bomb.Screenwriter David Koepp had listened to The Shadow radio show as a child. His script relied predominantly on the pulp novels while taking the overall tone from the radio show. Shot on 5 Universal sound stages, a week was lost when an earthquake destroyed the Hall of Mirrors set.
- DirectorRachel TalalayStarsLori PettyIce-TNaomi WattsA girl is among the few survivors of a dystopian Earth. Riding a war tank, she fights against the tyranny of a mega-corporation that dominates the remaining potable water supply of the planet.Believing that MGM would not allow the depiction of a bestial relationship in the film, the romance between Tank Girl and Booga was only written into the second or third version of the script, after the character was already established in the minds of people involved in the production.
- DirectorDavid HoganStarsPamela AndersonAmir AboulElaAdriana AlexanderDuring the Second American Civil War in 2017, Barb Wire owns a nightclub called the Hammerhead. Things become complicated when her ex-lover Axel Hood, who is married to the fugitive Corrina Devonshire, re-enters her life.Pamela Anderson's waist was laced down to 17 inches, yet she did some of her own stunts, despite the challenges of wearing the corset and the heels. Roger Ebert noted that the plot was identical to Casablanca.
- DirectorSimon WincerStarsBilly ZaneKristy SwansonTreat WilliamsThe Phantom, descendent of a line of African superheroes, travels to New York City to thwart a wealthy criminal genius from obtaining three magic skulls which would give him the secret to ultimate power.I wonder if I still have my skull ring somewhere. You got one passed out to you every time you went and saw it at the theater.
- DirectorMark A.Z. DippéStarsMichael Jai WhiteJohn LeguizamoMartin SheenAn elite mercenary is killed, but comes back from Hell as a reluctant soldier of the Devil.The first film to feature an African American portraying a major comic book superhero, Todd McFarlane sold the film rights to New Line Cinema for $1 in exchange for creative input and merchandising rights. New Line president Michael DeLuca was a comic book collector himself, declared that success hinged on an adaptation that "maintains a PG-13 rating but retains its darkness."
- DirectorManny CotoStarsJoseph MazzelloJoey SimmrinAlex DanielsSpencer Griffith's life changes when a meteor falls into a local junkyard, and he finds a Cybersuit, an exoskeleton with AI from another galaxy. When Spencer puts on the Cybersuit he becomes a different kind of person.I remember the teaser spot on my old tube TV. The child star was asked in an interview how exciting it was to play a kid in an exo-suit, surprising the interviewer by replying that it wasn't much fun, since a stuntman did all of the exterior shots and all he got to do for the reaction shots was sit on a stool in front of a screen.
- DirectorKenneth JohnsonStarsShaquille O'NealAnnabeth GishJudd NelsonA scientist for the military turns himself into a cartoon-like superhero when a version of one of his own weapons is being used against enemies.Production started with Quincy Jones, a fan of the Steel character. The film separates itself from the comic book series by using original characters. Shaq was already committed to the '96 Olympics, as well as training at the Lakers camp. This left only 5 weeks to complete filming. He only had one read-through of the script before the Olympics and then worked with an acting coach in between games.