David Farnor | On 01, Jan 2018

Following the release of Captain America: Civil War, we put on our cape and pick up our stack of graphic novels to round up the best comic book and superhero movies on Netflix UK.

Ant-Man

A funny but underwhelming entry marks an insect-sized step forward for the Marvel canon.

Watch on Netflix UK

Avengers Assemble

“He’s crazy.” “He’s my brother!” “He just killed 83 innocent civilians.” “He’s adopted.” You could easily spend a review of Avengers Assemble just quoting endless lines of dialogue. The secret to the film’s success? Hiring geek king, comic nerd and filmmaker extraordinaire Joss Whedon to make a movie. And holy purple shorts, he assembles the heck out of it.

Watch on Netflix UK

Kick-Ass

Why so serious? Matthew Vaughn’s twisted, funny take on superheroes, based on the Mark Millar comics, is fun, thrilling and gloriously violent.

Watch on Netflix UK

Fantastic Four

Missed opportunity of misunderstood? Chronicle director Josh Trank’s reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise (starring Miles Teller, Kata Mara, Michael B Jordan and Jamie Bell) was divisive when first released – here’s your chance to catch up away from the bubble of hype and backlash.

Watch on Netflix UK

X-Men 2

There’s one rule when it comes to sequels: go bigger. X-2 manages it effortlessly. Like an HBO mini-series after a promising pilot, it evolves from a small character-driven drama to a large character-driven blockbuster. Yes, it’s bigger – but it’s better too.

Watch on Netflix UK

Watchmen

Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Alan Moore’s iconic graphic novel is about as close as the big screen could ever get to depicting its subversive subject matter. The end result may be divisive, but it’s certainly a unique sight to behold.

Watch on Netflix UK

The Phantom

Billy Zane – Billy Zane! – dons a purple lycra suit to bring this retro comic book icon to the screen. In this underrated 1990s adventure, The Phantom finds himself up against a master criminal, who’s trying to acquire a trio of mystical skulls with magical powers. A film in which our masked hero rides a horse through a waterfall to get to his secret base, this is silly, light-hearted, old-fashioned fun. Did we mention Billy Zane in purple lycra?

Watch on Netflix UK

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Edgar Wright’s hyperactive style is a perfect fit for Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novels about Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera), a member of the band Sex Bom-Omb and a video game obsessive. Torn between two women, one of whom (Ramona Flowers) is literally his dream love, Scott has to fight all of Ramona’s exes to date her. This coming-of-age comedy tackles everything from projecting your ideals onto others and getting over past relationships to the way a young man uses computer games to understand the world. The stunning visuals, exciting action and laugh-out-loud jokes are the icing on a pixellated cake.

Watch on Netflix UK

 

What are your favourite super hero or comic book movies on Netflix UK?

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