The Top 10 Best Superpower Movies
These Superpower Movies Don’t Need Costumes to Get the Job Done!
One thing that I’ve started to appreciate recently is the difference between superhero movies and superpower movies. Trust me, there is a distinction between the two, and it’s becoming clearer as filmmakers explore some of the more grounded consequences of superpowers in the real world. It’s gotten to the point where I can finally pull together a solid list of 10 superpower movies, and that’s exactly what I’ve done! Now, the first rule of superpower movies is that the characters exist in a world where the concept of superheroes might exist, but heroes themselves don’t. The powers in these films are usually bestowed on everyday people (humans) through some sort of scientific means (pharmaceutical, experiment, genetic mutation, bloodline, etc) rather than supernatural (magic, etc). While some might try to become vigilantes, they don’t necessarily become “costumed heroes.” However, they usually still manage to end up with a battle between good and evil by the end (that’s the whole point of superpowers after all). Oh, and they aren’t based on comic books. Keeping those parameters in mind, I pulled together a list of 10 movies that show what life might really be like with superpowers!
10. Next
Before anyone starts thinking that this list of superpower movies is off to a bad start, let me explain why I think Next is actually a pretty cool film. Yes, it stars Nicolas Cage, but this is pre-bankruptcy “I’ll-take-any-role” Nicolas Cage (things kinda went downhill for a while after 2009). The important thing is that the actual superpower in the movie is pretty cool. Cage plays a Las Vegas magician who has the ability to see into the future. After years of knowing what comes next, he’s become jaded and is squandering his gift. However, when a terrorist threatens a nuclear attack, the FBI decides they have nothing left to lose by giving him a shot. Turns out, precognition is pretty unbeatable. Not only can Cage’s character see what’s coming next, but he can also see every possible outcome. What’s the big deal about that? Well, imagine walking into a fight and already knowing the choreography that ensures your victory. Next earns a spot on here, because of how creative it gets with the character’s application of his abilities.
9. Psychokinesis AKA Yeom-lyeok
America isn’t the only country that loves superpower movies. In 2018, the South Korean film, Psychokinesis, explored what might happen if a schlub and all-around loser gained telekinetic powers. Shin Seok-heon (Ryu Seung-ryong), is a degenerate security guard drifting through life until he drinks from a mysterious mountain stream that grants him superpowers. At first, he uses his abilities to make some fast cash (who can blame him in this economy). However, when his estranged daughter ends up in the crosshairs of a corrupt construction company, Seok-heon has to shape up and actually act like a dad as he races to save her. The character undergoes quite a learning curve, and it becomes clear that powers don’t magically make you an amazing fighter (Ie: knowing how to throw a baseball doesn’t make you a major league pitcher). He’s just an average guy making it up as he goes along, and that’s all part of the allure of this fun action-adventure.
8. Project Power
Netflix’s push for original content has been pretty hit or miss. However, 2020 turned out to be a solid year for the streaming service with films like The Old Guard, Extraction, and Project Power. The latter is set in a world where a pill has the potential to unlock powers hidden within your genetic code. This miracle drug hits the streets of New Orleans and criminals are quick to recognize its potential. As the story unfolds, two men (Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt) come together to get to the bottom of this epidemic. Project Power is one of the more creative superpower movies I’ve seen, but that turns out to be a bit of a double-edged sword. The more it tries to explain the logic behind the pills and the abilities they unlock, the less it actually makes sense. Still, it’s one of the better superpower movies out there, thanks to cool effects, explosive action sequences, and two A-list actors in the lead roles.
7. Push
Chris Evans is no stranger to playing comic book characters on the big screen. However, with Push he ditched the comics and the tights to play a reluctant hero with telekinesis. Set in Hong Kong, his character (Nick) exists in a world where people with powers exist but keep their identities mostly secret from the public. This is partly because of a shadowy organization that seeks to control and manipulate anyone with these powers. Oh, they also kill anyone who doesn’t want to join them. Hiding out where he hopefully won’t be found by the bad guys in suits, Nick gets sucked back into the game when a young girl with precognition seeks him out to keep her safe. Critics weren’t especially kind to Push when it first came out, but I actually really enjoyed these films and the world it builds. It’s definitely one of my personal favorites on this list of superpower movies. At least when it comes to the popcorn factor.
6. Fast Color
I have no idea how I missed hearing about Fast Color when it was released in 2019, but I recently got a chance to see it and knew that it instantly deserved a spot among these other great superpower movies. What makes it so great is that it’s not just a story about good vs evil. That’s certainly an aspect of it, but it’s more about the things we inherit from our parents, specifically, mothers. Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s character, Ruth, is about as far away from heroic as you can get when we meet her. A former addict trying to get her life together, Ruth ends up returning home after a government scientist tracks her down in hopes of studying her powers. It turns out that Ruth has a daughter that she left to be raised by her own mother, and the return home opens a lot of old wounds as the three generations adjust to being under one roof. In the end, the powers that Ruth feared help to bring them all together as they learn to control them and unlock their full potential.