During a recent interview for The Fabelmans, Seth Rogen mentioned that his young co-star, Gabriel LaBelle, said his favorite movie was Superbad. Rogen then jokingly remarked that nobody had made a good high school movie since the 2009 comedy had been released. Though he was likely kidding, Rogen's remark sparked a large amount of backlash online from passionate movie fans. It's easy to see why when considering the number of excellent high school movies that have come out since Superbad.

Many of the high-school-centered movies that have been released since Superbad have been much better received by critics. In fact, several more recent high school movies have even won or been nominated for major awards. Other high school films have made themselves more relevant to viewers by making strong statements about social issues. While many viewers prefer a more light-hearted comedy like Superbad, strong messages can often make a film endure longer than simply being funny.

RELATED: Seth Rogen Explains Why The Boys Is So Popular Among Older Marvel Fans

Plenty of Great High School Movies Have Followed Superbad

Hailee Steinfeld in The Edge-Of-Seventeen

Despite its name, Superbad was a good movie that very much resonated with many young people. That being said, it was far from the last great high school film to be released. In fact, many more recent high school films were also better received by critics. Both The Edge of Seventeen and Booksmart have higher reviews on sites like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic than Superbad, as does Lady Bird, which also earned many award nominations. Apart from just higher critical acclaim, newer high school movies have also tackled more poignant issues than Superbad.

Superbad is a funny film, but it wasn't exactly an effective bit of social commentary. Seth Rogen himself has admitted that many viewers have misinterpreted the film's portrayal of the police. Since Superbad, many other high school movies have made much clearer statements that are harder to misinterpret. The Hate U Give is a great example of a high school movie with a stronger statement about policing. Bo Burnham's Eighth Grade managed to successfully comment on social media and its impact on young teens. While high school movies don't necessarily need to comment on social issues, Superbad's failure to communicate its commentary as effectively as other films could be a reason fans may like other movies more.

RELATED: The Boys' Seth Rogen Doesn't Enjoy Marvel Movies: 'They're Geared Towards Kids'

Superbad May Be the Best High School Movie for Its Demographic

Though Seth Rogen may have been wrong that no good high school movies have come out since Superbad, the film still clearly resonates with young people. After all, Gabriel LaBelle was only five years old when Superbad came out, yet it was still his favorite film. This could possibly be because there hasn't been a great high school movie that has been as targeted to young men as Superbad was. Many of the critically acclaimed high school films in recent years have focused on the experience of young women. For young men who grew up in similar circumstances to the film's characters, Seth and Evan, Superbad is probably still the best film for them.

Recent high school films that focus on male characters are a bit too high-concept to be relatable. Dear Evan Hansen is a musical with a borderline villain protagonist, and Tom Holland's Spider-Man films are only somewhat relatable, with much of the runtime taken up by superhero exploits. More grounded films like Dope and The Way, Way Back center on young men, but neither film reached the same heights of popularity as Superbad. Even though Seth Rogen's Superbad joke may have been inaccurate when it came to the larger landscape of high school films, there are likely some young film fans who would agree with him since they are the film's target audience.