CaptainD's Top Ten Superhero Movies
Aug 11 '04 (Updated Jul 31 '08)
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CaptainD's Top Ten Superhero Movies
This is a bit of a departure from my previous top tens, in two main ways. Firstly, I’m going to list them 1-10, rather than my normal reverse order. Secondly, I’m going to list the scores I’ve given each film in six categories. For every top ten list I’ve done I perform this task (though the criteria changes depending on genre), but I’ve never before actually shown the results publicly. (I bet you all thought I just came up with my top tens at random! Now you know… it’s scientific…)
Though one of the factors is SFX (special effects) and thus more modern films do have a very slight advantage, enough things are taken into account to ensure a fair contest with some older films ranking highly. (I’ve also allotted bonus points when I felt like it.) I’ll be updating this every time I see a new superhero film – even if the film doesn’t make it into the actual top ten, you’ll be able to see how it compares.
Oh, an as usual, I’m not going to restrict myself to a miserly ten films…
….1….
Film: X-Men 2 My Review
Plot: 9
Acting: 9
SFX: 9
Fun factor: 7
Action sequences: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Overall: 52
Summary: Having just been edged out of number one spot in my Top Ten Movies of 2003 by Master & Commander, X-Men 2 refused to be pushed out of top slot here (though it was a close thing). An excellent film in just about all respects, the fact that it featured both Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan at the top of their game makes it even more impressive that Alan Cumming stole the show with his performance as Nightcrawler.
….2….
Film: Spiderman 2 My Review
Plot: 8
Acting: 8
SFX: 9
Fun factor: 7
Action sequences: 10
Atmosphere: 9
Overall: 51
Summary: Featuring stunning choreography in the action sequences and featuring the classic line “a scientist named Dr Octavius gets eight limbs… what are the chances of that happening?!?” and in Kursten Dunst a heroine that doesn’t make you want to throw up (sorry Lois), this could have been joint top if Toby Macguire’s performance as spiderman had been as good as his portrayal of Peter Parker.
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UPDATE - 2.5 (??) - The Dark Knight, an excellent Batman movie made in 2008. Gripping from the word go, the tension never lets up apart from a few welcome moments of comedy, provided chiefly by the wonderful Miachel Caine (Albert). Didn't like the female lead and there were a few little problems, but overall it was a sperb action thriller.
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….3….
Film: Superman 2
Plot: 8
Acting: 7
SFX: 7
Fun factor: 10
Action sequences: 9
Atmosphere: 7
Bonus points: 2 (the three baddies are tremendous - and the exploration of Kent as a human is good.)
Overall: 50
Summary: Yeah I know, my top three are all sequels… but what can you do? They’re all better than the originals. Superman 2 is easily the best of the films, with the three bad dudes from Krypton stealing the show, but Reeve’s portrayal of the conversion of Superman to a mere mortal being handled with subtlety.
….4….
Film: Batman (Starring Michael Keaton) Guest Review by Scott 1218
Plot: 7
Acting: 8
SFX: 8
Fun factor: 6
Action sequences: 8
Atmosphere: 10
Bonus points: 1 (Tim Burton’s direction of this is much darker and therefore closer to the original comic books)
Overall: 48
Summary: An altogether darker and moodier version of Batman, Burton’s direction, Keaton’s performance, and Jack Nicholson’s mania as the Joker give this much more impact than any other Batman film.
….5….
Film: Spiderman
Plot: 7
Acting: 8
SFX: 8
Fun factor: 7
Action sequences: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Overall: 48
Summary: Probably the best film here for action junkies, the first spiderman film was very atmospheric and exciting, though didn’t probe very far into the hero’s psyche until right at the end of the movie. Extremely well produced.
….6….
Film: Batman (Starring Adam West)
Plot: 7
Acting: 8
SFX: 6
Fun factor: 10
Action sequences: 7
Atmosphere: 8
Bonus points: 1 (No other film would dare to include the line “Good job I have my bat-shark repellent handy!”)
Overall: 47
Summary: There’s so much cheese in this film you could top more pizzas than even Garfield could eat, but it’s all great fun. A complete contrast to the later Michael Keaton film, this is all totally over-the-top nonsense, awful gaudy costumes, and terrible puns. And it’s great! (Well, I think so, and my sister agrees. The wife and in-laws, however, watched it with a sort of shocked disbelief.)
….7….
Film: X-Men My Review
Plot: 8
Acting: 8
SFX: 9
Fun factor: 6
Action sequences: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Overall: 47
Summary: The first X-men film was the first film I saw based on a comic that first one that didn’t really feel like a comic-book film. More of a proper action-thriller than Superman et al ever were, the special powers possessed by the X-Men were actually of secondary importance to the plot, although they were still integral to it. The effects didn’t fail to impress, either, and Hugh Jackman gave a career-defining performance as Wolverine.
Incidentally, in these days of political correctness, shouldn’t it be ”X-People”? Narf.
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7.5 (well, had to include it but didn't want to upset the top ten... :-O) Iron Man (2008) - Marvel take charge of their own character's movie for the first time, and what a great result. Robert Downey Jr. excels as the superhero with a lot of undesirable habits...
….8….
Film: The Phantom
Plot: 7
Acting: 8
SFX: 8
Fun factor: 7
Action sequences: 8
Atmosphere: 9
Overall: 47
Summary: I liked this one mainly because the hero was so reluctant to be a hero, together with a fairly dark atmosphere and some good action sequences. Maybe not one of the better-known superhero movies, but one of the better ones.
….9….
Film: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen My Review
Plot: 6
Acting: 7
SFX: 9
Fun factor: 9
Action sequences: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Overall: 46
Summary: Hmm, is it cheating to include this? Maybe… but anyway, I like it, so it stays. (If I was really going to cheat I’d include Flash Gordon…) Anyway, the plot is hokum, the acting reasonable, the effects good, and it’s good fun. Not a particularly good film, perhaps, but you’ll enjoy it anyway. Unless you’re name’s Shannon. Sean Connery has been in far better films than this… but not many have been as much fun.
….10….
Film: Batman Forever
Plot: 6
Acting:7
SFX: 8
Fun factor: 9
Action sequences: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Overall: 45
Summary: Val Kilmer’s turn as the Caped Crusader was pretty standard fair in most ways, but energetic performances by the cast, along with some vivid visuals, made what would otherwise have been a forgettable film highly enjoyable.
….11….
Film: Superman
Plot: 7
Acting: 6
SFX: 7
Fun factor: 8
Action sequences: 7
Atmosphere: 6
Bonus points: 1 (Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor – priceless.)
Overall:
Summary:
….12….
Film: Batman Returns
Plot: 7
Acting: 6
SFX: 7
Fun factor: 8
Action sequences: 7
Atmosphere: 6
Bonus points: 1 (Michelle Pfeiffer in a skin-tight cat suit! :-O)
Overall: 40
Summary:
….13….
Film: Superman 3
Plot: 6
Acting: 6
SFX: 8
Fun factor: 7
Action sequences: 6
Atmosphere: 6
Overall: 39
Summary:
….
And finally, the worst superhero movie ever made is:
Film: Batman & Robin Guest Review by Scott 1218
Plot: 4
Acting: 4
SFX: 6
Fun factor: 2
Action sequences: 5
Atmosphere: 2
Bonus points: 0 (but I was tempted to give it bonus points for finishing…)
Overall: 23
Summary: WHAT WERE THEY THINKING WHEN THEY MADE THIS TRASH??!?!?
If anyone has any suggestions or has noticed errors in or serious omissions from this list, please leave a comment. (This message is aimed at everyone except Ander, Chris, Jan, and Shiela, who will tell me exactly what I got wrong without any encouragement! :-P)
Other Top Ten Lists
Top Ten Movies of 2003
The Top Ten Movies of All Time
Romantic Comedies
Science Fiction Films
Top Ten Star Trek Movies
Top Ten Science Fiction Series
Animated Movies
Top Ten Spoof Movies
Top Ten Musicals
Best Lines in Film History
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