The 10 Best Superhero Movies — POW! BIFF! BAM! Not NeededJul 31 '06 (Updated Jun 02 '07) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line I'm just thrilled that comic books have become a great source for many movies, whether they are good or bad. But we definitely prefer the good.
As a lover of all things that are related to comic books, it is exciting to see these beloved characters getting their time on the screen. Unfortunately, not all of them can be stellar as they sink faster into the abyss than the Swamp Thing. Some are, quite frankly, stinkers. Thankfully, there are a number of great superhero movies that help erase the pain of subjecting the eyeballs to such masters of disasters. The problem is deciding how to rank them. Considering the name of the game is to list the best "superhero" movies, I'll stick with that criteria and not deviate it into the general world of comic book movies (yes kiddies, not all comic book movies have superheroes). Furthermore, I'll only stick to the theatrical releases. Unfortunately, that means the direct-to-video market will be overlooked (a crying shame, too, since some of that stuff is better). And on the note, let the countdown commence (all of a sudden I'm channeling Dick Clark). ____________________________________________________________ #10. Dick Tracy (1990) Warren Beatty brought Chester Gould's creation to life with his trademark yellow trench coat and wrist watch communicator, and did double duty by starring as the lead as well as directing the film. This is pulp fiction storytelling coming to life with such amazing colourful characters (a great assortment of villains like Batman's crazies) featuring some Hollywood heavyweights, such as Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Glenne Headly, Charlie Korsomo, Madonna, and even Dick Van Dyke. The unique look of capturing the original colours used in the comic strip (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple, plus black and white) was done intentionally. It gave it that extra authentic layer of suspense and fun. ____________________________________________________________ #9. The Mask of Zorro (1998) Swashbukling, sword-playing, masked playboys makes this movie an absolutely delight. 20 years have passed since the original Zorro, Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins), has been seen. He has been imprisoned for all this time but breaks out when he learns that the man who stole his life, the ruthless Spanish Governor Don Rafael Montero, is coming back to California. His only thought is to kill him for what he has done. Instead, he pauses when he sees that his own daughter, Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who was brought up thinking she's Montero's daughter, comes along for the ride). de la Vega crosses path with a bandit, Alejandro Murietta (Antonio Banderas), and trains him to be his successor in every way. Old-fashioned action and swordplay makes this a charming movie from start to finish. ____________________________________________________________ #8. The Crow (1994) James O'Barr's creation comes to life in a spectacular fashion, largely due to the part of Brandon Lee. Eric Draven and his finacée were killed by a street gang. He is resurrected by a crow one year later to take care of unfinished business. As a result he is given the power of invulnerability as any injury that is inflicted upon him is healed. It's a dark, stylish film that became a cult classic mostly due to Lee's untimely and accidental death. ____________________________________________________________ #7. The Incredibles (1994) Pixar Studios created an animated feature about superheroes that has a blend of everything for people of all ages to enjoy. Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl and their children show how difficult family life as superheroes can be at times, especially when dad is going through a mid-life crisis. Drama, suspense, action and humour are all rolled up into this nice package with enough references that any comic book or sci-fi fan can salivate over. The kids will definitely love imagining what it would be like to have superpowers like Dash or Violet. This is superhero family fun, and something that the Fantastic Four should have remembered considering the FF was the model for this movie. ____________________________________________________________ #6. Superman II (1980) It's all about three little words: "Kneel before Zod!" With that remark, Terrance Stamp makes his stamp in super-villainy history and a worthy opponent to the Man of Steel in this sequel to the 1978 movie. Finally, Superman gets to flex his muscles against three super-powered Kryptonians. My bet is still on the big guy with the "S" on his chest. What this movie also does is delve into deeper, more personal issues such as the sacrifices one would make in the name of love. Superman may be powerful on the outside but it's his heart that makes him truly special. ____________________________________________________________ #5. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) If you blinked you might have missed this one in the theatre. That's too bad because this has to be one of the greatest Batman movies ever made, even if it is an animated feature. The producers of the famed animated series created a complex and adult story delving more into Bruce Wayne's past right before he dons the cowl and cape. If anything it's a love story that goes awry due to unfortunate circumstances and costs Bruce the chance for happiness. But Batman has more to worry about when someone is murdering mob bosses left and right, and the police believe it's Batman doing the killings. It's a mahnunt after the Dark Knight that has Batman running for his life. To make matters worse, the Joker is someone tied up to the entire thing. The voice casting, the animation, and the storyline makes this an absolutely riveting tale. ____________________________________________________________ #4. X2: X-Men United (2003) The first X-Men movie introduced us to the team but it's the second one that really gets to the heart of the matter. A military power has it in for mutants and would like nothing better than to eliminate all of them. And he plans to do it with Professor Xavier's help. Leading the charge to save the day is none other than... Magneto? The prejudice against mutants continues and takes it to another level. Even Wolverine starts to really come out of his shell and learns more about his past as a result. Plus, Nightcrawler makes his debut. Damn, it's about time that fuzzy elf made an appearance. ____________________________________________________________ #3. Spider-Man 2 (2004) This is the rare case when the sequel is superior to the original and all the right elements fall neatly into place. Spider-Man's world is all about turmoil and this one doesn't let up at all for Peter Parker. His best friend is consumed by his hatred for Spider-Man, the woman he loves is engaged to be married to someone else, his aunt can't make payments on her house, his powers are disappearing, and a new villain is gunning for him. Alfred Molina steals the show as Dr. Octopus by giving us a well-rounded, sympathetic villain. Director Sam Raimi proves he can deliver the goods and understands the beats to making Spider-Man tick. If the stars are aligned properly this could be the best franchise that is currently out there. ____________________________________________________________ #2. Batman Begins (2005) The whole Batman franchise didn't look good after the 1997 debacle known as Batman & Robin. Thankfully director Christopher Nolan and screenwriter David Goyer took a page out of the comic books... it was time for a reboot. Everything was done right to this film as layers and layers were added to Bruce Wayne's life and made him into a real character. It is also rooted into a more realistic setting, something that was missing from the other Batman movies. Christian Bale shows why he owns this role as the Caped Crusader and the supporting cat was superb, especially Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman. It was gritty and dark but not surreal, just the way Batman should be. ____________________________________________________________ #1. Superman: The Movie (1978) The quintessential superhero still holds a place in heart that can't be touched by others, mostly because he is the archetype for all others that followed him. This is still the movie that all superhero movies will be judged by as the standard has been set by the Man of Steel, thanks to director Richard Donner. Christopher Reeve gives such an earnest performance with his powerful rendition of Superman and his quirky Clark Kent. Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor, though a bit campy at times, was sinister and completely evil. The special effects got bigger and bigger showing the magnitude of the threats Superman kept facing. Why is this one different from all others? One simple reason: I still get goosebumps when Superman makes his debut and saves both Lois Lane and a falling helicopter. If a movie can still do this after all these years, then it did its job in making me believe that a man can fly and that making a fantastic superhero movie is possible.  |
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