With the upcoming release of Iron Man, The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk and even Hellboy 2 I felt it was a perfect time to take a look at my top ten favorite superhero movies before four new contenders vie for a spot.
People have found it easy to poke fun at M. Night Shyamalan, but I dare anyone to say he is not one of the more unique storytellers to come to cinema in quite some time. Known primarily for The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan’s Unbreakable is a film that often gets overlooked by those that don’t give it a second chance. Recently Disney released Unbreakable on Blu-ray and I was able to give it a second chance myself as well as a third. This is a superhero movie of a different sort and I think many would place it in their top ten if they gave it a proper chance. I do think it would come up at the tail end of the majority of those lists as it does here, but it is definitely worthy of a spot for its inventiveness alone.
Talk about a film that is watchable on just about any occasion. On top of being wildly entertaining The Incredibles is one of the few films not directed by Kevin Smith to actually take advantage of Jason Lee’s talent, something his worthless TV show “My Name is Earl” can’t even do. Then there is the Pixar factor. While I am not one of those people that see the name Pixar and immediately love whatever it is they are releasing (both Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc. are dreadful), I must admit this one has that special something you come to expect from their talented bunch.
After it first came out I would have said Tim Burton’s Batman was the best superhero movie ever. Nicholson was classic as The Joker, Michael Keaton was an interesting, yet perfect choice as Bruce Wayne/Batman and with Prince (my favorite artist of all time) doing the soundtrack it is a match made for my cinematic heaven. Unfortunately, I have watched this film into oblivion, so much so that it doesn’t hold the same weight it once did.
Blade II is easily the best film of the franchise as Guillermo del Toro brings to life some of the coolest creatures in the Reapers. The final fight scene may weigh a bit too heavy on the CGI side, but I love it nonetheless.
I wasn’t quite sure where exactly Superman or Superman II would/should fall on my list. Personally I am not a huge fan of the Man of Steel, but the Christopher Reeves incarnation managed to actually make you believe that a man that could be harmed by virtually nothing outside of kryptonite was more than just a freak of nature. The first two Superman films had heart, emotion and some amazing superhero action…
