The Ultimate Superhero Movie Countdown - 10 - 6
The world has been armoured by Superheroes since the dawn of time. Even cave men paintings depict a caped crusader saving them from dinosaurs after being bitten by a radioactive fish (source needed.) The possibility of a masked vigilante running around and saving us from crime with incredible super powers and super strength has us infatuated. We, as culture, have immersed ourselves in spandex and back story and recently, Superheroes have become so mainstream that the cinemas are filled to the brim with people wanting to go see the latest Marvel or DC release. Of those movies though, which ones are the best? Which ones tower with justice and awesome; rising from the murky depths of The Green Lantern awfulness and into the hearts of us all? Well, here they are.
10 - The Incredibles
"You didn't save my life, you ruined my death."
Doing research for this article, surprisingly no one mentioned this movie. The Incredibles is one of the greatest yet underrated Pixar movies because everyone just forgets about it in a haze of Toy Story lust. The Incredibles revolves around the disintegration of Superhero love. After saving a man from suicide, Mr Incredible is sued and soon the whole world starts turning against superheroes, churning many cases against them. Forced into hiding, Mr Incredible and Elastagirl become Mr and Mrs Parr, trying to hide their secret powers (and their super talented children) from the rest of the world. When Bob (Mr Incredible) is sent a secret mission he jumps at the chance to fall head first into saving the world. But at what cost?
The Incredibles is a fine movie created by Brad Bird after his disappointing box office feature The Iron Giant (erm, what the hell world?) Yet here, Brad Bird hits all the right notes. One of the first films to actually show the public holding superheroes responsible for damages and such, The Incredibles is a whirlwind ride and somewhat emotional journey. Syndrome, the latest villain, is superbly evil and there are enough jokes and action here to keep children and adults entertained. It is also the first Pixar movie with an all human cast, would you believe and boasts some great voice work by Craig T Nelson and Jason Lee.
9- Kick Ass
"At some point in our lives, we all wanted to be superheroes."
Have you ever wondered why no one actually dons a spandex suit and fights crimes with the police and saving the world? Well, Kick Ass is that very reason. Starring Aaron Johnson Taylor, Chloe Mortez and Nicolas Cage, Kick Ass tells the story of Dave Lizewski who becomes a real life superhero fighting off crime. Though badly beaten on his first attempt, Dave becomes an internet sensation and soon has a legion of fans behind him. However, after a meeting with Big Daddy and Hit Girl, a father daughter combination of mixed vigilantes, Dave gets caught up in something much bigger and finds himself embroiled in a fight against crime lord Frank D’Amico.
Kick Ass written by the wonderful team of Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goodman (they previous worked on Stardust together so they are gold...dust.) It is fully of incredible jokes and even punchier fight scenes. The escalation of Kick Ass is brilliant because he only wanted to stop a few fights and drug dealers. When he meets Hit Girl who is an 11 year old assassin trained by her father, he soon finds the deaths much gorier and the targets much more dangerous. It is a compelling movie with some great comedic moments based on Mark Millers fantastic comic series and character. Look of for Kick Ass 2 coming this year!
8 - Spider Man
"You have a knack for saving my life."
Spider-Man is ultimately the most popular superhero ever. If you don’t believe me, his costume is the greatest selling costume in Disney (now they own Marvel) and is loved by children and big children all over the world. He has cartoon after cartoon as well as some super amazing comic books. His cinema outings attract popularity and he has gone from good to bad to reboot in just a matter of years. So what Spider-Man am I talking about, I hear you cry? I am talking about the first. In 2002, the public were hit with the awesome tale of Peter Parker; a geeky boy who gets bitten by a radioactive spider and soon develops strange spider like powers (and doesn’t die.)
Sam Raimi of Evil Dead fame found a great balance when it came to Spider-Man and really gave the movie steam. It was comedic and harrowing, telling the rise of Spider-Man well enough to please fans and non fans alike. Toby Maguire is a brilliant Peter Parker with enough nerdy hotness for you to believe that he can not only be picked on, but can get the girl. It may be a cheesy action flick but it is just what you want from a superhero action movie. There is absorbing special effects (including an amazing pan of New York as he swings through the city,) a great crazed villain portrayed by William Defoe and some epic hero one liners. It has enough to catch you in its web.
7 - Superman
"This is no fantasy, no careless product of wild imagination."
Yet again, when polling answers for this article, people seemingly forgot about Superman. Superman arguably sparked off the mainstream love affair with comic book heroes back in 1978. It hosts an amazing cast from the wonderful Christopher Reeves to the villainous Gene Hackman and legend Marlon Brando. Telling the story of the all American Superman, and how Clark Kent, his human alter ego, grows into the role of the number one superhero. All the while, Superman must fight against the evil Lex Luther and save Metropolis from impending doom.
Superman is a classic movie. It is a combination of everything we love about going to the cinema. There is action, suspense, romance, superheroes and more. You cannot help but love this movie. And even if you don’t accept the “turning the world around to turn back time and save Lois Lane” ending and feel it is a very dated movie, you can’t deny that Superman was a great movie that sparked of a love affair with comic book heroes. Christopher Reeves does the movie justice and is a legend in his own right. Let’s see how well Man of Steel does.
6 -Iron Man
"I came to realize that I had more to offer this world than making things that blow up."
I read a quote somewhere that made me giggle; “it’s as though Marvel creates this people and waits for them to grow, then casts them in the character they were destined to be.” And a truer sentiment cannot be said for Robert Downey Jr who boasts the best celebrity comeback of all time. Playing genius playboy billionaire philanthropist Tony Stark and his alter ego Iron Man, Downey Jr surpasses expectation and plays the role amazingly well. Jon Favreau’s 2008 instant hit is the first outing for Iron Man in cinemas. Head of his father’s weapons company, Stark Industries, and popular with the ladies, when Tony Stark is kidnapped by Terrorists and forced to make a bomb for them, he creates something new. Using the arc reactor that is keeping shrapnel from hitting his heart and changing his whole outlook on life, Tony Stark creates a suit that helps him defeat the villains who may be closer to home than he first thought.
Iron Man was a brilliant movie. Tony Stark/Downey Jr are such charismatic characters that never miss a beat when it comes to quips and one liners. But Favreau’s hit movie keeps the viewers at the edge of your seat and keeps you chuckling along as well. It is always voted as one of the best of the genre and is the gift that keeps on giving. Highly enjoyable on every outing.
We are half way through so you can go and take a break, have a cup of tea and come back to enjoy the rest of the ultimate Superhero countdown.
TTFN
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