Superhero films have certainly changed over the last 10 years. No more hokie ropes holding the hero to the wall. No more lumbering crusaders in over stylized-mobiles. Today’s superhero films do what was not possible to do in the past, match your imagination in reading to what you see on the screen. The films listed here are what we feel are the best both visually and by storyline. The superhero powers are what thrill us, but the storylines are why we keep reading or watching. Between spiderman bringing amazing special effects and Unbreakable lending realism to the big screen hero genre for the first time, the 00s had the ground work laid for the most spectacular superhero films ever. 10. The Incredible Hulk (2008) Bascially a remake of it’s predecessor made in 2003 (The Hulk), The Incredible Hulk went a long way in cleaning up the big green guy’s image. The Hulk, in the comics, is one of the hardest to believe characters ever pinned. He is rage and strength. The comic has both interesting and desaterously boring storylines, but the last thing Hulk fans want to see is the Hulk smashing things mindlessly for 2 hours. This film did it’s best to resist that temptation. It has Ed Norton, which is a huge plus, and it stayed on the believeable sight even when things arent’ really believable.
9. Xmen (2000) This was the really the first superhero films of this generation. It was restrained in showing off the character’s powers. It kept you grounded with good acting and pretty believable plot lines, or at least it brought the audience along to believe. The one bad thing about the Xmen, believe it or not, was the characters. Many of the characters in this character centered comic were flat! No one really cared if Scott Summer’s lived or died or if Rogue ran away. Most cared about Xaivier and Wolverine, and that was it. A real shame for a comic that has given us so many outstanding storylines and characters.
8. Hellboy (2004) It’s hard to believe that a such a great superhero film could come in 10 on our list, but that’s how good we feel our top 9 are. Hellboy has the right balance of darkness and comedy. It’s right to the point origin explaination fit the story well. The story line sagged just a little, but it stayed entertaining throughout.
7. Spiderman (2002) The superhero film which set the standard for all superhero films in this generation. Audiences were blown away by the special effects and incredibly well weaved action and story. It was a superhero film that, for the first time in history, fulfilled many webhead fan’s expectations and imaginations.
6. Unbreakable (2000) Realism has always been the achillis heel of the superhero film. People just didn’t buy the idea that someone could lead a normal life while having superpowers. M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable was the first film, I believe, to suspend audiences disbelief so much, that the film simply seemed like another film about a guy down on his luck. It is, perhaps, the most believable hero origin story ever put to film.
5. Daredevil (2003) A great mix or realistic special effects, a believable storyline and finally some real gritty real world crime. Bulls Eye in this film goes as far as Daredevil to make it a great film. The crime here is real world, not hoakie comic characters. The streets are the streets and Daredevil is in them. The film did have its hang-ups. Kingpin knowing Daredevil’s secret and Electra were both hard to get past, but the film overall was a believable venture into a gritty world of a superhero in Hell’s Kitchen.
4. Batman Begins The film was a gritty scary psychotic look into the world of a superhero that has been flashy and hoakie at times. Style didn’t overshadow the story. The characters stayed realistic and complicated. Bruce was a conflicted lunatic that sought revenge on a city that was decayed and dark. It is an outstanding superhero film, and a real relief to those of us who really love comics. Nothing was dumbed down suspence, horror, and believable conflicts made it a comic book fan’s gem to be proud of.
3. Iron Man (2008) Is a movie of that walked the line between flashy superhero playboy the gritty world of terrorists and amazing special effects. It was balanced. The plotlines were well down, and the characters were well played and conceived. It was believable in an unbeliable world. The makers avoided the major pitfalls of the superhero genre. They didn’t get bogged down in the origin, they made Stark a beleiveble genious, and all the rest fell into place.
2. Watchmen (2009) A film or complicated, dark and twisted suspence woven with tragically flawed characters who happene to be superheroes. The film is fantasy and reality at the same time. The world is so bad that even these fantastic heroes cannot effect change. The line between good guy and bad guy is an unclear as what it is with any powerful human being. The tragic flaws and desperate world makes even the most unbelievable powers in this movie realistic.
1. Batman The Dark Knight In our opinion far and away the best superhero film of all time. It’s strange that it would be a part II in a series, but The Dark Knight was just that, dark. It has been said that the villain makes the film. It is certainly true here. The joker played by the late Heath Ledger was the best portrait of a serial killer possibly ever played. He did better than Hopkin’s Hannible Lecter. The Dark Knight is gritty, crazy, evil, and the Joker keeps even the mighty Batman just on the edge of control. What good is a superhero without a great challenge to test him? Not only is the film believable it is chilling. Hands down the best superhero film of all time.
