I don’t want to harp on about Spider-Man 2 taking hold of that old saying about diminishing returns in movies and webbing it to the side of a building far far away, partly because I don’t want to go over well-covered ground and partly because Spider-Man 3 all but erased that goodwill, but damn if it ain’t a sight better than the already impressive first Spider-Man effort from Messrs’ Raimi and Maguire.
It all came down to Alfred Molina, if you ask me. As Doctor Otto Octavius, his introduction as a mentor for Peter Parker, as a loving husband and as a genius scientist earned him more brownie points than penguin boys flushed down sewers or adopted, sneering manchildren in the ‘villain justification’ scheme of things. His performance is mannered and quiet, making his transformation into Doctor Octopus – still the greatest supervillain name of all time – never quite whole. He’s never all-the-way there, which makes his efforts all the more tragic and forgiveness all the more ready to come pouring out when he comes to his senses near the film’s climax.
You know, after THAT fight on the train, and THAT fight up the side of the building. Throw in budding tensions between Peter and Harry, James Franco sporting the best haircut this side of Keanu Reeves’ 90s efforts, a great Danny Elfman score, beautiful New York photography, an endearingly earnest script and a whole lot of signs that scream ‘this is better than the first one,’ and you truly have a great superhero film.
[h2]9) Superman: The Movie[/h2]
Based on the famous DC Comics character, Richard Donner’s award-winning film represents an origin story – not only of the character, but also of the modern superhero film genre as a whole.
Superman: The Movie is the thorough depiction of our hero’s journey – from Kryptonian infancy to Earth, from Smallville to Metropolis, and from Metropolis to the world. As this three-act journey unfolds, so does our hero’s experience, personality and ethos – taking the values and lessons learned from his adoptive Earth family, the Kents, and combining them with those from his biological father, Jor-El, imparted through the Fortress of Solitude. His Kryptonian powers and exemplary humanity make him a true ‘super-man’. As an initial franchise instalment, Superman: The Movie is perfectly constructed.
Though the story of Superman was already firmly part of the western world’s social consciousness – with his popular comic book series and adaptations in radio and TV – it was not until he hit the big screen that he became a truly beloved icon worldwide, thanks to a performance by Christopher Reeve so pitch-perfect that his interpretation would become the yardstick by which all subsequent Supermen would be measured.
The combination of a revelatory Reeve, big-name stars such as Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman, a well-crafted script and ground-breaking visual-effects meant that Superman: The Movie would take its place in film history as a bona-fide game-changer. Earning over $300 million in box office worldwide during its original theatrical run, this is the film that blazed the trail for every superhero franchise that followed.
[h2]8) Blade[/h2]
Poor ol’ Blade. He’s not been treated well since Stephen Norrington’s 1998 horror-action romp. He’s suffered at the hands of Guillermo Del Toro and David Goyer in a pair of abysmal sequels and languished in near-obscurity in the Marvel Comics from which he spawned. He’s not even allowed a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that’s changed the face of comicbook adaptation in the last few years, and yet he’s arguably responsible for all of it, as the first major success in adapting Marvel’s output. Blade, and you’ll have to excuse me for swearing but this is a movie that truly deserves it, is fucking awesome.
Wesley Snipes deserves the most credit for playing the single most badass vampire hunter in the history of cinema and making an essentially cold and spiteful character so bloody cool. He has his work cut out for him in the form of an ancient sect of vampires led by Udo Kier and a young upstart vamp’ in Stephen Dorff’s Deacon Frost. One of the film’s most enjoyable features is its adherence to a strict 1990s philosophy of pairing dark nightscape photography with metal and techno music, and though it was one of the last successful proponents of this style it was also one of the best. It also stars Kris Kristofferson, who in blasting through a wall and exclaiming “catch you fuckers at a bad time?” instantly became the coolest Cool Old Guy ever. Forget vampire wrestlers and forget Luke Goss – this is the essence of 90s sensibility, grim violence, twisted humor and everything a Blade movie should be.
[h2] 7) V For Vendetta[/h2]
It’s impossible not to remember, remember James McTeigue’s adaptation of Alan Moore’s Guy Fawkes-inspired graphic novel V For Vendetta. Starring Hugo Weaving as the titular V and Natalie Portman as Evey, it may not be a word for word adaptation, but there are few comic book movies that are better.
A good majority of the film’s magic comes from Weaving’s performance as V. From his verbiage as he voraciously vilifies with his vast vocabulary to the more tender moments when we’re able to see that he still is human, despite hiding beneath a mask, he takes the full range of the character and nails it. Of course, Natalie Portman is nearly as impressive, taking on the transformation of her character with such skill that it makes for a heartbreaking journey. Rarely have we seen a comparable leading duo for a comic book movie, and the film greatly benefits from their performances.
Of course, it would be nowhere near the movie it is if it weren’t for the visuals. Obviously the fight scenes and the explosions are incredible, but the whole world is created in such a way that it’s beautiful to look at. It’s much more stylized than most popular films in the genre, but it’s done in such a way that it draws people in instead of turning them away.
At its core, it’s a story with a lot of fascinating ideas centered around the anarchist theme. Whether you’re on board with the politics or not, there’s no denying that it’s a meaningful story, chilling at times, and an all around thrilling film. Despite many ardent fans complaining that the book wasn’t faithful enough to the source material, it brought Moore’s work to the mainstream and made it relevant for more than just comic book fans. That led to V’s Guy Fawkes mask being adopted by far more than just die-hard anarchists who happened to love Moore.
The film’s had an impact in the years since it released, and there’s a good chance it could stand the test of time and be remembered as one of the most significant comic book films of the modern era.
[h2]6) The Dark Knight Rises[/h2]
The epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy was just that – epic. While both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight have elements where they surpass this third film, never were the stakes any higher. Gotham is faced with its biggest threat yet in the form of a soon to self-detonate nuclear bomb while Batman is halfway across the globe with a broken back, wasting away in a deep, dark pit.
No matter what details you want to discuss in terms of the characters Nolan created for this film, the way he adapted established characters, or how sharp the smaller aspects of the film are, eventually you’ll just keep coming back to the grand scope of it all. It’s huge in every way, including its supervillain.
Where Nolan really succeeded in the trilogy, above everything else, was with the villains and The Dark Knight Rises is no exception. Say what you want about Bane’s voice, but Nolan’s take on the character made for yet another fearsome foe. It’s especially impressive considering how horrible the previous live-screen iteration of the character was. Tom Hardy is able to give an intimidating and intelligent performance, despite not having use of the most movable part of his face. There’s never any doubt that he actually could be the one to break the bat, and the expansiveness of his scheme makes him all the better.
It’s almost the perfect cap to a trilogy. Everything comes together in a completely satisfying way, but it’s never overly-predictable. Few times in the history of cinema has a trilogy felt so complete and so fulfilling to watch. It certainly has never happened in a comic book trilogy prior to this one. The ending isn’t so open-ended that it leaves room for speculation about a sequel, yet it still has enough to it that it leaves you wanting more, which many fans definitely do. If Nolan ever directs another comic book movie again, all fans of the genre should consider themselves blessed. But until that unlikely day, we’ve got the Dark Knight Trilogy to look back on and its wonderful conclusion to enjoy.