So I just watched the Dark Knight last night and was thinking about how it compared to all the other superhero movies i've seen. So, being something of a superhero fan, I decided I would rank all the superhero movies I've seen and give you all some of my impressions of them. This may help inform your superhero movie viewing pleasure, or it may be a good way to kill ten minutes just by reading this. So, we'll start with the first of three categories: 1. SUPERHERO MOVIES TO AVOID SUPERMAN III (1983) I've actually never seen this movie but i hear that it goes way too far with Richard Pryor's comedy routines and the plot is straight out of a bad saturday morning cartoon with Superman splitting into good and evil halves. SUPERGIRL (1984) Another I have not seen. Never read a single decent thing about it though. SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE (1987) I have seen this one, unfortunately. Even though is comes ten years after the first Superman movie, the effects look ten years behind, and the plot of Superman trying to disarm the world's nukes it simplistic and preachy. PUNISHER (1989) Another one i've never seen but heard is good to avoid, bearing little resemblance to it's comic book source. CAPTAIN AMERICA (1991) I remember seeing the first half-hour of this made for tv movie as a kid and getting bored with it. Plus from what i've read of the plot, Red Skull is changed from being a nazi to an italian fascist working for the military complex. Yeah, nice way to honor the most patriotic superhero in comics. BATMAN FOREVER (1995) The beginning of the end for 1990s bat-franchise, Val Kilmer is more wooden than a plank in his portrayel of Batman, over-the-top performances from Two-Face (who is here more of a lame joker rip-off than the complex character he should be), and Riddler (who is more hyperactive than even the 1960s Frank Gorshin potrayel), neon lit Gotham City and the introduction of nipples on the batsuit make this a definite do not watch. BATMAN AND ROBIN (1997) The epitome of "how not to make a Batman movie", this monstrosity took everything that was wrong with Batman Forever and upped it all up five notches. The acting is bad, the sets are ridiculous, the dialogue is atrocious, and there are way to many characters. I'll leave it at that as this film deserves its own entry in how awful it is. STEEL (1997) Another i haven't seen, I am told this made for tv film starring Shaquille O'neal is definitely bottom of the barrel. DAREDEVIL (2002) Ben Affleck is in no way convincing as the guardian of Hell's Kitchen, the Kingpin, one of my favorite villains is given no real development and Colin Farrell's amusing portrayel as Bullseye cannot make up for it. Don't watch this. HULK (2003) I have not seen this, but the fact that they rebooted the franchise after this one movie says something about it. So, now that we have gotten through the duds, we'll move on to the rentals. These are movies some of which are not the cream of the crop, but may be a way to entertain yourself for an hour or two (or in Superman Returns case, 3). These are the ones that i recommend renting first, and it you like it enough, go find it in the 7 dollar bin at wal-mart. MOVIES TO RENT SUPERMAN II (1980) The follow-up to the original classic, this movie has special effects and fight scenes that may look dated but were amazing for it's time, and solid performances from the original cast. Unfortunately, a switch of directors mid-filming causes the movie to be disjointed in places, even leaving out a crucial scene so as not to have to pay Marlon Brando more money. I recommend Superman II: the Richard Donner cut to have an idea of what was left out, although this cut too feels very much half-completed (cause it is) BATMAN (1989) The movie that finally knocked Adam West out of the public consciousness as the definitive Batman, the film features a dark tone fitting of Batman and a killer performance by Jack Nicholson as the Joker, though he honestly overshadows the title character a bit too much. The film has not aged all that well and doesn't hold a candle to the two latest films, but is a good "elseworlds' take on Batman in my view. BATMAN RETURNS (1992) The sequel to Tim Burton's original, this one is in my opinion a stronger film that the first, pushing more of the twisted fairy tale theme. Batman gets a little more development and Catwoman is great. Only drawback is that Batman himself is a little too ruthless, killing some of the bad guys without even trying to find alternatives. PUNISHER (2003) This film features Tom Jane in the title role and he does a good job with it in this relatively straight-up origin story. Not the strongest film on this list, but certainly nothing inherently wrong with it. FANTASTIC FOUR (2005) While reviled by many, I happen to enjoy a large part of this movie. The Fantastic Four aren't exactly Batman or Wolverine in terms of depth and it is kinda nice to have a bit more of a light-hearted romp through the superhero world for a change. Only problem is the unforgivable botching of the villain, Dr. Doom who is one of Marvel's greatest and here is a lame Electro/Norman Osborn hybrid. SUPERMAN RETURNS (2006) Ok, so after waiting 20 years for a new Superman movie, I admit we should have gotten better than this, but I still find this movie an endearing tribute to the earlier Superman films. Certain plot-points are certainly not what I would have put in it, (making Superman an illegitimate father is a no-no in my book) and it definitely could use a good thirty minutes scraped off the top, but John Williams score, the new effects and a killer performance by Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor makes this at least worth a watch. SPIDER-MAN 3 (2007) Ok, truth be told I'm not a fan of this movie. It's overcrowded with too many villains and plotpoints, each of which could have been it's own movie, but nevertheless it ties up the loose ends of Spider-Man 2, so I will be gracious and give it a pass and say watch it at least once. FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER (2007) A definite improvement over the first one, this film introduces one of my personal favorite heroes, the Silver Surfer and, like the first one, is a more light-hearted and fun 80 minute quickie. Dr. Doom still sucks, though at least he has a cooler looking costume in this one. GHOST RIDER (2007) I haven't seen this one, but i'll let you know what I think when I get around to it. Ok then, so we have the duds, the rentals, and we are down to the heavy hitters. There are ten of them so I am going to be subjective here and tackle them from my least favorite to favorite. THE TEN BEST SUPERHERO MOVIES 10. SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (1978) This movie is very special because it is the first of its kind. The first time a superhero from the comics was adapted and given a huge budget and released theatrically. The late Christopher Reeve is simply iconic as Superman and lovable as Clark Kent. It is Reeve that is what give this movie heart and soul. A good supporting cast and a committed director combine with this to make it a classic. 9. X-MEN 3: THE LAST STAND (2006) After the huge success of X-Men 2, X-Men 3 delivers in that we are given a killer finale to the battle between the X-Men and Magneto, although the fact that it was rushed to be released before Superman Returns does show in its short running time and lack of character moments that made the first two so good. All the same, a great movie. 8. X-MEN (1999) If Superman was the one that started these movies, X-Men is the one that revitalized it. The movie started the trend of adapting the superheros into more realistic settings and toning down characters and concepts that could be a little over the top on screen. The movie is definitely a set up movie without a very strong ending, but it goes on the list do the sequel which makes everything fit together nicely. A great cast headed by Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan top it all off. 7. SPIDER-MAN (2002) The long awaited big screen debut of Marvel's flagship character is a movie that definitely captures the core of the Spider-Man mythos. Tobey Maguire works well as Peter Parker (although a little more chatty as Spider-Man would have been nice), but the real scene stealer is Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin. Another gem is J.K Simmons in the supporting role of J. Jonah Jameson. 6. X-MEN 2: X-MEN UNITED (2003) X-Men 2 vastly improves upon the first film, fleshing out the characters (Wolverine, Jean, Ice-Man and Pyro in particular), while adding fan favorite Nightcrawler to the mix. As always, Ian McKellan is the tops with Magneto stealing every scene he's in. 5. SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004) Spider-Man 2 continues from where the first left by continuing the roller coaster ride that is Spider-Man's relationship with Mary Jane, Harry Osborn, and the people he protects. The villain choice is taken up a notch with Dr. Octopus in a well developed and surprisingly sympathetic role to contributes to a number of killer fight scenes. 4. THE INCREDIBLE HULK (2008) The Hulk is a tricky character to get right, but Marvel Studios does it quite nicely in this "requel" to the 2003 bomb. The cast here really deserves credit. Edward Norton really sells the character of Bruce Banner, while Liv Tyler's Betty Ross is one of the better love-interests on screen (contributing so much more to help her beau than Mary Jane or Vicki Vale ever did). The ending is also visual treat as teh Hulk and the Abomination battle it out in a showdown never seen before on screen as these two massive guys just go at each other like rapid dogs. 3. IRON MAN (2008) The first of the new movies that Marvel is now independantly producing, there is nothing wrong with this movie that i can think of. Robert Downy Jr. may be the best bit of superhero casting ever. And on that subject, Jeff Bridges breathes amazing life into c-list Marvel villain Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger. The effects are amazing. I often could not tell what was cgi and what was not. And of course the post credits scene sends tingles down the spine of any fan. 2. BATMAN BEGINS (2005) An awesome film that takes us into uncharted territory, showing us the early training of Bruce Wayne and his transition into becoming Batman. Wonderful cast, great story, and logical explanations for every facet of Batman from the functionality of his suit to how he gets all his gadgets without attracting suspicion. Director Christopher Nolan depicts a realistic approach to the material, tweaking Batman and his villains so that they are completely believable as being able to actually exist in the real world. 1. THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) Seeing as how this is new, I will not say anything regarding any details of this film. Suffice it to say that it is a masterpiece and is not only a good superhero movie, but a darn good movie in itself and is hands-down the best film to come out of this genre ever. | 
