There is nothing more entertaining in the movie industry than a superhero movie.
For many summers now, audiences have treated themselves to watch superheroes kick pulverize the bad guys and walk out of the theaters more than satisfied. This summer will no doubt be the same with the upcoming releases of films like “The Dark Knight Rises” and “The Amazing Spider-Man.” However, the superhero genre has hit a very rough start this year with the recent release of “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” which has proved that watching Nicolas Cage give loopy performances is no longer amusing. On top of that, worry currently exists about how the upcoming “Avengers” movie will turn out, given its star-studded cast and all of the resources invested in the project. To help get our minds off this worry, let’s all look back at some of the greater superhero films.
An obvious entry into this list is a movie that is highly considered to be not only the greatest superhero film, but one of the greatest films in any genre. “The Dark Knight” was the movie everyone was talking about, from the sudden death of one of its actors to the Best Picture snub at the Academy Awards. The movie did walk away with the Best Supporting Actor award for the late Heath Ledger, whose performance as a more vicious and intelligent Joker stole the show. “The Dark Knight” was the first thing outside of “Batman Begins” to completely substitute superhero cheese for brilliant direction from Christopher Nolan, excellent acting all around and existential questions and substantive issues. “The Dark Knight” really set a whole new standard for the superhero genre.
Yes, I am including this in the superhero genre. From director Matthew Vaughn comes the movie that temporarily made Nicolas Cage cool again. Though “Kick-Ass” is considered a superhero film, it’s far beyond the typical camp found in the superhero genre. Major controversy for this film was aimed at Hit-Girl, played by Chloe Grace Moretz, whose character is no older than 11. Yet the screenplay had her dropping the f-bomb and slicing bad guys’ throats. This was only one of the aspects that added to this movie’s sense of anarchy, as “Kick-Ass” was delightfully profane and insanely violent.
Leave it to Pixar to think up a fun story that combines the elements of a great superhero film, family drama and spy thriller. Just like “Watchmen” (2009), “The Incredibles” features a story where superheroes are forced into retirement to live like normal people. The movie focuses on one family of superheroes, who are pulled into action after the father, voiced by Craig T. Nelson, jumps back into the superhero game and finds trouble. This is a superhero film that has something for the young and the old. While the kids get a kick out of watching Violet and Dash, older comic book fans will geek out about the film’s superhero references. Written and directed by Brad Bird, “The Incredibles” is not only one of the more enjoyable superhero films, but one of the greater Pixar films.
There are very few superhero films designed to be adult-oriented, and none as much as “Watchmen.” And while the average superhero film centers on an origin story, “Watchmen” is a film that tackles dark premises and asks questions that few others ever bother to: Is being a superhero always good? What would have happened if America hadn’t lost in the Vietnam War? If a superhero is equal to a god, is that something to celebrate or to fear? The movie takes place in an alternate reality where superheroes play a major role in historical events, until the government decides it’s time for the masks to stay off. “Watchmen” boasts a brilliantly dark mood, a complex storyline and very intriguing themes, despite its prolonged and unnecessary sex scene, as well as the pokes at Dr. Manhattan’s blue junk.
“Unbreakable” is definitely one of the least remembered within the genre. The movie stars Bruce Willis as David Dunn, a Philadelphia security guard who slowly discovers he may be a superhero after surviving a train wreck that kills 131 others. A comic book collector with osteogenesis imperfecta, played by Samuel L. Jackson, stalks him because he is fully convinced David is a superhero. The movie was written by M. Night Shyamalan as a study that explores the correlations between the real world and the mythologies of the superhero world. “Unbreakable” doesn’t live up to Shyamalan’s name after he directed “The Sixth Sense” (1999), but what really sells the movie is its suspense and excellent character development.
