Top 10 superhero movies

This is a list of Top 10 Superhero movies which I compiled on basis of character & story development and popularity with audience.

10) Movie – Blade (1998)

 - a movie where Wesley Snipes made his presence felt by some serious sword swinging and more serious acting as the vampire hunter maybe the reason he was there for 2 more Blade movies

Publisher - Marvel Comics

SuperHero - Blade

SuperVillain - Deacon Frost

Power -           Superhuman Strength

Superhuman Speed

Superhuman Agility

Superhuman Stamina

Regenerative Healing Factor

Immunity to Vampire Vulnerabilities

 Cast - Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, N'Bushe Wright, Donal Logue

Director - Stephen Norrington

Scenes – 1) Blade’s vampire skill and his resistance to garlic and sunlight is shown in a detail manner in the initial scenes

2) Blade killing vampire Quinn by pining him to a wall and making him burn as he raids a rave vampire club and kills greater part of nightclub population

3) Frost killing Dragonetti to execute his plan and then making the other Shadow Council members as prisoners

4) The fight scenes between blade and vampires are the best strategized and serves in carrying the plot further which culminates in a powerful adrenaline rush

5) Scenes soaked with music does lift up the movie’s grading on several occasions. A soundtrack of the movie containing hip hop, techno, electronic and alternative rock was released and it peaked at #36 on the Billboard 200 and #28 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums

9) Movie – Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

- Ron Perlman as Hellboy was apt because he did justice to the Red monster in action scenes as well as succeeded in conveying emotions through sensitive dialogues and witty one liners

Publisher - Dark Horse Comics

SuperHero – Hellboy

SuperVillain – Prince Nuada

Power –           Excellent combatant

Superhuman Strength

Superhuman Stamina

No weaknesses

Cast – Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, John Hurt, Seth MacFarlane

Director - Guillermo del Toro

Scenes – 1) Hellboy and Abe singing “I can't Smile Without You” while being drunk  

2) Prince Nuada 'Silverlance' where he kills his father Elf King Balor, ruler of the Elves for the second piece of crown is filled with awe-inspiring action

3) The scene where Johann Krauss advices Hellboy about his anger management skills stands out

4) Hellboy revealing himself in front of the world and humans are scared after seeing his red monstrous face; now he can either save the world or join with his kinds of mysterious beings

5) Majority of the scenes has the distinction of being a visual delight from Guillermo del Toro

8) Movie – The Crow (1994)

– this movie is better remembered for the death of Brandon Lee (son of Bruce Lee). This was an unusual revenge story of the death but the weird makeup (resemblance to Joker is seen) and the assisting crow did turn this one to a must-watch

Publisher - Caliber Comics

SuperHero – The Crow

SuperVillain – Top Dollar

Power -   Enhanced Physical Abilities

    Superhuman agility

    Invulnerability

    Vengeful Purpose

    Psychometry

Cast -   Brandon Lee, Rochelle Davis, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, Bai Ling, Sofia Shinas, Anna Levine, David Patrick Kelly

Director - Alex Proyas

Scenes – 1) Eric Draven craving out of grave and realizing his purpose

2) Eric Draven killing the four rapists who killed him and Shelly Webster his fiancée

3) Eric making crow shaped picture on wall with Tin-Tin’s blood, on Funboy’s chest with blood and morphine syringes and he makes a scorching crow symbol with kerosene after killing T-Bird

4) The Crow’s entry to Top Dollar’s meeting with his associates followed by gunshots is racy

5) The final fight between The Crow and Top- Dollar is adrenaline pumping

7) Movie – Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

– in this movie we see many events that shaped in the formation of Avengers like the power of Tesseract , Supersoldier serum’s first usage, Howard Stark’s (Tony Stark’s father)  association with S.H.I.E.L.D and Captain America being the apt Avengers team leader

Publisher - Marvel Comics

SuperHero – Captain America

SuperVillain – Johann Schmidt / Red Skull

Power -   Artificially Enhanced Physiology

    Peak Human Conditioning

    Master Shield Fighter

    Advanced Military Operator

    Expert Marksman

Cast - Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, Stanley Tucci

Director - Joe Johnston

Scenes – 1) The set was designed for WWII period and it does convey that ambience to viewers

2) Captain America throwing his shield and fighting against Hydra soldiers

3) A lean and thin Steve Rogers changes to a genetically enhanced one 

4) Johann Schmidt removing his mask to show his true identity as Red Skull

5) Captain America getting invited by Nick Furry for a mission to save the current world

6) Movie – Watchmen (2009)

– watching a movie especially a Superhero movie for more than 3 hours can be painful but this one’s a different tale with a group of Superheroes who are more human than supernatural being. Unlike any other superhero movie this one is different with gory blood scenes and frontal nudity which should not be viewed by children 

Publisher - DC Comics

SuperHero –      Rorschach

                           Nite Owl

   Silk Spectre

   The Comedian

   Dr. Manhattan

   Ozymandias

SuperVillain – Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias and Big Figure 

Power -  The Comedian – no powers

               Rorschach – good boxer

               Silk Spectre – no powers

               Nite owl – no powers but cool gadgets

               Ozymandias – super intelligence

   Dr. Manhattan – controls atoms at sub-atomic level

Cast -   Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson

Director - Zack Snyder

Scenes – 1) Comedians fight leading to his death is punched by music and some serious frame-to-frame brutality

2) Jon and Laurie on Mars was shown with brilliance

3) Rorschach kills a child murderer by constantly stabbing his head is a gory sequence

4) The fight with Blake and Veidt was filled with intense combat

5) Rorschach’s death will surely make your eyes wet

6) Unlike any other superhero movie this one is different with gory blood scenes and frontal nudity which should not be viewed by children

5) Movie – Iron Man (2008)

- Robert Downey, Jr. playing Iron Man a role which needs him to be flamboyant, poignant and responsible as being head of Stark Industries. Jon Favreau the director felt that Robert Downey, Jr. suited the tag of "likable asshole"

 Publisher - Marvel Comics

SuperHero –  Iron Man

SuperVillain – Obadiah Stane

 Power –   Psi-Shields

     Peak Human Conditioning

     Direct Cybernetic Interface

     Self-Contained Life-Support System & Environmental Protection

     Magnetism

Cast - Robert Downey, Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow 

Director - Jon Favreau

Scenes – 1) Iron Man being captured by Afghan extremist groups and his fight for survival is shown in a realistic fashion

2) Iron Man racing and going ahead of two fighter jets has a lasting impact on viewers

3) The battle scenes are showcased with raw unadulterated energy

4) The building of the armored suit and its purpose is explained pretty well

5) Nick Furry telling Tony Stark about the “Avengers Initiative”

4) Movie – Spider-Man 2 (2004)

– this Spiderman flick was way better than Spiderman-1 and Spiderman -3 in consideration with character development of each portrayal and having a solid script & story

Publisher - Marvel Comics

SuperHero – Spiderman

SuperVillain – Dr. Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin

Power -           Spider-Strength

Spider-Speed

Spider-Grip/wall crawling

Spider-Sense

Cast -   Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, Donna Murphy

Director - Sam Raimi

Scenes – 1) The addition of the song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" and the picturization sets the tone for movie progression

 2) The scene with Peter Parker along with Mary Jane in a café shows the unpredictability of this movie as Doctor Octopus throws a car at them and the follow up just intensifies the proceedings 

3) Spiderman saving a train full of passengers is a scene which will strike a chord in your heart. The beauty of the scene is that Sam Raimi not only executes his technical brilliance in this sequence but also showcases a solid emotional back-up when Spiderman’s human face is revealed and is taken inside the compartment by passengers whose life he rescues

4) Climax where Doctor Octopus drowns the reactor and sacrifices his life shows his more humane` nature

5) Slow-motion scenes are shot with intensity

3) Movie – X-Men: First Class (2011)

– this explains a lot of X-Men as a redeemer for mutants and friend for humans with its initiation as backdrop. The two clans made due to clash of ideologies is detailed pretty well

 Publisher - Marvel Comics

SuperHero – Charles Xavier / Professor X and Erik Lensherr / Magneto are main protagonist and their aides

SuperVillain – Sebastian Shaw/Dr. Klaus Schmidt

Power –  for Charles Xavier / Professor X -

                        Telepathy

Mind Alteration

Absorb Information

Mind Transferral

Genius-level Intellect

               for Erik Lensherr / Magneto -

Complete control over magnetic forces

Flight

Radiation

Electromagnetism

Cast -   James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne , Kevin Bacon, January Jones, Oliver Platt, Jennifer Lawrence

Director - Matthew Vaughn

Scenes – 1) Erik Lensherr / Magneto lifting the submarine with the music on 

2) Hugh Jackman’s cameo with his one liner stands out

3) Erik Lensherr / Magneto and Sebastian Shaw’s climax fight in submarine is classic in true words

4) Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr’s friendship bond is seen when Charles advices Erik to increase his power level by calmness and not rage and  Erik is able to move a satellite after Xavier’s instruction

5) The technical quality stands out as the movie is set in the 60’s

2) Movie – The Dark Knight (2008)

– Heath Ledgers posthumous Academy win for the portrayal of Joker was perfect as he did stole the show from Christian Bale as Batman. But for some reason Jack Nicholson will always be Joker for me and that’s the reason this film is in second position

Publisher - DC Comics

SuperHero – Batman   

SuperVillain – Joker

                        Two-Face

                        Scarecrow

Power –    he is human but posses’ lot of special skills like

                 Enhanced Intellect

     Indomitable Will

     Peak Human Conditioning

     Master Martial Artist

                 Ventriloquism

Cast - Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman

Director - Christopher Nolan

Scenes – 1) Joker’s magic trick on mob bosses meeting was an intriguing one and did lift the pitch by giving the viewers an idea of Joker’s true deeds

2) Joker explaining about his scars and letting the mob bosses know how dangerous a wacko he can be

3) Blowing up the hospital building and walking away in a nurse’s attire

4) Batman interrogating Joker was filled with fierce dialogues

5) The climax was one of a kind shot with not only technical wizardry but craftsmanship as the two boats are filled with Gotham citizens and convicts and both are given a decision to make. Such a scene is never seen in any comic based movies so this one can be termed as EPIC!!!

1) Movie – The Avengers (2012)

- this movie had the finest actors portraying superheroes to save our planet. Though Hank Pym/GiantMan and Wasp was missing the rest of the superheros did gave us one of the best comic-adapted-entertainers. The director should be applauded as the time for each actor on screen was equal so importance was given to each character and not one being warlord and the rest being mere pawns

Publisher - Marvel Comics

SuperHero – Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Hawkeye, Thor and Black Widow

SuperVillain – Loki and Chitauri

Power – for Thor

Asgardian/Elder God Hybrid Physiology

Life-Force

Godlike Invulnerability

Regenerative Healing Factor

Energy Manipulation

    

 for Hulk

Transformation

Extrasensory Perception

Resistance to Psychic Control

Regenerative Healing Factor

Gamma Radiation/Energy Manipulation and Emission

  for Captain America

Advanced Military Operator

Master Acrobat

Weapons Proficiency

     for Iron Man

Expert Businessman

Lasers

Energy Blade

Smart Missiles

Industrial Genius

                                    

                for Hawkeye

Size Alteration

Master Archer

Expert Marksman

Master Martial Artist

Weapons Proficiency

               For Black Widow

Peak Human Conditioning

Master Martial Artist

Expert Acrobat

Gifted Intellect

Master Seductress

Graceful Dancer

                                    

Cast - Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson

Director - Joss Whedon

Scenes – 1) Black Widow's interrogation scene where Natasha seems to be in trouble after being tied to a chair transits by a phone call by Agent Coulson.; there is a pinch of humour with a lot of action

2) The 1,500-foot fleet carrier for S.H.I.E.L.D. base transforms into a flying space ship and its reflective panels engage just to make it disappear

3) Loki and Captain America’s fight in Germany is a scene I cherish as we see a brave and dexterous Cap. who saves an old man from Loki’s  rage and fights fearlessly

4) Phil Coulson’s death shows that this isn’t just about technical effects and super heroism but about humans -felt emotions too

5) "That's my secret, Captain… I'm always angry." is the best line in this movie as Hulk steals the show when Dr. Bruce Banner transforms to the green monster and aids in world rescue

6)Tony Stark meets Loki in the penthouse of Stark Tower and after a heated argument Tony uses two inoffensive looking metal bracelets which activates his Iron Man suit and he rises again from a deep fall

7) Crown prince of Asgard or a scientist exposed to gamma-radiation will win in a battle if they both are put together in a Helicarrier?. Well the Helicarrier’s dock and cargo bays are completely destroyed after Hulk almost kicks Thor’s butt. Humor is added when Hulk punches Thor hard enough to make him go off screen after fighting Chitauri leviathans.

8) When Hulk faces Loki the latter demands some respect from the green monster to which Hulk grabs Loki’s legs and thrashes him in Starks penthouse and utters “Puny god.” I will cherish this forever a human thrashing a deity like Lego toys

9) Hawkeye seems to have lost his way in all these trouble but finds his scene when his drafted arrow is caught by Loki and he plummets with an explosion; much to everyone’s surprise that causes Loki to fall from Chitauri’s chariot

10) Iron Man going inside the portal with nuclear missile shows that genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist with a mechanical suit of armor has a human heart