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Monday, July 16, 2012

A Super Surplus of Superheroes

With a (currently unpublished) manuscript about middle school misfits turned superheroes and all the comic book movies coming out recently, I’ve definitely had superheroes on the brain. For a comic book enthusiast like myself, these past few years have been a veritable feast of heroes and villains, scheming and crime fighting. I have to say, this is one trend I doubt I’ll ever get tired of.

That being said, there are certainly some movies that were more successful than others. For example, The Avengers came together much better than X-Men: First Class, which despite a few incredible scenes fell somewhat flat. And certainly I found the latest Spider-Man reboot much more enjoyable than its Sam Raimi-directed predecessors. All in all it seems that the standards have been raised incredibly high, with no sign of easing up.

In thinking back through every comic book movie I've seen, from Tim Burton's Batman (1989) to the teaser stills I just came across for the upcoming Man of Steel (2013), there are five that stand out as my very favorites. These five are . . . drum roll, please . . .






There are of course many more superhero movies that I really love. X-Men I and II, Thor (which far surpassed my expectations), Kick Ass, Blade, Watchmen, etc. But I really can’t wait for all the rest of them to come. Next up, The Dark Knight Rises. Can't wait to see how Nolan chooses to go out . . .

22 comments:

  1. My Spider-Man review will be up this week. 2 of our top 5 are the same.
    I just watched Daredevil again... it's so underrated. It may not be top 5, but it's close.

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    1. Which two? I have to admit, Daredevil was not my favorite. I liked parts of it (specifically the scenes when we see as he "sees"), but overall it disappointed me.

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    2. Avengers and Iron Man. I talk about my "perfect" super hero movies in my Spider-Man review, though, so I won't give any more of it away. :P

      I think you probably just haven't read enough Daredevil. It was an excellent adaptation. For a long time, it was actually my most watched super hero movie, because it was just great to have on in the background while I was doing stuff. Have you seen the director's cut?

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    3. It may well be an excellent adaptation, but I couldn't really say not having read a ton of Daredevil comic myself (some, but not a ton). Coming from a pure entertainment perspective though, it just didn't match my high expectations.

      But Avengers and Iron Man were both amazing. In all aspects :)

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    4. I suppose I can see that. It's certainly not in the same class of super powered comic stuff, but, then, the comic isn't either. It's always been more focused on character conflicts rather than fighting huge super powered villains.

      My Spider-Man review is up, by the way.

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  2. As a mother of a child who gets up early on Saturdays just to watch DVDs, I've watched from the middle of so many superhero films - one day, I'm determined to sit through a whole one! I did manage to see Wolverine when he was home sick from school a couple of months ago though.

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  3. Not too far off from what I would have chosen. I haven't actually seen the Dark Knight yet, so I can't really put that one on my list yet... but I'm sure it'll be there for me in a few days.

    Every comic book movie I see, at least the Marvel ones, and maybe the DC ones too, but to a lesser extent, make me feel like a kid again. I grew up on comics, and used to envision what something would look like on the big screen as I read them. For the most part, they look waaaay cooler than what I envisioned.

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    1. The Dark Knight it one of the best movies I've ever seen. I'm definitely more of a Marvel than DC fan, but this one will definitely keep all comic book - and non comic book fans - entertained to the max.

      And for the record, they also make me feel like a little kid again. In the best way possible.

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  4. I thought First Class was exceptional, while The Incredible Hulk didn't do much for me. I'm really looking forward to Spidey and Dark Knight this weekend. The Avengers still tops the spot for me though :)

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  5. I want to see Dark Knight soooo bad! Not so much on Spidey though.

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  6. Hard to disagree with those. I loved The Avengers (or Avengers Assemble as they called it in the UK) and I'm really looking forward to the new Batman.

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  7. Big fan of The Dark Knight. Otherwise our lists are different.

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  8. I agree with your choices, although I did really like the last X-Men movie. And I really dug Thor as well.
    I'm a DC geek, so very excited for Friday.

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    1. The last X-Men movies had some really amazing parts - particularly Michael Fassbender as Magneto. I'd give it an 8/10. The ones I listed were just 10/10 for me. Thor would be 9/10 (I almost added it).

      I'm a Marvel nerd, but I'm still super excited for Friday as well!

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  9. S.L. I'll never get tired of superhero movies either! I'm really surprised that I liked Spider-man. I was already to boycott after they fired Raimi. Nice list

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    1. I was too, but Webb changed my mind. He did the franchise proud.

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  10. Totally agree with your first three picks. I have been having a debate with my friend about Spiderman. I just think that remaking a movie like that so soon feels wrong. I forgive Batman for doing it because the Tim Burton Batman and the Chris Nolan Batman are so different, in look, feel and what we get to see from Batman. I saw the previews of the new Spiderman and in my brain, Tobey Maguire could still be in that costume. It looked similar. Now, I haven't seen it so I could be totally off base. I am sure it is good, but I can't bring myself to go see it yet.

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    1. I totally understand. I felt the same way until I actually went to see it. It definitely changed my mind, but it's still perhaps the most controversial comic book adaptation made in a long time.

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  11. Good choices. I liked Eric Bana as Banner/Hulk; it was Ang Lee's cinematics that made it a little unbearable.

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  12. I love Batman. Seriously love him. I had a crush on him when I first saw Tim Burton's Batman, that only grew with time (and wasn't the cartoon-series Batman the dreamiest?).
    Thor was awesome, and Blade! I love Blade, though Blade Trinity might be my favorite of the series, if only because Ryan Reynolds.

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