My Favorite Super-hero Movies

#1

Superman: The Movie (1978)

#2

Superman II

#3

Batman (1989)

#4

Superman Returns

#5

Batman Forever

#6

Spider-Man 2

• Released in 2004, Spider-Man 2 was directed by Sam Raimi (who directed Army of Darkness & Spider-Man) & stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst (Bring It On, Interview with the Vampire), & Alfred Molina (Raiders of the Lost Ark). Spider-Man 2 was the second-highest domestically grossing film of 2004. Spider-Man 2 received three Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, & Best Sound Editing, winning the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. John Dykstra supervised the special effects for Spider-Man 2. Dykstra also worked on the effects for Star Wars, classic Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, & Spider-Man.

• Partly based on issue #50 of The Amazing Spider-Man (July, 1967) & influenced by Superman II, Spider-Man 2 features a number of departures from its comic book source material over & above those established by the 2002 film Spider-Man. First, Spider-Man’s powers do not regularly function erratically without some sort of explanation—exposure to radioactivity, et cetera. [I found it a bit much that in this film not only does Peter contemplate abandoning his costumed alter ego (which he does frequently in the comics), but that he also keeps losing his powers (which is infrequent). Some claim that Pete loses his powers in this film, because he is contemplating quitting the identity, but the film, far from stating this, never even suggests it.] Second, Doctor Octopus does not have a wife, is not a friend of Curt Connors, & is driven insane by the accident which fuses his artificial limbs to him. Octavius is not controlled by the arms themselves. Third, the claws on Doc Ock’s arms are much shorter & far less intricate in the comics. Fourth, Doctor Octopus’ mechanical appendages required manual control before the accident. Fifth, Spidey is much more careful about his secret identity than this film, which has him removing his mask in public often & intentionally revealing his secret no less than three times, suggests. Sixth, Dr Curt Connors (AKA: the Lizard) is a physician, not a physicist.

• Spider-Man 2 showcases cameo appearances by both Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee & Sam Raimi collaborator Bruce Campbell.

#7

Iron Man

• Released in 2008, Iron Man was directed by Jon Favreau, who also directed Elf & Iron Man 2 in addition to playing Happy Hogan in Iron Man. Iron Man stars Robert Downey Jr, Jeff Bridges, & Gwyneth Paltrow. Iron Man was the second-highest domestically grossing film of 2008 & was nominated for two Academy Awards—Best Visual Effects & Best Sound Editing.

• Iron Man diverges from its comic book source in several ways—Iron Man’s origin was in Vietnam, not Afghanistan, Stark lives in New York, not California, Jarvis is Stark’s butler (his Alfred), not a computer, & Obidiah Stane was not Howard Stark’s associate or a friend of the family. Stane was always Tony’s rival & enemy, & Stane was not introduced early in the comic’s history.

• Deviating from the standard for super-hero/action films of its time, Iron Man has a bright, optimistic tone.

#8

The Mark of Zorro

#9

The Incredibles

• Released in 2004, The Incredibles was written & directed by Brad Bird, who served as writer/director for The Iron Giant & Ratatouille. Bird also provided the voice of Edna Mode (“E”), whose outrageous accent & antics steal the show. Craig T Nelson voiced Mr Incredible, Holly Hunter supplied Elastigirl’s voice, & Samuel L Jackson is Frozone. At the time of its release, The Incredibles was the second-highest grossing Pixar film (after Finding Nemo). The Incredibles received four Academy Award nominations & won Best Animated Picture (an award begun in 2001) & Best Sound Editing. The Incredibles was the first Pixar film to win more than one Oscar.

• The Incredibles was originally planned as a traditionally animated film for Warner Brothers. When Warner closed its animation division, Disney accepted the project as a CGI film. At one point, Disney executives pushed to produce The Incredibles as a live-action film when they saw the challenges presented. For example, The Incredibles was the first Pixar film with humans as the main characters & the first Pixar film to have characters with long hair, & it was planned to be 15 minutes longer than any Pixar film to date. Nevertheless, Pixar continued to make The Incredibles as a CGI film.

• The Incredibles are clearly based on the Marvel super-group the Fantastic Four. Elastigirl has the same powers that Mr Fantastic has, while Violet has the same powers as the Invisible Woman. Dash is the odd man out, the only member of The Incredibles who does not share an ability with a member of the Fantastic Four. Even Jack-Jack with his array of awesome powers resembles Franklin Richards. Mr Incredible himself has a name that sounds like Mr Fantastic, while his powers are similar to those of the Thing. However, Mr Incredible, as the most formidable super-hero & acknowledged leader of the community, is also a version of Superman ... even without a cape.

• According to Syndrome’s database, which assigns a numerical threat rating to every super-hero, Mr Incredible’s threat rating is 9.1, the highest of any hero shown. Gamma Jack & Hyper Shock rank at #2 & #3 with threat ratings of 7.9 & 7.5, respectively. Elastigirl’s threat rating is 6.2. However, the audience never sees the threat ratings of Frozone or any of Mr Incredible’s children (whom, of course, Syndrome doesn’t know about).

• The Incredibles is a wonderful metaphor for what happened to the Golden Age comic book super-heroes in reality. From the advent of Superman in 1938 until around 1948, super-heroes were incredibly popular. Then, for whatever reason, the end of the war, domestic realities, a subtle shift in preferences for the real & substantial, super-heroes begain to wane, their comic book titles cancelled overnight by the dozens. In 1954, the publication of Seduction of the Innocents, which harshly & irrationally attacked comic books & super-heroes, virtually sounded the death knell of a genre that was already moribund. Sometime between 1956 & 1958, super-heroes came into vogue again, with new heroes & comic titles popping up in ever-increasing numbers. Then in 1961, when Marvel Comics began creating super-heroes, the Silver Age of comics was really pushing into gear.
• The Incredibles mirrors real-world events. Mr Incredible injures a civilian in the pursuit of costumed justice & is sued. This sets off a domino effect of suits across America, ultimately leading to the illegalizing of super-herodom. A great analogy for the end of the Golden Age!

#10

X-Men: The Last Stand

• Released in 2006, X-Men: The Last Stand was directed by Brett Ratner (Red Dragon, The Family Man, & Rush Hour) & stars Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Kelsey Grammer, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, & Shawn Ashmore.
• X-Men: The Last Stand grossed $459 million worldwide against a $210-million budget (which made it at the time of its release, the most expensive film ever made), was the fourth-highest domestically grossing film of 2006, &, to date, the most successful X-Men movie.

• X-Men: The Last Stand is partly based on the 1980s “Dark Phoenix Saga ” of Claremont/Byrne & partly on the 2005 “Gifted” arc of Joss Whedon.
• The character of Juggernaut undergoes two extensive revisions in X-Men: The Last Stand. First, the comic villain is Charles Xavier’s stepbrother, and, second, he is not a mutant.

• Perhaps the best three things about X-Men: The Last Stand are Ellen Page as Kitty Pryde, the opening scene in which Professor X & Magneto first meet Jean Gray, & Rogue’s diminished role. (The Golden Gate Bridge scene & the climax between Jean & Wolverine are good too.)
• Wow. They kill off Cyclops & Professor X in the first half of the movie. Wow.

#11

Spider-Man

• Released in 2002, Spider-Man was directed by Sam Raimi (who directed Army of Darkness) & stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, & Willem Dafoe. Maguire is perfectly cast as the Web-Slinger. At the time of its release, Spider-Man was the highest grossing super-hero film ever & was the first film to gross over $100 million on its opening weekend. Spider-Man received two Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects & Best Sound. John Dykstra supervised the special effects for Spider-Man. Dykstra also worked on the effects for Star Wars, classic Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, & Spider-Man 2. Spider-Man was the highest domestically grossing film of 2002.

• In the comics, Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider, not a genetically engineered spider. That more of these “super-”spiders exist begs the question of them biting someone else. (The radioactive spider that bit Peter died immediately afterward.) Also, Peter, a science whiz in the comics as in the film, designed mechanical web-shooters in the comics. His web-slinging ability was not one of his spider-powers. This change begs the question of why Peter needs to be a science whiz. Raimi purportedly made the change (or went along with it), because it reduced suspension of disbelief. This is silly. Each of Spidey’s powers is equally impossible & unbelievable. You cannot make an impossible thing more believable.

• In the comics, MJ did not attend the same high school Peter did. The film version of the Green Goblin wears a costume which bears very little resemblance to the one from the comics. As many have pointed out, it looks a lot like a Power Rangers villain.

#12

Green Lantern

• Released in 2011 & directed by Martin Campbell (Mask of Zorro, The Legend of Zorro, Casino Royale, GoldenEye), Green Lantern stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong [Sherlock Holmes (2009)], Angela Bassett (Vampire in Brooklyn, What’s Love Got to Do with It), & Tim Robbins.
• At one point, Hal takes Carol to a bar that was their old hang-out, & they hear & dance to “Come Softly to Me,” a song by the Fleetwoods, which hit #1 on the Billboard Pop Chart in 1959—not coincidentally, I think, the same year in which the Silver Age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, was introduced in Showcase #22.

• Although Green Lantern has a number of problems, it is nevertheless an enjoyable super-hero film. Following are its major flaws as I see them:
  • Hal’s struggles with self-doubt, fear, & his father’s death are unnecessary & detract from the action. Super-heroes rarely have complex psychological motivations. Even Batman’s motivation is simple: revenge on criminals for the murder of his parents. The comic book Hal Jordan was “free from fear.” Period.
  • The generally negative reaction of the Green Lantern Corps to Hal’s selection is not only unnecessary, but it acts in tandem with the aforementioned issue to paint a picture of Hal as someone no one believes is competent for much of anything. Furthermore, the conceit that no race as young as humans has ever been selected for membership in the Corps is not only absent from the comic source, it is a naïve presumption. With the entire universe to patrol, would they really be so picky, & how many older species are actually around? Furthermore, two Lanterns state that the ring is infallible in its selection. Why don’t the other Lanterns believe their own press?
  • Green Lantern suffers from a problem similar to that of Batman Returns in terms of the villains. Parallax: It’s difficult to identify with or even get too worked up over an amorphous cloud with a skull face. Hector Hammond: Hector is presented as a victim for whom the audience feels little but sympathy & a bit of revulsion.

• In addition to the serious flaws, I have a number of nitpicky issues with Green Lantern (most of which are discrepancies from the comic source material):
  • The Guardians, Tomar Re, & Kilowog do not closely resemble their comic counterparts.
  • Hal, in fact, invented the oath. Not all Green Lanterns recite Hal’s oath.
  • Sinestro was a rogue Green Lantern before he had a yellow power ring.
  • Parallax was not a rogue Guardian, & Hector Hammond was not associated with Parallax in any way. In fact, Hammond made his first appearance 33 years prior to the appearance of Parallax.
  • Hector Hammond was not an old rival of Hal’s, did not know Carol Ferris before his association with Green Lantern began, could not talk, often could not walk, & was not a brilliant xenobiologist. Prior to his metamorphosis, Hammond was a common criminal. Does no one in Hollywood see that the transformation of someone with average or below-average intellect into a super-genius with an enlarged cranium is more dramatic than the transformation of a brilliant scientist into a more brilliant scientist is? (This is the same thing Marvel Studios has done with the Leader.)
  • Neither the rings nor the power batteries in the film closely resemble their comic counterparts. The rings in particular look very man-made.
  • Originally, the Guardians’ own vast stores of pyschoplasmic, green energy powered the Central Power Battery on Oa. The comic book explanation may have changed over the years, but I’m pretty sure it has not become so derivative as to be supplied by “the will of every living creature in the universe.” (Use the Force, Hal...)
  • When Abin Sur brought Hal to his crashed ship, Hal was, in fact, in a flight simulator. Hal did not call Tom Kalmaku (who was a mechanic, not an engineer) immediately upon receipt of the ring, & what are the chances the crash was within driving distance anyway? In the comics (at least, in the Silver/Bronze Age), Power Rings had automatic functions, & Hal instantly knew how to harness at least some of the ring’s powers. So he did not need a ride. (Brief digression: It actually makes sense to me, considering the super-advanced technology of the Guardians, that the rings would have a sort of application tutorial.)
  • I was ecstatic to hear Hal state that Sector 2813 contains 80,012 galaxies. Granted, this is probably an underestimate (by three orders of magnitude), but at least it shows some thought went into dividing the universe into 3,600 Sectors. My elation was ruined 15 minutes later, when the film claims that Sector 2312 is on the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. First, why wouldn’t this be a number consecutive to 2814—the Sector that we, at least, know contains Earth? Second, any arbitrary division of space into any arbitrary number of sections is highly unlikely to yield divisions close to galaxies. The proportion of empty space to galaxies is simply too enormously high.

#13

Iron Man 2

• Released in 2010, Iron Man 2 was directed by Jon Favreau, who also directed Elf & Iron Man in addition to playing Happy Hogan in Iron Man & Iron Man 2. Iron Man 2 stars Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, & Samuel L Jackson. Iron Man 2 grossed $623 million worldwide against a $200-million budget, was the third-highest domestically grossing film of 2010, & received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.

• Iron Man 2 is the third film in the so-called Marvel Cinematic Universe (i.e. the third film produced by Marvel Studios).
• Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) is an amalgam of two of Shellhead’s comic book archvillains—Blacklash & Crimson Dynamo.
• Iron Man 2 completely bypasses the long comic book story arc by which Rhodes becomes War Machine, which involves, among other things, Rhodey becoming Iron Man while Tony recovers from his alcoholism.

• Who would have thought Scarlett Johansson could pull off action hero? But she does.
• In particular, I love the climactic battle between Iron Man, War Machine, & Vanko’s army of armored robots. If you look carefully, you will see that this section of the Stark Expo is dressed to look like a Japanese Shinto shrine. Few places in the world are more appropriate venues for this type of high-tech (mech/mecha) fight.

#15

Sky High

• Released in 2005 & directed by Mike Mitchell (Shrek Forever After, Surviving Christmas), Sky High is Disney’s answer to the question, “What if John Hughes had made a movie about super-heroes?” Kurt Russell is perfectly cast as the Commander, the invincible leader of the super-hero community. The film also features wonderful supporting performances by Lynda Carter, Bruce Campbell, & Chloris Leachman.

• The film’s central conceit is an analogy between the super-hero/sidekick dichotomy & the high school popular/loser clique dichotomy.
• The students are a little unclear on the school rules. At one point, one of them says that students are not allowed to use their powers outside the gym (which had already been violated repeatedly). Later on, Layla says students are not allowed to use their powers outside the school, which is technically true, if the first rule is true, but is a bit misleading as the actual rule is far more restrictive than she states.

• Several facts about the Commander’s career are revealed over the course of the film. First, the Commander had a sidekick named All-American Boy. Second, three of the Commander’s arch-villains are King Kamehamayhem, Baron Battle, & Royal Pain. Interestingly, while the Commander’s super-hero codename has a military sound to it, his arch-villains’ names all have the sound of royal or noble titles...

#16

X-Men

• Released in 2000, X-Men was directed by Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X2, & Superman Returns) & stars Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Halle Berry, & Anna Paquin.

• X-Men grossed nearly $300 million worldwide & was the ninth-highest grossing film of 2000.

• X-Men is decent but far too centered on Wolverine. Also, many have noted that Magneto, Sabretooth, Mystique, & the Toad are not a balanced match-up against Professor X, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Wolverine, Rogue, & Storm. In addition, the following major discrepencies exist between X-Men & its comic source material:
  • The film gives Mystique some sort of superhuman fighting ability or possibly the ability to duplicate the powers of those whose form she imitates. This is not the case. She is simply a shapeshifter.
  • Scott & Logan do not ordinarily have such an adverserial relationship.
  • Jean Grey is not a doctor.
  • Iceman (Bobby Drake) was one of the original X-Men. He should not be younger than the core team members.

#17

Thor

• Released in 2011 & directed by Kenneth Branagh (Henry V, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Hamlet), Thor stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, & Rene Russo. Thor, the second of five super-hero films released in 2011, grossed $448 million worldwide making it the most successful of the five.

• Thor is the fourth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

• Thor contains a few discrepancies from its comics source material:
• In the comics, Donald Blake is not some assumed name Thor uses. Donald Blake is the human who finds Mjollnir & assumes the persona of Thor in a Jekyll/Hyde alter ego situation similar to that of the Hulk & Captain Marvel.
• In the comics as in Norse myth, Odin willingly trades his eye to Mimir for wisdom. He does not lose it in battle.
• The film never mentions that Frigga is not Thor’s mother. This is interesting, because Loki’s true parentage is an important plot element.
• The film never mentions the enmity between the Fire Giants & the Asgardians, just that with the Frost Giants.
• In the comics, Jane Porter is a nurse, not an astrophysicist.
• Marvel Comics itself contains many discrepancies with Norse myth in regards to Thor. Some of these are replicated in the film:
• In mythology, Laufey was Loki’s mother. Ymir & Thrym are the only Frost Giant Kings ever mentioned in mythological sources.
• In myth, Sif is Thor’s wife & is renowned for her blonde hair.