Superhero movies are silly, childish and over the top – a line of thinking that almost every film critic chose to adopt a couple of years back. A handful of movies of this genre changed that prejudice and now the critics and the audience have a new found respect and consideration for comic book adaptations. Among these are a few path-breaking movies which re-defined not only the genre but also film making in the broader sense. What follows is my pick of the lot. The extraordinary top 5.
5. Iron Man
When the news of the confirmed cast and crew for the Iron man movie reached entertainment media, the initial reaction was “WHAT?”. A director who hasn’t had a single blockbuster to his tally, a lead actor with a track record similar to that of the director and a budget of $185 million to be shelled out on these blokes. But Marvel studios’ gamble with this team raked in box-office collections of $580 million and critical acclaim. Robert Downey Jr. blasted off to superstardom overnight and director John Favreau was suddenly in Hollywood’s most sort after directors list. The treatment of the characters and the mood of the film which is one of humour and fun in right doses were praised. Effortlessly entertaining and Downey played the character with élan. The visual effects were nothing short of a spectacle and got nominated for the Academy Awards. Long time after the first Superman movie we will again believe that a man can fly. This time he’s not from another planet.
4. X2-X Men United
No one else could have directed X-men movies as well as Bryan Singer did. Nothing short of a brilliant work can be expected from the director who gave movie lovers “The Usual Suspects”. X2 took up from where X-Men left off and built on the characters and in the mean time saw the introduction of new characters. Singer’s ability in attributing meaning and significance to the characters and the storyline is worth a mention. This was not just a superhero movie. It was an alternate way of putting across the issues faced by who the society consists as outcasts. Delicate topics like minorities, teenage concerns, alternate ways of thinking, religion found a place in the movie. These elements were so well added and concealed that the movie will be entertaining and thought provoking to the various audiences. A fabulous cast consisting of Ian Mckellan, Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, James Marsden, Famke Janssen and Brian Cox and the action sequences were spot on. Too bad that Singer couldn’t hold the reins in X3.
3. Superman
When Superman release in 1978, everyone knew that it will stand the test of time as one of the most remarkable movies ever made. The punch line “You’ll believe a man can fly” said it all and that was probably the last time that movie goers flocked the theatres under the trance of a movie’s punch line. Though the flying scenes look dated now, they still evoke in the viewer a sense of respect and awe for the team which made it all possible. A movie which was way ahead of its time, Superman made a mark in the hearts of everyone as a hero who stood for truth, justice and freedom. Christopher Reeves brought the ladies to their knees and the special effects drew back the kids and men to the theatres. No matter how many more movies on this character are made, it’ll take more than today’s advanced CGI to beat this movie off its throne. Superman is “Up, up and away!”
2. Spiderman 2
Spiderman stayed in comic books and animated series for a pretty long time. The popularity and admiration of millions of readers was just not good enough for facilitating Spidey’s transition from animation to live action. A stunt man in spiderman costume can be hurled around skyscrapers with safety cables, but how will he carry out more serious and dangerous maneuvers? The simple task of clinging to the wall and climbing buildings seemed a bit tough for the hero too. So Spidey had to wait for some more years for the technology to take shape to help him with his trouble. Finally the tech took shape and director Sam Raimi took up the uphill task of introducing Spidey to the reel world. The first movie was a smash hit. The sequel deserves the number 2 position in this list as it convincingly portrayed the life of a hero who can’t manage his personal, professional and alter-ego lives. He wants everything to be alright but ends up messing up everything. A hero with problems similar to yours and mine. Tough decisions, regrets, deteriorating love life, sinking career and fear of losing his dear ones – viewers could associate with these matters. They found themselves in Peter Parker. Though not entirely. None of can sling on webs and none of us have to fight a man aided by huge mechanical arms.
1. The Dark Knight
Yes, this sounds predictable, clichéd or call it whatever you want. Every single list out there has this movie at the top. No changes here either. Never before have we seen a movie like this and it even gave the Academy Award jury more than a heart attack with its huge potential of making it to the nominations for best picture and best director. Unlike most of the voices out there, who confer all the praises on the late Heath Ledger(boy…what a performance!), I’d say it was the effort of the entire team which made The Dark Knight what it is –a bloody brilliant movie. Director Christopher Nolan deserves the major share of the accolades. It’s this man’s vision which saved and brought glory to a character and franchise which had eaten dust at the hands of the fanatical director Joel Schumacher. TDK was more about the Joker than about Batman. Heath Ledger as Joker flew high on his talent and Christian Bale as the caped crusader took a more restrained role giving Ledger the space for his power-packed act. The supporting cast or should I call it the ensemble cast, was a delight to watch. Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal provided supporting acts which would give any lead actor a complex. Technically flawless, with amazing cinematography, jaw-dropping action sequences and a classic of a background score TDK is truly one of the best movies ever made.
Noteworthy mentions Watchmen, Hellboy, Batman Begins, X-men, Unbreakable, Superman 2
Let a Hummer military vehicle stay overnight with a Lamborghini Countach and you’ll get this mean machine – the Batmobile Tumbler. A far cry from the batmobile concepts that we are used to through comic books, TV series and in live action films, Tumbler is by far the most purposeful batmobile in the caped crusader's fictional universe.
