I’m doing a column on what was the best superhero movie ever made (not counting the serials from the 40s and 50s.)
Any thoughts?
PAD
I’m doing a column on what was the best superhero movie ever made (not counting the serials from the 40s and 50s.)
Any thoughts?
PAD
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I liked the Rocketeer, The Shadow, the Crow, and the first half of Howard The Duck. It lost me when they brought the demon-creature down and Howard has to save the day. If they would have continued in the vein of the original Steve Gerber stories, it could have been a great film. I really didn’t care for the original Superman movies. They were good, but I can’t remember the last time I made the concious decision to sit down and watch them, same with the Batman Films. I personally find the cliches in Superhero movies, where they kill off a major bad guy, like the Joker, or the superheroes secret identity is revealed to everyone. All of Batman’s girlfriends, with the exception of in Batman and Robin found out he was Batman, the villains also seemed to figure it out also. What’s the point of a secret identity then? Though I think Chris O’Donell would be perfect in a NightWing movie.
It seems that the first Superman movie is the overwhelming choice as the best super-hero movie of all time, and I really can’t disagree with those who picked it as such. The Rocketeer and the Phantom would be close seconds in my book as well. The Shadow, Spider-Man, and Daredevil would be honorable mentions, along with Nightman (TV series), and the Flash (TV series) as well. Underrated favorites of mine that never seemed to take off are the Sheena TV series, Supergirl (which was a much better movie than people give it credit for), Swamp Thing (the best low budget cheesy super-hero film ever in my book)Lois & Clark (there was great casting and chemistry, along with good writing for a TV series) and Doc Savage (I know people hated this movie, but I actually liked it).
Concepts that seemed to have been overlooked, but which I think would make great TV series or movies are Code Blue (the Marvel Universe version of a swat team), Sgt Fury, Two-Gun Kid, Ka-Zar (hey if they can do Shenna why not Ka-Zar or Shanna The She-Devil?), Green Arrow, Hawkeye, Kid Colt, Challengers Of The Unknown, Sea Devils, Cave Carson (set in the late Fifties), Combat Kelly, Rip Hunter, Mike Danger, and the Dark Horse character Ghost. The best part about most of these concepts is that they wouldn’t need tons of money on special effects, which means that money could be spent on the SCRIPT!
Worst movies and TV series of all time in my opinion? All 5 Batman movies (including the Adams West Batman movie), Jon Sable (the short lived TV series which I’m sure everybody has forgotten about), Ðìçk Tracy (Warren Beatty & Madonna – ugh!), The Human Target (does anyone even remember this series?), The Joe Lando syndicated Tarzan series, Mantis, Birds Of Prey, Smallville, and Wonder Woman. I sure my comments are bound to stir up some controversy, I mean am I the only one who hated all the Batman movies? Sorry, but Tim Burton and Quentin Tarrantino are two over-rated Hollywood types who’ve produced movies I’ve never enjoyed – even a little bit. Maybe it’s just me, but I just don’t like their stuff.
“If, as is often the case with an “origin” movie, you’re positing that the world of the movie was pretty much normal until the catalyzing event that created the hero, then I can understand how it might actually be viewed as a strain on credibility to incorporate a totally seperate catalyzing event to explain the creation of a superpowered villain. Filmmakers who feel this way might well be compelled to make your hero and villain related in terms of origin, relationship, or theme (even if not in pure narrative logic) with the hope that that choice might make for a more credible storyline, not a less credible one. To the extent that that’s true, I understand where such decisions come from. “
I can see the problem filmmakers may have when trying to create a new hero and a new villian at the same time especially in a world where none existed before, and you are right I hate the cliche of making their origins interwined. What about if they try and establish the villian as already being in existance and running wild without anyone to stop him/her till the “new” hero gets his powers and then he has a ready made foe. Just a thought.
Since David M. Harszlak added some ideas for good potential series, I thought I’d throw out two that have been on mind lately. Especially after they so royally screwed up sucha wonderful concept in Birds of Prey (should’ve kept the international aspect, lost the future time frame and switched huntress and black canary/dinah…since comic dinah is a brunette). I just think Green Arrow and Suicide Squad would make excellent series. GA more in the vein of Longbow Hunters/Mike Grell years and the Suicie Squad that mixes Ostrander and Giffen. Keep Robbins and company away from them and they have potential.
I’ve got to say that my favourite is probably the Matrix, with massive brownie points to Unbreakable.
The Matrix, discounting the varied philosophical context, really displays the evolution of a man that realizes that he does have a gift, and chooses to do something with that gift, selflessly and thanklessly. Even in a situation that he knows to be suicidal, he stands his ground. I really can’t wait to see the next two movies, as I think they’ll really amp up what Neo can do, and why he’s doing it.
Unbreakable deserves kudos for being vague about the possibility of superheroes in a very grounded and realistic world. It’s hard to tell whether David is just an ordinary man or something more, but his actions are very human, and it’s what I admire most about this film.
Coming in VERY late to all this…
Serious comments first:
I’m echoing all the praise for Supes I (and II, though to a slightly lesser degree). Even now, 25 years later, the only part that makes me wince a lot is the Superman/Lois flight and poem. Lex worked just fine for me, even with the idiocy that was Otis. I thought Lex was a lot more forced and campy in the second film than the first one — in the first one, it was just the right mix of not taking itself too seriously and not going way over the top.
(Besides, Lex/Otis had a few great exchanges in the first film. “Do you know why the number 200 is so vitally important in describing both of us?”, indeed.)
Lex himself was great. The little voice in Superman’s ear when he’s drawing him in is terrific: “There’s a strong streak of good in you, Superman — but then nobody’s perfect. Well … almost nobody…”
The performances were just so … well, just so RIGHT that it’s hard to find much fault. Jackie Coogan captured Perry about as well as the actor in “Spider-Man” captured Jonah, and had a bit more to do in the bargain. (I’ve always liked the moment where he’s got all the reporters together and asks each of them a question. He gets to Clark and asks, “what’s his favorite ball team, Kent?” What makes that moment for me is that Clark’s so clearly about to just answer him…)
The “flying back through time” moment is pretty goofy, but there’s enough power in that moment that I can usually swallow it despite whatever better judgment I possess. (The vision of Jor-El saying “it is forbidden” combined with Superman flying on, so clearly thinking “screw it, Dad” is pretty iconic.)
Spider-Man is probably up there, but only having seen it once a year ago I don’t think I can compare them fairly. The one bit that really didn’t work for me — the “wince moment,” to use someone else’s great term — was the physical look of the Goblin. I didn’t think Power Rangers, but I did think “old Japanese robots-duking-it-out movies,” which is basically the same thing. The rest of it captured the essence of the character really well — and I’ll second the praise for NOT somehow tying Osborn into Uncle Ben’s death. That always bugged me about Burton’s Batman, no matter how good a job Nicholson did.
In terms of “superhero in all but name,” I’ll definitely put in votes for Buckaroo Banzai and Robocop. I thought for years that Peter Weller would’ve made a great Batman — he’s got just the right haunted features to be Bruce, and had already proven he could act with nothing but a chin. 🙂
Okay, then, some lighter fare.
— All the debate here about the flying-through-time sequence can’t help but remind me of the Jason Alexander episode of “Muppets Tonight” a number of years ago. In one bit, Alexander is playing Hercule Poirot, but all the Muppets are misunderstanding and thinking he’s Hercules. He gets more and more annoyed with it, until someone finally suggests he fly around the world and turn time backwards to solve the crime. His reaction is … well, it’s just well worth seeing.
And as for Lex/Otis, I was actually having visions of that conversation a week or so ago when the news was full (okay, fullER) of articles about the new map we’re drawing of the Middle East. All I could think of was,
“Take a look at this. Rumsfeldia. Costa Del Don. Dubyaville. I … Dubyaville?”
“Well … I mean … Ðìçk and Condi both have THEIR own places.”
“Dubya-ville?”
“It’s an itty bitty place.”
“DUBYA-ville?”
And George starts wiping it off the map.
Okay, running away now.
TWL
“Is this how a warped brain like yours gets its kicks? By plotting the deaths of innocent people?”
“No — by causing the deaths of innocent people.”
PAD,
Your previous few blog entries prompted responses in double figures.
The next blog entry prompted, oh, about four replies.
On April 22 you asked a community of comic fanboys what the best superhero movie ever was. You got more than 200 replies.
Was April 22 some sort of blog sweeps day?
Superman the movie is the best.
After that I’d put Unbreakable there.
Never saw Rocketeer.
Superman 2 is great but it could be better. Zod just making up powers as he went along annoyed me.
Best superhero movie, “IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING” with Ray Milland possessing anti-wood powers. When he loses it, he becomes wood-friendly and gets the girl!
Mr. Watson, I guess it’s your opinion, but personally, I would never want to see a TV show that’s anything like Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters. What sickens me about that book from the past decade or so is that Mike Grell, overrated writer that he is, went overboard in how he wrote poor little Dinah getting beaten up by that gang of thugs, something that he seems to enjoy writing about more than a bit, and it’s also what turned me off in his wretched run on Iron Man when dealing with Pepper Potts. He says it’s in order to make them more driven and tougher, but I’m not fooled. That witch called Ayisha was also a very questionable character, not to mention dreadful. I wouldn’t hire a disgraceful writer like him for kingdoms.
If you can allow for an “honorable mention” category for TV episodes, the list absolutely MUST include the “Ghost in the Machine” episode of “The Flash.” Absolutely a lot of fun, with a wonderfully stylistic homage to the comic book and serials of the 1950s. An absolutely perfect piece of super-hero-to-film work. (In fact, the ONLY way this one could have been improved would have been if the Sandmanesque character of Nightshade had instead been some other fella who ran around in a red shirt and a winged silver bowl on his head…)
For me Superman II has got to be the best comic movie so far. I mean, come on! It had people throwing buses at each other. What more could you want. The Rocketeer is a close second. I really think it could have been a bigger film if Diseny had marketed it better. If Superman made you believe a man could fly, the first the Rocketeer took it made me beleive I WAS flying. I’ll have to rent it sometime and see if the effect is just as good on the small screen.
Punisher and Captain America! just kidding…
1) Spider-Man: true to comic books, good acting, great direction and script. A perfect hero myth, I have a feeling the screenwriter was heavily influenced by Joseph Campbell’s work.
2) Unbreakable: great birth of a hero tale. Very well written and as realistic as a such a story could be.
3) Batman and Batman Returns: dark and moody, the way Batman should be. Nice art direction by Burton.
And the rest are ok to plain crappy. Superman is awful, too many plot holes and campiness. The later Batman flicks are just poorly written and directed. Why exactly did Two-Face and the Riddler both act like the Joker? X-Men was alright but far too little character development. Haven’t seen the second or Daredevil yet.
I agree with several comments – Best super-hero film is Star Wars. Think about it. With a few changes here and there, Star Wars could easily be about the Guardians and the Green Lantern Corps.