The TV Addict 

With a summer that gave us three notably excellent superhero movies (IRON MAN, HELLBOY 2, and THE DARK KNIGHT) it seems as good of a time as any to reevaluate what I believe are the greatest superhero flicks of all time. Please note this is a superhero movie list, not a comic book movie list (hence no GHOST WORLD, AMERICAN SPLENDOR, HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, etc.)

As always, please feel free to post your love, your hate, your indifference or – even better – your own Top 10 list below.

10. UNBREAKABLE
The second film on this list with an original, un-established superhero, M. Night Shyamalan’s films is a quiet, meditative, heavily existential take on the traditional origin story of a superhero discovering who he really is, and where he and his powers place him in the world. The film also proves that with loving, insightful, and weighty consideration an origin story does not have to be necessarily something to get out of the way to get to the good stuff (or sequel).

9. THE INCREDIBLE HULK
I think the Hulk is a dumb character. He’s a one-note, uninteresting character who has little appeal beyond being able to smash and destroy with unbridled force. That makes me more surprised than anyone that I not only enjoyed THE INCREDIBLE HULK, but that I feel it merits a place on this list. The thing is, the film made me realize that if it’s done well without any pretension (looking at you Mr. Ang Lee), a movie about a big green ogre engaging in unchecked destruction – via competently choreographed action sequences – can be a very enjoyable, fun movie experience. Watching the Hulk tear through a very recognizable downtown Toronto Yonge Street? That’s just the green icing on the cake.

8. HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
Though the first HELLBOY to me felt like a film that never met its own potential, HELLBOY II made up for it and then some. Certainly the most visually stunning superhero film to date (thanks to Guillermo Del Toro’s bottomless well of imagination) it also gave us a slightly more morally ambiguous villain than most – one whose intent we could understand, if not his method. Above all else though it was the film’s attempts to highlight the costs of being unique (and perceived as such) despite being unmistakably human – even if you don’t look it. Also HELLBOY II is the only superhero film to dare to use a cheesy song (Barry Manilow) and make it work. SPIDER-MAN 2’s use of Burt Bacharach comes a close second.

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Not that we have much choice. In the recent months we’ve not only heard that James Vanderbilt (ZODIAC, THE RUNDOWN) is working on two scripts so that SPIDER-MAN 4 and 5 could be shot together, but that SPIDER-MAN 4 (according to producer Laura Ziskin) has an official release date of May 2011. All that’s left to do now, really, is figure out the casting.

Yet regardless of Sony’s greedy ambitions (remember when we were promised we’d only get a trilogy and that would be that?), I would like to know if anyone out there genuinely WANTS more SPIDER-MAN movies. Yes, I imagine on some level everyone – including myself – would love more adventures from one of the best superheroes ever, and a franchise that has given us one of the best comic book movies to date(SPIDER-MAN 2). Then again, on some level a lot of INDIANA JONES fans probably wouldn’t have minded another adventure, and that didn’t quite turn out so well either.

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