Given my upbringing, the action figures, the cartoons, comics, and everything in between, I'm an admitted whore for this genre. I usually like them, I find something to enjoy even in the bad ones, and nothing thrills me more than when one is really good. So in the spirit of X2, with everyone comparing and such, I thought it would be cool for people to come down on what their favorites are. What's the best? Mine are:
1)"X2"- Its new, but I've rarely had such an amazing time in the theater. This is the big epic I've always wanted, the huge cast of characters with endless references to the comics but never at the expense of just being a great film. I'm in love with it.
2)"Batman"- A classic of mine since I was little, it remains one of my favorites. The tone was right, Burton had some awesome shots, I loved Nicholson, the score is still unbeaten, and Keaton was just so damn cool.
3)"Superman:The Movie"- Beautiful movie, heart and soul, and surprisingly great effects that still hold up. Reeve is perfection, and Brando is a wonderful supporting character. The opening is so tragic, the death of Pa Kent still gets to me. Just a great one.
4)"X-Men"- I love the X-Men, I love that they focused so much on the characters and themes, and the serious tone throughout was great. Some say it diminishes now that we have "X2", but for me it feels like a great prologue to a bigger film to come. Some of the quiet moments are better than the sequel.
5)"The Rocketeer"- Love. It feels like an old film with its decency, the big Hollywood feel, and I think some of the action scenes are pretty damn cool. Timothy Dalton is wicked fun, Bill Campbell works for me and its just one of those films you love despite what anyone says.
6)"Spider-Man"- Wonderful action, heart, and a completely perfect adaptation of Spidey's themes. Maguire is wonderful. They nailed what Spider-Man should look like in action, and there's some brutal superhero action moments. Some parts don't work for me as much, and there's quite a few dumb moments that stick out on repeat viewings, but I still love it.
7)"Daredevil"- Affleck was a good Daredevil, they made it gritty, there's some great comic book imagery, and they really nailed his powers and condition in a way that made it clear. Some of the action was awesome, and I thought it was a lot of fun.
8)"Batman Returns"- Some have said that it screws Batman in favor of the villains, but in the scenes with Catwoman I think they get into his psyche more than ever. The unique relationship he has with these psychos is what sets Batman apart as a character, and this film showed that quite well. Batman looked better, it was weird and twisted, and I loved it.
9)"Blade II"- This is how superheroes should move and fight. The action in this film is maybe the best of any superhero film, its badass, and while I'll never have the attachment to Blade and the subsequent joy of seeing him onscreen as I do others, this film was a whole lot of fun.
10)"Superman II"- Great action, Terence Stamp is the man, and the plot is really epic in a lot of ways. Some of it got a little strange, but Superman giving up Lois to save the world was pretty impressive.
Whew! Okay, your turn.
1)"X2"- Its new, but I've rarely had such an amazing time in the theater. This is the big epic I've always wanted, the huge cast of characters with endless references to the comics but never at the expense of just being a great film. I'm in love with it.
2)"Batman"- A classic of mine since I was little, it remains one of my favorites. The tone was right, Burton had some awesome shots, I loved Nicholson, the score is still unbeaten, and Keaton was just so damn cool.
3)"Superman:The Movie"- Beautiful movie, heart and soul, and surprisingly great effects that still hold up. Reeve is perfection, and Brando is a wonderful supporting character. The opening is so tragic, the death of Pa Kent still gets to me. Just a great one.
4)"X-Men"- I love the X-Men, I love that they focused so much on the characters and themes, and the serious tone throughout was great. Some say it diminishes now that we have "X2", but for me it feels like a great prologue to a bigger film to come. Some of the quiet moments are better than the sequel.
5)"The Rocketeer"- Love. It feels like an old film with its decency, the big Hollywood feel, and I think some of the action scenes are pretty damn cool. Timothy Dalton is wicked fun, Bill Campbell works for me and its just one of those films you love despite what anyone says.
6)"Spider-Man"- Wonderful action, heart, and a completely perfect adaptation of Spidey's themes. Maguire is wonderful. They nailed what Spider-Man should look like in action, and there's some brutal superhero action moments. Some parts don't work for me as much, and there's quite a few dumb moments that stick out on repeat viewings, but I still love it.
7)"Daredevil"- Affleck was a good Daredevil, they made it gritty, there's some great comic book imagery, and they really nailed his powers and condition in a way that made it clear. Some of the action was awesome, and I thought it was a lot of fun.
8)"Batman Returns"- Some have said that it screws Batman in favor of the villains, but in the scenes with Catwoman I think they get into his psyche more than ever. The unique relationship he has with these psychos is what sets Batman apart as a character, and this film showed that quite well. Batman looked better, it was weird and twisted, and I loved it.
9)"Blade II"- This is how superheroes should move and fight. The action in this film is maybe the best of any superhero film, its badass, and while I'll never have the attachment to Blade and the subsequent joy of seeing him onscreen as I do others, this film was a whole lot of fun.
10)"Superman II"- Great action, Terence Stamp is the man, and the plot is really epic in a lot of ways. Some of it got a little strange, but Superman giving up Lois to save the world was pretty impressive.
Whew! Okay, your turn.
