Now, I’d just like to start this off with one thing.

This isn’t a “be all tell all” kind of list. This is just my personal opinion, and frankly I’d like to hear about the films you think should be on this list. Because, in all honesty their just movies and everyone has their own tastes.

This is my top 10 greatest superhero movies to date

10) Darkman – Since Batman and The Shadow had already been taken, Sam Raimi decided to make up his own superhero for his first studio film. And he did a damn good job at it. While its more of a tribute to the Universal Monster movies, Darkman follows Liam Neeson who plays a scientist trying to develop synthetic skin for acid burn victims. Until some mobsters come in and screw shit up and he himself becomes a burn victim. Doctors sever his nerves and he doesn’t feel pain any longer, and with that gains enhanced strength. But he becomes mentally unstable. This movie is one of those few original superhero movies that really leave an impression. Watch it if you get the chance.

9) Superman: The Movie – Growing up, the only things I knew about superheroes were all about Superman. My parents showed me the movie, and I was hooked. The movie is fantastic, with Marlon Brando playing Jor-El and Gene Hackman playing Lex Luthor the supporting cast is all the movie needs to keep this film interesting. And its really set as 3 different types of movies, the Shakespearean play in Krypton, the coming of age movie in Smallville, and the city romance in Metropolis. Originally the film was a 500 page script, and so that script was turned into two movies. Mario Puzo, who wrote the Godfather books, really had his work cut out for him on this one. Its a great film with an even amount of drama, action and suspense, and should be in anyones library of movies.

8) The Crow – I had seen this film recently and I had heard much praise about it for a long time. But I never really did get to see it until a few months ago, and HOLY CRAP this movie is a great film on its own. I don’t even know if its based off of a comic book, but as a stand alone film it really made an impression on me. Its the story of a rock musician who just happens to be killed by some thugs on a Halloween night and ends up getting resurrected to avenge his loved one and bring justice. Its a well directed film, and Brandon Lee really kills it once he’s become The Crow. I definitely recommend this to everyone, as this film is a blast the whole way through.

7) Blade 2 – For some reason, out of all three movies Blade 2 really has plastered itself into my brain permanently. Maybe because Guillermo Del Toro was directing and really made the film a scary experience as well as an exciting one. The creatures known as “Carriers” in the film are seemingly based on Del Toro’s own version of a vampire. I think he even plans on making a vampire film just about his version of the bloodsucking demons of the night. But anyway, Blade 2 has enough enjoyment for me. Great action, visual and special effects, and a story thats not too hard to follow. Get the whole trilogy, but be sure to see this one.

6) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – You have to admit, a lot of what Sean Connery does is awesome. This is no exception. I think this film wasn’t really received well by critics but I think this movie is one of those films that will reach cult status down the road. I mean, its like The Avengers for literary characters. You have Alan Quarterman the adventurer, Dorian Gray the immortal, The Invisible Man, Captain Nemo, Mina Harker the vampire, Jekyll and Hyde, and Tom Sawyer. And they all come together to fight evil. You can’t tell me thats not awesome. As a superhero film, it really delivers. Maybe it doesn’t work so well for some people, but this deserves number six at being one of the better superhero team ups of the past decade.

5) Hellboy – I literally got the DVD of this film the first day it came out. I love this film. Del Toro really has a way with creating monsters and really making a PG-13 movie more frightening than any R rated slasher fest. Aside from the fact that its scary, its also a really well done movie about a hero who wants to fit in. On top of that, the action is great and the film genuinely makes you care about Hellboy, Liz, Abe, and Myers and their relationship to each other. Once again, another team of a superhero movie that doesn’t pull any punches for the kids.

4) Batman Begins – There was a time when Batman wasn’t really as awesome as he is now. Thanks Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher. Enter, Christoper Nolan the mainstream Hitchcock of our time. He decided to take on this re-imagining if you will, and bring back the dark seriousness of the character that I only saw in the animated series. And frankly, Nolan took that and projected it onto the big screen. Finally, a Batman film that really felt like a proper Batman film. Keep in mind that Batman isn’t an assassin but more of a detective and they kept that detective in the film just enough to feel like he’s solving the crime. As well as kicking some serious ass. Plus, Liam Neeson. That is all. Also, the Dark Knight should get a mention here because I’m sure people are wondering where it is at this point. In my opinion, its a completely different film and I think that Nolan took what was good in Batman Begins and just left it behind to make way for the Joker. It just didn’t feel like a Batman movie anymore.

3) Iron Man – In a time when we all wish we could fly over to the Middle East and find the terrorists ourselves, Iron Man was perfect timing for many of us. This film earns number 3 because of how much you really grow to like such a narcissistic person over the course of the movie. Stark vows to rid the world of the horrors that he helped create, and doing so he becomes a hero. An Avenger so to speak. Plus, this is the first movie in which Marvel took over and said “This is what we would do”. The film, arguably, became one of the best blockbusters of 2008. And Robert Downey Jr. made one of the biggest comebacks in cinema history. Jon Favreau does a great job of bringing humor into the life of a ‘merchant of death’ as they put it in the movie. And the action following the humor is spectacular, following all of the bells a whistles that flow through the Iron Man suit. This movie is just a great fun ride that will keep you watching for a long time.

2) X-Men: First Class – I don’t understand why people don’t like this film. Its freaking awesome! The story is well thought out, and the direction is very spot on. Along with the fact that future supervillain, Magneto played by Michael Fassbender is the central character and the one you seem to be rooting for the whole way through. How many times has a movie done that? I can’t think of any. Plus, the relationship between Erik and Charles is just something you end up caring so much about through the whole movie. You realize how close they were before their own beliefs and upbringings separate them, not really sure who is misguided and who is being reasonable. The action in this movie really showcases some impressive effects and superpowers, and its much better than most of the X-Men movies to date. All the while, Kevin Bacon plays a fantastic villain that you love to hate. First Class is a good start into getting the forgiveness from the X-Men fans out there who have lost faith since Last Stand. Its a must see for anyone up for a compelling story about two best friends separated by beliefs.

1) Spiderman 2 – I have to admit. I wasn’t always a Marvel geek. Not until the day I saw the first Spiderman in theaters. It literally blew me away, and finally I felt like I should learn more about him. Enter Spiderman 2, the greatest superhero film ever made. Why? The thing about Spiderman is that he’s not a billionaire or a superpowered mutant or alien, he’s a kid just like me or anyone else I know. Who made a promise to a dying loved one that he would take responsibility with the power he had gained from a radioactive spider. Okay it wasn’t that specific, but you get the idea. Spiderman 2 deserves this title because it really shows you a sort of realistic side of an average person who tries to live a double life as a superhero. And you really understand him the whole way through, because that could be you failing in class, or late for work, or losing the woman of your dreams. On top of that you have Doc Ock, played by Satipo, who wants to force the world to use his unlimited energy resource thanks to the mechanical tentacles on his back built to harness the energy. The action is by far some of the best I’ve seen in movies these recent years. And Sam Raimi should honestly be proud of what he achieved with this film. Its a masterful story about an average kid with superpowers, trying to balance his double life in order to protect the innocent, and still make it home for dinner.

I hope you guys enjoyed this top 10. It was one of my first ever. So please, leave a comment, subscribe. All that stuff. Tell me how I did, and what other top 10 lists I should do next.

Matt Costa out!

Iron Man 3 is up next with a release date of May 3, 2013 and there are rumors of Aldrich Killian bringing in the ‘Extremis’ technology into the third Shellhead movie. While it seems that The Mandarin will be the villain (finally) for this next film, I don’t think bringing the ‘Extremis’ technology into the movies so early is a smart move.

For those of you who don’t know what ‘Extremis’ is, let me explain. A few years back, there was a comic series about Iron Man that really got me interested in the character. It was about this virus-like substance that rewrote the genetics of a human and gave the person injected with this product super-powers. The inventor, Aldrich Killian decides to sell it to terrorists and it gets into the hands of a man known as ‘Mallen’ who has been injected with ‘Extremis’. Iron Man realizes his armor isn’t strong or fast enough to stop Mallen, so he injects himself with the virus after some of his own programming. He is later reborn and able to work a prototype armor of his that is now connected to his brain, and Iron Man can move at the speed of thought. He kills Mallen and becomes a true force to be reckoned with.

And thats only part of the story.

Basically it seems they want to give him a ‘deus ex machina’ in order for him to fight The Mandarin. Personally, I think giving Iron Man that much power so soon is a bad idea and could create some problems for fans later on.

But, I have been wrong before.

What do you guys thing Iron Man 3 should be about and why? Leave a comment!

Marvel’s The Avengers has broken weekend box office records almost immediately overnight, and superhero enthusiasts couldn’t be happier. As Marvel counts its money, DC keeps its fingers crossed on its golden boys Batman and Christopher Nolan. With ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ making a July release much like its 2008 predecessor, DC has made no plans to expand its movie universe (Or none that I’m aware of). Even with the new Zack Snyder’s ‘Man of Steel’ coming in 2013, there haven’t been any reports of a potential crossover between Gotham’s Knight and Krypton’s Last Son. Chris Nolan is forever leaving the franchise after ‘Rises’ and who knows after ‘Man of Steel’ what he does next.

No doubt like what most studios have been doing, they’ll reboot the franchise and start over again. This is what I feel they should do.

Create a World’s Finest movie

For those of you who dont know what that means, let me explain. In the comics and in a short stinted cartoon movie the Caped Crusader and the Man of Steel joined forces as the two greatest heros of all time to defeat an imminent threat.

Now, you must be thinking “Why do this instead of a Justice League movie?”. The members of the Avengers (not counting Widow and Hawkeye) consisted of four characters, and five movies. The Justice League consists of seven original members, not counting any of the others that have switched in an out from time to time. How many movies could they possibly do before they finally make a Justice League movie? Too many for me, and too long of a wait.

Frankly its about time a Hollywood blockbuster of a film is released where Batman and Superman team up for once! If they choose to do the Marvel build-up approach, then it should go like this:

Leaving behind the Nolan movie mythos, they should bring back the fantasy that belongs in a Batman film and focus on Batman being a detective. Dealing with the likes of one of his iconic villains, like Two-Face or someone who rules over a mob gang. Batman is first and foremost a detective, not a muscle bound tough guy with cool gadgets. They should tie the story in with the likes of Clark Kent and the reporters of the Daily Planet doing a story on Wayne Enterprises. My suggestion would be a conspiracy of Luthorcorp stealing technology from Wayne Enterprises, or perhaps Wayne Ent. is involved in creating a superweapon. Leading into creating “The Metallo project” or something eluding to a supervillain that can pose a significant threat to the worlds of both heros.

The Superman film, should involve Batman and Bruce Wayne in some way trying to infiltrate Luthorcorp and find out what exactly they plan on doing. Superman of course intervenes. This could possibly be more of a post credits scene and the Superman film could involve some other villain of intimidating stature. Similar to an episode of the cartoon series.

Either way you get my point. Because then the next film would be about how Superman and Batman come together and stop the imminent threat thats been building up for both movies.

Plain and simple.

And to all of those Christopher Nolan fans, his Batman series is completely different from the comic books whatsoever. As a matter of fact, he wouldn’t do the movie unless he did it his way. Which is ridiculous, because now everybody thinks Batman is some muscle bound dumbass. Which isn’t true, and while the movies were very well done they weren’t what Batman is all about.

Either way, a World’s Finest movie is something DC should seriously consider if they plan on keeping up with Marvel. Superman and Batman have been in the wrong hands since the days of Richard Donner and… well… not even Tim Burton did the character of Batman justice. Only the animated series truly made the greatest Batman yet.

What do you guys out there think? Should DC keep doing what its doing? Should they try a Justice League movie? Or should they do what I suggest? Share your thoughts in the comments.