Top 5 Super Hero Movies

Some housekeeping first...at the request of Nuke, I've added a recent comments gadget to the blog on the right side of the screen. It's not great, but at least you can see the latest comments added. If you click on a comment, it takes you to the post and you can see all comments for that post.

Ok...Super Hero movies. In keeping with my rule, you won't see 2 movies from the same "series" of movies. I also work with a bunch of engineers, so it's possible this could be my most highly controversial list yet. Sorry I'm late...my wife and I had date night on Thursday where we saw "True Grit"...very cool, review to come later after I watch the John Wayne original. Then we were out of town for the weekend.

Without further adieu...the Top 5 Super Hero movies:

5 - "Spider-Man": The original that started the latest run of Super Hero movies, "Spider-Man" is the best of the Marvel bunch. With the ever creepy Willam Defoe as the Green Goblin, and Tobey McGuire playing a really good Peter Parker/Spider-Man, this movie is just an action-packed good time.

4 - "Sky High": Not your traditional super hero movie, but it gets better every time I see it. It's a Disney movie, so it has a feel good ending, as all Disney movies do. But, along the way, it's funny as you watch teenage super heroes learn just trying to get through life at Super Hero High School. The school gets broken up into cliques of Heroes and Sidekicks, which leads to some interesting dynamics. Overall, a very cool movie that's very family friendly.

3 - "Superman: The Movie": Yes, "Superman Returns" has better effects, but the Superman crowd has yet to beat the Richard Donner original. The story telling that takes place from Krypton to the early days in Kansas is fantastic. Christopher Reeves is perfect as Clark Kent/Superman, and Margot Kidder will always be Lois Lane in my opinion. Also starring Glenn Ford as Jonathon Kent and Marlon Brando as Jor-El, this is just a great movie, especially given that it was made in 1978. I am looking forward to the reboot of this movie franchise, which is supposed to occur in 2012, with "Superman: Man of Steel".

2 - "Batman": Made in 1989, this is the movie that made me love Batman. Tim Burton's darker version of Batman, versus the campy "Scooby-Doo"/Adam West Batman was a rebirth for the Dark Knight. Michael Keaton was awesome as Batman, bringing some levity, but a definite dark side to the Caped Crusader. At the time though, what made this move, was Jack Nicholson's portrayal of The Joker. He was hilarious, yet somewhat disturbing at the same time. While I would argue that Heath Ledger's Joker in "The Dark Knight" was more true to the Joker character, Nicholson's Joker still lives on as a classic.

1 - "Batman Begins": Before you say I cheated, this is the reboot of the Batman franchise so it's a different series of movies. This reboot, directed by Christopher Nolan takes the "darkness" of the Dark Knight to a new level in a very good way. Christian Bale portrays the brooding Bruce Wayne, turned Batman. What "Batman Begins" shows that has never been revealed before is the travels that Bruce Wayne takes to become Batman. After learning all he can, and making an enemy of Ra's Al Ghul, Bruce returns to Gotham City to save it from itself, and he chooses to do this as Batman, being a symbol to the people, while striking fear into the hearts of the villains. Just a fantastic movie...one of my top 5 movies of all time. In 2012, the final installment in Christopher Nolan's trilogy will be released...2012 is going to be a great year for movies.