Costumed Hero Movies

[Benji]

This is including anything, not just superheroes (although they're obviously going to be prevalent in this), what are you favourite 'costumed hero' movies?

Personally I've always had a love for Daredevil, or at least the directors cut, in the cinema they cut it so badly, they couldn't decide if they wanted an adult hero film or a family funfest like Spider-Man and it came out choppy and poorly laid out. Batman Begins is obviously in this set of movies, it was so perfectly done, even down to the minor details like ordering his equipment in bulk and through several subsidiaries so it was hard to trace. Finally I choose Spider-Man, the original is the one and only superhero film to ever do the transition perfectly, MJ isn't whiny, Spidey/Pete's responsibilities are well balanced, the perfect enemy, the right nods to Spidey history and generally a brilliant all round film.

[thuganomic]

I've always preferred Spiderman 2 to Spiderman. Spiderman is great as a origins film. The second one really starts to explore Peter's responsibilities as a superhero and how it conflicted with his life, one of the biggest stories in Spiderman.

You mention Batman Begins, for good reason. It really is a masterpiece. I'll have to hold Spiderman 2 and Batman as the top tier of Superhero movies.

After that, I'll pick the Original Batman, Spiderman, and the original Superman. Honorable mentions go on to the Punisher and X-Men.

[Benji]

I loved The Punisher, I thought it was totally a forgotten gem, they altered a few things from the comics, but they weren't major and were understandable.

[METALMAN]

Nacho Libre. <_>

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I should watch that again...

[Gabriel]

I loved The Punisher, I thought it was totally a forgotten gem, they altered a few things from the comics, but they weren't major and were understandable.

[Benji]

Yeah I'm talking the modern one, not the 1990's Punisher.

Spoiler: Click here to view

I thought the fact that Frank and Howard Saint never actually saw each other until the final showdown was a good way to keep the suspense, because you knew something special was coming when Frank finally decided to end it all.

[Jayzon]

Oh yeah, The Punisher with Thomas Jane kicked so much ass I was simply blown away. I didn't expect much when I rented it, but man, it sure was worth the money. Surprisingly brutal for a Marvel film. The only part that kinda rubbed me the wrong way was the scene with The Russian (Kevin Nash). It just seemed so out of place in its campy cartoonishness, compared to the dark, brooding atmosphere of the rest of the film.

Edited January 24, 2008 by Jayzon

[Jimmy]

Batman Begins, for me. I just absoloutley adored the film. There were some really great performances in that movie. I mean it felt very adult, and it was very realistic. I think that's the thing. It's the most realistic Superhero movie I've seen.

[arwrestling]

Man, where's the love for XMen? Seriosuly X-Men is my favorite movie series ever! I loved all three of them. Top of my list for sure...

[Gabriel]

Man, where's the love for XMen? Seriosuly X-Men is my favorite movie series ever! I loved all three of them. Top of my list for sure...

[Benji]

Man, where's the love for XMen? Seriosuly X-Men is my favorite movie series ever! I loved all three of them. Top of my list for sure...

They were good, and I like them as well... but not great. They took too many liberties with too many of the central characters. Stand alone, it's still just a good series of films, because a lot of what is done is rushed for the sake of fitting it into x amount of films.

I'm not sure if that was intended, but I chuckled

I like the X-Men films, but they just don't feel like the X-Men, there's too much about their differences, and the differences they do show they don't try and give genuine emotion to, it's generic passing "people don't like mutants, deal with it", there's no deep seated hatred, no real concentration on why the common man should fear them and no real concentration on why they are genuinely good rather than just concerned with their own well being.

[arwrestling]

I can see what you mean by those comments... I guess... lol

Still they better not end the francise entirely without putting Gambit in there! Seriously, we need Gambit and we need Johnny Depp to play him! Who else can play a funny, quirky yet menacing and almost mean romantic french-new orleans type of guy? Johnny frickin' Depp that's who!

Oh and enter Charlize Theron as Emma Frost and I'm SOLD!

Who am I kidding I'd watch (and buy) it anyway, but meh one of those tings to make and aready good franchise even better.

[DeeJam]

Of all time, it has to go, The Punisher, Batman Begins, and than the first TNMT movie.

[Benji]

I can see what you mean by those comments... I guess... lol

Still they better not end the francise entirely without putting Gambit in there! Seriously, we need Gambit and we need Johnny Depp to play him! Who else can play a funny, quirky yet menacing and almost mean romantic french-new orleans type of guy? Johnny frickin' Depp that's who!

Oh and enter Charlize Theron as Emma Frost and I'm SOLD!

Who am I kidding I'd watch (and buy) it anyway, but meh one of those tings to make and aready good franchise even better.

Meh, Depp I wouldn't want as Gambit, the fact he IS Johnny Depp would overshadow the actual character, Josh Holloway is 100% perfect casting to me.

[Gabriel]

I think that if you get a good looking twenty something year-old kid with the brown hair parted down the middle and hanging like drapes... who can speak with the New Orleans accent and look like he could legitimately fuck you up if you pressed the wrong button, they'd be fine.

The problem with casting big name actors in team hero movies *cough*Halle Berry*cough*, is that they always want to be the center of attention. Patrick Stewart was fine because he's a legendary actor who knew the confines of his role and ran with it. Hugh Jackman worked because Wolverine, no matter what he's up to, always draws the reader or viewer to him.

Not that I'm saying Johnny Depp would want Gambit to be team leader with Wolverine and Storm... just that it would get people's attention focused almost directly on him, when in fact he is not the most important character. Unless of course the story of the movie centers around Gambit.

[Benji]

Hugh Jackman worked because Wolverine, no matter what he's up to, always draws the reader or viewer to him.

I agreed with pretty much everything but this, Hugh Jackman was nothing before X-Men came along, he was barely known as an actor so you can't plump him in with big name actors for an argument.

[arwrestling]

To be fair though, Halle Berry was right. In the movie, Storm was treated as a secondary character in the first film, not getting a whole lot of screen time or character development. In the second one she got a little more, but was still in the background a lot, or in the foreground for the little moments. In the comics Storm is one of the X-Men leaders and one of the strongest on the team. I believe that's what Halle had said, was to give Storm more of a leadership role rather than give it all to Wolverine, who in the comics was never a leader at all, yet portrayed one on screen.

[Benji]

I've never liked Storm, but I found Halle to deliver a great presence without being over dramatic which is the problem even most writers have.

[R.W.]

And let's be fair, it was Cyclops who got shafted the most in the films.