Superhero Movies From Worst to Best: 20-16

20. Superman Returns

Directed by: Bryan Singer

Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Frank Langella, Kevin Spacey

Released: June 2006

First watched: midnight showing at Cinemark

(Heads up, there are a few spoilers)

This is definitely a much under appreciated superhero film, that doesn't get enough credit. This movie captured the charm and innocence of the original Christopher Reeves films and brought it to a modern audience. Like I said I enjoy and appreciate the old Superman movies, but I feel like this movie helped solve some of the problems I have them. Not all of them, but most of them. The cast does a great job at bringing back the iconic Superman characters back, and I especially thought that Kevin Spacey as Lex Luther was excellent. He still has a stupid plot like in the old ones, but he wasn't as campy. There’s an amazing scene in this movie, where Lex stabs Superman with Kryptonite and then beats him up that is probably one of the most emotional scenes in any superhero movie. There’s a lot of symbolism in this scene that I really connected with. But with all that said this movie still has a few flaws that really prevents it from becoming the best Superman movie. First off there isn't much action in this movie, and when there is, it doesn't really feel like there is too much at stake (besides the final sequence). I also wasn't the biggest fan of Superman having a kid with Lois Lane out of wedlock. I’m not really sure what they were planning to do with that, but it just didn't really seem to fit in the movie. Besides those few things, this is still a worthy Superman film. 

19. Batman

Directed by: Tim Burton

Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger

Released: 1989

First watched: Summer of 1997 at home with my brothers

Now like I mentioned with Superman this is another movie that I appreciate for almost all of the exact same reasons. It has an awesome theme song, it paved the way for more comic book movies, Jack Nicholson is great as the Joker, and of course it’s Batman, so no matter what I'm going to like it (well I guess Batman and Robin sucked, so almost anything). With all that said though, there are a few complaints that I have with this movie. I’m not the biggest fan of Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne. I think he is great when he’s in the Batman costume, but when he’s trying to be billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne he falls flat. The movie drags a little bit, and if the Joker is not on the screen it gets a little boring. They don’t really flesh out Batman’s supporting cast in this one, particularly Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Dent who are in the movie, but are pretty useless throughout. I've heard a few people claim that this movie is better than the Christopher Nolan films, and while I can understand that they enjoy this movie for nostalgic reasons, I don’t really get how people view at as a better movie all together. Now with all the negatively this is still a very enjoyable movie. I really like the feel that Tim Burton set up for this movie. Unlike Batman Returns, this movie felt like a Batman movie, and not a Time Burton movie. I think that it helped remind people that Batman a very fascinating and dark character, and not jokester from the 60’s TV show. The final confrontation between Batman and the Joker on top of the church was also one of my favorite parts of this movie. Overall, it’s a good flick that any Batman and superhero fan will enjoy. 

18. Iron Man 2

Directed by: Jon Favreau

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke

Released: May 2010

First watched: in theaters with brother Myke and my sister Marianne at Harkins Superstition

Iron Man 2 usually gets a bad rep as being the worst film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s far from being one of the best, but it’s also not quite as bad as everyone says. One of the ways this movie doesn't succeed is that it almost feels like its the exact same movie as the first one. Sometimes I get scenes in this movie mixed up with scenes from the first one. However, there are a lot of things I really liked about this movie. Everything that was great about Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark in the first film is back again in this one. I also really enjoyed the villains in this movie. Sam Rockwell was especially entertaining in his role as Justin Hammer, Tony Stark’s business rival. A lot of people feel like this movie felt more like an Avengers prequel with S.H.I.E.L.D references, but I actually really enjoyed that part of the movie. It was really the first time that I felt that these movies were really going to create bigger, shared universe with all the Marvel characters. The additional of War Machine also made this movie more exciting. There are a lot of great action sequences in this film, and it doesn't ever drag on. I was though a little disappointed that they made the bad guy build another armored suit (like they did in the first one). It just felt a little repetitive. Besides that, there is still a lot of fun to be had with this movie. 

17. X3: X-men The Last Stand 

Directed by: Brett Ratner

Starring: Hugh Jackman ,Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart

Released: May 2006

First Watched: midnight showing at AMC 24

This movie is such a mess, and everyone loves to say how it almost killed the X-men franchise, but I still find it to be incredibly fun. It's messy fun, but still fun. When I first saw this movie I thought it was one of the best movies I had ever seen. I loved how unpredictable it was, and how there so was much action. I did not see the deaths of some of major characters coming, and this was one of the few movies that I actually cried in (that really makes me sound like a nerd). Out of all the movies it has the most comic book feel to it. After a few viewings of it though I started to find that this movie was lacking a few things.  First off it’s only an hour and half long, they could have easily added another half hour or 40 minutes to it to flesh out some of the characters who needed more screen time. A few characters just seemed to be thrown in there to look good. One of the things I love about X-men is the relationships and conflicts between all of the characters. This film had some good moments demonstrating those things, but it also fell short at times. In the end though there are some pretty awesome action sequences in this movie and some pretty emotional scenes (like I said I cried in this movie).  

16. Captain America: The First Avenger

Directed by: Joe Johnson

Starring: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Stanley Tucci

Released: July 2011

First watched: At AMC  with Taylor

The fearless leader of the Avengers finally got a movie that does him justice. This movie is a solid entry to the Marvel Universe and it does a great job at introducing Captain America to modern audiences. He’s not quite and charismatic as Tony Stark, but he’s a stalwart soldier who follows orders and is willing to put his life on the line if he’s required to do so. His selflessness is one of my favorite things about his character, and while most superheroes have selflessness to some degree, no one quite has it like Captain America. So people may say that makes him less interesting, but I find it more interesting and refreshing. This movie does a fantastic job at showing his valiant and honest nature. This movie is a little cliché in that it’s plot is pretty straightforward and sometimes borrows from other movies, but it still offers some pretty unique things to the superhero movie genre. I love that it’s set during World War II, and features references to the old Captain America comics that came out during World War II. The movie tends to drag a little at times, but not enough to keep uninterested. It’s a great addition to the Marvel world, and I'm very excited for Captain America’s next adventure that comes out next year.