I know...I know, what most of you who know me are gonna say..come on Ambarish..just tell us number 4 and 5..we know that The Dark Knight trilogy will feature on the top 3,so lets just get this over with..well to be honest..3 of my favoritest (yes that's a word) movies of all time are NOT the top 3 movies in this list...hmmmm...in the words of Leonardo Di Caprio from Django...I think I had your curiosity..and now I have your attention..So in pure comic book style lemme say..Shall we begin..
First of all lemme apologize for being too lazy to have not posted a list since last few Wednesdays coz honestly even though I had good ideas..nothing was really getting me fired up..and now that I can hardly wait for Man of Steel to release on Friday..I think this list would be a nice build up to it..
First of all-
Honorable exceptions- Even before Nolan entered the game or we saw the Sam Raimi Spiderman and the X-men movies...in 1989..Warner Bros. gave a young Tim Burton a chance to make a movie based on the Caped Crusader...many of you wont know or remember or have probably seen it on TV but the 1989 Batman was actually a hit...the second superhero movie to strike gold at the box office...(first was Superman in 1978..starring Christopher Reeve..and the script was written by Mario Puzo btw)..the movie starred Jack Nicholson as the Joker and Micheal Keaton as Bruce Wayne/ Batman..did you not read/care/understand a word after I typed ‘Jack Nicholson as the Joker’... for anyone who actually cares or disagrees with me..if you have seen this movie then let me tell you...Micheal Keaton was a douchebag...look at him-
In what way does he appear even capable of being one of the richest most powerful man in the world and also a secret vigilante who beats up criminals at night ( ok he did a better job than Val Kilmer or George Clooney who later on almost killed Bruce Wayne)..even though the movie is not bad...even in retrospect after watching the Nolan trilogy..it still is kinda boring...not only because choosing an aging unfit not even slightly intimidating Michael Keaton in the lead role..it’s also because honestly Tim Burton (in case you don’t know..thats the guy who made the new Alice in wonderland or Charlie and the Chocolate factory...or any weird dark comic movie starring Johnny Depp in a weirdly funny role)...is not that good a director..he has made some good movies..but honestly I don’t think making a superhero movie is his mainstay..the only reason the movie doesn't suck is of course Jack Nicholson as Joker..its Jack Nicholson in the role of a psychopathic violent criminal..there was no way Nicholson was gonna mess this up...he probably didn't even know he was being filmed. Anyways, Batman was a good movie...certainly better than the Joel Schumacher rape of batman called Batman Forever and Batman and Robin which would almost kill the franchise in the years to come...but certainly not good enuff to be in this list.
Another movie or set of movies that were good but not good enuff are the original Superman movies..lemme say before someone gets started about how good they were...just because you are nostalgic about something doesn’t mean its actually good..its just that you share a memory with it thats all...nothing more need be said.
Superman spinning the earth in the opposite direction to revive a dead Lois Lane is just dumb..I mean even as a kid I thought it was dumb..that being said..these are not bad movies..its not like its Phantom or the Erica Bana/Ang Lee Hulk. The movie had some great actors first and it was the first time you saw Superman on screen..even though the movies suffered from lack of SFX technology...it still had its heart in its place at least until the first 2 parts...and also it had the iconicSuperman theme by John Williams.
Honorable Mentions- Now that the honourable exceptions are out of the way, let me get to the honorable mentions..movies that cudn’t make it to the list because its a Top 5 list and not a Top 10 one- Xmen 1 and 2..Thor..and I would reveal others but that would mean revealing all other superhero movies except my top 5...so here it goes.
#5- Spiderman
It was when I was probably 10 or 12 and I remember watching Spiderman in theatre...The Spiderman movies starring Tobey Maguire and Directed by Sam Raimi probably gave birth to the modern Superhero blockbuster movies. Seeing Spiderman swinging from webs for the first time on screen was a wonderfully entertaining experience. Although 2 and 3 were progressively uninteresting..the first one was a pretty fun movie...especially the comic moments...the thrilling action scenes...and ok fuck that..as a teenage kid the best thing you remember about this movie is –
Jokes apart it was a pretty decent movie...may not be a great work of art..but it has to remembered as the first superhero movie of the modern era.
#4 The Avengers
Marvel comics took almost 5 years to build up to this gigantic never before seen concept of a movie...Marvel actually created their own cinematic universe..starting with Iron man 1..then Captain America..Incredible Hulk (not the Eric Bana one..this one is entertaining... its the one starring Ed Norton)..Thor and finally Iron man 2. Every movie left a clue for the next one in a post credits scene for the next movie to come...which has now become a Marvel Trademark and was an interesting gamble which paid off for fans and the company.
Bringing 6 superheroes on-screen together could have been a disaster if not for the brilliant direction of Joss Whedon...Whedon not only kept the characters relevant but the tone of the movie had trademark Whedonesque humour.. who doesn’t remember the scene where Hulk tosses around Loki like a Dhobi washing clothes on Dhobi ghat.
If not for anything else, the movie is worth the final showdown in Manhattan.
#3 X-men First class
Just to quell your confusion..no this is not the first part of X-men trilogy starring Hugh Jackman and others. This movie might come as a surprise entry to many people...X-men first class tells the story of how mutants and humans struggle started through two characters who would later decide the fate of the X-men universe...Professor Charles X Xavier and Eric Lensherr aka Magneto.
The movie has a good layered storyline as to how humans would deal with the discovery of mutants amongst them. It is set in the 1960’s and the political scenario of the cold war serves as a crucial backdrop to the story. The movie is very emotional and allows time for character development but is never boring and has a some pretty thrilling action sequences. Also, the soul of the movie is the bromance (honestly thats a word) between Prof Charles and Magneto...best of friends who would later stand on the opposite sides of a war merely because of their conflicting philosophies. If you haven’t seen this movie yet..please do..its a great introduction to the X-men universe.
#2 Watchmen
No its not Watchman...its Watchmen...I get it if you don’t know this movie..it wasn't that big in India..am not sure if it was even released here. Watchmen is based on a graphic novel of the same name by one of the greatest comic book writers of all time Alan Moore. Once you have watched all kinds of superhero movies, you have got to watch Watchmen. It is the ultimate de-construction of the whole concept of a hero and the price we are willing to pay to save people. The depth of the characters and the story is astonishing.
People tend to criticize Zack Snyder as just a flashy stylish director who made 300 and Sucker Punch style movies. But Watchmen was the real test of his skills coz Watchmen was originally written in the 1980’s and was for many years thought as unfilmable. Snyder through his style keeps the movie interesting yet manages to make you think about the basic concept of the word –hero. No wonder he was given a chance to direct Man of Steel.
#1......
Did you for a moment really think that any movie from The Dark Knight trilogy will not feature in this list?...how could you?!!...I promised the movies are not the top 3 movies..coz (not to sound like a cop-out)..they are all at number one. Actually they deserve a separate rating-
Batman Begins- best superhero origin movie ever
The Dark Knight Rises- Best conclusion to a trilogy ever.
The Dark Knight – Best movie ever. (sincere apologies to Don Vito)
No discussions no debates..I could go on about all these 3 movies forever.. I can honestly write a thesis on these movies (and am gonna...) the Dark Knight Trilogy is just the best...for the sheer vision of bringing the whole concept of a leather clad guy in a bat mask relatable to the point of praying like little kids for him during the third movie...for the sheer balls of turning the superhero concept into a work of art...for the buzzing intensity that Nolan brought to the very concept of superhero.
The acting...the cast...the script...the dialogue...Hans Zimmer’s awesome music score...it’s just magnificent.
It’s no secret that am a Nolan fan-boy..but the greatest compliment I can pay to the Dark Knight Trilogy is that as a kid I was of course a Superman fan...as a teen I was a Spiderman fan..I had never liked Batman too much..he was always too boring..and this was true for many people..and now he has become a benchmark..a blue print on which we judge all other superheroes.
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