Fan Five - Origin Story

In the spirit of the Hollywood summer blockbuster season, one marked by the huge successes of Marvel's "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk," I felt this presented an interesting topic for debate: What are the top five 'superhero' films? Since my knowledge on this topic is relatively limited prior to the mid-90's, and since the genre has undergone a significant re-invention since the 2000 release of "X-Men," I will be limiting the list to films released since that year. This is not based on any scientific formula, just my personal preference. Now without further ado, the inaugural Fan Five.

Honorable Mention: "Unbreakable" - Before M. Night Shyamalan lost his mind (circa "The Village") and his theatrical touch, Unbreakable was a strong and unique addition to the superhero genre. It was an intriguing look at how an average Joe would react to the gift/responsibility of superhuman abilities.

5. "X-Men" (2000) - This is a solid movie on its own merits, but given the strength of the competition, this film would not make my top 5 under normal circumstances. What pushes it over the top is the significance this film has to the re-birth of a genre that was effectively murdered by atrocities such as "Batman and Robin." Before superhero movies made their comeback, it was this movie that made it possible, putting comic book characters into the real world and taking the time to develop the characters as people, not just as action heroes.

4. "Iron Man" (2008) - The first release by Marvel Studios, this movie really surprised me with its quality. I had never been much of an Iron Man fan, but this film was not just another comic book movie, it felt like you watching just a good movie (which is a good thing). The storyline was good, not great, but the character development was excellent and the acting was particularly strong. This film also gets a small boost for the future of Marvel films that it initiates.

3. "Spider-Man" (2002) - The first of the series and, in my opinion, the best. Of all the movies in this list, this one had the greatest comic book 'feel' to it, which makes it stand out. Instead of putting Spidey directly into reality like most comic movies have done lately, this one gave us a comic-like environment where we could actually believe costumed heroes could be roaming around and a villain in a green outfit doesn't seem outlandish.

2. "Batman Begins" (2005) - No franchise needed a re-invention more than this one, and the strength of this film given the recent filmography of Batman pushes this movie even higher up the list. Bolstered by a great cast and a return to the 'dark' beginnings of the Dark Knight, this film had a very strong sense of the comic books and much like Spider-Man, created a world where costumed characters seemed to fit. It also avoided one of the huge problems seen in previous Batman films: complete incompetence of police. No sign of that in this one.

1. "X2: X-Men United" (2003) - My personal favorite of the X-Men series to date, this film gave us plenty when it came to seeing the X-Men in action, but also had a strong storyline and didn't ignore the ever-important character development.

Alright, blogosphere, have at it. Let's hear what you think. Feel free to share your thoughts and if you have any top 5 list ideas, I'd like those too.

Chris F