The superhero subgenre, adored by some and despised by others. Usually most of these movies fall into generic action traps that make it for them to stand out from the crowd, but there are some that definitely go the extra mile and try out something new. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe celebrating its 10 years anniversary with the most ambitious crossover for a superhero movie ever, “Infinity War” being released a little bit later this week, I thought it to be a good time to speak about the genre. I first thought of ranking the movies in the MCU (I do like them, to my own discontent), but I didn’t want to write 15 reviews for the exact same movie, so I decided to make this list a little more comprehensive within the genre. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be any MCU films on the list though. That being said, lets see the honourable mentions:

“Superman” (1978, Richard Donner), “Superman 2: The Richard Donner Cut” (1980/2006, Donner), “Batman” (1989, Tim Burton), “X-Men” (2000, Bryan Singer), “Unbreakable” (2001, M. Nigh Shyamalan), “Hellboy” (2004, Guillermo del Toro), “X-Men: First Class” (2011, Marc Webb), “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012, Christopher Nolan), “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (2014, Bryan Singer), “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014, James Gunn), “Deadpool” (2016, Tim Miller), “Wonder Woman” (2017, Patty Jenkins)

Now that that’s out of the way, here are the top 10 superhero films:

10. Watchmen (2009, Zack Snyder)

For as controversial as Snyder’s adaptation of Alan Moore’s legendary graphic novel as it was, it is hard to deny that the film does bring a breathe of fresh air into the genre at the time. True, Nolan’s Dark Knight films had already given the dark spin to superhero tales by the time “Watchmen” came around, but its setting in an alternate version of our timeline and how it introduced real world politics into the story while still focusing on the burdenous side of being a superhero was gratifying (even if somewhat gritty and depressing) to see. Snyder did have a strong source material to base on, and while he doesn’t exactly get everything right he nails the visual aspect and tinkers a little with the ending, making it kind of more connected to the story and not appearing out of thin air (like in the novel). Sadly, it was the only good superhero film that Snyder ever was involved with.

9. Spider-Man (2002, Sam Raimi)

My first memories with superhero films were made thanks to this movie. Where the original Spiderman succeeds and the newer franchises don’t is that it (and its first sequel, a movie we’ll talk about more later on) are actually very human character studies disguised as superhero action for kids. Toby Maguire nails the sympathetic portrayal of Peter Parker as he discovers his powers, and while both Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland have done just fine in the role, for me Maguire stands as the quintessential Spider-Man. He is pitted against Willem Defoe’s terrifying Green Goblin, a great villain bordering psychotic behaviour, delivered thanks to Defoe’s great performance. A movie that helped bring the era of superhero filmmaking at the start of the century, it still remains as one of the best examples of the genre.

8. Iron Man (2008, Jon Favreau)

If 2002’s “Spider-Man” helped establish the subgenre in the new millenium, 2008’s “Iron Man” was the film that helped shape it into what we know today. Kickstarting the MCU with a movie that’s both action and packed and interesting from a character perspective, Tony Stark’s transition to Iron Man is the main pillar over which Marvel Studios solidified its empire. And that’s without mentioning Robert Downey Jr’s star making portrayal of Stark (I know he was already famous before, but thanks to this role he is one of the highest paid actors today). It does suffer from many of the problems that would plague future MCU movies (like a weak villain) and it establishes the formula that almost every other project from the Studio would religiously follow, but at a time before theaters were oversaturated with the formula Favreau’s film was a genre home run.

7. Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014, Anthony and Joe Russo)

I am not the biggest Captain America fan to be honest, the first film was pretty bland and the third one was a convoluted excuse for an “Avengers” film without that very title, but the second entry of Cap’s franchise is by far the best MCU movie of them all. Ditching the war setting from the last one, the Russo brothers went with an espionage-thriller approach and the results are pretty gratifying. Weaving a surprisingly ingenious story and having a few twists (beyond the obvious one from the title) that should have had bigger implications for its universe, this is the rare Marvel film that functions narratively as well as spectacle-wise. It does thread generic territory in the third act, but by that time we’re already invested in the story and the excitement of the action set pieces is enough to deliver a pretty good time.

6. X2: X-Men United (2003, Bryan Singer)

Bryan Singer follows up his 2000s first X-Men film with a new adventure that succeeds the original in almost every scope. Many of the great characters of the original return and further develop, while new ones are included and minor ones are promoted to a more central role in the narrative. The mutants must face now potential genocide as we learn more about the world they inhabit. The moral line that divides good and evil from the first movie is pretty much blurred, what makes the story here all the much compelling. It does have some issues, but for the most time it manages to escape many of the clichés typical to the genre (even at that time). This was a point in the X-Men franchise where they could’ve done anything next, but sadly the next couple of films weren’t good at all, what lead to a soft reboot with “First Class” in 2011.

5. The Incredibles (2004, Brad Bird)

Stepping aside from the Marvel/DC business, heck, even stepping aside from the comic book adaptation business, Pixar gave it a shot themselves with an entirely original idea as their entry in the genre. In a setting similar to our number 10, in this world superheroes have been outlawed and forced into mundane lives. At the core of the movie stands the Parr family, a group of superpowered people who live through many of the same annoying issues most of us face every day, that is until giant robots start attacking the city. Splendidly animated and mixing very well action with family flick, the very reason why this film succeeds is because of its focus on family. We’re getting a sequel this year, almost 15 years after the original’s release, and I am very eager to know what’s next for the Parr family.

4. Spider-Man 2 (2004, Sam Raimi)

Raimi’s sequel to his very succesful 2002 “Spider-Man” exceeded expectations, both quality and box office wise. Following the thematic exploration of Peter’s character, making him question if he should even be Spider-Man in the first place. Alfred Molina shines as sympathetic villain Dr. Otto Octavius, a new intellectual and moral challenge for Peter. Also the conflict between Peter and his best friend Harry (James Franco) deepens, but it sets up a rather disappointing sequel. Regardless, “Spider-Man 2” takes what worked for the first film and builds upon it, just what every sequel should do, but in this case it manages to trascend the first one by going even further into their character study disguised as an action movie.

3. Batman Begins (2005, Christopher Nolan)

Nolan’s first outing directing Christian Bale as the caped crusader still remains, even with today’s over-saturation of the genre, one of the very best superhero films of all time. Coming from the public disgrace that was Joel Schumacher’s “Batman and Robin” (1997), Nolan was tasked to reboot the Batman franchise in a much more grounded, realistic fashion. The result was a dark and gritty take of Gotham city that seems to fit with ease in our post-9/11 world. Thematizing the use of fear as a mean of control, chronicling the rise and development of both Batman and Bruce Wayne, telling a tale of crime and the mob and even adding the much needed psychological factor that films of the genre tend to ignore, “Batman Begins” was also one of the films that helped construct the landscape of the genre we know today.

2. Logan (2017, James Mangold)

Hugh Jackman’s send off as the flag character of Fox’s X-Men franchise is one for the ages. Without going into the cliché territory of a fight to save the world, James Mangold instead focuses on a much more personal and, as a result, emotionally compelling story. Jackman gives what could be the performance of his career as the old and worned out titular mutant, as he finds a new challenge that’d not forseen. Patrick Stewart also gives a stellar final performance as the senile Charles Xavier, his goodbye being one of the most gut-wrenching moments I saw last year in the theater. And Dafne Keen holds her ground pretty well alongside these two veterans as the young and volatile Laura. Effectively remixing the superhero genre with western and road movie, “Logan” was indeed one of the best movies of last year and almost landed at the number one spot on this list.

1. The Dark Knight (2008, Christopher Nolan)

But of course that honour had to go to the one and only “The Dark Knight”. It might be cliché to say it, but clichés exist for a reason, and Nolan’s sequel to 2005’s “Batman Begins” is an effort within the genre that hasn’t been topped since then. Tackling the idea of control on a whole new level and playing out more like a crime thriller instead of an action film, this movie brought superhero storytelling to new heights. And of course we have to mention Heath Ledger’s mesmerzing performance as the Joker, a scary and menacing figure that doesn’t have anything to lose; no wonder he won the Oscar, even after his death. The Joker acts as a foil to Batman and makes him go to lengths that he’d never expect, and that can be also said about every Gotham citizen, especially about Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Ultimately, “The Dark Knight” proves and reaffirms the point that was made with “Batman Begins”: that superhero movies can be smart, realistic and totally innovative.

As you can see, I’m a massive nerd and superhero/comic book film fan, that’s why I think it sucks that there are so many bad movies within the genre, or that many of the movies stick to the same tired formula and don’t try anything new. That might be due to the Marvel effect, one can only hope that the MCU does something different in the future. I might go see “Infinity War” in the coming weeks, and maybe I’ll be posting my review about that here as well. Until then, if you liked this list and want to stay up to date with the content this blog produces don’t forget to follow, and also share it with your friends and family if you can. Until next time!