For my first official Top-5 List post, I’ve decided to tackle superhero movies. They seem to be pretty ubiquitous during the summer months and there have been some that transcend the genre into simply being good or great films, while there is a slew of mediocre fare and some ugly gunk that shouldn’t even be on the bottom of your shoe.

Anyway, here are my top-5 superhero movies.

  1. The Incredibles, (d. Bird, 2004)

  2. Batman Begins, (d. Nolan, 2005)

  3. X2: X-Men United, (d. Singer, 2003)

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

  5. Batman, (d. Burton, 1989)

All of these films have something in common: they focus on characters rather than on the super powers of the heroes. These are fallible heroes faced with choices and limitations. Also, each of these films have strong lead actors with whom we empathize perhaps more than we dream of being them. Most of the films have been made within the last decade, because before Burton’s stylized, but dark Batman, superhero films were rather campy. Even Donner’s Superman (1978) is a bit too cornball to make my list, though I enjoy that film greatly. Except for the “Can you read my mind?” sequence. And the turning back time sequence. An honorable mention goes to Unbreakable, (d. Shyamalan, 2000).