Kevin's Top Ten Superhero Movies

10. Judge Dredd – I realize there might be debate over whether Judge Dredd actually qualifies as a superhero versus a mere comic book adaptation, but I think that since 3 of us are law students we are aware of the superpower that is inherent in a man that is judge, jury and executioner.

9. Swamp Thing – If anyone remembers watching Swamp Thing reruns on the SciFi channel when they were little, then you know that Swamp Thing should be enjoying a revival in our ever more eco-conscious world.

8. Unbreakable – I almost want to punish M. Night Shyamalan for all of the other crap he constantly puts out, but I really enjoyed the new take on the superman film, and anything with Samuel L. Jackson gets an immediate bump. Also, we all want to believe that we are superheroes and just don’t know it.

7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – It would be a betrayal to leave this off my list after years of devotion in my youth. I imagine that most of us were Donatello fans beings geeks and what not, but hopefully no one made the mistake of choosing lame Rafael. Donatello and Leonardo are the obvious choices and Michelangelo acceptable if second rate.

6. Superman – How can you ignore this one? It is now timeless, but not good enough to break the top five. To do that you need a little more je ne sais quoi.

5. Blade – If there is a man who will give you more je ne sais quoi than any other it would have to be Wesley Snipes. He not only defeats vampires but also dodges serious IRS charges, all while being a half-vampire (I wonder if he is also half IRS agent). This is the movie, more than any other that made me really desire a samurai sword, until I saw Kill Bill.

4. X2: X-Men United – It was tough deciding which X-Men movie to include in this list. I like them all, and they are perfect cinematic candy, but the second one has the coolest title and arguably the best ratio of plot progression to superhero excellence.

2. Batman Begins – I think that ties are probably not allowed, but I couldn’t avoid doing this, especially since I have yet to see the new Batman movie. The only thing keeping this movie from climbing higher is how much I truly hate Katie Holmes (Tom Cruise by extension). Also, despite my deep respect for Bale’s ability to gain and lose weight (essentially a superpower in and of itself) he is also out on bail for allegedly beating his mother in London.

2. Iron Man – This is probably not as good a movie as a number two spot would indicate, but I think Robert Downey Jr. is amazing. Everyone wants to be a rich playboy who could care less what the world thinks. He is the ideal. It is too bad that none of us are that brilliant or that likely to inherit a multinational arms conglomerate. Also Samuel L. Jackson makes an appearance.

1. The Incredibles – What can I say? I really like this movie. It is able to be exciting without terrible violence and it entertains throughout without even needing seriously dark undertones. The superheroes being outlawed/sued into hiding theme has been explored in comics, but this movie really makes good use of the motif without becoming depressing. Samuel L. Jackson also makes an appearance.

I purposely left off the Spiderman franchise because I don't like Tobey Maguire. Darkman is good, I was considering it, but it got left off especially for movies that were funnier to include.

-Kevin