Guardians of the Galaxy ( 2014 )
Guardians of the Galaxy ... The breath of fresh air in the super hero genre . What makes Guardians so special is its irreverent joy and humour . Not to mention the best soundtrack of any movie on this list . James Gunn brings us a film that is an utter joy to behold . Filled to the brim with loveable misfits and campy villains , Guardians of the Galaxy is the ultimate roller coaster ride .
The Dark Knight ( 2008 )
The smash sequel to Batman Begins , The Dark Knight really took superhero films to the next level . It stands as not only a great superhero film , but as a great film . It ’ s like heat with a mad clown running around . The film is elevated by this need to stick to an element of realism . I mean sure there are guys in bat suits running around , but what brings the movie up is that the Joker ’ s plot is simply fantastic . He isn ’ t here to destroy the world . He ’ s just here to make Batman struggle . That ’ s what makes it so damn good ! Unlike EVERY OTHER superhero movie lately where the FATE OF EVERYTHING is at stake ! The Dark Knight is simply the battle for Gotham ’ s soul . Which makes this movie far better than almost every other superhero movie ever made . You don ’ t need to end the world ... But you can break a bat ’ s spirit .
Superman ( 1978 )
“ You will believe a man can fly .” With that simple promise Richard Donner ’ s Superman soared to Number 2 on this list . While people today may scoff at it ’ s simpleness and its light heartedness , that ’ s what makes this film so damn special . It ’ s a joyful , cheerful , uplifting film that exists purely for you to have fun and be amazed and fill you with hope . That ’ s what Superman is all about ! Hope . That ’ s what this film does ! It is just amazing in it ’ s hopefulness .
Unbreakable ( 2000 )
Yes ! M Night . Shaymalan strikes again . Unbreakable was just SO FAR ahead of its time . Had this film come out this year in the midst of Superhero saturation we face now it would be considered some kind of post-modern masterpiece . It ’ s skilful deconstruction of the superhero mythology is second to none . The film speaks volumes about what it means to be a hero and weeds out the essentials of what super heroes and indeed their villains are all about . The yin and yang of it all . It is one of the best films ever made and now given the world saturated by pop culture we live in Unbreakable stands even taller .