I was just listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour, and Glen Wheldon said that The Incredibles was the best superhero movie ever made. That's his opinion, and I respect it, but I do not agree. So here are five other superhero films which are better. In no specific order. I'll do alphabetical.
Captain America: Civil War / The Avengers - Heck, lots of the new Marvel movies. I mean, they're great. I could say more here, but I've already said so much. For more of my thoughts on those movies, read this thing I wrote.
The Dark Knight - I've seen the movie at least four times, but not recently. With all the focus being on Heath Ledger's performance, it's easy to remember how much happens in this film. I remember the bank robbery and schoolbus getaway and the ferries with the bombs, but I'd entirely forgotten Batman's raid on the Japanese skyscraper along with the skyhook exfiltration.
I've heard arguments that Mark Hamill's Joker is better, and he's certainly more iconic, but for my money, Ledger Joker is Best Joker.
Superman 1978 - This movie has its flaws, the planet-spinning time reversal at the end being the most notable, but overall it was a tremendous film, and it holds up even 40 years later. Let MovieBob give you all the in-depth details if you have 48 minutes to spare, but it's hard to argue against the notion that Christopher Reeve's portrayal of the most iconic DC Comics character ever is the best Superman we've ever seen.
Watchmen - I watched this film again recently, and was reminded how over-the-top violent it was, and how startlingly good it still is. Jackie Earle Haley, whom I know more recently from his portrayal of The Terror in Amazon's The Tick series, did a fabulous job as Rorshach - probably my favorite part in the movie.
People go on about the comic books, and how they were better, but I'm not much of a graphic novel reader. I thought the movie was great. It was unique, and it's great to have a well-done superhero property which isn't Marvel or DC.
That said, the Watchmen is one superhero movie I won't be showing my kids.
X-Men: Days of Future Past - The first X-Men movie, which introduced Hugh Jackman as Wolverine was the first hint we got that Superhero movies could be done right. But of all the various X-Men films, I don't think I've enjoyed any as much as Days of Future Past. We got Ian MacKellen and Patrick Stewart's wonderful Xavier/Magneto dichotomy, we got the best speedster scene ever put on film, we got the horribly dark sentinels endgame, and of course Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.
In the end, nothing much to see here, just an off-the-cuff smattering of favorite superhero films before Infinity War blows everyone away this weekend.