*Hi everyone-- if you are confused about this entry (since its not
brunch related) please see the disclaimer below. These posts are
temporarily here but please go to the actual site:
www.reelfives.com ***
The following discussion is regarding the top superhero movies of all
time in the American sueprhero movie genre. This leaves off
international superhero movies which might make the top superhero movies
list, such as the Japanese superhero film Ogon Bat (1966).
The
concept of the superhero is fairly young in contrast to some literary
genres that are adapted to film, such as horror literature, which can be
traced back to the 18th century. According to the Merriam-Webster
dictionary, the first use of
the word “supehero” was in 1917. Comic book superheros first appeared
with the 1938 publication of the first issue of Action Comics, which
introduced Superman. During the 1940s there was a quick rise in
popularity of superheros, followed by a very quick decline. By the early
1950s with the introduction of the Comics Code Authority (CCA), there
was a decline in popularity accompanied by a creative censorship that
may have limited comic book writers to put out publications that would
appeal to a broader and more mature audience. During this early period,
for the most part, superheros only appeared in short films (film
serials) that were played prior to feature length films in theaters.
Only when stitched together would film serials' story lines be
completed. For example, in 1948 there was a 15 part
superhero series of shorts that together formed a story. Barring the
early Dick Tracy movies, the first feature superhero movie is Superman
and the
Mole Men (1951) which essentially served as a pilot for the Adventures
of
Superman TV show that ran from 1952 to 1958. Another notable early
superhero movie was Batman (1966). The tone of Batman (1966), viewed
largely as parody, was a reflection of the post-CCA treatment of
superheros.
So,
not surprisingly, no movies from this era of cinema made the top
superhero movies of all time list, which we have determined using our
top five rating system based on 130 published rankings.
 |
| Superman (1978) poster |
Then in 1978, Superman
showed the potential for the superhero films, which until then had not
been taken seriously. It took the collaboration of several high profile
and successful Hollywood people. This included writer Mario Puzo and
Marlon Brando, who collaborated six years earlier in Francis Ford
Coppola's The Godfather(1972), considered by many to be one of the top
movies of all time. Superman (1978) was directed by Richard Donner who
had established his brand a couple of years earlier with the
critically-acclaimed The Omen (1976). Superman (1978) also included
Gene Hackman who had won one Academy Award and been nominated for
several additional Academy and Golden Globe awards in the years
immediately preceding its release. Superman (1978) to a large extent
also benefited from the commercial success of Star Wars: A New Hope
(1977). Superman (1978) was a commercial and critical success,
generating $300 million in theaters and earning three Academy Award
nominations.
 |
| Source: Reel Fives own research |
Ever since Superman (1978) there has been an overall
increase in the production of superhero movies. However, overall we
count roughly 138 live-action supehero movies (America) ever made
(depending on which films are considered to fall under the genre). This
seems like a small number of movies given the popularity and commercial
success of the genre. In one of the genre's peak years, 2008, 10
superhero movies were
released, and three of them (Dark Knight, Iron Man, Hancock) were in the
top five highest grossing movies for the year. This limited number of
movies in the genre is due to the large budget requirements for many
comic book-based movies, as they often require special effects. Compare
Green Lantern (2011) with a budget of $200 million to Moneyball (2011)
released around the same time with a budget of $47 million, in spite of
the latter having several Hollywood heavyweights including Brad Pitt,
Jonah Hill and Aaron Sorkin. Based on 130 published superhero movie
rankings, here is the list of the top supehero movies that made the top
five movies in at least one list.
The top ranked superhero movies of all time
| Avengers Age of
Ultron (2014) |
| Batman Begins (2005) |
| Batman Mask of The Phantasm (1993) |
| Batman Returns (1992) |
| Batman (1989) |
| Big Hero 6 (2014) |
| Blade 2 (2002) |
| Blade (1998) |
| Captain America: The First Avenger
(2011) |
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier
(2014) |
| Chronicle (2012) |
| Guardians of The Galaxy (2014) |
| Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008) |
| Hulk (2003) |
| Iron Man 3 (2013) |
| Iron Man (2008) |
| Kick-Ass (2010) |
| Man Of Steel (2013) |
| Mystery Men (1999) |
| Robocop (1987) |
| Scott Pilgrim vs The World (2010) |
| Sin City (2005) |
| Spider-man 2 (2004) |
| Spider-man (2002) |
| Superman 2 (1980) |
| Superman/ Batman Apocalypse (2010) |
| Superman: The Movie (1978) |
| The Amazing Spiderman (2012) |
| The Avengers (2012) |
| The Crow (1994) |
| The Dark Knight Rises (2012) |
| The Dark Knight (2008) |
| The Green Hornet (2011) |
| The Incredibles (2004) |
| The Matrix (1999) |
| The Shadow (1994) |
| Thor (2011) |
| Unbreakable (2000) |
| V for Vendetta (2005) |
| Watchmen (2009) |
| X-Men 2 (2003) |
| X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) |
| X-Men (2000) |
| X-Men: Days of The Future Past (2014) |
| X-Men: First Class (2011) |
|
|
Identifying the top movies is our mission.
www.reelfives.com
https://twitter.com/reelfives
https://www.facebook.com/reelfives |
*********
Disclaimer:
**********
As we mentioned in our earlier post we will be temporarily
releasing content and posts from our sibling site Reel Fives
(www.reelfives.com). We hope this is not too confusing so here's the
lowdown:
We are bringing back up to speed our blog network which includes this
blog (eggs benedict dc), our mostly peruvian food blog (jostage
kitchen), and our movie blog which used to be called rocking potatoes
but has changed its name to Reel Fives. The Reel Fives website is in the
process of turning into a broader website to find what the best and top
movies are for each genre through a ranking and rating system based on
the top fives that are reported for each genre.
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