"The Queen" Oscar winner says she can kick ass with the best of them here.
THE TOP 5
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The Top 5 Superhero Movies Of All Time
By Tim Lammers
April 29, 2011
STRICTLYCINEMA.COM
INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS & MOVIE NEWS BY TIM LAMMERS
Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) in the grasps of Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 2."
Columbia Pictures Image
But as director Kenneth Branagh's "Thor" will learn as the first one out of the gate May 6, and "X-Men: First Class" (June 3), "Green Lantern" (June 17) and "Captain America: The First Avenger" (July 22) thereafter; comic book fans are a very discriminating lot when it comes to the adaptations of their favorite superhero tales for the big screen.
Especially in the age of the Internet, the process of making a superhero movie is scrutinized from the minute a project is announced, but will oddly be forgiven and if it works. If it earns the distinction of becoming a classic, its standards will become those upon which all other superhero films will be judged. Here are five of those films.
5. "Spider-Man 2" (2004): Hollywood finally gave horror-film maestro Sam Raimi his due with director's chores for "Spider-Man" in 2002, and his web-slinger tale starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man thrilled beyond expectations with high-flying special effects and raw character emotion.
But Raimi and Maguire didn't hit their stride until 2004's "Spiderman 2," a rare sequel that far exceeded the original film. The daring sequel not only introduced the best villain of the entire trilogy in Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), it confronted a tangled web of issues including Peter's strong romantic feelings for his longtime friend, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and the tormenting responsibility he felt for his Uncle Ben's (Cliff Robertson) death.
Also in a daring move, Raimi also unmasked Spider-Man in public in the film's thrilling runaway train scene, a general no-no in the superhero genre: but the payoff here is big.
Summer Movie Season Gives Four Films Shot At Superhero Stardom
4. "Batman" (1989): The superhero movie genre was rejuvenated in 1989 not so much with an re-introduction to the Batman legend and his iconic nemesis, The Joker, but with director Tim Burton's daring casting choices in the key roles: Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson.
But thanks to comedian's deathly serious role as Bruce Wayne/Batman and the serious actor's turn as a deadly but hilarious joker, "Batman" quickly rose to classic movie status. With Burton at the helm, it wasn't a shock that the Dark Knight through a twisted, dark maze of havoc created by The Joker -- a far cry from the lightweight camp of the "Batman" television series (1966-1968) starring Adam West in the title role and Burt Ward as his sidekick, Robin.
The film was a monster hit and spawned one Burton-directed sequel, before the series descended into a hapless quadrilogy and the "Batman" series turned into an "in-thing to do" for the "who's who" in Hollywood.
Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins and Tom Hiddleston in "Thor."
Paramount Pictures Image
This year's summer movie season will be a dreamscape for comic book fans, with three Marvel Comics tales and one DC Comics offering set to be released over a three-month period.
Batman (Michael Keaton) and The Joker (Jack Nicholson) face off in the final act of Tim Burton's "Batman."
