9. Daredevil: Director's Cut: Now the theatrical cut of this movie was mediocre at best, but this R-rated version, which added in a subplot featuring a drug addict played by Coolio, felt closer to Frank Miller's dark vision of the 80's comics, as it added more violence and some darker moments. This version of the film won over many critics, comic book fans, and me, and it improves the film considerably.
8. Blade II: This sequel is one of the few that tops the original. Wesley Snipes returns as Blade, joined by Kris Kristofferson, Norman Reedus, Ron Perlman, and Luke Goss. The action scenes are more violent, the villains are more threatening, the budget is bigger, and the story is smarter. Guillermo del Toro, famed Spanish director known for his stylish fantasy-horror films, brings his love of Lovecraftian lore and monsters to this movie, giving it it's own distinct style. This style would be shown off even more in his next few films, including another superhero blockbuster: Hellboy. This movie is able to add more action, but also be much more atmospheric and more terrifying than the first, making it one of the few action-horror films to balance the two perfectly.
7. X2: X-Men United: This is another sequel that tops the original. The addition of the Nightcrawler character, and the fact (like Blade II) it forces the heroes and villains to team up is interesting. It has improved special effects, better action, more twists, a more interesting storyline, more revelations about the Wolverine character, and some darker themes. These improvements make this installment the best in the X-Men series so far.
6. Captain America: The First Avenger: This is a film I've changed my opinion on quite a bit. originally, I thought it was just okay. But on further examination, I've found it to be one of the best of the Avengers films, and one of the best Marvel movies. The main cast are fantastic, the digital and makeup effects are fantastic, the re-design of Captain America is awesome, the action scenes are kick-ass, the villain (who I thought was difficult to adapt to the screen seriously) proves to be surprisingly threatening, and the storyline was original, while staying true to the comic books. It's also a much better "period piece" superhero film than X-Men: First Class and a better Cap. American movie than the low-budget, 1990 flop.
5. Iron Man 3: This installment in the trilogy (which may grow into a saga) is the second best, and that's really something. The first in the "Phase Two" segment of the Avengers franchise, it is the first follow-up to the 2012 hit, and it's quite a movie. It's portrayal of arch-villain The Mandarin will divide a lot of people, but this entertaining thrill ride is a great comic book movie, and it's loads of fun, despite it's sometimes dark tone.
4. Spider-Man 2: This is one of the best superhero films ever made. Despite technically being better than the original, I put it lower on the list because I personally prefer the original, but that's besides the point. Don't let that discourage you from viewing it, this movie is a funny, action-packed, dramatic superhero epic, which deals with the question: "How would a hero deal with the situation of temporarily losing his powers?" The films also asks a follow-up question: "How would the hero deal with that situation if a powerful new villain surfaced around the same time?" I'll let you see the movie for yourself to see the answer, but this movie not only has better action scenes, a more threatening villain, and improved special effects, it also adds more human elements to the main hero than even the first film did.
3. Spider-Man: This is the second major film that Marvel did, and this was the one that cemented the fact that comic book movies were becoming a huge business. Despite 2000's X-Men being a critical and commercial success, 2002's Spider-Man was able to top X-Men's box-office results and positive reception. It deserves it, too. The story, cinematography, acting, writing, direction, special effects, and action scenes are phenomenal, especially from a director who had only made low-budget horror films in the past. Looking at it as a first blockbuster outing, it's a masterpiece. Despite it's flaws and somewhat dates digital effects, Spider-Man continues to intrigue and amaze audiences to this day.
2. Iron Man: 2008's kick-off to the Avengers was spectacular. Despite having a villain that only really appears for the last half-hour (I actually thought the villain was pretty cool, and deserved more screen-time) and having a "smaller" scope than the later films in the franchise, this still remains the best of the Iron Man trilogy, the second best in the Avengers franchise, and (in my opinion) the second-best Marvel movie of all time. The cast, action, special effects, and even the music are just perfect.
1. Marvel's The Avengers: Is anyone surprised. This blockbuster hit had a lot to work with. How wee they going to accomplish combining 6 heroes, 4 of which have had their own movies, into one film? Giving them and the supporting cast equal screen time? Making it funny, thrilling, and awe-inspiring? Doing something new while staying true to the source material? Most importantly: Pleasing fans while doing what the filmmakers wanted to do. Somehow, master of sci-fi cinema and cult TV Joss Whedon pulled it off, and was able to not only please fans, but blows their expectations out of the water. The special effects, writing, humor, action, acting, story, and music are all, as said before, awe-inspiring. The scope of this film was huge, and the team behind it was able to pull it off perfectly. All this and more is what puts Marvel's The Avengers in the #1 spot.
Thanks for reading, don't forget to check out Part I as well as my review of Iron Man 3
(Images: Wikipedia)
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