By Laurie Minsky Jun 12, 2008, 13:09 GMT
It’s a bird; it’s a plane…No! It’s a list of the best superhero movie moments to hit the screen! With The Incredible Hulk getting ready to smash into theaters on June 13th, M&C thought it would take a few moments to pick some of our favorite superhero moments that have happened in film.
Whether the best superhero moments in film stem from the first time the character realizes they aren’t so ordinary anymore, or the first time the audiences witnesses the character changing, or even when your beloved superhero becomes crippled by their biggest weakness, these moments define superheroes.
There has been many a jaw-dropping moment in superhero films, but who can forget the one moment when the superhero realizes they are extraordinary? Between the original batch of superhero films: Superman and Batman to name a few, as well as a newbie like Iron Man not to mention the multimillion dollar franchise Spiderman, many memorable moments have been created.
When you hear the word superhero, ones mind leads directly to the cliché: a superhero flying through the sky in a skin-tight body suit, with their logo on the chest and of course a cape; in a nutshell, Superman. But The Hulk is no ordinary superhero.
The world was first introduced to the Hulk as a comic in 1962, and fans quickly became fond of this green machine.
The comic book character was quickly adapted to television, and in the 21st century, movies. The best Hulk moments from television and film is when he morphs into the Hulk.
Not only do the physical attributes, watching him morph from a human to a ginormous green monster, but the change in behavior.
Bruce Banner is a reserved man, and to watch him transform and become full of rage is amazing to see. Even though he turns into a mean-green-killing-machine, you can’t help but cheer when The Hulk is unleashed!
What's a super hero list without the most well-known superhero? Superman, of course! The late Christopher Reeve portrayed Superman (Kal El) in the 1978 film, as well as its three sequels.
The handsome young man with the baby blue eyes was the best person to play this part, and as his life went on, he truly was a Superman.
This film differs from many typical superhero films, as Superman was born with his "Superhero-ness" as opposed to Spiderman, who got bit by a spider, or Batman who technically has no "superhero powers" and even The Hulk, who exposed himself to gamma rays.
So, since the audience knows what to expect from Superman, what can be so exiting to watch a man leap a tall building in a single bound when you know it's coming? Watching him fall victim to the one thing that can take all his power away: Kryptonite.
To see someone who is perfection just become weak because of some little object is jaw-dropping as well as heartbreaking.
When Lex Luthor wrapped that chain of Kryptonite around Superman's neck and pushed him in a pool, you as the audience feel just as weak watching that. But no sweat, he is Superman after all, and he always bounces back!
Another classic superhero: Batman. Batman has been portrayed by many an actor in various films and series. Batman has been played by many leading and handsome men in Hollywood, including Christian Bale who is in the most recent series of Batman.
This new series is completely different than what has been done before with Batman and deserves the recognition it has received.
It is a new dark side audiences have yet to be exposed to, and to see how everything has unfolded through the years. This other side of Batman is the best part of all Batman series.
To see how everything comes together is the most fascinating part. To see the armored car get remodeled into the Bat-Mobile, and to see him turn his armored suit, which he claimed was going to be used for spelunking, into his costume.
Bruce Wayne utilized all of his resources, and it looked so natural and easy to do; he turned himself into the next superhero!
How can we not address the latest superhero film to break records? Iron Man. For all who had doubts about recovered addict, Robert Downey Jr. to pull this one off, you should be eating your words!
Fresh in our minds, this film portrayed Downey as smooth-talking charming snake, Tony Stark who creates a robot-like suit of sorts, and when he wears it he is superhero-like.
Stark himself addresses the superhero issue towards the end of the film, but in the audiences’ eyes, he is a superhero from the very beginning.
Well to start, not many ordinary people who are captured and tortured by terrorists will do the opposite of what they say.
When Stark finally agrees to making weapons for the terrorists, he instead goes to work on his iron suit to retaliate. With much trial and error he is finally ready to kill!
It is that exact moment that the audience is knocked on their asses by Iron Man exploding through that cave and killing the terrorists with the flame throwers from his suit!
Like a little kid on Christmas morning, Tobey Maguire's scene in the first Spider-man where he realizes he is not what he once was and will soon be living a double-life is playful and relatable.
Peter Parker wakes up and can suddenly shoot spider webs from his wrists, what teenager, or anybody for that matter, would not shoot at everything that is in their path?
To see the astonishment in his eyes as he realizes what he can do with this, as he tries it out on everything in his room is truly memorable.
When he hears a knock at his door his “spidey-senses” come into play, as the camera zooms in on him, he then jumps and hides, on the ceiling!
Good thing he is such a down-to-earth kid, that Peter Parker, otherwise he could have let this all go to his head. Oh wait, it did: Spiderman 3.
Since every list needs a guilty pleasure, how about a blonde cheerleader who slays vampires? Buffy! Buffy The Vampire Slayer shot into the universe in 1992 starring Kristy Swanson as a high school cheerleader who can kick some vampire ass! She spent the film rescuing Pike, played by the dreamy Luke Perry, from vampires.
This campy, cult film also spawned the popular TV series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, which launched five years after the film was released, in 1997, and had a great run until 2003.
But that’s beside the point. Just like the other films, and all superhero films, this film had many great moments, but the more fascinating moments were when Buffy was approached by Merrick telling her that she was indeed, The Vampire Slayer.
Specifically how she was in denial at first. This was fascinating to watch as she showcased her talent of acrobatic moves as well as displaying that she knows how to handle a stake, when never handling one before. After this, it was when she realized she was indeed the chosen one.
Thanks to the classic heroes for setting the tone, new heroes can now come into play and create new moments that will compete and come close to classic moments as these.
Audiences everywhere are always craving bigger and better, and now is the best time for that with the CGI and the technologies of the 21st century.
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