As we reported earlier, following a massive success at the box office, Dark Knight Rises is just one of many big-budget superhero movies that are coming out in the next few months. Now that the dust has mostly settled, it’s time to look back and see which movies won the box office battles, which ones left a big impression, and which ones are just plain awesome.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past
While Dark Knight Rises focused on the early years of Batman and Talia al Ghul, X-Men: Days Of Future Past delves into the early days of Professor X and his team of X-Men.
This installment begins with a very interesting premise: A dystopian future where humans and mutants live side-by-side. But that’s not all that this movie has got going for it – it also features some great special effects, incredible action scenes, and one of the greatest final fights in movie history. If you’re a fan of X-Men or superhero movies in general, this is one to see.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Speaking of comic book movies, Captain America: The Winter Soldier takes the cake when it comes to the most impressive special effects. The movie was produced by the same team that brought us Marvel’s The Avengers, and it continues the trend of big-budget Hollywood movies featuring caped crusaders. While not as dark as the previous installment in the franchise, The Winter Soldier still manages to deliver a punch of an action-adventure story with a political slant that will leave you thinking long and hard about the current state of the world. With a massive cast list that includes Sebastian Stan, Daniel Brühwiler, Stephen Strange, Paul Rudd, and Frank Grillo, this is one that you don’t want to miss.
Daredevil
Speaking of dark superhero movies, Daredevil is easily one of the most stylish pieces of cinema ever made. The movie’s costume designer, Michael Kaplan, has gone on record as saying that the entire film was intended to be a stylish homage to the classic American heroes that inspired the character of Daredevil.
Set in the streets of New York City, this film follows the journey of a blind attorney who becomes a superhero after his sight is restored. Though he lacks the usual superpowers, Daredevil makes up for it with his wits, his courage, and his stylish leather duster. This film’s credits are filled with incredible movie stars, including an appearance by Tom Hiddleston as the titular character’s mentor, Stick.
If you’re a fan of comic books, style, and superheroes, this is one to see.
The Amazing Spiderman
It’s no surprise that the franchise that started it all is back with a bang. Released just a few weeks ago, The Amazing Spiderman is the second installment in the rebooted Spiderman trilogy that began with Marvel’s The Amazing Spiderman and continued with Spiderman. Though the first movie in the rebooted series was pretty uneven, the special effects and action scenes are still quite impressive for a Hollywood production.
This movie is a blast from the past. Featuring a larger-than-life Manhattan and a prominent Italian setting, this is the quintessential ‘70s crime movie. It also stars many familiar faces, including Shia LaBeouf, Donald Sutherland, Morgan Freeman, and Ben Kingsley. It would seem that the screenwriters took a bit of a tip from this year’s most profitable movie when they penned the script for Spiderman 3 – which is saying something, since that movie’s profits were mostly derived from advanced tickets sales prior to its premiere. Still, all in all, The Amazing Spiderman is a fun and nostalgic throwback, and it has enough action and special effects to appease even the most demanding of moviegoers. What’s not to like?
Ironman 3
While other film studios like Warner Bros. try to cash in on the lucrative market for movie sequels by releasing films every year, it’s Marvel Studios that provides moviegoers with the goods. This year, Marvel Studios released a brand-new trailer for its upcoming movie, Ironman 3, this Thursday, which, not surprisingly, generated quite the buzz online. Though the trailer was pretty entertaining, it was the character posters that really left an impression on fans – and, perhaps, on Hollywood as well, since they seem to be creating a demand for ‘Ironman’ merchandise.
The first two installments in the ‘Ironman’ series were huge worldwide box office successes. This year’s third installment is no different, and it looks like the success of this year’s ‘Ironman’ film will be enough to secure the franchise’s place in pop culture for years to come.
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
Though Peter Jackson’s massive epic will likely be remembered for its amazing visuals, one of its most impressive aspects has been its dedication to detail and realism. Jackson has said that a lot of research went into creating the world of The Hobbit – from designing the new, improved swords and bows to ensuring that the costumes looked as good as new despite being worn for years by Bilbo Baggins. Perhaps the most impressive detail is the fact that despite its size, the movie feels believable and intimate.
This is one of the rare films where I can say that I was genuinely surprised by the ending. The Hobbit is a wonderful piece of cinema that managed to encapsulate all the wonder of Middle-earth and bring it to life on the big screen for new generations of fans.
Then, there are also a host of indie films that deserve our attention. These aren’t the famous superheroes we’ve been hearing about all along; these are the kinds of movies that could never get made as big-budget studio productions because of their low-budget, high-concept nature. However, with the increasing popularity of crowdfunding, it’s opened the doors for more and more independent filmmakers to make the movies they always wanted to make, regardless of whether or not they were financially viable at the time.
With so many incredible films to choose from, it’s time to gear up for the big-budget superhero movie. But which one will you be going to see? As you make your decision, be sure to consider what you’ll be seeing as well as what you’ll be missing out on by choosing one particular movie over another. Then, when the credits roll, sit back and enjoy the ride. It’ll be worth it.