The Best Superhero Movies to Date

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Here we go. Superhero movies seem to be a topic of great debate in today's culture. "Are you DC or Marvel?" "Batman or Iron Man?"

You can't escape it.

Well, I'm going to be up front with you - I like some Marvel movies. I like some DC movies. Batman movies are the best (not up for debate.)

Get ready for my list of the best superhero movies to date. Prepare to be amazed. Or not.

1. The Dark Knight Trilogy

I'm sorry, all you Marvel fans, but The Dark Knight Trilogy has to be the best series of superhero movies I've ever seen. And here's why: it wasn't created to satisfy popular demand. It wasn't one of those movies that have to be churned out within a couple months to keep on schedule. The writers, director, producers, the actors - all of them worked together, and worked hard, to create, not an acceptable superhero movie, but a great superhero movie. 

And that's what they accomplished. The Dark Knight Trilogy encompasses amazing characterization, symbolism, thematic content, and plot.

For any lover of superhero movies, movies with excellent plots and characterization, or a lover of movies in general, this is a must-see.
5/5 stars.

2. Avengers: Infinity War

I entered into watching this movie with a degree of trepidation. After hearing all of the hype about this movie, I had basically decided that it was going to be another stock Marvel movie without any real, solid characterization and plot. I was pleasantly surprised. 

For the enormous cast, this movie managed a decent amount of solid characterization, created a villain with real (and terrifying) motives, and a plot that holds together with a solid structure. It also seems to be a big step for superhero movies - many major characters die, and it is unclear whether the survivors will be able to save them all.

A must-watch for Marvel fans.
4/5 stars.

3. Wonder Woman

Set during the First World War, this movie was spectacular on a number of levels. Character wise, Diana and Steve are very well developed. I liked that even though this is a "strong woman" story, Diana still felt human and fallible. Thematically, I enjoyed the strong Christian parallels.
In terms of plot, however, this movie is still very much a superhero movie with an "evil person that must be stopped" plot line. However, the rest of the movie was so well developed, that it didn't irritate me.
4.5/5 stars.

4. Black Panther

Again, I wasn't expecting much of this movie. I don't quite know why, because it impressed me so much. I enjoyed the fact that while there were "strong female" characters in the movie, they were shown as on an equal footing with the male characters. The male characters in so many movies featuring "strong female" characters suffer from poor characterization in order to make the women look better, but there was none of that here. T'Challa was an excellent main character, with a cool character arc. The theme was incredible, and woven into the plot well. 
The villain, Killmonger, did seem a little random, but because of the foreshadowing done early in the movie, it wasn't nearly as random feeling as Zemo in CA:CW. 
4.5/5 stars.

5. Thor: Ragnarok

A refreshing new superhero movie that is more lighthearted and funny than many Marvel movies today. The plot was well put together, though it was weaker in places, especially concerning the villain, as Hela doesn't actually directly fight Thor until the third act of the film. 
The dialogue was witty, and the characters enjoyable and well-rounded for the most part. 
All in all a fun superhero movie. 
4/5 stars. 

6. Spiderman: Homecoming

A more "normal" and less epic superhero movie in terms of scope. I have a lot of opinions on this movie due to long conversations with my younger brother (who did not like the movie), so I'm able to pinpoint what I liked and didn't like much better. For one, Peter Parker's character was excellent, in my opinion. The theme of responsibility is clear and fit's Peter's "want to be a superhero" mentality well. 
Negative elements would be the amount of crude humor in it. I'm never a fan of crude humor, which is probably why I didn't enjoy GotG as much as I could have. However, compared to Guardians, especially Volume 2, the crudeness in Homecoming was far more minimal. 
Overall, 3.9/5 stars

And that about wraps it up! What are your opinions on the movies I listed? What are some of your favorite superhero movies?

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