Iron Man Theme Song

Twin Takes: Superhero movies

Holy hoodwink, Batman, another superhero movie!

Since the turn of the century, there has been a dramatic rise in the diversity of superhero movies. With the commercial success from the "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" movies, there has been a great resurgence in the frequency of superhero films. Seeking to capitalize on this lucrative trend, the bigwigs of the movie industry are seemingly pumping out superhero films as fast as they possibly can. Two "Iron Man" movies and a rumored third in the works, "Thor," "Green Lantern," "Captain America" and "The Avengers" are just a few of the numerous superhero movies emerging from this trend.  

What is it about superhero movies that audiences find so captivating? While there are a few exceptions, most movies from this genre follow the same basic plotline. I'll walk into a theater and watch as the unsuspecting hero acquires his powers through some mysterious accident. The hero will undergo some transformation, discover a wealthy nemesis and confront the villain in a final showdown of good versus evil. Maybe the hero will have a sidekick, girlfriend or league of allies. Perhaps the villain will present a difficult choice to the hero to test his ethics and mettle. And at the end of the movie, the hero saves the day.

I love superhero movies just as much as the next guy. I practically wore out my VHS tape of one the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" trilogy (the one with Vanilla Ice rapping "Go Ninja Go Ninja Go" repeatedly). I understand that movies have more than enough variation with their unique powers, different storylines and distinct character flaws, but there is such a thing called overkill.

It seems every time I turn on the TV, I catch a clip from a superhero movie and not all of them are from Marvel and DC Comics. "Hancock," the weird Will Smith-can-fly-for-no-reason movie, "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," the romantic comedy starring Uma Thurman and the recent "Spy Kids 4" movie show that not all superhero movies have to be of a certain quality.

How many "Spider-Man" movies do we need? That series has gotten progressively worse since the first installment of 2002 and I seriously doubt rebooting the series so soon will generate more excitement for the web slinger. Everyone knows his story. Please move on. The same can be said for the "X-Men" series. I loved the first couple, but did there really need to be five movies? Especially considering how terrible and inaccurate the third movie was in the series.

Stump the King: Iron Man - VIDEO

Since I have kids and a job, I don't get to see many movies in the theaters these days unless it's a crappy kids movie. Generally if I want to see grown up movie I have to rent the DVD. In some cases, the movie is such a blockbuster that watching it at home defeats the purpose.

Luckily once in a while a film is released that I want to see and I can also take my kids. Iron Man was extremely popular when I was a kid. I even remember Thor and Daredevil having guest roles alongside The Hulk.