Lightyear Flies Us Into The Future

To Infinity and Beyond.  That phrase was etched into pop culture back in 1995, and there isn't a person alive today who doesn't know it's a Toy Story reference.  If you look at the audience ratings, box office, and even merchandise sales, the Toy Story franchise is one of the best in history.  In 2019, it looked like the franchise may be coming to its finale with Toy Story 4, but it seems Pixar was just looking for a new angle to play on this Disney legacy.

Lightyear is supposedly the movie little Andy saw that made him want a Buzz Lightyear action figure for his birthday in 1995.  Instead of Tim Allen coming back to voice the Space Ranger, Captain America himself, Chris Evans, takes over the vocal performance for this spin-off.  I will say there were moments in the film I couldn't help but think I was watching an animated Steve Rogers.  Buzz seems so noble and heroic like Evan's Cap it was hard to not see the similarities.  Especially when he meets an older version of himself, or Old Man Steve as he is affectionally called.  But Buzz in the film is different enough from Steve that separation can be achieved. Captain Lightyear is so set on completing his mission and correcting his mistake it blinds him to everything else happening around him. Namely the lives being lived, and the one he isn't living because of his tunnel vision of achieving light speed.

Surrounding Evans in this cast is a voice talent that includes fellow Marvel alumni, Taika Waititi.  This group of misfits helps Buzz in his journey and provides laughs along the way.  Some comedy relief can be distracting in these Disney animated films, but I think the characters in this movie weren't too much.  I even thought Sox the cat was enjoyable; and I hate cats.  Maybe I just need a robotic cat that serves more as an R2-D2 than arrogant pest.  

It was Buzz's relationship with the Hawthrone family that tied this film together.  As Buzz races through time, he saw his friend get older, have a family, and eventually team-up with her granddaughter to stop Zurg.  I thought the moment at the beginning of the film when Buzz walks into an empty office would get me, but it was the end of the film when Izzy says, "I'm finally a Space Ranger, grandma," and then Buzz lingers for a moment to remember is friend, that made me go, "awww."  

From the moment Buzz's first line of dialogue mirrored his first words in the franchise I was looking for the Toy Story Easter Eggs.  Sadly, we don't get a "falling with style" line, but that's because he actually flew in this movie.  As he collected his laser, his wings, and even he space-ship packaging, the 12-year-old in me smiled at every reference.  

The only negatives I have in this film is the cookie-cutter story.  There weren't much as far as surprises, even when Old Man Buzz showed up, their conversation immediately had me thinking of the one between Mr. Frederickson and Charles Muntz from Up, consumed by the mission and not thinking about who it hurts.  Buzz is a man-out-of-time who sees everyone else get older.  Like I said, it's a somewhat familiar Chris Evan's character basis. But I do think this film gives it's self a lot of room for sequel potential.  

The end of the film, and the very last post-credit scene (past the Disney logo), sets up the further adventures off Buzz and his new team of Space Rangers, and one that I wouldn't mind seeing where it goes, if the film performs well. As of right now it seems a lot of critics are torn on how they feel about Lightyear, so it'll be up to the audience and the box office to see if this is a new direction Pixar can take the Toy Story franchise.  I don't really want to see a Woody's Round-Up film, but a serious animated western could be interesting.  To me, Lightyear is not top Pixar, but it's of the quality worthy of the Pixar brand. 

Time To Choose Sides For Marvel's Cinematic Civil War

Yesterday some alleged concept art was released revealing whose team each Avenger will choose for the upcoming film Captain America: Civil War.  The origin miniseries is one of my favorites and seeing how both Marvel Studios and the Russo brothers handled the Winter Solider storyline I have no doubt this movie will also be awesome.

In the comic, after a disastrous event causes many casualties, the government proposes the Superhero Registration Act.  This act demands all super powered beings reveal their identities and work directly for the government.  This splits the Marvel heroes into two sides; Iron Man being for registration and Captain America leading the rebellion against it.  Hawkeye himself, Jeremy Renner, went on Twitter and confirmed that this concept art is legit and that these are indeed the two sides to this war.  Fighting with Captain America will be Falcon, Winter Solider, Hawkeye, Agent 13, and Ant-Man.  Fighting along side Iron Man will be War Machine, Black Widow, Black Panther, and Vision.

I have a few issues with these teams.  First off, why is Black Widow fighting against her best friend, Hawkeye, and also Steve Rogers.  The progression of Steve and Natalia's relationship in the last Captain America film was one of my favorite parts of the movie.  She started off thinking he was an outdated boy scout, and as the film progressed she ended up respecting him as a true hero; the kind she's never encountered in her life.  Also, at the end of the Winter Soldier she basically told a government committee to grow screw themselves.  Now, I have no idea how close the film will stick to the source material.  For all I know Cap could be for registration, but given how he helped take down S.H.I.E.L.D. I don't see him liking big brother telling him and his friends who to fight.

The other issue I have is how stacked Tony Stark's team is.  Tony is a genius and a pretty formitable opponent himself, but then he gets another super suit with War Machine, and most all, Vision.  Vision has an Infinity Stone in his forehead.  He could take down Cap's team by himself!  They only way I can see this being more even is if Scarlet Witch, with her hex powers, ends up siding with Steve.  That might give Vision a little trouble and even out the battles a little.  But this is Captain America's movie.  And we always love rooting for the underdog.  

Everyone else is pretty predictable.  Of course Steve and Tony will have their best buds, War Machine and Falcon, on their sides.  Black Panther runs a country so he'd be for government supervision.  Agent 13 was also gimme.  However, with her being in the concept art it makes me hopeful that Emily VanCamp with be in more of the film than I thought.  Maybe among his biggest fight ever Cap gets a little lucky in love.  They hinted at it in Winter Soldier and if you know the comics you know it's coming.  

I knew best friends Hawkeye and Black Widow would be on opposite sides fighting each other.  I just thought they'd be on the other opposite sides.  Though, I liked how in Avengers: Age of Ultron we saw more of Hawkeye's personal life and what he fights for.  I felt like we got to know his character better the way we got to know Black Widow better in the first Avengers film.  Now that we know he is a family man I think it make sense he'd be for the people's rights.  I'll buy it in hopes that Renner is given a chance  to grow this character even further.

So, I have not seen any of the D23 footage nor do I know the exact plot of the film.  But given what I know about the comic book and which side Iron Man and Captain America both fall on these are my thoughts on the announcement of the teams and concept art.  What's yours?

5 Great Performances In 5 Bad Comic Book Movies

Today on my way to work I was listening to one of my old friend's podcast on iTunes. The Longbox Sessions stars Joshua Griffey and Alex Dandino as two sweaty nerds who talk movies, comics, and all things geeky.  Sometimes I think the guys can be a bit harsh on things of the pop culture nature, but in this week's podcast Griffey tried to be positive and mentioned a good performance in a "shitty" comic book movie.  This stuck with me today and got me thinking about other good performances by good actors who just got the short end of the stick because of how the rest of the film went.

5) Kelsey Grammar as Hank McCoy/Beast in X3

The third film in the X-Men film franchise is by far one of the most horrific comic book films I can think of.  Brett Ratner taking over directing for Bryan Singer almost ruined this billion dollar franchise.  However, the casting of Frasier alumni, Kelsey Grammer, as the X-Men's resident scientist was quite entertaining.  I'm glad Grammer got a second, though brief, chance to reprise his role in X-Men: Days of Future Past.  And amen that Singer is back directing Marvel's Mighty Mutants!

4) Thomas Haden Church as Flint Marko/Sandman in Spider-Man 3

Yes, we are all still traumatized by emo-Peter doing his silly shuffle down the sidewalks of New York, and the underrated treatment of Venom and the Black Costume Saga.  But if the film would have just focused on one villain I think it would have been quite better.  Church is a top notch actor with roles in films like Sideways and George of the Jungle(a favorite of mine), and he did a terrific job of bringing out the humanity in a character that could have come off as silly.  One thing I especially enjoyed about Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy was making his villains relatable; like Flint Marko who was just trying to get money to help his sick daughter.

  

 3) Mark Strong as Sinestro in Green Lantern

Reading a Green Lantern comic with Hal Jordan as the hero can be entertaining.  But if Sinestro is right next to him the page will explode with excellence.  Sinestro has always been the other side of the coin to Jordan.  He's what Hal Jordan could be if he just stepped his toe over the fine line of justice.  And Sinestro actually believes his way is the right way.

Mark Strong is now known for his roles in Sherlock Holmes and Kingsman: The Secret Service, and as Griffey pointed out on The Longbox Sessions he was the perfect casting for Sinestro.  Like J.K. Simmons in Spider-Man, I would love to see this actor get another shot at this character, though I won't get my hopes up.

2) Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I don't know what Marvel and 20th Century Fox were thinking when they took a character who was known for telling jokes, and then get an actor to play that part who is also known for telling jokes, and then sew his mouth shut.  The only watchable parts in this X-Men spinoff was Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth.  I could also debate Taylor Kitsch as Gambit, but that may be just my favoritism for Tim Riggins.  Now, I'm not a big fan of Deadpool, but I am curious to see the new solo film coming out next year where Reynolds will return as the deadly assassin.  I'd also love to see a reference to him being mistaken for Spider-Man like in the comics, but somehow I don't think that will fly with Sony and Marvel Studios.

 1) Chris Evans as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

I'm only referencing the second FF film because I still enjoy watching the first one.  It was pre-2008 when comic book movies were still trying to find their footing.  Iron Man and The Dark Knight both came out in 2008 and changed how everyone thought about comic book/superhero films.

When Chris Evans was cast as Captain America I was very vocal about my disagreement.  I thought Evan was the perfect Johnny Storm.  It was like he was ripped right off of my comic pages.  At the time I only knew Evans as comedic relief like in The Losers.  But he proved me wrong and now I can't imagine Captain America being played by anyone else.  But I still think he was an awesome Human Torch.

Avengers Sequel Worth A 2nd Viewing

In my house, hanging on my wall, is a poster from the 2012 film, The Avengers.  I'm actually a much bigger X-Men fan, but I bought this poster for it's significant value.  Growing up as a reader of comic books I was looked at as a geek or spaz.  Superheroes were uncool during my childhood unless it was Batman, Ninja Turtles, or Power Rangers.  But as the years went on more movies based on comic books came out, and then The Avengers broke box office records and set the bar for shared cinematic universes that every movie studio is now trying to copy.  We comic book readers are no longer outcasts; we are trailblazers.

God of Geeks, Joss Whedon, has returned to direct a sequel to his 2012 hit, but when you make a colossal movie like The Avengers it's an even bigger task to make a follow-up than can hold up.  I knew I had to see this film twice before I could accurately say if it was better than the original.

This time around Earth's Mightiest Heroes take on Ultron; the artificial intelligence Tony Stark created in hopes of being the Avengers substitute police force for the world.  After becoming self-aware Ultron, voiced by James Spader, realizes that the only way humanity can be saved is by sacrificing the billions of weak humans on the planet first.  Aiding him is the genetically modified Maximoff twins, Wanda and Pietro, who are brought in to shake up the Avengers confidence in each other.  The team must find a way to break their hexes if they're going to save the world from extinction.

I will admit, during the first viewing of this film I found it a little lackluster.  It wasn't until the end of the film when the Avengers, along with their new comrades, started fighting that I got really excited.  That scene was like a big Marvel crossover event come to life.  But before that, I kept thinking how Ultron wasn't the maniacal menace he is in the comics, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch weren't as fleshed out as I hoped, and there was too much set-up for future films.

Before my second viewing of the film I realized something.  No matter what, I would never think this film was better than The Avengers.  The first film was a cinematic monument in film history.  In it, I saw the Avengers come together for the first time on screen, something I never thought I'd see, and it was awesome.  And nothing will ever compare to it.

With that in mind, I watch the Avengers: Age of Ultron a second time and tried to appreciate it for what it was, and no compare it to the previous film, or ask if it could beat Captain America: The Winter Soldier as my favorite Marvel Studio film.  This is not the comic book Ultron. He was made by Tony Stark, not Hank Pym, which means those quirky and egotistical bits of Stark's personality fit into this Ultron.  The Maximoff's weren't as well rounded as I hoped, and their Russian accents still weren't good the second time around, but in a film with lots of characters they served their purpose; especially Quicksilver.  X-Men: Days of Future Past brought a phenomenal Quicksilver to life, so the only logical thing to do was make MCU's Quicksilver a sacrificial lamp that hopefully will serve as a stepping stone for Wanda's character evolution.  

The Avengers seemed to be more comfortable with each other in this film as well, which made the combat banter that much better.  The actors have also been together for a while now so their chemistry showed on screen and was quite entertaining.  Every time Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr had a conversation it seemed like it was set-up for Captain America: Civil War and Thor leaving just after the team had suffered a major defeat seemed odd, but then we would not have gotten more knowledge about the infinity stones for the next Avengers film, and Vision's importance would have been nullified.  And I loved how Vision was presented in this film; great job Paul Bettany!  So while I'm still not sure about the way Whedon and company went about setting up future films to come I couldn't have thought of a better way to do it, so I'll let it slide.

I hear talks about how this movie didn't have depth to it, but let's look at The Avengers people.  We've all put that film on a pedestal, but yet it doesn't come close to The Godfather or Schindler's List as far as Best Picture worthy.  Sequels to beloved films are always judged to harshly in my opinion. 

My final gripe about Avengers: Age of Ultron was stripped away after a conversation with my wife.  I was baffled that they didn't explain why Tony Stark become Iron Man again after quitting in Iron Man 3(and as I type this I realize I have not read the Age of Ultron prelude comic that may explain it).  But my wife said to me, "I never saw Iron Man 3 so I never knew he quit."  And that is the beauty of the MCU.  If a person just wants to watch The Avengers films, or Captain America films, they won't be lost.  Someone can watch The Avengers then Avengers: Age of Ultron right after and just be fine.  Sure if you watched the four films in between you get more out of it, but it's not a necessity.  What happens in the Thor films has no affect on what happens in the Iron Man films; you can enjoy them both separately.

While I am sad to see Whedon leaves this franchise I think it's for the best given his recent public comments.  I believe there are a lot of deleted scenes that have more character development, and I can't wait to see them on the blu-ray, or maybe a 4-hour directors cut.  The Russo Brothers, who did such a terrific job on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, are now taking over with Infinity War parts I & II, as well as the next Captain America film.  My only hope is they make Captain America: Civil War the mature film Winter Soldier was and then continue to make the Avengers films the kind of movies the whole family can enjoy like Guardians of the Galaxy and Iron Man 3(which was my least favorite Marvel film so far). 

So after seeing this film twice now I see that it is a good movie that has something everyone can enjoy so long as you stop trying to compare it to the first film.  Lightening only strikes once kids, unless you're carrying a hammer.  I loved seeing the new characters added to the MCU, Hawkeye getting his due, and the new Avengers team assemble at the end.  Yes, I said the "A" word.  Because it now bugs me that Cap didn't get too.

RATING:  B 

   

MCU's Civil War: Drawing the Battle Lines

Last week Marvel Studios invited quite a few members of the press to a secret announcement.  Many speculated what it could be; from the casting of Dr. Strange to Spider-Man joining the MCU(Marvel Cinematic Universe).  President of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, surprised everyone when he presented the studios films for the next five years that included Dr. Strange, Captain Marvel, two more Avengers films, and a Black Panther film starring Chad Boseman from 42 and Get On Up.  One of the bigger announcements came as little surprise given recent rumors, but a giant delight, as Feige read the title of the next Captain America film; Captain America: Civil War.

Based on the 2006 mini series, we'll see Captain America and Iron Man face-off against each other on opposite sides of the Superhero Registration Act.  Feige says that MCU's Civil War will be more about who the heroes report to rather than their identities since this world knows who Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner are.  Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans appeared on stage with Boseman to sell the upcoming rivalry.  This leads some to believe that Black Panther may play a key role in Civil War.  Perhaps a Switzerland type who chooses to stay neutral? 

Missing however from the original Civil War story line will be Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and may other heroes Marvel Studios does not have the rights too, or have yet to introduce.  But both Cap and Iron Man still need soldiers to support them.  So given the current Avengers/MCU characters I've got my team predictions.

TEAM STARK:  Iron Man, Hawkeye, Thor, War Machine, Ant-Man, and Maria Hill

In the comic book mini series Tony gets the inside scoop before the Act goes into effect and tries to soften the fallout.  Stark feels that super beings should be trained properly and report to someone.  His team would be a posse that is used to following orders.  War Machine and Maria Hill have ties to Tony so I'm sure they've got his back.  Meanwhile, Thor is a demi-god, and knows how power can be abused.  Therefore I feel like he'd side with Stark on supervising those who have power.  

Not much is known about how Ant-Man will fit into the MCU, but given he sided with Tony in the comics I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he'd be on Team Iron Man when the battle lines are drawn.

TEAM ROGERS:  Captain America, Black Widow, Hulk, Falcon, Nick Fury, and Agent 13  

I was on Team Captain America while reading the comics so I'm a bit bias; but I like this team.  Each person on Cap's team has been burned by the government before so they'd be a bit suspicious of the Superhero Registration Act.  Natasha really started to believe and trust in Steve in their last film, which included their team-up with Falcon.  Nick Fury also got burned by his friend and boss so he's all about questioning "the man" now.  And Agent 13?  Well, anyone who knows Sharon's story knows her chips wouldn't fall anywhere else.  

The Hulk was probably the hardest to choose a side for.  He and Tony are science buddies so I can see that bond.  However, Bruce knows what it's like having his government hunt and try to contain him.  I think he'd be against being put in a "cage".  I also think these teams give for some great match-ups.  

Iron Man vs Captain America(leader vs leader)

Hawkeye vs Black Widow(good friends/partners face-off)

Thor vs Hulk(they really never finished their fight in Avengers)

War Machine vs Falcon(black best friend battle royale)

Nick Fury vs Ant-Man(the man(s) with a plan)

Maria Hill vs Agent 13(S.H.I.E.L.D. agent cat fight, MEEOOWW)

Like my teams?  Disagree with them?  Let me know! 

Marvel's Cinematic Civil War A Good Idea?

This week has been a comic enthusiasts dream.  After coming off all the news from the New York Comic Con there were also two big movie stories that broke.  I'll share my thoughts on Warner Bros announcement in my next post, but for now I'm gonna focus my feeling about Marvel Studios.

Robert Downey Jr seems to be teasing Iron Man fans lately with saying he wants to do another Iron Man film and then retracting his statement just hours later.  Now, Variety has reported that Downey is in negotiations to guest star in the third Captain America film opposite Chris Evans.  This is happy news, but the 'exciting' part of the rumor is that Cap 3 is set to start the infamous Marvel storyline, Civil War.

In the 2006 miniseries, the government has implemented the Superhero Registration Act, a law that requires any vigilantes or masked heroes to reveal their identities and work for Uncle Sam.  Tony Stark sees just how serious the American government is about this and decides to support the Act.  Meanwhile, Captain America opposes the Act and leads an underground group against Iron Man and those who follow him.

This series was epic and one of my favorites.  I've always dreamed of seeing it on the big screen, but I'm hesitant about this decision.  A main focus in this story was Spider-Man.  He's the Marvel hero that protects his identity the most, which is why Stark convinces him to reveal who he is at a press conference.  Later on, Peter Parker switches sides to Cap's team.  Peter's journey in this plot is central, and without him I feel like the movie(s) will be missing it's heart.  However, there are talks about Sony loaning Spider-Man to Marvel Studios due to their financial situation.  Could Marvel take advantage of this and get Spider-Man mixed in to the cinematic Civil War? 

 Another major perspective in Civil War is the Fantastic Four, which Fox currently owns the movie rights too.  Having to choose sides tares this team in two and almost destroys Reed and Sue Richards marriage.  Without this subplot I feel like the film may also be missing another piece of it's center.  I don't believe for a second Marvel is canceling the FF comic book in an effort to try and hurt the upcoming film, thus allowing Marvel to possibly get the rights back.  By the time the Fantastic Four movie is released next year you can bet Marvel Comics will have another FF series out to take advantage of any buzz the film may get.

My last gripe about bringing up Civil War on screen is the lack of characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Sure we have more characters coming like Ant-Man and Dr. Strange, but all of these superheroes have already outed their identities.  The only issue would be those who are forced to work for the government or hang-up their tights, or leather now-a-days.  Of course, if they need more heroes Netflix's Defenders team will be coming up soon.
And what about Thanos?  We all figured Avengers 3 would be the Infinity Gauntlet.  Are they really going to continue that slow burn until perhaps Avengers 4 or 5?  I could however see all the Marvel heroes splitting up, but then having to put aside their differences to face the galaxy's ultimate baddie.

With all the concerns I've listed don't think for a second I'm not ecstatic about this!  Sure they'll probably have to pay RDJ a crap-load of more money, but seeing this all unfold will be sweet.  You can see in Captain America: The Winter Solider how the small seeds were planted for the idea of Civil War.  Speaking of which, the second Captain America film strayed pretty far from the original source material, but was still the best film Marvel Studios has released in my opinion.  So if this "Civil War" doesn't follow the miniseries exactly I won't be upset as long as it's good.

A year ago there was a phrase that I, and perhaps others, have started reciting; In Feige We Trust.  Guardians of the Galaxy was a risk for Marvel Studios that paid off big time because their president knows what he's doing.  I'm sure he's had Civil War planned for years now and is just now letting us all in on a fraction of his plan.  The story may not be exactly like the original comic, but as long as it's a good film I'll be ok with it. 

 Marvel Comics seem to be bringing back old story lines like Secret Wars, Planet Hulk, and Civil War, but the cinematic world is still a toddler that has a lifetime of stories to tell that will be fresh to us all.  Now if you'll excuse me I'll need a break before I start my DC/Warner Bros post.  Or I may just watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier because I could literally watch that film every day. Until next time true believers, In Feige We Trust. 

MY TOP 5 COMIC BOOK MOVIE PERFORMANCES

This week I’ve encountered a topic on several occasions.  I think the topic was sparked by the opening of Thor: The Dark World, but it seems the discussion of BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE ACTOR just seems to keep being in my face.  This is a very loaded and interesting topic that I could personally go on talking about for quite some time because their have been some great performances. 

Yesterday on Facebook I asked my friends who their TOP 5 COMIC BOOK MOVIE ACTORS were.  Again, it’s a great topic and I got some great responses.  I then thought about every ones suggestions and had to took my own personal preference into account and have mark my own TOP 5 list.  I had to take out TV series and animated movies because then it would just be ungodly to make a TOP 10 list even.  I thought about Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach, Alan Cummings as Nightcrawler, J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, and both Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger in their interpretations as The Joker. There have been some great performances!

So, like I said, I had to take my own taste into mind.  Some may argue with me about my TOP 5, just like I may with theirs, but these are 5 actors who I feel just nailed their roles and brought these characters to life where I felt that they were being ripped right off the comic page.

5) Wesley Snipes as Eric Brook/Blade

Say what you will about  Blade: Trinity I found it to be entertaining when I first saw it, mainly because Ryan Reynolds was hilarious in it.  For three films Wesley Snipes perfected the scowl of The Daywalker.  He was hard-edged and could kick some serious ass.  You saw the conflict in him and saw that he lived his part from the first reading of the script to the very last re-shoot.  To me, this all comes through on screen and just makes me smile every time Blade starts kicking ass from in the first scene of every movie. 

MY FAVORITE LINE:

Blade: Some mother-fuckers are always trying to ice-skate up hill.

4) Chris Evans as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch

Growing up, I loved The Human Torch.  He was silly, funny, and always cool.  As a young boy who couldn’t be entranced by the characters charisma.  As a kid, I always thought of my family as the Fantastic Four.  My father was Mr. Fantastic as the nerdy science guy none of us really connected with.  My mother was The Invisible Woman who tried to keep us together and functional.  My brother was The Thing, a little brooding, a little misunderstood, and we always seem to get on each others nerves.  Which of course left me as The Human Torch, a kid who was a little to arrogant, a little to energetic, and always wanted to look good in front of a crowd.

Regardless of how you may feel about the FF films Chris Evan encompassed everything I thought The Human Torch was or could be.  Evans was the comedy relief in the first Fantastic Four film and was so well liked he had the main character arch in the second film.  When Evans was cast as Captain America I thought it was a horrible choice.  I loved Evan as Johnny Storm, a character who could not be further from Steve Rogers.  But Evan surprised me and did a great job as Cap and I can’t wait for Winter Soldier to come out.  But to me, Evans will always be The Human Torch with the delivery of one line.

SUE: You don’t really want to walk around on-fire for the rest of your life, do you?

JOHNNY: Is that a trick question?

3) Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine

In my life I would consider myself an uber-geek about 3 things; Star Wars, Superman, and X-Men.  Because of this I am very critical about any movie about these topics.  I would say that four out of the six X-Men films are watchable and three I actually enjoy watching.  Hugh Jackman is over 6 ft tall.  In the comic books Logan is supposed to be no bigger than 5’7.  This is really my only beef with Jackman as playing the man who is best there is at what he does, and what he does isn’t very nice.

For six X-Men movies Jackman has played this character, and regardless of how I felt about each one, I was always impressed with Jackman as Wolverine.  He brings the rage, the depth, the vulnerability, the loneliness, and heroism, to this character like I always dreamed he would be in real life.  I can read a comic with Wolverine in it and picture Jackman delivering those lines and making it seem real. Although I can only hope that X-Men: Days of Future Past will be as good as the trailer makes it seems I have no doubt Jackman as Wolverine will be great no matter what.  I’m also hearing rumors of a 3^rd Wolverine solo film.  Give me a Fastball Special on that one!

MY FAVORITE LINE:

Wolverine: You picked the wrong house bub.

2) Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man

RDJ is quoted in saying that Iron Man saved his life.  Downey has had a roller-coaster-career. He's had  problems with drugs and alcohol that landed him in rehab and jail several times.  When I heard RDJ was cast as Tony Stark I thought, “a recovering, alcoholic, actor playing an alcoholic, narcissistic, superhero.  Perfect!” 

I’m not a big Iron Man fan but even I knew Donwey was made for this role.  After everything he went through in his life it helped him understand this character and bring him to life with such fullness no one could have matched.  RDJ has made this character more likable and bankable than any of the other Marvel Studio characters, and jump-started the whole Marvel cinematic universe.  Can you believe at one point Tom Cruise was considered to play Tony Stark?  Man, that would have been horrible!
MY FAVORITE LINE:
Tony Stark: They say the best weapon is the one you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once. That's how Dad did it, that's who America does it, and it's worked out pretty well so far.
Iron Man: 

1)Christopher Reeves as Clark Kent/Superman

Like you didn’t see this coming!  Most people who have an actual valued opinion on this subject matter grew up with Christopher Reeves as their Superman.  I wasn’t even born yet when Superman: The Movie was released but even I know the importance of the film and, Reeves iconic role, in the history of film and superhero/comic book genre.  He made us believe a man could fly.  He made us all believe that some one could be that good, and genuine, and honorable. Which is kind of the who point of Superman.

I have enjoyed other portrayals of the Man of Steel since Reeve hung up his cape.  Dean Cain turned him into the “every man” while I think Henry Cavill brought this character into a new age, even thought I have serious issues with Man of Steel, like so many issues that as a long-time Superman fan I can not bring myself to buy the blu-ray. 

Anyway, Reeves distinctly made sure that Clark Kent and Superman were two completely different people.  Every time I watch Superman: The Movie I still finish with thinking how awesome Reeves performance was.  He was the first actor to take a superhero seriously.  Without Reeves or this film the comic book and superhero genre in film would not have advanced so far to gives us Batman a decade later with Michael Keaton (who almost made my list) as a Dark Knight who was way more different than the last person to don the cowl; Adam West.  This is the movie I think all superhero films should aspire to be, and all who play comic book characters should aspire to this level of acting.

MY FAVORITE LINE:

Superman: General, would you care to step outside?