Top 10 heroes in all cinema!

So, for some time, a fellow movie geek and friend of mine have argued over the best villains. Well, we settled that in a previous post, and I won, so, now its time for the other side of the coin. I think you'll find our lists a bit different, and it all goes back to what you definition of a hero is. For some, it's the guy with the cape and tights, for some, it's someone who whoops up on everyone else with serious style, and for me, it's one who sets the best example; who shows the best parts of mankind in not only heroism, but bravery, selflessness, love, and honesty; someone who is unfaltering in those characteristics. With that being said, I will link to my friends blog, please check them both out and see what you think... and now, on to the show....oh, and please turn of your cell phones, silence is golden....you know the drill.....

"We need a hero. Courageous, self-sacrificing people. Setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them how to hold on a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams."

Aunt May had it right, heroes are the main reason a film is made. The journey the hero has to go on, and the struggle the hero has, is the reason for the movie and is the key ingredient in the story.

So, why is it I had such a hard time thinking of a great, note-worthy hero. I started thinking about some of my favorite movies, and they just didn’t seem to fit what I thought a great hero was. Here is what AFI has as their definition of a hero:

For voting purposes, a "hero" was defined as a character(s) who prevails in extreme circumstances and dramatizes a sense of morality, courage and purpose. Though they may be ambiguous or flawed, they often sacrifice themselves to show humanity at its best.

So, given that definition, looking back at heroes, it was tough to think of quite a few prime examples. For example, I didn’t think Luke was a great hero, for reasons I’ve already talked about, I also don’t think Han Solo should be on the list because he is what is referred to as an anti-hero; often more fun, especially in today’s society, with all their flaws, but ultimately, not what I am looking for on this list (Han, did shoot first, after all).

So, here is what I came up with, let me know what you think, and if I left off a good one.

10) V - V for Vendetta - This one I struggled with. At first, it can be argued his motivations were purely vengeance, which is hardly the qualities of a hero. However, as part of the amazing journey of this character, his motivations shift to saving a human, and then, its more about saving everyone from the government that holds them captive. Every list has to have a controversial entry, and here’s mine…fire away!

9) Superman - Superman- The true, blue boyscout. I just recently did an article about how this guy is dead, but that doesn’t make him any less a hero. This guy is flawless, in every sense of the word, which is why he is so low on the list, there is really, very little he is sacrificing by going out and battling evil, I mean, it’s not like they can kill him. That doesn’t stop the act from being noble, however, and that earns him a spot on the list.

8) James Bond - There is no one that that is consistently cool, suave and sophisticated while saving the world from crazy villains and world conquering companies. He has his flawes, in his drinking and womanizing habit, but when the world is about to end, there is no one else you wanna count on to bring the world back from the brink.

7) Rick Blaine - Casablanca - This one was tough for me. He is by far, one of my favorite heroes, but I kept going back and forth on whether he was an anti-hero, or a hero. I came to the conclusion that he started off as a hero, got dumped by a crazy woman (haven’t we all been there) and became a hero at the end, again. Rick was willing to sacrifice everything, including his life for what everyone thought would be love; but at the end, you find out, its more than love…he sacrifices even his love for what is right. If that isn’t a hero, I don’t know what is.

6) Batman - The Dark Knight - This is another one I questioned, but ultimately decided was worth a turn on the all time greats list. Originally, Batman’s motivations were strictly revenge. However, there is a moment where his motivations change from just getting his parents killer to saving a town from crime, and ultimately, itself. Batman differs from some, because there is no superpower, there is just determination, and some really cool toys; and that’s the main reason he deserves to be on the list.

5) John McClane - Die Hard - If I had thought John McClane was simply doing his duty, he would never be on this list, but duty stopped before this guy got on the plane; that’s why John McClane is on this list, he willingly goes after the badguy to save everyone, including Lewis from Hans.

4) Spiderman - Spiderman 2 - With a motto like “with great power, comes great responsibility,” how could I not include him? Spiderman is the perfect hero; self-sacrificing, noble, willing to give up everything he is for people who don’t like him. The best part is, at the end of the day, he’s just a normal guy, trying to make it in this world.

3) Harry Potter - Harry and the one-eyed snake - Harry is another perfect hero. He is noble, brave, honest, and is everything a hero should be. On top of that, he is thrown into a wondrous world he is unaware of and is instantly charged with stopping evil from getting into that world, even when people don't believe him...after all, he is just a kid.

2) Thomas “Neo” Anderson - The Matrix - Neo is the one, the one true savior of mankind, and truly the best part of mankind. Neo is willing to do whatever it takes to rescue everyone, he is often in a world that truly is out to get him, but he is always more focused on what is good and right, no matter the cost. I mean, the story is an adaptation of biblical references, how much more of a hero can you get, than the savior of all mankind, a modern-day Jesus Christ?

1) WALL-E - Wall-E - A little robot, originally programmed to collect garbage for a trashed Earth, WALL-E came way beyond that programming. He became more human than the humans that were left and not only showed everyone how to be a human, but he saved the population and the Earth…I mean, who else saves the planet and the population? That and he found love with a robot named Eve, of which he was willing to sacrifice it all.

Here is my friends blog, with a very different list. http://impoetry.livejournal.com/145647.html

Nice work! I like some of your choices...now, the battle has begun!

Is Superman dead? Are we responsible?

Superman is dead, and we killed him.

I read that title the other day, and I don’t have a link, so if anyone has it, I will post it here. The title got me thinking, and the article was even more interesting. The idea goes like this; Superman, the big, blue Boy Scout that stands for truth, justice and the American way can never be appreciated anymore. The world needs imperfection, it needs its dark place, and Batman, with all his flaws, his mortality and scarred psyche is a better fit with today’s America, leaving Superman out in the cold.

There is some interesting support to this hypothesis, and that is the same support for any argument in the movie business, the Benjamins. Superman comics have seen a considerable downturn from the days of yore, along with Marvels alternative, Captain America seeing the death of that character sometime ago. Also, the article credits the poor box office showing of Superman Returns to this hypothesis. Meanwhile, characters like Wolverine and Batman have both seen their renaissance and have shown massive popularity with their movies and comic sales soaring. Reports on the third Batman run rampant, and the second Wolverine movie, despite poor critical reviews is in pre-production already, so there maybe something to this.

Let me address the movie, Superman Returns, a movie that had many flaws. I agree the Superman in that movie has clearly lost his edge, I mean he was nearly killed by a mortal Lex Luthor and his thugs. The movie was panned for showing a lack of creativity and looking like a Richard Donnor remake. The other main critique in the movie was the lack of action, replaced by an increase in stalker-ness (not a word?). Execs seem to think the new Superman needs to be darker, like the Dark Knight, which set all kinds of records at the box office.

The problem here, in my opinion was three-fold. First off, the script was absolutely terrible, with the story being poorly thought out and kinda silly. The second was the direction; a lack of action and a very whiney Superman makes for a boring film. Thirdly, Superman had a very un-original villain in Lex Luthor. While Kevin Spacey played a great Luthor, we have seen him as a lead villain in nearly all Superman movies, and in this movie, his scheme was less than brilliant, I mean, he wanted real estate! I think, without a worthy challenge, Superman can never show his true worth. Dark Knight on the other hand, had two amazing villains in the infamous Joker, and an incredible two-face; while the movie excelled at not making a whiney Batman and focusing more on a bad-ass Batman, and showed it with the amazing amount of action.

Now, with the reason why the movie tanked being more about execution, and less about American values, the core idea is still valid, in my opinion. I do believe the days of the blue Boy Scout become increasingly numbered. Smallville is still going after 8 seasons, but mainly because of the flaws of Clark Kent and the ability to bring forth some great bad guys. I do believe society enjoys the flaws of the hero more than the strengths. As Willem Defoe’s Green Goblin said “the one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying” and while that isn’t always true, I do agree we like to see our hero’s fight through adversity and overcome their inner demons. What kind of inner demons and obstacles can a superman really have? If there are any, we haven’t seen them yet in movie form.

So, either Superman gets a raspy voice, a scarred psyche and a really great villain, or we can say goodbye to a hero that was an icon, and has now fallen to something left for tales from the days of yore.