If I were a Superhero…

It is very fortunate for Marvel that superheroes are now (apparently) cool.  Now, I would not consider myself to be a particularly big fan of this genre, but I’ve actually seen the most superhero movies out of all my family members.

First, there was Spiderman.

Or at least the first fifteen minutes. Brie and I got coupons for the IMAX at the Minnesota Zoo and decided we might as well go. Unfortunately, we went in July. Even though it wasn’t particularly hot, we were left in the dark after a loud pop. Apparently, the the movie projector had overheated. Fortunately, we got a refund.

I ended up finishing the movie in November at a friend’s surprise birthday party. I liked it, but had a hard time taking it seriously. Spiderman does spend most of the movie in patriotic spandex. It didn’t help either, that one of the other girls was in love with Andrew Garfield, who (at least in this movie) has the exact same hair as my brother.

Next, came Thor.

We got this movie from Redbox. It was good, but I was more excited to show my family Inception, which I had purchased a few days before. After we had seen both movies, I asked my dad what he thought. A quick fact about my dad: he is of the opinion that amusement is aptly named. When broken down into the Greek, you get a and muse, which literally means “to not think.” The word amusement, however, does not come from ancient Greek. Rather, it originates from the Old French word amuser, which means “entertain” or “deceive.” But my dad prefers to look to the Greeks, and because of this I thought he would be a big fan of Inception. Nope. When I asked him what he thought, his immediate reaction was “I liked Thor better.” I guess we’re all full of surprised. I, myself, would choose Inception any day, but that has a lot to do with the fact that I love pretty much everything but Christopher Nolan, which bring me to my next superhero movie.

Batman Begins.

I’ve seen this movie twice and loved it both times. I like the music. I like the plot. I like the acting. I liked that Christian Bale can pull off wearing tights and a helmet with ears. I think it helps that it’s all in black.

If there were a contest on the superhero movie I’ve seen the most, though, the grand prize would have to go to Captain America.

This was one of the movies the hospital had on queue, so I had the most access to it. I watched it by myself. I watched it with Chris. I watched it with Chris, my mom, and my dad. Later that summer, I watched it again with my sister. Fortunately, I at least like it, primarily because it takes place during WWII, a time period that I have been rather obsessed with since junior high.

Captain America also starred in The Avengers, which I have to say is probably my least favorite.

Yes, Tom Hiddleston is awesome. Yes, Robert Downey Jr. is funny. But, my reaction to watching this still goes something along the lines of “meh.”

That saves the best for last.

The Dark Knight                                                               

             And The Dark Knight Rises.

                                                                  

The Joker is probably one of the best villains I have ever seen, mostly because he is terribly unpredictable, but he’s only in one of the movies. I think the reason why I like this superhero is because I can relate to him. It helps that we have the same Meyers-Briggs personality type:

I think it mostly has to do with the whole theme of people’s pasts. Granted, my parents weren’t shot in front of me, but I understand the internal struggle that comes from facing a traumatic situation. It’s really, really hard to not define yourself by what has happened to you. I’m not saying that the past has no influence over the present; it just doesn’t have to become the domineering power. When something bad happens, I don’t have to follow Harvey Dent and turn evil from bitterness. Bad memories are like fire. If you keep them inside you, you’ll get burned. But they can also be the fuel for change.