April 28th, 2008
1. Star Wars (1977)
Before its legacy was tarnished by slick digital alterations, maddening home-video re-release schemes, and three disappointing prequels, George Lucas' 1977 space opera brought an innocent wonder to Hollywood commercial cinema that hasn't been recaptured since. Sure, Lucas' tone-deaf dialogue and indifference to performance were all readily apparent even then, but his staging of a mythic battle between good and evil remains irresistible, a childlike fusion of influences ranging from Joseph Campbell to Akira Kurosawa. Arriving two summers after Jaws, Star Wars helped ensure the viability of the blockbuster model, but unlike most other summer entertainments that followed—even the good ones—it was enduring rather than disposable. It's the template for every big-budget space adventure to follow, but simultaneously a total anomaly: Will any movie released between the notorious cinematic-lowbrow months of May and August ever inspire this level of obsession again?
2. X2: X-Men United (2003)
The second installment of the wildly successful comic-book franchise, X2: X-Men United, could have easily wound up lost between X-Men and X3: The Last Stand. Instead, it's the apex of the trilogy, riding the momentum of the first film into bigger and better territory without succumbing to the overbearing bombast of the third. Credit Bryan Singer, who carefully wields his well-cast mutants as more than two-dimensional props in the film's explosive, highly choreographed setpieces. Instead, he indulges in quiet moments and sly banter that offer their own delights, rather than serving as mere stopgaps in the action. It's a careful balance that does good by the X-Men franchise's 45-year history, a quality notably absent from the Brett Ratner-helmed follow-up.
3. Con Air (1997)
Those quick to dismiss 1997's Con Air as just another stupid, Jerry Bruckheimer-produced action flick are missing a crucial element: Con Air is fucking hilarious, and by design, not by campy accident. A group of dangerous criminals is being transported (all together!) on a plane to a new prison, including masta killa John Malkovich, black militant Ving Rhames, serial killer Steve Buscemi (the "Marietta mangler"!), serial rapist Danny Trejo, and arsonist Dave Chappelle. Nicolas Cage is being paroled, and just catching a ride with the baddies when they break out. Things go hilariously crazy from there, ending with a plane crash on the Vegas strip. It's so self-consciously beyond ridiculous—like the scene in which Buscemi has tea with a little girl—that it's impossible to not enjoy, unless you're trying really hard.
4. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
The climax of a breathless three-part cat-and-mouse game, The Bourne Ultimatum manages to wrap up the convoluted journey of amnesiac, remorseful assassin Jason Bourne without tripping over labored exposition or a clunky conclusion. In one high-tension chase scene after another—kicked off by a nail-biting two-way hunt through London's Waterloo Station—Bourne consistently eludes his pursuers as he makes his way right into their territory. Paul Greengrass' propulsive handheld-camera style heightens the tension, rendering mundane events like making a phone call or walking down a crowded street into tightly wound, perilous sequences.
5. Spider-Man (2002)
Apart from the unexpectedly good first X-Men movie, there were few recent precedents for decent superhero adaptations when Sam Raimi's take on Spider-Man hit theaters in 2002. Thus it was all the more surprising that the film hit all the right notes, capturing Peter Parker's angst while blowing up his guilt-ridden battle against evil to movie size. Borrowing images from classic comics without seeming stuck in the past, the film and its first sequel helped assure that Spider-Man would stay relevant in the 21st century.
6. Batman Begins (2005)
In spite of Tim Burton's gothic-dark Batman and Batman Returns, the Batman name became synonymous with summer-movie excess, thanks to Joel Schumacher's campy Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Christopher Nolan's reboot changed all that, offering a vision of Batman as a troubled soul whose quest for justice in a superhero costume may not be so different from the doomsday masterminding of his enemies.
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