5. Spider-Man (2002-2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qcJS_e2_hY After X-Men reignited the spark in 2000 for the cinematic viability of superheroes again after the disastrous crash and burn of 1997's Batman & Robin, it was Spider-Man who swung into theaters in 2002 to truly kick off a new wave of superheroes and comic book adaptations. In his wake, characters like Daredevil, the Hulk and the Fantastic Four all took turns trying to win over audiences. For the amount of Marvel superhero properties that swept into theaters following Spider-Man's lead, a number of which involved iconic, beloved characters getting shameful treatment, none of them managed to strike the same chord with audiences that Sam Raimi's first two films did. Although Spider-Man 3 and the issue of whether or not the trilogy as a whole has aged well continue to be on the table for a number of people, one of the lasting standouts is the theme provided by Danny Elfman. While some will inevitably argue that the theme was never memorable in the first place by virtue of their dislike of the films in general, it's hard to deny that, when watching the films when they first came out or even rewatching them at home in the years since, fans knew the theme. It was and is easy to get stuck in one's head upon hearing it and still stands as one of the only memorably consistent Marvel themes across multiple movies.
Geoff Cox
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Writer, film enthusiast, part-time gamer and watcher of (mostly) good television located on the fringe of Los Angeles, who now has his own website at www.highdefgeoff.com!
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