1. Darkman
Sam Raimi's Darkman is a superhero film that few people remember, especially since Raimi hit the jackpot in 2002 with Spider-Man, one of the films responsible for the superhero craze of the 2000's. But I've always been a supporter for Darkman, because it's done so much better and is more emotionally intense than most superhero films. One of the reasons the film works so well is that it's a very well-told origin story. We follow Dr. Payton Westlake (Liam Neeson) as a scientist working on synthetic skin, who has his lab destroyed and himself left for dead. He survives, though severely scarred mentally and physically, and vows revenge on the gang that made him that way. He uses his intellect to create realistic masks of the gangsters to infiltrate them and eventually take them down. The main reason why the movie is successful is that Westlake is seen as a tragic character. Neeson deserved an Oscar nom for his performance, as he really makes us feel for him. It's especially sad when he comes to realize that he can no longer be with his girlfriend Julie (Frances McDormand) because of the monstrosity he has become. Sam Raimi's kinetic and manic visual style, with all the zooms and dutch angles and camera moves he's famous for, adds to the mayhem of the film. But he also proved that he can helm a big-budget superhero film, and infuse it with more character than we'd expect from them. Truly a classic superhero film, and needs to be rediscovered and appreciated.