The impossible and certain-death finally got a big “But what if … ” after Christopher Reeve saved Margot Kidder from becoming a strawberry pancake, not to mention a falling helicopter that would have put the exclamation point on the life of Lois Lane. I’m not sure there was ever a superhero moment quite this crowd-pleasing until Richard Donner’s film. This movie is almost 30 years old and this part always brings a smile to my face.
“You got me? … Who’s got you?”
It’s Superman’s defining moment with Metropolis. His first true-blue introduction. It’s a doozy. Wanna re-live it? Do it below.
Unbreakable is a favorite of mine and this isn’t a superhero scene that will knock many socks off but in my mind it is one of the best superhero moments in cinema. It, like many of the moments on this list, is about a hero realizing his potential. Everything you need to know about this movie takes place early when you first see Samuel L. Jackson. He’s talking about a work of art; a sketch of a hero and a villain. The detail is extraordinary for a comic-book drawing. It’s the myth at the earliest, most pure form before it hits the presses and jazzed up with pigmented color and dumbed-down details, minutia drowned by mass marketing.
Unbreakable is, of course, the good vs. evil comic book tale toned down without so much of the jazz. And this fight scene – the moment when Bruce Willis’s character becomes more than someone with great ability, but now someone who decides to lead a life of helping others – is just as toned-down and realistic and jazz-lite. There are no drop kicks, martial art moves, flying charges or lasers shot from eyes. Instead, we have one slightly extraordinary guy putting another guy in a sleeper-hold, all the while withstanding incredible amounts of damage as he squeezes the life out of an evil being. And we can’t forget that moment he is rescued from the pool by those kids, his raincoat (cape), lightly swaying in the windy rain. You can either roll your eyes at what M. Knight has been cooking up for you or you can enjoy one of the more original journeys you’re likely to see in film or comics.
Gotta be honest with you, I struggled with these last three. They kept changing like a game of musical chairs. I saw The Matrix about six times the year it came out and this scene is a very big reason why. And yes, I consider this a superhero film. A science fiction film? Yes. But in its own way, a superhero film.
I could easily have slotted this at number one just for the moment where Neo opens up his palm, thereby giving Smith a gagging choke. The action on display here is alive, more kinetic and fantastic as anything we’d ever seen at the time. This is once again a sequence about Neo coming to believe in himself and poor Agent Smith had to be there when it happened. Neo didn’t reach his full potential yet (more on that later), but this was the moment where he said, “I think I can take this guy”. A couple of minutes later, he would and two movies later, he would for a final time.
The Matrix Revolutions isn’t a perfect film, but it has some great moments. And if you’re wondering why I didn’t include the battle with the sentinels it’s because that was real-world action, not superhero action. However, if you’re wondering why I haven’t included the Burly Brawl, it’s a good question. It basically comes down to equal opportunity and I believe two Neo versus Agent Smiths is quite enough.
Why is this #2? On a purely aesthetic level, it’s the best superhero fight you or I have ever seen on film. It’s a visual beauty as these titans battle it out. Even Neo’s boots seem like those of a giant shaking the earth with every step. And those raindrops … has rain ever looked more badass on the big screen? This is a fight so big that when these two super-beings collide, the very physics of the world they inhabit come second to their power.
In other words, it – and Neo – kick serious ass.
The only reason it doesn’t take the top spot is the emotional levels are turned down here. This ends up becoming a battle of wills and minds … and eventually the loss of both.
