Released: 2004

What makes it great: Maybe the dirty little secret of superhero movies is that live-action will never be the ideal way to bring these characters to life. Or maybe Brad Bird's just a genius, something I would not want to bet against. Whatever the reason, "The Incredibles" manages to somehow fold the entire history of Marvel, DC, and James Bond movies into one film and make it look effortless. Part of what is so striking about the film is the way it takes the dynamics of any family and makes that into drama so rich that you really don't even need a supervillain in the mix. The film taps into the pure joy of being superpowered as well as the difficult burden it suggests, and it is brimming over with honest, earned emotion. Pixar's been fielding questions about a possible Marvel adaptation ever since Disney acquired the company, but when they've already done this, it almost feels redundant.

-Drew McWeeny