So, some say that 2013 was a terrible year for CBM’s; I respectfully disagree. Whilst (I love that word) it was not the greatest year ever, it was certainly far from terrible. So I decided, while the year is still 2k13, to rank the CBM’s of this year category to category, and then add them up.
Overall Plot
This was a toss-up, but I’m going to have to go with The Wolverine for this one. I felt like it had the most original and unique plot. The runner-up being Iron Man 3.
Villain
While I enjoyed both Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 3, they both were missing in the villain department. Thor had the one-dimensional villain Malekith; and you guys know about Iron Man 3. And the third act derails the the villain in The Wolverine for me, so the clear winner here is Zod/Faora of Man of Steel.
Score
To start off, The Wolverine’s score just didn’t stick with me. I honestly can’t remember it. The Thor and Iron Man scores are amazing, but Hans Zimmer’s score for Man of Steel was the only one I actually went out and bought, so I’m going with that.
Character Development
I thought Man of Steel had a great character arc for Clark, but this category is more for all of the characters; so I’m going to have to go with Iron Man 3 for this one. It had a really nice arc for Tony and Pepper, but I felt I knew all of the characters better after I saw this. If that makes any sense…
Costume Design
I had a really hard time picking between Man of Steel and Thor here. So much so, that I couldn’t choose between the two. They both made you feel like you were really in another civilization.
Script
I really enjoy Man of Steel, but I feel the one element it’s missing is solid dialogue. But, don’t get me wrong, that’s not what annoyed me about it: It was that sometimes it was great (some of General Zod’s lines are boss), and sometimes it’s awful (“What if I have to tinkle?” Really? REALLY?). So, for me, this one goes to Iron Man 3, mostly for the banter between Tony and Rhodey/Pepper/Happy, that help define the character.
Cinematography
This one goes to Thor, hands down. What with the weird slant angles in his fist movie and the TV-style cinematography in Avengers, it was awesome seeing Thor in beautiful cinematography. And, overall, it’s a really pretty movie.
Climax
Best climax goes to Iron Man. It was truly awesome seeing all the armors attack at once, and even though it goes downhill (Pepper killing Aldrich instead of Tony), there’s no denying how awesome the final fight was. Runner-up is Man of Steel, but the action went on for too long.
CGI
All of the year’s CBM’s had more than impressive CG, but I think my pick is gonna have to go to Man of Steel. The CG is utterly mindblowing in this movie, but what makes it sell is that it doesn’t over-depend on it, a common trap for movies to fall into sometimes (*cough* George Lucas *cough*) Funny that it’s not nominated for an Oscar and Lone Ranger is…
Acting
Again, all of the year’s CBM’s excel in this area, too, but, again, I’m going with Man of Steel, as it has great performers all across the board, and come on. Henry Cavill IS Superman.
And the winner is…
Man of Steel! Remember this is a completely unbiased editorial (my favorite CBM of the year was Thor), and if there’s a category you think I missed, I’ll pop that sucker in. Until next time, I’m EpitomeofAwesome.