By David Fear
Special to MSN Movies

Masked men and women fighting to uphold truth, justice, etc. used to be the sole property of the funny pages, comic books and Saturday morning cartoons. But ever since a certain re-branded caped crusader reinvigorated summer blockbusters in the late '80s (thanks, Bruce Wayne), the superhero movie has become the go-to staple for studios looking to mine gold. Suddenly, any good guy with an exoskeleton suit, inhuman strength and/or a cult fan base was eligible for a three-picture deal. 

The time is ripe to take a look back at 10 good films devoted to larger-than-life champions. First, a few ground rules: Only one film per franchise, and the heroes in question had to either have superpowers (sorry, Indiana Jones) or technology that bordered on the unbelievably fantastic (Batman, yes; James Bond, not quite). With that said, sit back and enjoy the best of the "Biff! Bam! Ka-Pow!" bunch.

10. "The Rocketeer" (1991)
Director Joe Johnston's ode to old-fashioned derring-do is just as indebted to the serials of the 1930s as it is to Dave Stevens' graphic novel -- itself an update of the superhero tales from comic books' Golden Age. When dashing Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell) straps on a kooky inventor's jetpack and dons a Commander Cody-esque helmet, the test pilot is transformed into an Art deco defender of good. Sure, he looks "like a hood ornament," according to one character, but that doesn't stop the Mafia, the Feds or the Nazis from trying to steal this nifty gizmo. The tête-à-tête atop a zeppelin with dastardly villain Timothy Dalton is a highlight.

9. "Spy Kids" (2001)
Robert Rodriguez's pint-sized secret agents may share the same employment as 007 (though no licenses to kill until you turn 21, youngsters), but the movie itself resembles a typical superhero story way more than a spy thriller. And once our preteen heroes arrive at the lair of evil mastermind Fegan Floop, you can really spot the genre's DNA in the android henchmen made entirely of oversized thumbs. Rodriguez made two sequels and later tried to graft the same elements onto a more traditional superhero film with "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl in 3-D" (2005). This first try remains his best.

8. "Hellboy" (2004)
Odds were against Mike Mignola's Dark Horse Comics series -- about a cigar-chomping demon working for the American government's supernatural defense bureau (no, not the NSA) -- surviving the translation to the screen. But most fans agree that Ron Perlman's performance as the crimson rapscallion with a penchant for one-liners and a torch for his comely co-worker Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) is spot-on. Plus, the thing moves like a dervish during the action scenes, especially when the big red one battles a subterranean beastie in the subway tunnels. It's damned near heavenly.

7. "Inframan" (1976)
When the nefarious Dragon Mom (!) dispatches her otherworldly goons to destroy Earth, only one thing stands between us and Armageddon: the mighty Inframan, a superhero with an insect-like helmet, a love of back-flipping and the ability to grow 20 times his normal size. Loosely based on the '60s Japanese series "Ultraman," this infectiously fun Shaw Brothers' import features some of the goofiest battles between a gymnast and guy-in-a-rubber-suit monsters ever made. But don't be surprised if you find yourself trying to imitate Inframan's devastating "thunderball fist" maneuver. Oh, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers? You guys had better be paying the makers of this gem some serious royalties.

6. "Darkman" (1990)
Scientist Liam Neeson is developing a sun-sensitive synthetic skin for surgery patients, until some bad guys blow up his lab. Done up like Claude Rains in "The Invisible Man," he becomes the nocturnal avenger Darkman and sets out to right the wrongs of his fair city. When it was released a year after Tim Burton's revisionist take on "Batman," critics dismissed Sam Raimi's expressionistic genre entry as a mere clone. But the sheer imagination and verve here renders the inevitable comparisons moot, and pre-"Spider-Man" Raimi's chops (the form cut that takes Frances McDormand from a burning building to a cemetery is simply amazing) turn the pulpy story into something stylish and undeniably fun.

5. "Superman II" (1980)
While Richard Donner's first "Superman" film is, to quote MSN Movies' Kim Morgan, "a solid piece of Americana," it is Richard Lester's follow-up that captures the comic's spirit best. With the Man of Steel's origin story out of the way, Lester could concentrate on both personal conflicts -- should Christopher Reeve's Superman give up his powers so he can settle down with Margot Kidder's Lois Lane? -- and spectacular fight scenes, with evil General Zod (Terence Stamp) and his partners in crime. Action, thrills, romance and Metropolis' #1 hero doing what he does best ... It's one of the rare sequels that easily leaps over the original in a single bound.

4. "The Incredibles" (2004)
Brad Bird's animated feature about a family of superheroes living in Suburbia, USA, isn't only the best Pixar film that doesn't feature a toy cowboy; it's also a textbook example of how to simultaneously mock the whole concept of do-gooders running around and still deliver the goods.

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