The Best “The” Movies

 Def Rec: How One Word Saved Hollywood Sequels

“What kind of monster are you?”

“The Wolverine!”

This is Def Rec, a blog about entertainment experiences you will definitely recommend. Movie minutia and television tidbits get ranked, rated, reviewed, and skewed, and in the end, you’ll know which one to Def Rec. I’m Jon McBrine. I’m an authority on popular entertainment and pop culture because I have access to the internet.

The thing about movies is the technique that drives all of the many wonders of the universe: the characters, the stories, and obviously the main thing, which is the titles, the names of the films, and of course the sequels and the ways the filmmakers and the performers and the entire entertainment industry gets us interested in the ideas in the first place. The trick, though, is the method in which the storytellers express the concepts and the execution of their theories: the key to the success of the project—the word “the.”

Countless movies begin with “the,” but it’s really when a sequel or soft reboot incorporates the word is when things get real. Adding “the” to a franchise title when it previously wasn’t there adds some gravitas, some seriousness, and a sense that this new flick is going to be different. If you know me, you know that, yes, I much prefer a simple numeral to denote a sequel’s placement in its series. But sometimes a new entry into a saga isn’t a straight-up continuation. Some movie sequels fall into an odd space where sure, it’s a part two, but it’s also a tonal shift. Most of the time, though, it’s really just a way to sound cool. I’ll break down the top three movies that put the word “the” in the spotlight, and then I’ll reveal which is the number one pick I recommend.

Before we take a deep dive into my top three “the” movies, let’s acknowledge a few gems: The Predator from 2018, The Final Destination from 2009, 2023’s sequel to Captain Marvel, The Marvels, and while it’s not a sequel, 2022’s The Batman probably makes the most sense since he’s been called that since pretty much day one. There have been some franchises that switch it up and go from something like 2001’s The Fast and the Furious to 2009’s Fast & Furious. Or back in 1984, there was The Terminator, which of course was followed by 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. We all know the real greatest of all time “the” movie is The Boss Baby (2017), but it wouldn’t be fair to compare anything else to that, so no Justin Timberlake from The Social Network (2010), we most certainly will not be dropping the “the.”

Number one: The Dark Knight (2008). Over the years, Hollywood has gotten creative with how they frame a year one, an origin story, or reimagining. Sometimes a movie is more of a spin-off or a sequel that is more of its own thing. These cinematic masterpieces will sometimes get a funky subtitle like Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997) or Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). In 2005, there was a new Batman descending onto the silver screen, and the studio needed a way to inform audiences that this was a tale about Bruce Wayne’s beginning. So if Batman returned in 1992, then this time they would show how he begins. Alliteration to the rescue! The movie was named Batman Begins. A year later, Superman would then return, so perhaps by 2008, director Chris Nolan figured it was time to do away with present-tense verbs. He also went even further by dropping Batman from the title altogether—a risky move that paid off, since it’s not like anyone was confused as to whether or not this Christian Bale-starring blockbuster was going to feature Batman. The at-the-time novel approach to naming this also popularized a movie title trend that is still going to this day. Heath Ledger’s performance as an even more twisted take on the Joker helped catapult The Dark Knight into the money-making stratosphere, earning a batload of money. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, and Michael Caine rounded out the impressive cast that took Batman even deeper into serious grown-up movie stuff territory. The decidedly decreased levels of camp and slightly more realistic approach to Gotham City immortalized this middle entry of the Nolan trilogy as not only a sequel that many view as superior to the original film, but also an all-time classic. My personal thoughts are that yeah, I mean, there’s no denying its success, and I sure liked the heck out of it when it first came out, but my enthusiasm has deflated as the years go by. I like a little silliness with bright costumes no one would ever wear in real life. Still, The Dark Knight‘s legacy is not only being many fans’ favorite version of the world’s greatest detective, but also did wonders for the word “the.”

Reason to Rec: Both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises (2012) set the standard for many fans. If you’re like me, it’s been a long time since you’ve actually watched them, so if you’re wanting a refresher on Nolan’s notion of Batman, carve out some time in your cave for a viewing retrospective.

Number two: The Wolverine (2013). A year after The Dark Knight redefined sequel titling, Hugh Jackman starred in his first solo outing as the mutant Logan in X-Men Origins: Wolverine—woof, what a name. The X movies had been on a non-stop ride since the first one was released in 2000, and by 2009, the apparent agenda was to produce solo flicks featuring other members of the mutant catalog of characters. While this showcase concept didn’t pan out like the studio executives may have foreseen, the Canucklehead was going to get another chapter in his cinematic saga no matter what. In 2013, The Wolverine slashed its way into theaters, coincidentally a year after The Dark Knight Rises was released. The present-tense verb found its way back—no more goofy subtitle for this franchise. Logan’s tale of his time in Japan sported a way more mature and straightforward “the.” Wolvie would later take further inspiration from Batman and forego the use of any code name whatsoever in 2017’s Logan. Simply using a character’s name in this way is not unlike 2008’s Rambo or 2006’s Rocky Balboa, or Oscar (1991) if we’re just naming Stallone movies. By giving the movie the quick and dirty name The Wolverine, it implied a sense of distance from any notion of some childish Saturday morning cartoon fare. I’m not saying the filmmakers were successful in creating a more adult-leaning style and tone, but the message was at least clear. Maybe I’m not as big of a nerd as I thought I was, but I don’t recall him being referred to as “the Wolverine” a lot in the comics, but regardless, James Howlett got the “the” treatment, and Hugh Jackman has appeared on screen as the best there is at what he does through 2024 and presumably beyond, so “the” seems to be a smart word to tack on to your sequel.

Number three: The Suicide Squad (2021). Not just any Suicide Squad—this is The Suicide Squad. DC Comics live-action movies have been in a bizarre place for years in their attempts to make their Pepsi version of graphic novels outperform Marvel’s Coke. I myself am a way bigger fan of DC Comic Books than Marvel’s brand of funny books, but despite both companies’ rocky roads in the movie-verse, the House of Ideas routinely comes out on top in cinemas over DC. This doesn’t stop Warner Brothers and every other suit-and-tie big egghead executive, and in the middle of their DC Extended Universe or DCEU initiative, a Suicide Squad movie was set loose on audiences everywhere. Directed by David Ayer, this 2016 feature put Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, and Jared Leto taking a shot at portraying the Joker in a story all about the bad guys. Viola Davis played Amanda Waller, the big cheese of ARGUS, a clandestine organization that implants explosive devices in the heads of super-crooks. The whole brain bomb thing incentivizes the expendable supervillains to go on dangerous missions. The movie was a bit of a mess, but a cameo appearance from Ben Affleck’s Batman contributed to Task Force X earning a sequel. With director James Gunn poached from making Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbusters, a new film was set to release in 2021. Despite a few familiar faces returning, namely Robbie as Quinn and Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, this was an intentional departure in style and tone. With a new flavor comes a distinguishable title. Is this part two? Yeah, but watching the first one wasn’t exactly required. The cast consisted mainly of newcomers to the franchise, like Idris Elba as Bloodsport and John Cena as Peacemaker. It was evident that calling it Suicide Squad 2 wouldn’t have properly represented the film’s new vision. How the heck do you properly convey the idea of a sequel basically existing in the same universe as the first movie, but branching off into a whole new direction—a new cinematic path that included Sylvester Stallone providing the voice of a humanoid shark person? This is when you recruit the trusted word that always works.

Reason to Rec: The Suicide Squad did what its predecessor failed to achieve, and that is to make a fun flick you won’t regret having sat through.

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Of this trio of films, if I had to choose just one to watch, then I say The Suicide Squad because of the fun factor. Also, the sequel kind of serves as an admission by the studio that the first Suicide Squad made audiences wish they too had an explosive device in their heads. The hiring of director James Gunn also basically was DC’s way of saying that what they’d been doing up until that point simply wasn’t working. DC ultimately threw up their hands and said, “The heck with it, let’s just be Marvel Lite,” and it worked, mainly. What do you think?

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Unable to hide his flying abilities, a shy high school student’s plan to hide in plain sight as just another superhero backfires after an attack leaves him as the only hope to stop a diabolical villain.

Recruited by tech mogul Baron Maddox, Eric Boxworth becomes Eric Icarus, a maskless member of the Super Society, tech-based defenders of New St. Cloud City. Eric’s miraculous, natural flight power is disguised by a decoy anti-gravity backpack to avoid getting dissected in a lab. Eric and his bubbly, good-natured classmate Jaycee - the armored hero Powerhouse - must stop a madman from creating an empire built on stolen powers. Fans of young superheroes, found family tropes, and high-stakes action will love this YA sci-fi adventure series.

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