The Spidey 2 fight was great because it was a sort of tailor made sequence for the Spider-Man character, the obstacles and the situation and setting in general, but Raimi and Co. still had to be creative in how he handled all the variables. While I very much call BS on the way it ended (NO... Spidey is not a Thor/Superman type able to do that stop a train thing the way they showed it... That should have KILLED HIM.) It was still an impressive piece of film making.
I liked the way Magneto used his powers all through FIRST CLASS, but especially the way he used them in his first attempt as an adult to get at Shaw. That was good at both spectacle and character. You really felt for him, with all his power, having to give up the chase when Charles tells him that he would drown before he got to Shaw.
This is going to sound strange but a fave moment of mine is the way Bobby just chilled Logan's beer in X2. It's a small thing but I really like casual use of powers. Too often, for too long, CBMs present powers as something that require a switch to turn on and off and the truth to me is, that they are ALWAYS on, even when not manifested. So of course Bobby would use his ice powers in such a way.
I know it gets hate. I really could give a crap about your opinions though, true believers... I love the crane scene is TAS-M. LOVE IT. It's spectacular scene that takes advantage of the peculiar method of our hero to traverse the city. The way it's built up is a true hero's moment for me.
The granddaddy of the them all, SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE has all sorts of great moments but two stand out to me. One is the rescue of Lois from the falling causing Superman to reveal himself. The way that Reeve sells you that this guy has all things well in hand, and that he is having a blast while doing it (even messing with Lois with his lines, like his answer to who he is, and his advice on the safety of flying... That could come off as *****ey, but Reeve give's it this twinkle of good natured mischief.) is fist pumping great. The other is the blur of rescues after the missile hits the San Andreas fault. I mean, again here is a film where they came up with these great scenarios to showcase the hero's abilities. The runaway train, where Superman turns himself into a human train track (something like out of the comic at the time), the Golden Gate Bridge bus rescue, the holding up of the fault itself... all so well done given the limits of the era.
I don't care if it's not popular on these boards... MAN OF STEEL has some of the best Super Hero power moments of ANY CBM. Period. We have Superman's first flight, a beautiful moment that is not just a visually wonderful moment but it's tied into character. Here, paradoxically, we see that once Clark has found the answers to his alien heritage, been given the anscestral garb of his people, and embraced his immense power and unique position, that instead of this causing more of a rift between himself and the rest of the world, now, the world is open to him. His connection to the only planet he's ever known is now repaired/strengthened and that sequence of him joyfully traversing the planet as only Superman can illustrates all that without dialog. Then of course there are the two huge battles, and the fact that the Smallville one comes first gives it impact and mind blowing potency. It's a teaser for what's to come with the the Zod fight. Much like Superman II we see the toll a true super powered fight would take on a city, only much more raw and real. Here are two Titans in human form battling it out in the most exciting way. It feels like you are there.
Pixar's THE INCREDIBLES has a plethora of power moments, but the Dash super speed sequence is simply amazing. While I actually hope that a live action FLASH film will one up it, until then, it stands out as, so far, the best example of the concept of a "speedster" using his power.
Not a CBM per se, but the final fight of THE MATRIX against Smith is a great display of wire work style martial arts that is still thrilling to this day. The ease of Neo in handling Smith, once he "believes" is true hero's journey stuff but also, just a kickass action scene in general.
Though his "power" is his intellect, the assault on the terrorist stronghold in IRON MAN is a great "capabilities presentation" for the character. We get a good sense of what Tony can do once inside the armor. The stand out moment is the ease of taking out every armed thug in sight and then, when they take hostages to try and stop him, hello smart bullets! And of course... TANK MISSILE!
