Favourite male movie costumes to inspire your Halloween look...

In the past five years I really have seen a wide spectrum of costume exhibits from the big and small screen, here are some of my all time favourites from the eclectic worlds of fantasy, fairytale, sci-fi and comic books. Hopefully one of these ten supercool outfits from my archives will help guys choose their Halloween look, or at the very least inspire you, for this year's festivities.

Enchanted's Prince Edward

One of my favourite outfits on display at the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives at The Reagan Library in Simi Valley last July was this comedic take on the classic fairytale 'Prince Charming' look, worn by James Marsden as the prancing 'Prince Edward' in 2007's Enchanted.

I love the rich purple colour, overblown shoulders and embroidered family crest of this tongue-in-cheek regal costume designed by Mona May.

Nite Owl II

At the beginning of March 2009 I had the pleasure of seeing most of the principal character costumes from Zack Snyder's Watchmen movie adaptation on display in all their glory (and not hidden behind any reflective cases) at ArcLight Hollywood and Sherman Oaks cinemas.

In addition to the sexy Silk Spectre II outfit, I really loved this Nite Owl II costume the most, which is worn in the movie by Patrick Wilson. The whole ensemble is obviously an homage to Batman, although being coppery brown you can see the detail on this superhero costume much more than on the black bat-suits.

If you like this costume, be sure to also check out Ozymandius, Rorschach and The Comedian's movie costumes from Watchmen designed by Michael Wilkinson.

Batman

Speaking of the Caped Crusader, even though I'm a confirmed Marvel Comics not DC Comics fan, how could I not be excited seeing Christian Bale's Batman costume from The Dark Knight Rises up close at ArcLight Hollywood last July.

I can't help but think that the bat-suit looks really heavy, so it's amazing that the actors can move around in these bulky costumes, let alone film whole action sequences in them.

Superman

Another iconic DC Comics costume, the Superman suit worn by Brandon Routh in 2006's Superman Returns, was on display at the London Film Museum in May 2012.

I much prefer this update on the classic red, yellow and red caped costume than the recent darker version costume that Henry Cavill wore as Superman in Man of Steel. I think it's because of my belief that superheroes should be allowed to wear their underwear over their tights, it's how they were conceived and drawn for decades and I'm totally able to suspend my disbelief about the impracticality of it, because to me it signifies an iconic superhero design.

Dastan Prince of Persia

Thinking of heroes of another kind and in 2010 Jake Gyllenhaal starred as 'Dastan', the Prince of Persia in Disney's cinematic adaptation of the successful sand and sandals adventure video game franchise. Even though the movie didn't perform that well at the box office I still loved his armoured-leather costume (although it helps if you have the muscular body to fill it), which I saw displayed in multiple locations, including the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.

If you're a fan of the character, be sure to check out even more costumes and props from Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, including cool 'Tamina' and 'Nazim' costumes.

Zorro

Another costume I really enjoyed seeing in person was this simple, yet classic, Zorro outfit worn by Guy Williams in the 1950's TV series (I remember watching re-runs of the mainly black and white show when I was growing up).

I saw this Chuck Keehne designed costume on display at the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit at the D23 Expo 2011 in Anaheim, California.

Narnia's Peter Pevensie

Another costume which looked great up close was this classic medieval knight battle armour worn by William Moseley as 'Peter Pevensie' in the second cinematic installment of The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian from 2008.

If you like this outfit and weapon props, you really check out these other costumes and battle armours from Prince Caspian designed by Isis Mussenden on display at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida in September 2010.

Tron

Probably one of the best displayed collection of costumes, were these original outfits from Disney's classic 1982 sci-fi film, Tron. The blacklight lighting used at the D23 Expo 2011 was a great way to showcase the futuristic designs by Elois Jenssen and Rosanna Norton, including this actual 'Tron' costume worn by Bruce Boxleitner as the heroic computer program.

Mad Hatter

Speaking of Disney, it's no wonder that Colleen Atwood won the Oscar for Best Costume Design for Tim Burton's 2010 adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. Her eccentric designs for Johnny Depp's 'Mad Hatter' were especially spot on, right down to the sewing thread sash.

If you like this outfit, be sure to check out Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter battle costume where he sported a kilt, plus other fabulous original costumes from Alice in Wonderland.

Iron Man briefcase armour

And my final choice is Iron Man's Mark V briefcase armour that featured in Iron Man 2 when the armored Avenger is attacked by 'Whiplash' at the Monaco Grand Prix. It was initially digitally created for the Marvel sequel, but was recreated as a full-size replica by Legacy Effects and featured in the Hall of Armour set alongside Tony Stark's other suits of armour in Iron Man 3.

I know the set was first exhibited at San Diego Comic-Con, but I was lucky enough to see it later at Disneyland before the movie opened earlier this summer. I think I love this design so much as I've always wondered how Tony Stark could possibly keep a bulky high-tech suit of armour in a briefcase, but this special version really helped make it seem feasible.

If none of the outfits featured here are your cup of tea, maybe you should also take a look at these 10 Halloween costume ideas for men inspired by the film and TV exhibits I've seen in the last twelve months.

Happy hunting whether you hire, buy or make your own Halloween look, and be sure to come back soon for even more cool film costumes and props on display.