Okay, you’ve seen the worst, now find out what I think is the best. This list only includes “Superhero Comics,” so movies like A History of Violence, Road To Perdition, and American Splendor are exempt.

#5 Superman II

Superman II does things that would be mocked mercilessly if they were included in today’s comic book movies. There are cheesy jokes all over the place (any scene with Otis, or the part where the man is making a call on a pay phone, gets blown away, but stays on the phone). But it doesn’t matter. There’s a sheer joy present in Superman II that most movies today don’t dare attempt. And future on-screen comic romances can learn many a thing from Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder. Now, kneel before Zod..and Superman II!

#4. The Crow

The Crow is forever linked to Brandon Lee’s untimely death during filming, further adding to the mystique of this 1994 comic classic. Drenched in rain and shadows, The Crow is undoubtedly the darkest comic book movie out there, its central themes of loss and vengeance not quite as sunny as “With great power comes great responsibility.” I was captivated by the mystery of Brandon Lee, and his haunting performance is an oddly appropriate end to his short career. When it came out, this movie’s soundtrack was in constant rotation among my friends, with original tracks from Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, and The Cure. Plus, any time you can put Ernie Hudson to use, you’re doing something right.

#3. Batman Begins

When Christopher Nolan took on the task of pulling Bruce Wayne from the ashes of Batman & Robin, I had no choice but to be optimistic. 8 years after the worst comic book movie on the planet came out, there was nowhere to go but up. I just didn’t realize how high Nolan would raise the bar. The Batman of Batman Begins is vicious, brutal, and frightening — a true first for the on-screen Dark Knight. Everything about this movie works (okay, maybe not Katie Holmes), from the origin story and training with Liam Neeson to the practical creation of Batman’s gadgets. Nolan took the character seriously, transformed him from a campy cartoon to a brooding vigilante, and turned out one of the best comic book movies ever.

#2. X-Men 2

My top 2 comic book movies are in constant battle with each other, depending on my mood. But as of right now, X-Men 2, or X2, or X-Men 2: United, or whatever the hell you want to call it, stands as my number two favorite comic book movie. I wasn’t a huge fan of the original movie, mostly because telling the origin story of 10 different characters can get a little tedious. Freed from those obligations, X2 lets it rip with huge action setpieces, genuinely interesting character development, and an ultra-violent Wolverine. By the way, after X-Men 3 came out, and Wolverine was turned into a sniveling feline better suited for Spider-Man 3, Wolvie’s ferocity in X2 was magnified tenfold. X2 is a nearly perfect comic book movie, adding new characters to the fold while balancing the original cast’s stories with the right mix of action and emotion.

#1. Spider-Man 2

Looking at this list, you may think I am a sequel whore. The truth is, coming into comic book movies, I already know the origin story. The original Spider-Man left me wanting so much more. Sure, it was a good introduction to the character, but the confrontations with Green Goblin were essentially two guys in masks standing next to each other. No real drama there. But with Spider-Man 2, we were given a complex, sympathetic villain, a deeper sense of Spider-Man’s responsibilities, and NO Macho Man Randy Savage. The sequel also allowed Sam Raimi to flex his directing muscles, creating memorable scenes such as Doc Ock’s awakening, the unreal train sequence, and a little bit of that joy I mentioned earlier in the form of this:

So there you go. You may disagree with some of the choices. V For Vendetta or Hellboy, or even Sin City could have snuck in there. But I have a personal attachment to each of the five movies above, and it’s gonna take a lot to shake them off the list. I’ll let you know later if Iron Man was up to the task.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 2nd, 2008 at 5:46 pm and is filed under Film, Comics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Okay, you’ve seen the worst, now find out what I think is the best. This list only includes “Superhero Comics,” so movies like A History of Violence, Road To Perdition, and American Splendor are exempt.

#5 Superman II

Superman II does things that would be mocked mercilessly if they were included in today’s comic book movies. There are cheesy jokes all over the place (any scene with Otis, or the part where the man is making a call on a pay phone, gets blown away, but stays on the phone). But it doesn’t matter. There’s a sheer joy present in Superman II that most movies today don’t dare attempt. And future on-screen comic romances can learn many a thing from Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder. Now, kneel before Zod..and Superman II!

#4. The Crow

The Crow is forever linked to Brandon Lee’s untimely death during filming, further adding to the mystique of this 1994 comic classic. Drenched in rain and shadows, The Crow is undoubtedly the darkest comic book movie out there, its central themes of loss and vengeance not quite as sunny as “With great power comes great responsibility.” I was captivated by the mystery of Brandon Lee, and his haunting performance is an oddly appropriate end to his short career. When it came out, this movie’s soundtrack was in constant rotation among my friends, with original tracks from Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, and The Cure. Plus, any time you can put Ernie Hudson to use, you’re doing something right.

#3. Batman Begins

When Christopher Nolan took on the task of pulling Bruce Wayne from the ashes of Batman & Robin, I had no choice but to be optimistic. 8 years after the worst comic book movie on the planet came out, there was nowhere to go but up. I just didn’t realize how high Nolan would raise the bar. The Batman of Batman Begins is vicious, brutal, and frightening — a true first for the on-screen Dark Knight. Everything about this movie works (okay, maybe not Katie Holmes), from the origin story and training with Liam Neeson to the practical creation of Batman’s gadgets. Nolan took the character seriously, transformed him from a campy cartoon to a brooding vigilante, and turned out one of the best comic book movies ever.

#2. X-Men 2

My top 2 comic book movies are in constant battle with each other, depending on my mood. But as of right now, X-Men 2, or X2, or X-Men 2: United, or whatever the hell you want to call it, stands as my number two favorite comic book movie. I wasn’t a huge fan of the original movie, mostly because telling the origin story of 10 different characters can get a little tedious. Freed from those obligations, X2 lets it rip with huge action setpieces, genuinely interesting character development, and an ultra-violent Wolverine. By the way, after X-Men 3 came out, and Wolverine was turned into a sniveling feline better suited for Spider-Man 3, Wolvie’s ferocity in X2 was magnified tenfold. X2 is a nearly perfect comic book movie, adding new characters to the fold while balancing the original cast’s stories with the right mix of action and emotion.

#1. Spider-Man 2

Looking at this list, you may think I am a sequel whore. The truth is, coming into comic book movies, I already know the origin story. The original Spider-Man left me wanting so much more. Sure, it was a good introduction to the character, but the confrontations with Green Goblin were essentially two guys in masks standing next to each other. No real drama there. But with Spider-Man 2, we were given a complex, sympathetic villain, a deeper sense of Spider-Man’s responsibilities, and NO Macho Man Randy Savage. The sequel also allowed Sam Raimi to flex his directing muscles, creating memorable scenes such as Doc Ock’s awakening, the unreal train sequence, and a little bit of that joy I mentioned earlier in the form of this:

So there you go. You may disagree with some of the choices. V For Vendetta or Hellboy, or even Sin City could have snuck in there. But I have a personal attachment to each of the five movies above, and it’s gonna take a lot to shake them off the list. I’ll let you know later if Iron Man was up to the task.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 2nd, 2008 at 5:46 pm and is filed under Film, Comics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.