Thursday, April 10, 2008

The Very Best Movies based on Comic Books

Only movies that are based on specific comic books are included here. There will be no Unbreakable or Mystery Men on the list.

Let the countdown begin!

10. Men in Black (1997) - Funny aliens. Smith and Jones funny, too..

9. Batman Returns (1992) - Admittedly, this film has some problems. But, hey, Michelle Pfeiffer is in a black, leather catsuit. A black, leather catsuit! But even that wouldn't have mattered if the movie was a bore. But Michael Keaton, Chris Walken, and Danny DeVito all turn in good performances.

8. Hellboy (2004) - Never read the comic. But the movie is waaaay cool.

7. Batman Begins (2005) - The origin of Batman. Now with ninjas!

6. X-Men 2 (2003) - Not quite as good as the first X-Men but pretty darn good nonetheless.

5. Batman (1989) - Say what? Mister Mom is Batman? It worked.

4. Spider-Man (2002) - The Marvel Comics icon shines on the big silver. Maguire was great as Parker, I don't care what some people say. Dafoe was great as the Goblin (too bad we couldn't see his facial expressions with the stupid Goblin mask on). Everything fit.

3. X-Men (2000) - Every character is nailed perfectly (except Storm who is just a tad off). All the characters--both the X-Men and the Brotherhood--are cast correctly. The story is solid captures the feeling of the comic book accurately.

2. Superman (1978) - Not much I can add to the accolades this film has received. The only Superman film that gets Superman right (Superman 2 definitely not withstanding).

1. Spider-Man 2 (2004) - The first film was great and I didn't think it could be beaten. But it was. Stronger characterization, better villain (Dafoe was good as Goblin but the choice by director Sam Raimi to have the Goblin wear a mask that did not allow facial expressions was not a good choice), and increased intensity. This film is as good as comic book based films get.

There you go. No Superman 2 on the list you say? That's right, folks, and here's why: Superman slept with Lois Lane in 2! Stupid, stupid, stupid. Thanks, (directors) Dicks Donner and Lester, thanks for sullying an American icon. Why not beat up mom, crap on the flag, and piss on apple pie while you're at it?

2 comments:

Lord Mhoram said...

Having just seen it a few hours ago, I would put Iron Man high on that list now. :)
Best superhero movie I've seen in ages.

Lord Mhoram said...

Another one I thought of, and couldn't believe I didn't before. Based on a comic book, very very good movie.
The Crow with Brandon Lee. I'd put that up against any of the top 3 of your list. :)