Okay, those of you who happen to be comic book fans and know your way around the internet have most likey ran across a few Top 10 lists in your spare time. Whether or not you agreed with that list is another story. And whether or not you will agree with mine is a matter that I will not take up here cause frankly, I don't care. I've just been holding onto my list for a while, tweaking it with every new film release, and I'm finally ready to write this article. So, here is my list:
10. Superman II
The reason why I put this above the original (whose legacy and staying power should never be forgotten) is because of how quickly this film gets the ball rolling after the initial credits. Here we get the same scene from the opening of the orignal, but this time we're thrown into the viewpoint of Zod and his minions as they make their way to Earth. And boy did an impact they make. Aside from maybe the Zod character from televisions "Smallville", this is the quintesential Zod. The TV character was inspired by this one of course. Also of note: Zod didn't exist as a character before this film. He sort of pulled a Harley Quinn and cemented himself into the history of Superman. Speaking of Superman, or rather of Clark, or rather of Clark and Lois, this film really made us believe in them as a couple. If her death and subsequent ressurection by way of Supes LITERALLY turning back time to save her didn't leave an impact, Lois quest in finding out the truth about Clark and Clark's many attempts to make her look stupid are golden. There's so many things to get into about this film. Clark giving up his powers to be with Lois, the fight scenes, everything. This movie was a blast. If only the sequels held up to this standard.
9. Batman Begins
Man, am I glad that no one decided to tell Batman's origin like this years before 2005. Of course they wouldn't have had Frank Miller's excellent "Year One" to reference so it probably would have been a lesser film anyway, but the way that this film introduces us to the legend of The Dark Knight is simply groundbreaking, as far as reboots go. Christopher Nolan deserves a lot of credit for the way that he took the character seriously and birthed him in a world that felt real and accesible. The extensive telling of how he became The Caped Crusader is what drives the entire film. It is the TRUE definition of an origin film. And it spawned what arguably is the best comic book trilogy of all time. More on that later.
8. Watchmen
If Batman Begins remained true to the character and the source material, Watchmen took it even further. Zack Snyder made sure to adapt as much as he could from the much beloved and highly praised graphic novel. The effects, the real world analogies, the heavy themes, the characters, the tone. Everything was pretty close to perfect. But it is with that in which made this film surprisingly a love it or hate it affair. I myself was purely amazed at how this film was not afraid to retain all of it's heavy messages and keep its dark exterior. It made for a great film.
7. 300
Where Watchmen failed to hit everyone the same way, 300 succeeded. The way that this film is shot is utterly remarkable and everyone seemed to initially be on board with this from the very first trailer. Zack Snyder once again aimed to make a true depiction of the graphic novel that inspired it, penned by none other than Frank Miller. He came much closer to achieving that than he did with Watchmen. It also had an impressive run for a film of it's kind, and that's all due to not only the action and the effects, but the characters and the way the film really wants you to root for them to win. If you take the time out to research these things, you would know that they in fact don't succeed in the battle, but from the very first time that Leonidus picks up a spear to the very last shot of his life as it slips from his hands is truly a wonder to behold. And who can forget the "This is Sparta!" line?
6. Sin City
If you ever in your life manage to read one of the three books that this film was inspired by, you will be simply amazed at how much of it remains in the film. This is the TRUEST comic book adaptation of all time. From the very first scene to the last frame, you will have felt like you just finished watching a motion comic. Everything from the actors to the lines, from the effects to the fighting, this film is remarkable in every way. Frank Miller doesn't like to play around with his adaptations and aims to leave as much in as possible, a trait that I wish other directors possesed when making their films based on comics. If you haven't seen this film but love comics, you are seriously missing out.
5. The Amazing Spider-Man
For those of you who have your doubts about whether or not there needed to be a Spider-man reboot 10 years after the first and only 5 after the last installment, throw those doubts aside because this is arguably by far the best Peter Parker/Spider-Man ever. Yes, the origin is rehashed, an origin that I'm pretty sure almost everyone in the world knows, but the way that this film tries to tell it in it's own way and somehow ground the film in reality and make it more contemporary are reasons enough to give this a try. The fighting, the adorable chemistry between Andrew Garfield's Peter and Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy are some of the best scenes in the film. Storywise, it isn't the deepest comic book movie out there, but intelligent plot aside, it is simply some of the most fun you will have with Spider-Man. He really makes you feel his teenage angst and leaves you cheering at the top of your lungs when he takes that final swing at the end of the film. An amazing start to a brand new Spider-Man trilogy indeed.
4. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Okay, I'm not even going to pretend that more than half of you know what this film even is but trust me, you should give it a watch. This is one of the most fun and entertaining comic book movies ever. Michael Cera plays Scott, a loser in this band called Sex Bob-Omb and goes out with this 17-year old Chinese Catholic school girl but soon finds himself trading her in for a ridiculously hot girl that appeared in his dreams named Ramona Flowers, who is now walking around his town of Toronto, Canada. But he can have her all to himself ONLY if he defeats her seven evil exes. Yes, I said it. Seven. Evil. Exes. This film is so hilarious in the way that these fights ensue. Plus, there are so many comic book, video game, and anime references in here to keep you wanting to come back for more just to spot all of the ones that you may have missed. Simply put, this film rocks in every way. From a soundtrack that is just pure awesome to the 2-bit video game that it spawned later, this film leaves you wrapped in it's world for a long time.
3. The Avengers
What is now the third highest grossing film of all time, it's amazing what this film was able to be achieve in such a short time in comic book movie history. But Marvel managed to pull it off, bringing together every character that was introduced in their own solo films before they came together in a battle for the ages. This film is just pure fun. Non stop action, humor throughout, and a script with dialogue that makes you miss the days of Firefly. Joss Whedon proved to be the perfect director as he took these characters and made them feel real as they bite each others heads off about who is more worthy to protect this world and keep honorable morals while doing so, until they finally get over these differences to form the greatest onscreen comic book team up of all time. Adored by many, hated by almost no one, this film is a fun ride from start to finish.
2. The Dark Knight
Speaking of being loved by many, you will be hard pressed to find someone who didn't enjoy The Dark Knight to some extent. This film is THE perfect Batman film. Ever. Period. Trying to top this is like trying to hold air in your palm while standing on just ONE of your toes with your eyes closed and trying to keep a bucket of water on your head. Everyone's performances in this film were top notch, but none more deserving than Heath Ledger's The Joker. Boy, did he deliver one of/if not the best portrayals of a comic book movie villian ever. There are so many great things to say about this film that are too much for me to put in one article. The tone, the effects, the acting, the pacing, the incredible score. Everything in this movie delivered. Chris Nolan, I salute you.
1. Spider-Man 2
It was hard ranking these last two. REALLY hard. But where The Dark Knight succeeded in bringing you into his world threatened to be taken over by criminals, Spider-Man 2 brought you into the world of Peter Parker that was threatening to take over him. The way that this film successfully shows you how these powers would realistically take over someone's life is greatly executed. All he wants is to be with the woman that he loves and to do what he loves in the world of science while taking care of his loving aunt. But he's putting everyone in his life at risk everytime that he puts on the mask and tries to save someone else. The irony in his tale is remarkable. This is the best of the Raimi trilogy and for those of you who may not know was considered to be the greatest comic book movie ever before The Dark Knight. And for good reason. The train sequence alone is still to this day the greatest scene I have ever witnessed in a comic book movie ever. Spider-Man truly risks his life to make sure that everyone in New York is able to sleep soundly at night. Need I not forget the amazing performance by Alfred Molina that gave us probably the best Doc Ock we will ever see on screen. This film is amazing in every way. It has heart, it has humor, it has tragedy, it has triumph. It is still the best Spider-Man film ever.
So there you have it. That is my list of the top 10 best comic book movies. Disagree? I know you do. But hopefully you agreed with the things I had to say in my descriptions for these movies and why they were as great as they were. Comic book movies are going to be around for many more years to come and it's so great to know that there can be amazing ones like these to keep it's legacy intact. It feels good to be a fan.