The Greatest Comic Book Films Of All Time! (So Far)

THE GREATEST COMIC BOOK FILMS OF ALL TIME! (So Far)

1) Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2 (2002, 2004): Spidey has always been my favorite comic book character, and Sam Raimi certainly captures the essence of the old Stan Lee comics in these wonderful films. Toby Maguire really adds depth and pathos to his portrayal of Peter Parker AKA Spider-Man.

2) Batman Begins (2005): This is the first live-action Batman film to be worthy of the complex comic book character. Director; Christopher Nolan, writer; David S. Goyer and lead actor; Christian Bale do a magnificent job creating the dark world of Bruce Wayne and his even darker alter ego.

3) Hellboy (2004): When I first read Mike Mignola's Hellboy comic I didn't think it could ever be put on the big screen, but not only does director Guillermo del Toro succeed in capturing what makes the comic great on film, he improves on the source material.

4) Conan the Barbarian (1982): I know that it could be argued that Conan got his start in the Robert E. Howard pulp novels and magazines, but I was first introduced to the Cimmerian Barbarian in the Marvel Comics of the 70s, so in the back of my mind I always think of him as a comic book character. This film captures everything that is great about Conan, perhaps the best sword and sorcery pulp character ever created.

5) Superman/Superman 2 (1978, 1980): These still stand up as some of the greatest comic book films of all time, thanks, in no small part, to Christopher Reeve who inhabited the character of Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman like no other actor could. I did believe a man could fly.

6) The Incredibles (2004): This is the film last summer's lackluster Fantastic Four should have been. A movie about a family of super-heroes with heart. This is my favorite Pixor film so far, and that is saying something.

7) X2: X-Men United (2003): Bryan Singer does a splendid job of balancing several interesting characters and plot lines in this action-packed adaptation of the Marvel Comics world of Mutants. I can't wait to see what he does with Superman Returns, next summer.

8) Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993): This animated Batman film comes the closest to the spirit of the D.C. Comics source material. I'd also highly recommend Batman: The Animated Series, which this movie was spawned from.

9) Frank Miller's Sin City (2005): To adapt this crime comic to the big screen, Robert Rodriguez literally used Frank Miller's comic art as story boards and replicated his scripts word for word creating the most faithful adaptation of a comic work thus far.

10) Unbreakable (2000): In this remarkable film, M. Night Shyamalan takes the basic rules of comic books and plants them in the real world, showing us how super-heroes and villains might behave if they escaped from their four color universes.

Honorable Mention:

11) The Iron Giant (1999): Another great animated movie where, like in Hellboy, the hero fights what he was created to be to become something greater.

12) Robocop (1987): Paul Verhoeven's awesome, over the top, film about a dark future and the cyborg super-cop trying to make things right.

13) The Crow (1994): An excellent adaptation of the James O'Barr comic book. Only marred by the fact that it is Brandon Lee's last performance.

14) Darkman (1990): Sam Raimi's first foray into super-hero films. Well, maybe his second (see Evil Dead 2).

15) Blade/Blade II (1998, 2002): Another example of the movies improving on the comic book source material with great scripts by David S. Goyer and a strong lead performance by Wesley Snipes.

16) Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987): Some may argue that this is a horror movie, or even a horror comedy, but to my mind it's a super-hero origin film. Ash rocks!

*

17) Batman (1989): I do have to give props to Tim Burton for his first Bat-flick. The production design is awe-inspiring and actor Michael Keaton gives a much stronger performance as the Dark Knight than anyone gave him credit for. But it is Jack Nicholson's bizarre, over-the-top, take on the Joker that steals the show. Let's face it, the movie should have been called, the Joker. It's just too bad that the plot falls apart in the last half hour.

*

18) X-Men (2000): While Bryan Singer's first go at an X-Men film isn't perfect, it is none the less a very enjoyable picture with some excellent acting and direction amid sub-par special effects. As with Tim Burton's Batman, the story falls apart in the third act.

*

19) The Rocketeer (1991): Highly enjoyable adaptation of the Dave Stevens graphic novel. Bill Campbell makes an excellent protagonist and Jennifer Connelly has never looked better.