Post by sbtbfanatic on Dec 14, 2013 2:17:57 GMT
With all the hype currently surrounding The Avengers, I thought it would be fun to talk about all our favorite comic book based Superhero films.
For the sake of simplicity, I am going to leave Animated Films off of my list. If I were, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm would probably be on here, but there are a lot of Direct to Video superhero films of varying quality, and since its a whole different discussion entirely, I thought I'd just leave them off of this list.
Also, despite how AWESOME it was, I am leaving off The Avengers. The reason for that is that it is so new that I don't want to let the fact that I just saw it influence me. I am going to let it gestate for a while and then I'll think about how highly I would rank it when compared to the other great films I've always loved. For right now, I'll say that The Avengers is the outlier on this list that is certainly comparable to the great films I am about to list.
Anyways, here is my list:
10) X-Men: First Class (2011) = If I am going to put any of the X-Men films on this list, it is going to be this one. More than any other X-Men film, this one captures the political workings and ties to real life events which was always a big part of the X-Men. The origins for Magneto, and the creation of the "First Class" of X-Men was a great story to tell and it all worked very well. The major positive I coueld say about all the X-Men films is that they were well cast and this one is no exception as Fasbender's Megneto really stood out. My only real knock on this film is that it tried to work as a Prequel to the other X-Men films when I would have rather they just started with this as a reboot. Basically, I would have loved for THIS to be the first X-Men film because it is far and away a better introduction for the X-Men than the first film ever was and far better than any of the other X-Flicks.
9) Kick Ass (2010) = This is a case where I would actually say that the Movie is better than its source material. I wasn't a fan of the comic once I finally read it and I think the movie did a great job of cutting the fat and presenting the characters as far more likeable. It has fun with the idea of regular people becoming superheroes and how it really isn't the healthiest lifestyle to adopt. I love Nic Cage Channeling Adam West's Batman and Hit Girl is one of the best characters to ever dawn a Superhero Costume. She's just awesome and watching that 11 year old go crazy on the bad guys was a major highlight.
8) Superman II (1980) = KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!! When I was a kid, Comic book Superhero films were mostly terrible. There weren't many good ones to latch on to, but Superman II (and the first Superman film) were two that I admired in my youth. This one did a great job of giving Superman a worthy opponent. General Zod and his cohorts aren't just a match for Superman physically, but Zod is one of the most memorable movie villains ever. What a great performance. Basically, this movie is just pure fun. The Donner Cut is also a bit of a treat and probably would have been the better film.
7) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) = Well...yeah! Most people remember TMNT for the popular Cartoon show, but this movie clearly owes more to the Comic than it does the Cartoon. Its dark, the characters are great, and I really admire how well they were able to bring the Turtles to the screen. Jim Henson was a genius of innovation and his creature shop did some of their best work here with The Turtles and Splinter. The real show stealer though is Casey Jones.
6) Iron Man (2008): One of the best comic book origin stories ever presented on film. The way in which they realized Iron Man was brilliant, and the film is absolutely stand out due to Robert Downey Jr's amazing performance as Tony Stark. The relationships he makes with the other characters & how he acts makes what is inside the suit just as awesome as the suit itself. I have to say that all of the Avengers films (Iron Man 1 & 2, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America, & Thor) are all very good, and this one is the best of the set ups for the big payoff that just came out.
5) The Punisher (2004) = I love this fucking movie! I don't care what anybody says! It is presented with elements of an old western and definitely a fun call back to 70s revenge flicks. Its simple, not special effects driven, and all hinges on the motivations and actions of one character, nicely portrayed by Thomas Jane. Its an underrated gem. The Lundgren Punisher film was just a bad action movie and Warzone was basically Rated R Batman & Robin. This to me is the best Punisher outing thus far.
4) Spider-Man (2002): I love everything about this movie. I love the tone. I love characters. And I love how much emotional they were able to create with Spider-Man's origin. A lot of the film really works because they found the best Uncle Ben & Aunt May that you could possibly ask for. DaFoe is awesomely over the top as Norman Osbourn, and I liked MacGuire as Spider-Man, Dunst as Mary Jane, & Franco as Harry. One of the reasons I am so against the Reboot for the Spider-Man origin is that we still have this one and its only 10 years old. Why spend money to see that film, when I am perfectly happy popping this one in my DVD player?
3) Spider-Man 2 (2004): Lets follow up the origin with a strong sequel! Everything about the first movie was improved and amplified with this movie. What I loved about it was that it kept the same tone as the first, so it wasn't just all brooding and dark, but they still got the point across that "Hey, this Spider-Man gig sucks" and shows just how hard it is to live a life like this. Also, Doc Ock was always my favorite Spider-Man foe and he was awesome here. Great stuff.
2) Batman (1989): This film is the perfect blend of Tim Burton's unique visual style and everything that makes Batman great. What really makes the movie work for me is that you have a great hero (Michael Keaton is still my favorite Batman in film) and a great villain with Nicholson's Joker and the entire movie is a chess match between the two. I love that they reworked the origin story so that Joker killed Batman's parents which tied into what happened at the Chemical factory. They created each other and were destined to be enemies and Burton's style just plays to the strengths of both characters.
1) The Dark Knight (2008): What can I say about this film that hasn't already been said? Its near flawless. Ledger's performance as The Joker was one for the ages and the entire story is presented as a serious crime drama which really works for Batman. Everything established in Batman Begins is built on & improved, and its one of the great films of the modern times without question.
For the sake of simplicity, I am going to leave Animated Films off of my list. If I were, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm would probably be on here, but there are a lot of Direct to Video superhero films of varying quality, and since its a whole different discussion entirely, I thought I'd just leave them off of this list.
Also, despite how AWESOME it was, I am leaving off The Avengers. The reason for that is that it is so new that I don't want to let the fact that I just saw it influence me. I am going to let it gestate for a while and then I'll think about how highly I would rank it when compared to the other great films I've always loved. For right now, I'll say that The Avengers is the outlier on this list that is certainly comparable to the great films I am about to list.
Anyways, here is my list:
10) X-Men: First Class (2011) = If I am going to put any of the X-Men films on this list, it is going to be this one. More than any other X-Men film, this one captures the political workings and ties to real life events which was always a big part of the X-Men. The origins for Magneto, and the creation of the "First Class" of X-Men was a great story to tell and it all worked very well. The major positive I coueld say about all the X-Men films is that they were well cast and this one is no exception as Fasbender's Megneto really stood out. My only real knock on this film is that it tried to work as a Prequel to the other X-Men films when I would have rather they just started with this as a reboot. Basically, I would have loved for THIS to be the first X-Men film because it is far and away a better introduction for the X-Men than the first film ever was and far better than any of the other X-Flicks.
9) Kick Ass (2010) = This is a case where I would actually say that the Movie is better than its source material. I wasn't a fan of the comic once I finally read it and I think the movie did a great job of cutting the fat and presenting the characters as far more likeable. It has fun with the idea of regular people becoming superheroes and how it really isn't the healthiest lifestyle to adopt. I love Nic Cage Channeling Adam West's Batman and Hit Girl is one of the best characters to ever dawn a Superhero Costume. She's just awesome and watching that 11 year old go crazy on the bad guys was a major highlight.
8) Superman II (1980) = KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!! When I was a kid, Comic book Superhero films were mostly terrible. There weren't many good ones to latch on to, but Superman II (and the first Superman film) were two that I admired in my youth. This one did a great job of giving Superman a worthy opponent. General Zod and his cohorts aren't just a match for Superman physically, but Zod is one of the most memorable movie villains ever. What a great performance. Basically, this movie is just pure fun. The Donner Cut is also a bit of a treat and probably would have been the better film.
7) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) = Well...yeah! Most people remember TMNT for the popular Cartoon show, but this movie clearly owes more to the Comic than it does the Cartoon. Its dark, the characters are great, and I really admire how well they were able to bring the Turtles to the screen. Jim Henson was a genius of innovation and his creature shop did some of their best work here with The Turtles and Splinter. The real show stealer though is Casey Jones.
6) Iron Man (2008): One of the best comic book origin stories ever presented on film. The way in which they realized Iron Man was brilliant, and the film is absolutely stand out due to Robert Downey Jr's amazing performance as Tony Stark. The relationships he makes with the other characters & how he acts makes what is inside the suit just as awesome as the suit itself. I have to say that all of the Avengers films (Iron Man 1 & 2, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America, & Thor) are all very good, and this one is the best of the set ups for the big payoff that just came out.
5) The Punisher (2004) = I love this fucking movie! I don't care what anybody says! It is presented with elements of an old western and definitely a fun call back to 70s revenge flicks. Its simple, not special effects driven, and all hinges on the motivations and actions of one character, nicely portrayed by Thomas Jane. Its an underrated gem. The Lundgren Punisher film was just a bad action movie and Warzone was basically Rated R Batman & Robin. This to me is the best Punisher outing thus far.
4) Spider-Man (2002): I love everything about this movie. I love the tone. I love characters. And I love how much emotional they were able to create with Spider-Man's origin. A lot of the film really works because they found the best Uncle Ben & Aunt May that you could possibly ask for. DaFoe is awesomely over the top as Norman Osbourn, and I liked MacGuire as Spider-Man, Dunst as Mary Jane, & Franco as Harry. One of the reasons I am so against the Reboot for the Spider-Man origin is that we still have this one and its only 10 years old. Why spend money to see that film, when I am perfectly happy popping this one in my DVD player?
3) Spider-Man 2 (2004): Lets follow up the origin with a strong sequel! Everything about the first movie was improved and amplified with this movie. What I loved about it was that it kept the same tone as the first, so it wasn't just all brooding and dark, but they still got the point across that "Hey, this Spider-Man gig sucks" and shows just how hard it is to live a life like this. Also, Doc Ock was always my favorite Spider-Man foe and he was awesome here. Great stuff.
2) Batman (1989): This film is the perfect blend of Tim Burton's unique visual style and everything that makes Batman great. What really makes the movie work for me is that you have a great hero (Michael Keaton is still my favorite Batman in film) and a great villain with Nicholson's Joker and the entire movie is a chess match between the two. I love that they reworked the origin story so that Joker killed Batman's parents which tied into what happened at the Chemical factory. They created each other and were destined to be enemies and Burton's style just plays to the strengths of both characters.
1) The Dark Knight (2008): What can I say about this film that hasn't already been said? Its near flawless. Ledger's performance as The Joker was one for the ages and the entire story is presented as a serious crime drama which really works for Batman. Everything established in Batman Begins is built on & improved, and its one of the great films of the modern times without question.