My Top 25 Best Comicbook Movies
This is my list of what I think the top 25 best comicbook movies are. Hopefully I'll go back and fill in some info on each as to why I think they are on the list, and how I ranked them.
My Thoughts Into Comicbook Movies:
The Villain makes the story:
I cringe every single time I hear or read someone state that the villain makes the story. Um, unless it's a movie like Split or Nightmare on Elm Street where the main character is actually the villain, than NO. The villain does not make the story, the freaking HERO(PROTAGONIST) makes the damn story. Having a great villain can elevate a film to a higher degree, but having a great villain isn't really necessary at all to tell a great story.
Fight Scenes/Action Scenes:
Fight scenes and action scenes can have a major impact on Comicbook movies as most Comicbook films are action movies, action comedies, or thrillers. So the action does matter. The key ingredient is you have to actually care about the characters, understand why they are fighting(a director giving them clear motivates helps a bunch), and giving the audience a satisfying ending to the conflict(Here's looking at you Martha Scene***Fart Sound***).
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My Top 5:
The 1-5 top films are arguable interchangeable. I really had to mull over what I thought was better Logan or The Dark Knight, and due to some minor flaws with in the Dark Knight(the fight scenes). I had to place Logan above it. Don't get me wrong the fight scenes in the Nolan movies are good, but they aren't what I would call all time great. Of course there is a lot more to making a good film than having really cool fight scenes(see Batman V Superman)...
6-10:
I don't think I would ever place any of these on my top 5 list besides perhaps Kick Ass & Sin City because of their uniqueness & originality. I feel very strongly about Civil War's place on my list. It's a very good story, and they handled the huge cast load quite well, but at the same time it suffers from tonal shifts(The Airport scene was more of a fun banter fight in the middle of an incredibly intense film). The ending battle then shifts the story back to Iron Man & Captain America trying to kill each other(or at least hurt each other really bad). Clearly Iron Man was going to murder Bucky, so the shifts are bad enough to keep it from being a Top 10, but they are clearly bad enough to forever it keep it out of my Top 5.
11-15:
Any of these films could have made my top 10 to be honest. What sets 6-10 apart from 11-15 is their uniqueness & originality. Also 11-15 probably had a more noticeable story problems like in Man of Steel with the way the not saving your Dad thing was handled. I believe the point Zack was trying to make was that Mr. Kent really didn't it was Clark's place to play God in human events. By saving people and maybe having to ignore the plight of others Clark was choosing who lived and who died. Also Kent realized the more people Clark saved, the more questions would be raised. Some of those questions may have put his son at risk.
16-20:
I know I'm going to take flak for not having Spider-Man 2 higher on my list. I'll explain why. Yes I realize that the majority of Super Hero movies that were filmed after 9-11 are heavily influenced by it, but JESUS does Spider-Man 2 lay it on thick. Watching this film in the early 2000's and seeing the New Yorkers stand up for Spider-Man brings a smile to my face. Watching it now with a lot more reasonable cynicism, the scene makes me cringe. That's not what people do in an emergency situation. Sure, maybe a 1 or 2 people would have stood up, but it plays out very corny when everyone is like "Nawh **** you super powerful villain, Spidey is my main man." GAG...
Batman Returns is a good film, but it's just not as good as the others and certainly not as good as the original Batman, where Joker and Batman feels like a strong personal vendetta. Batman vs Catwoman & Penguin turns more into a love triangle. I would have actually though Burton should have fully explored Penguin as the Mayor and how that would have changed Batmans position on working with authorities.
21-25:
21 through 25 was really tough. There are so many honorable mentions I could name that almost made the list: Dick Tracy, The Dark Knight Rises, GOTG...but in the end I picked these above those in the 30's & 40's because these rise above to try and become more than just your typical film. The mixture of Horror, Thriller, Mystery, and science fiction in From Hell is incredible. The noir vibe in The Crow, and the Heroic vibe in The Rocketeer are both outstanding. I really think the attribute of taking risks and trying to bring something different to the table help elevate these films onto the list.
Noticeable Absences From My List:
GOTG:
There's really nothing inherently wrong with this movie. It's exactly what it's supposed to be. A goofy action comedy version of Star Wars. Hell it's why Disney considered Chris Pratt for young Hans Solo. But, I just flat out feel there are a number of films that did the whole whacky action comedy thing a lot better, which is what bumped them into the Top 30 instead of the Top 25.
Antman:
I find Antman to be quite overrated. Sorry Baskin Robbins. While it's a cute and funny film, it's literally just a remake of Iron Man with some funny side characters, and guy that doesn't make his own suit.
- Rich Scientist makes a suit.
- Handsome Quirky White Man puts on suit and becomes a hero.
- Rich White Bald Guy tries to take over another man's company & steal his tech.
- A Fellow Avenger pops up(Think Iron Man 2 Black Widow = Falcon).
But, people like what they like and people wonder why Marvel won't change it's patented formula.
Wonder Woman:
I totally get why this film is getting so much hype. You've got a Happy Go Lucky character in the face of the more gloomy Batman & Superman characters in films before it. You've got a female director & female star making big waves in the industry, and you've got critics and a fanbase hungry to gobble up something decent. Problem is in no way can you ignore that this film is the same damn thing as Captain America: First Avenger. FIGHT ME!!!!
- Superhuman Warrior Fighting In A World War.
- Goes against the grain to rescue people during said war.
- Using hope and optimism to keep a high morale amongst the troops.
- Falls in love with a handsome white male solider(Sorry Peggy, we all know the real love interest is Bucky).
- Beats up German Soldiers using a shield.
The Dark Knight Rises:
I was tempted to put this one on my list, but it came right at number 26#. It really is a great film, but the story structure flaws and the lack of any actual Batman in a Batman movie keep it out of the top 25.
Avengers:
The more I watch the Avengers, the more I see how truly flawed it is. The achievement and joy in watching this film is the fact that it ever got made and Marvel was actually able to create a real cinematic universe in the first place. The story is trash, Loki's plan is asinine to the point where the movie itself laughs at it's own stupidity with Tony Stark's "Not a great plan speech", and much of the dialogue is tv level cheesiness...Also Hawkeye is wasted as a Zombie for much of the film and Captain America's Costume is so bad it takes me out of the movie. This is a top 50 Comicbook film, but don't know that it would even make my top 35.
Hellboy & Hellboy II:
Sorry, Hellboy(Top 35 material), the work Dark and Moody hero thing was done better in other films like Logan & The Crow. The sarcastic badass was done better in films like Deadpool & Iron Man. There were just too many good heroes who've done what you do better. Don't get me wrong the atmosphere and costumes in Hellboy & Hellboy II are amazing, but it's not enough to get it a spot on the top 25.
