Comic book movies have come a long way in popular culture. They were once held mostly to Television series and specials in the likes of Spider-Man, Captain America, Batman, and others. The early comic book movies were cheesy and low budget affairs like Corman's Fantastic Four, The Phantom, and the first Punisher with Dolf Lundgren.
Now, comic book movies are huge business. Marvel comics has raised almost a billion dollars to produce their own films, and Superman and Batman have seen huge resurgences on the silver screen. These movies are now worldwide phenomena's and lets see what the best comic book films are.
Spider-Man was the movie that rocketed the superhero genre to become cemented as a mainstay in our culture. It broke records, made hundreds of millions, and made superstars out of Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. Spider-Man is the top super hero movie in regards to popularity, money made, and impact on the future of comic book movies.
2. X-Men
If Spider-Man is King of the Mountain, then X-Men helped get it there. The X-Men was one of the first “big budget” super hero movies in recent years, and it didn’t disappoint. X-Men was widely successful and spawned a sequel with a third movie in the works. This movie had a large list of A-list actors including Halle Berry, Ian McKellen and the fan favorite to play Professor Xavier – Patrick Stewart. The success of the film helped pave the way for other films to become what they are today.3. Superman
Superman is considered to be the comic book movie that future generations would be compared to. People lined the streets around the theaters to go see it and many people went to see the movie multiple times. It made a star out of Christopher Reeves and spawned three sequels, making Superman into a franchise. This movie is considered by many to be the best incarnation of the Man of Steel.4. Batman
What do you get when you mix the dark and psychedelic imagery of Tim Burton, an intensely acted performance of Michael Keaton, a witty and villainous Jack Nicholson, and a hot soundtrack from Prince? One great movie. Although this movie may not match up the special effects generation of today’s movies, it was very successful, with three sequels and it made almost half a billion dollars. This movie made more money on its opening weekend than its predecessor and is considered by some to be better than the original, but one of the reasons this movie did so well was the fact that it had the momentum of the first. The story was excellent, well acted, and left room for many sequels. Fans of Spider-Man had a great time seeing Dr. Conner introduced, who in the comic books becomes The Lizard. The third installment is in the works and should be as good as the rest if not better.
300 took a comic book and transformed it into a big screen super smash runaway hit. The movie made its budget back in the opening weekend and has fueled what will soon be many spin offs similar in style and looks. 300 had so many sequences and images that were straight from the film, but also worked to develop characters and subplots, making the story it’s own. This film is both loved and hated by critics and has also sparked international debate. All of this from just 300 men of Sparta. This movie quickly became a classic comic book film.
7. X-Men 2
With a bigger budget, better special effects, new characters, and the entire cast from the first film, X-Men 2 proved itself as a contender for one of the best new comic book movie franchises. The opening sequence of the movie was breathtaking and in some respects was this film as a whole was better than the first.This movie was as close to the original comic book that you can get. Maybe it was because director Robert Rodriguez brought on Frank Miller to help direct it with him, at the cost of his membership to the Directors Guild of America. The film pumped life into actor Mickey Rourke’s career and showcased the talents of Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Elijah Wood, Benicio Del Torro, and many others. If you liked the comics, film noir, or just dark and well written movies, then Sin City is for you.
Although new to the scene of comic movies, this film proved that the Batman franchise was not dead – no thanks to Batman and Robin. This movie redefined the Dark Knight as a dark and gritty movie about fear. Fear being the one true weapon that Batman has over his enemies. There are already deals for two more films.
10. Blade
Blade was one of the first movies based on an actual character in the Marvel universe to do very well in theaters. There are two sequels and the films have earned hundreds of millions of dollars. You may not have liked it, but the reason why this movie is owed respect is the fact that it really helped put comic book movies back into the spotlight, both in the public’s eye and in Hollywood’s.
