by Ray Burke

Created on: January 08, 2009

Best Comic Book Films:

As a one-time avid reader of comic books, it's great to see some of them hit the big screen. There have been some great films adapted from Comic Books, but recently the bar has been raised as the right scripts, actors, director, and special effects have come together to realise all comic book readers' dreams. I have picked the five best films, in my opinion, that represent longevity in the comic book world and thus had more to lose than one-off Graphic Novels or shorter series. In descending order, these are:

5. Superman Returns (2006).

Brandon Routh, under the huge shadow of Christopher Reeves, hit the mark as the Returning Man of Steel. I was a bit disappointed with Director's Bryan Singer handling of the whole Son of Steel' bit, but maybe Jason will turn out to be a version of Connor Kent (Superboy) or end up in the future. Highlights included saving the airplane/shuttle and hoiking up the Kryptonite infested island. However, while Kevin Spacey did a good job of being Lex Luthor, Kate Bosworth was a disappointing Lois not feisty enough. I hope the next film can veer away from Lex or Zod and introduce Darkseid, Brainiac or even Gog. Superman Returns was a soft reboot of Superman and while comparable to the first two original Superman films, it was still a little bit lacking in the legacy of Superman.

4. The X-Men franchise, with X2 (2003), being the best.

The first two were directed by Bryan Singer, while Brett Ratner directed X-Men: The Last Stand. Such luminaries staring were Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Patrick Stewart (Prof. X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), and Halle Berry
(Storm). This film came out best because it dealt more with Wolverine's past, young mutants having to take sides, the attack on the mansion/Cerebro, and the precursor to Phoenix. It was evenly balanced and highlights included the brilliantly-realised opening scenes with Nightcrawler, Wolverine taking a shot to the head (ouch), and the slithering Mystique. X-Men 3: The Last Stand became livelier after Magneto took the Golden Gate
Bridge for a stroll over to Alcatraz and cute little Ellen Page (Shadow Cat or Kitty Pryde) showed her moxy. While not all characters were completely sketched out or plots satisfactorily closed, the X-Men have been justifiably portrayed and long may it continue.

3. Spider-Man 2 (2004).

Directed by Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire returns as the Webcrawler, while fang-toothed Kirsten Dunst makes the perfect Mary Jane Watson. The first film was an amazing introduction,

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