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, but the third was too crowded even though Sandman and Venom were great characters. Out of the Spidey franchise, the second film epitomised the Spider-Man/Peter Parker synthesis of the hero. Not only did he have to constantly battle his inner doubts and demons, but also James Franco as the son of The Green Goblin and Alfred Molina's Doc Ock/Dr. Otto Octavius. Highlights include Spidey's swinging around New York delivering pizza and saving kids, the fantastic fight scene on the train, holding up the warehouse wall, and Mary Jane running away in her wedding dress (brought a lump to my throat). Unlike Batman, Peter Parker is a fallible hero, a human in a costume, which endears him to his fans (both real and fictional).
2. Batman: The Dark Knight (2008).
Christian Bale is the Gotham Knight here again, carrying on from Batman Begins, both Directed by Christopher Nolan. The production had matured all round and of course the late Heath Ledger as The Joker was the show stealer. Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Michael Caine as dependable Alfred, Gary Oldman as James Gordon, Morgan Freeman as the wily Lucius Fox, and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes rounded out the cast, lending more credibility than all of the previous Batman films. Highlights included all scenes with the Tumbler/Batmobile and Batpod (I want one), the capture of The Scarecrow, the darkness of the Joker's mind games - especially on the ferries, and the trip' to Hong Kong. This incarnation of Batman works, because the makers have realised that Batman is the real character and that Bruce Wayne is the mask. Batman is dark and obsessive about crime. As with Superman, however, instead of re-hashing old foes, they'll also have to introduce other Batman villains like The Ventriloquist, Clayface, Killer Croc, Man-Bat, and the real Bane.
1. Iron Man (2008).
Directed by Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr. as billionaire industrialist Tony Stark puts in one of his best performances. Gwyneth Paltrow suitably impressed as Pepper Potts, Terrence Howard was a perfect James Rhodes and a bald Jeff Bridges was the baddie Obadiah Stane. This is my favourite comic book film for a long time, though I really only know Iron Man from The Avengers. And while Batman is psychologically themed, Iron Man targets the political/industrial-military sphere, both quite relevant for our times. Highlights included building the first armour in the cave, learning how to fly, the confrontation with the F-22 Raptors, and the battle with Stane's Iron Monger. The slickness of the production, the Iron Man suit, and the sheer fun the actors are having really elevated Iron Man above the lacklustre series of the Hulk, Daredevil and Fantastic Four films. Out of all the Comic Book origin' films, Iron Man just hit all the right marks without a turgid love story or over-long back story. Iron Man was free of the baggage and hype other big' franchises brought with them. Iron Man just won out over Batman, because of the wow' factor and getting the technology and effects right for the armour, both inside and outside. Admittedly, I missed the post-credit scene, but are The Avengers far behind?
Bonuses: Hancock (2008). While not a comic book, Hancock's superhero actions are as infamous as the anti-hero Guy Gardner (Green Lantern) and should earn him some kudos in this title. Wanted (2008) was based loosely on a Top Cow graphic novel written by Mark Millar. But this fun, kick-butt action flick had Angelina Jolie in it, so what more could you want.
The big comic book films to watch out for this year are: The Watchmen (created by writer Alan Moore (1986) and Marvel's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Maybe DC will finally challenge Marvel in the superhero stakes and release one of the best comic book films ever.