Does anyone else think that it's ironic that Superman's run in film has been, well, not super?
This friday, the boy scout gets another shot at the silver screen with Zack Snyder's Man Of Steel, and I find myself very excited for it, despite the fact that I've been hurt before. Superman Returns was mediocre at best, saved mostly by a spot on performance by Kevin Spacey. Looking back though, it was hardly the biggest failure that Kal El has suffered on-screen. I've always found the first Superman film to be boring at times, even though I know how important and groundbreaking it was. Superman II was almost ironically good, but is still the Wrath Of Khan of Superman films. Superman III was a hot mess, and Superman IV was even worse. Smallville was a 10-year cocktease resulting in one of the biggest letdown finales I've ever witnessed (no, I haven't seen Lost yet). I think big blue is due for a win.
This little retrospect got me thinking about the whole Comic Book Film craze that we've been blessed with over the last decade or so. There's lots of good, and a whole fuck ton of bad. I decided to look though it all and dig out what I loved the most. Then I took my love for top 10 lists and Expecto Petronumed this bit of business up in preparation for this weekend. This isn't really rated based on any one thing other than personal preference, so I wouldn't be surprised if some are confused by some of the choices on the list. Some, on the other hand, are pretty damn predictable if you've been paying attention or have ever actually met me. I do hope Man Of Steel makes it on here, but then again, I'm a Batman guy, I'm not all optimism.
HONOURABLE MENTION: Daredevil (2003)
This is probably the worst movie on the list of films I absolutely love. There's so much wrong with it. The casting, the acting, the costumes, the cheesy one-liners. For all intents and purposes it should be a mess of Green Lantern proportions, BUT for some reason I'm endeared to it. Some of it is my love for the character, the closest thing to Batman that Marvel has to offer. I also am a fan of Affleck and Colin Farrell, so that helps. Jennifer Garner is horrible, and this and Elektra were cases in point of that. Michael Clarke Duncan really made it work though, especially since his casting was criticized for having a big black guy play a big white guy. MCD was money here, and I'm sad he's gone and can't be in the remake. This movie, with all its faults, was a gritty but fun homage to the original works during the early stages of Marvel's entering the movie fray. I loves it.
10. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
This movie, like the mini series of graphic novels that it is based on, is so much fun. Over the top ridiculousness with a quirky sense of humour and a touch of teen angst behind it. It doesn't hurt that its setting is in Canada, cuz we need some love in films sometimes. The story is fresh, original, and directed right at my age group with nostalgic video game references, indie rock, and the lack of understanding of what a vegan is. George Michael Bluth is uniquely entertaining in this in that he doesn't play the same role he's played in every other thing he's in. This is one of the funniest films I've seen in a while, and one of the most faithful adaptations.
9. Blade (1998)
Remember when vampires had balls? Before vampires were over-romanticized gimmicks for thinly veiled metaphors for sexualism (FUUUUCK YOUUUUU TWILIGHT), they were monsters that only a bad mother fucker could deal with. Blade was the baddest of asses in this way-better-than-it-deserved-to-be film about a minor Marvel character. Also, it's neat to note that Blade was the first huge box office success of Marvel's films, two years before X-Men was released. Blade was a kick-ass action flick, a great showing of vampires as they should be seen, and a solid foreshadow for the line of comic films to follow. If a Punisher or Daredevil remake happens in the near future, someone should take note of how a badass comic book movie is done.
8. Hellboy (2004)/Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
"'Can't Smile Without You'...yep, I'm gonna need a beer, too." This one's a tie, simply because I love them equally. For a comic book as under the radar as Hellboy was at the time to have such a great adaptation is remarkable, not to mention having a sequel be just as good. Ron Perlman, a fantastic character actor, breaks out here as the hugely entertaining hero. The script is great at being very dark and light hearted at the same time. These movies establish Guillermo Del Toro as a major player in creature features, with a distinctive look that leaves CGI by the wayside and brings back a more realistic feel to fantasy not seen since the 1980's. Both of these films are awesome and hold up to this day, several viewings later.
7. Kick Ass (2010)
I love this one for a couple of reasons. One, Hit Girl is awesome. Two, I like that it addresses the fact that, in real life, being a superhero would suck. It deglorifies everything that the comics and films tell you about superheroes. They'd get the shit kicked out of them. Three, it's a living example of what The Dark Knight's edgy, dark and twisted view of a superhero film could be. Yeah, it goes to the R-rated extreme on a couple different occasions, but it's also so over-the-top and Tarantino-esque in its violence that it's hard to take seriously. Nicolas Cage's channelling of Adam West as Big Daddy is priceless. I'm looking forward to the sequel coming out later this summer, even if it's half as good. Just don't let the kids watch it.
6. 300 (2006)
Even though it's been meme'd to death, 300 is still one of the better frame-for-frame adaptations of a graphic novel there is. Frank Miller's masterpiece translated into a Gladiator-style film perfectly, to the point that some are flabbergasted by the fact that it was a comic book first. Zack Snyder proved his quality with this ultraviolent quasi-historical period piece starring Gerard Butler and his abs. The film was straightforward, beautiful, and featured some of the best moments in film we've seen in the last decade. "THIS IS SPARTA!" "TONIGHT, WE DINE IN HELL!" "THEN WE WILL FIGHT IN THE SHADE!" Need I continue?
And speaking of Frank Miller...
5. Sin City (2005)
This collaboration of art redefined the Comic Book movie in it's formative stage, as well as the Film Noir. It was innovative in so many ways, from the use of different directors, to the black-and-white presentation, the inspired casting, even the make-up was remarkable. This Pulp Fiction-style action film was an eye opener for many and is a great example of making the original source more mainstream. If Frank Miller was big in comics before this film, he was HUGE afterwards. The ensemble cast was near perfect, and going for an R-rated comic book adaptation when everyone else was shooting for PG was a remarkable move by Miller, Robert Rodriguez and good ol' Quentin Tarantino. Now, if only it didn't take a goddamn decade for the sequel to come out...
4. Iron Man (2008)
Marvel's main man, and for good reason. I've already talked about how Robert Downey Jr. is the perfect Tony Stark, but this movie is more that just him. By 2008, Marvel movies had their 'origin story' movie formula down to a science, to the point where it was becoming weak. It was basically the same movie over and over with interchangeable heroes and villains. With Iron Man, it was the same, only it was the best example of it. Great acting, great visuals, and a perfect translation of story-to-screen. The other Marvel entries were good-to-great, but only because Iron Man was SO good. The Marvel line of films is one of the most successful film franchises ever, and Marvel has Stark to thank for it.
3. Watchmen (2009)
Forgive me, but I actually prefer the film to the novel. You almost never hear that, but this is a case where everything went together so well on screen that it shows some of the weaknesses of the original material. The book is very long winded, very political, and has not aged well. A lot of the political rhetoric is so forced that you could be beaten over the head with it. The fat is trimmed for the film, despite being 3 hours long, while not losing its impact. Watchmen was a perfect combination of casting, direction by Zack Snyder (again), and weirdly enough, the soundtrack. The music in this movie is incredibly used. Contrary to what some think, I believe that this film more than does justice to one of the most important graphic novels in history. Lack of giant alien squid notwithstanding.
2. The Avengers (2012)
What else can I say about this that I didn't say in one of the MANY posts I made about it last year. This movie is a big deal. Whedon is godlike for pulling it off. Kudos to RDJ and company for being a stellar cast for a near impossible movie to make. Every Marvel film between this and Avengers 2 is at a disadvantage for having to be compared to it. Awesome, just awesome. Only one thing though.
It didn't have Batman.
1. The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012)
Surprising no one, I'm sure. I grouped them all together because, unlike most if not all other comic book film series, this is the epic telling of one story. It's not 'this time I'm fighting octopus guy' or whatever, it's the story of the rise and fall of a singular character. Batman Begins brought the iconic character back to life after an abysmal Batman & Robin and made him cool again. The Dark Knight was a revolutionary piece of art that redefined the summer blockbuster and the comic book movie. The Dark Knight Rises did what so few threequels do effectively: it concluded the story in a way that brings all three movies together. It's what the first Star Wars trilogy did. Yeah, there's a bias. I'm a Batman guy. But if that continuity didn't exist, than Avengers would have this spot, or The Dark Knight would stand alone. This isn't just a great series of comic book films, it's great storytelling, which is something the average film franchise has been lacking in for some time now.
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