Directors What are Your Top Favorite Comic Book Films? (1 Viewer)

[JenB]

Wow, Scott that is quite an extensive list that you have there!

Which reminds me that I also enjoyed:

The Addams Family movies
Annie
Akira
Barbarella
Batman (1966)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Casper
The Mask of Zorro
Monkeybone-I liked the Extended Edition only because it added back in a lot of scenes that helped the movie make much more sense.
Mystery Men
Snoopy/Charlie Brown movies
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

And, I agree with your evaluation of most of those that you felt fell short, esp. stuff like Spawn which showed a whole lot of potential but never really lived up to any of it.

 

[Brook K]

I completely forgot about Popeye and Akira, they'd be on my list too.

 

[ChuckDeLa]

Well, let's see... out of those, I've seen:

Flash Gordon - was great as a kid, now it's pretty lame
Ghost World - pretty good, but the comic is better
Spider-Man - disappointing
Superman - still good, but seen it far too many times
Unbreakable - liked it a lot
Akira - annoying
Batman (1989) - decent
Creepshow - fun
From Hell - lame
The Mask - ugh
Popeye - I really liked Shelley Duvall in this, but I hate the rest of it
Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown - fun
Road to Perdition - this was a comic? I had no idea. Not bad.
The Rocketeer - very good
Snoopy Come Home - I love this one!
Superman 2 - better than the first, IMO
X-Men - it's okay
Batman (1966) - a real hoot
Blade - good
Blade 2 - not as good
Bon Voyage Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!) - don't remember this very well
Fritz the Cat - I like R. Crumb, but didn't care for this
Heavy Metal - love the soundtrack, hate the movie
Hero at Large - haha! forgot all about this one! terrible!
Men in Black - s'okay
Mystery Men - like it a lot
Timecop - only vague memories of disliking this one
The Toxic Avenger - horrible
Daredevil - very good
Superman 3 - yep, it's bad
Captain America - the 70's one? hee hee! terrible!

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Nah. Since they were all made-for-network TV productions, I intentionally avoided these ones:

Captain America (1979)
Captain America 2: Death Too Soon (1979)

Dr. Strange (1978)

The Amazing Spider-Man (1977)
Spider-Man Strikes Back (aka The Deadly Dust) (1978)
Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge (aka The Chinese Web) (1979)

The Incredible Hulk (1977)
Return of the Incredible Hulk (1977)
Bride of the Incredible Hulk (1978)
The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988)
Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989)
Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990)

Wonder Woman (1974)
The New Original Wonder Woman (1975)

The Flash (1990)
The Flash 2: Revenge of the Trickster (1991)
The Flash 3: Deadly Nightshade (1992)

The Captain America I was referring to was a 1991 Golan-Globus / Albert Pyun debacle.

 

[Kachi Khatri]

Time to re-visit this thread...since new movies have been out.


1. Superman - A remarkable pioneer movie in this genre. The first superhero movie to regard its subject with any sort of epic scope, Richard Donner's "Superman" treats the Man of Steel as American myth. Every element of this film comes together to create a genuine classic.

2. X-Men 2 - This installment out shined the first film on many levels The story is intriguing, continuing on the basic path while sprouting interesting ideas, the characters are colourful and well-acted, and the special effects are much improved mainly due to the higher budget. The comic-book characters have been brought to life with startling realism and ferocious intensity.

3. Spiderman 2 - Another sequal that outdoes the first one. It was truly spectacular. It also gave Peter Parker a more real perspective showing how hard it is to live a life when burdened with being a superhero.

4. Hellboy - Never read the comic, but I enjoyed this film. Visually striking and cool character (a bit on the softie side though). Albeit dark, the movie gives us a glimpse into the realm of supernatural with Hellboy and his team of paranormal heroes. Hellboy and his rag tag bunch provide a constant stream of entertainment.

5. Superman 2 - Many say it's the best of the films in the Superman series. It has probably the best storyline and really delivers in terms of excitement, action, and also humor. Where "Superman" was a great start to this series, introducing movie-going audiences as well as the fictionalized world it took place in to the Man of Steel and his background, "Superman II" continues the story in a very satisfying, highly entertaining manner.

6. X-Men - Singer's ingenue turn at this comic adaptation was brilliant. His casting was spot on. Although, I still would have perferred a younger Jean Grey and a better delivered Storm. Thankfully the film rests on the shoulders of McKellen/Paquin/Jackman. The film is very emotional and we get a very good insight on who Magneto and Rogue is.

7. Spiderman - Spider-Man's "origin" story stays true to its roots and most of it is perfect on the comic side. The first film laid the platform for the ultimate success of the second. Overall, this was a good movie but could have been better but since this was an introduction movie.

8. Blade - A dark solid full-blooded action packed gore film. Wesley Snipes is great in the title role as Blade a.k.a. ‘Daywalker’. The best performance though, in my opinion, comes from Stephen Dorff, who enjoys playing Deacon Frost, a cool villain. Kris Kristofferson is also well used as the mentor of the half-vampire. With cool outfits and awesome weapons and great techno music that makes Blade shines.

9. Conan The Barbarian - A powerful piece of filmmaking, even it seems a bit tamer by today's standards. Certainly Milius did a great job with the direction, and the cinematography was spectacular. Still none of this would have worked so well without Arnold. He was the perfect man for the role, and he became Conan. And finally, without a doubt, one of the most impressive soundtrack to the epic sword n' sorcery fantasy movie.

10.The Mask - This a fun picture. It may be goofy and silly, but that's kind of the point of the film, isn't it? Carrey offers a dynamic comedic performance and he is well supported by the other actors. Good movie, lots of laughs.


Honorable mentions:

From Hell, The Hulk.

 

[Jim_K]

My revised list

Top 5

1. Spider-man 2 - just about the perfect superhero adaptation. Everything is nailed from Peter Parker's life & problems, not to mention an excellent villain in Doc Ock.

2. X-2 - Brilliant followup harkens back to the Claremont/Byrne/Austin stories that I grew up on.

3. Superman The Movie

4. X-Men

5. tie. Spider-man & Hulk - Both are flawed, the uneven CGI & ridiculous power ranger outfit for the Green Goblin :frowning: in SM. I do think Hulk was somewhat underrated.

I revisted the first two Batman movies recently(which I bumped) & their flaws really stand out the more they age. I do have high hopes for Batman Begins.

Best comic book like film would be RoboCop, hands down

Top 3 Manga adaptations would be

1. Lone Wolf & Cub series

2. Rurouni Kenshin (Trust/Betrayal)

3. tie Akira & Ghost in the Shell