I am a comic book nerd.
These are my opinions.
BEGIN!
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| 10. The Dark Knight |
| Surely this is a mistake! Surely the writer meant to list this masterpiece at #1, not #10! Nope. It's a great movie, but overrated in my opinion. No doubt about it, Heath Ledger gives the greatest performance in a comic book movie period. But there are flaws in The Dark Knight. For one thing, Bale's ridiculous voice as Batman. I love him as Bruce Wayne, but that corny growl is way over the top. Another problem: too many characters and storylines. The whole Harvey Dent thing should have been another movie. And maybe it's just Maggie Gyllenhaal's performance, but I really didn't care what happened to her. But the scenes with Joker...pure genius. I know it sounds like I've just been slamming this movie, but I actually love it. I just get a little tired of the conventional wisdom that this is the greatest comic book movie ever. To me, it even places second in Nolan's trilogy. |
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| 9. X-Men: First Class |
| I rank this above all of the other X-Men films for one reason: watching it is like reading a comic book (which is what a comic-book movie should be, after all). Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy are brilliant, Kevin Bacon is surprisingly excellent as a villain, the pacing is perfect, the story is great, it's not weighed down with a sense of seriousness like the other X-Men movies. Can't wait to see the next one (which is something I don't think I ever said with the first batch). |
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| 8. The Rocketeer |
| Pure class. What's not to love? The movie looks great, Billy Campbell and Jennifer Connelly make a perfect couple, the set designs are spot on, Timothy Dalton is superb as Errol Flynn the Nazi, Alan Arkin is...well, Alan Arkin! As for the Rocketeer himself...strapping a rocket on his back and that awesome helmet - it seems legit. I really don't know why this movie wasn't a huge hit...I was hoping for 2 or 3 sequels. |
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| 7. Iron Man |
| The two sequels are just fine (Mickey Rourke is especially creepy, and Black Widow taking out those guys in the hallway is very cool), but it's hard to top the first one. And it's all because of Robert Downey Jr. He starts off as such an arrogant, amoral jerk that it's hard to believe that you'll ever end up rooting for him. But his transformation after being tortured and acquiring a conscience is just as riveting as the breathtaking action scenes. And any movie that can get me to like Gwyneth Paltrow deserves major credit. |
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| 6. The Incredibles |
| I know technically there is no comic book called "The Incredibles", but I'm counting this as the Fantastic Four movie that should have been. It's exciting, the dialogue is excellent, it's fun, and has deep messages underneath it all. Just like ol' Stan Lee woulda wrote. Excelsior! |
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| 5. Spider-Man 2 |
| By far the best of the Sam Raimi movies. The story is tight and stays focused on the theme. The action scenes are all-time classics (especially the runaway train). Alfred Molina brings first-rate acting chops as Doc Ock. And the humor is the best of the series. Oh, if only they had turned "3" into two movies and saved Venom for the end. |
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| 4. Superman |
| I can't put my finger on it, but for some reason this is the only comic book movie that to me is like Star Wars: no matter how many times I've seen it, if I'm flipping the channels and it's on - I watch it. I never get tired of this movie. For one thing, Christopher Reeve is Superman. There's a reason why Alex Ross uses Reeve as the prototype for his Clark Kent...he is the epitome (same with Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman). Aside from the perfect casting of Reeve, you have the genius of Gene Hackman; the greatest actor of all time, Marlon Brando, playing Jor-El; Glenn Ford as Pa Kent, for crying out loud! Wait...I think I'm figuring out why I love this movie so much... |
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| 3. The Dark Knight Rises |
| Yes, oh shocked devotees of The Dark Knight, I think Rises is a superior film. For one thing, the story is much more focused. The siege on Gotham is masterful, and it ups the stress level frame by frame. The tension between Bruce and Alfred is real. The acting is top-notch throughout (not a weak performance in the bunch). Anne Hathaway is excellent as Catwoman. Marion Cotillard is perfect as Talia. And Tom Hardy as Bane is completely, unequivocally, 100% awesome. People keep comparing his performance to Ledger's as Joker, but that makes little sense. They are two completely different characters. What Hardy did is just as unique and riveting. When he lays the back of his hand on John Daggett's shoulder and says, "do you feel in charge?", I get chills every time. |
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| 2. Captain America: The First Avenger |
| It's tough for me to not rank this #1. This is a perfect movie. And not just a perfect comic book movie, this is a perfect movie period. It captures the feel of World War II so well that you feel like you're there. Stanley Tucci is great. Tommy Lee Jones is excellent as always. And Chris Evans - who would have guessed? He was so perfect as the shallow and brash Johnny Storm, that I was shocked when I heard he was cast. How could that obnoxious punk play the coolest guy in the Marvel universe, Steve Rogers? But he astounded me. He is Captain America. |
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| 1. The Avengers |
| Any list of great comic book movies that doesn't put The Avengers at #1 is a joke (or sour grapes from an indie hipster). It's got all the great characters, insane action, hilarious lines, Joss Whedon, Scarlett Johansson beating up four guys while tied to a chair. And Hulk pounding Loki. Yep...for now, this is the best. |
Jeffrey Dale Starr is a beer enthusiast, oil painter, and owner of mobile software company Purple Falcon.
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