My top 25 comic-book inspired films

While not a comic book adaptation, this movie would not exist without M. Night Shyamalan's love of comic books. What he delivered is by far the best superhero origin tale ever to hit the big screen. It explores the relationship between good and evil, the nature of heroes and villains, and incorporates comic book mythologies and artistic techniques to do so. I hate to say too much & ruin the film for anyone who hasn't seen it (if you haven't, go watch it. NOW.), so I'll skip the plot particulars. Suffice it to say the story is compelling, the acting believable and outstanding, the cinematography, directing, even the score...all excellent.

Apparently Oldboy was Manga first, though I had no idea until much later. I still haven't read it so I can't honestly compare the two, but Oldboy is one of my all-time favorite films ever so I'd be doing it a disservice to not include it.

Easily the best Batman film to date. Nolan has brought Batman and co. fully into the modern-day world, and this film built off its predecessor with a multi-layered story superbly executed. Ledger marries the Joker with Tyler Durden to create one of the best film villains of all-time (too bad he could only do that trick once). And as the film comes to a close, you're left wanting more. I sit on pins & needles awaiting its sequel.

Adapted from the Manga series, this remains one of the best anime films ever. Outstanding animation, a complex and compelling story, and one of the most memorable movie endings. Amazing.

Brad Bird's comic-inspired film looks at superheroes from a truly unique angle: what if people with superpowers had to stop using them? It's very well-rounded, moving easily between humor and darkness, action-packed one moment and tugging at your heartstrings the next, and all around brilliant.

Dystopian goodness. Though not entirely faithful to the source material, the changes work well, and the casting is perfect. Every time I watch it I like it a little more.

Nolan's origin tale for Batman far exceeds Burton's from the start. This time around we truly understand and care about where Batman comes from and what he stands for, and it's more believable because this version of Gotham and its inhabitants isn't so far off from modern-day reality (though obviously it's a dark view). Batman faces his fears and learns to take care in who he trusts in order to completely embrace his role as Gotham's protector and hero. Of course, his work doesn't end here...

Excellent biopic and adaptation of Harvey Pekar's comic book, which focuses primarily on his life and his thoughts. The performances are outstanding, and the film serves as a good introduction to the man and his work.

Not enough praise can be heaped on this movie. It works perfectly as a standalone film without being stuck in origin mode, as well as delivers a rich story with deep characters that resonates. It's a film we all needed, whether we realized it or not, and I'm glad Coogler made it in his own style with such an outstanding cast. I'll be surprised if the Marvel franchise finds a way to surpass his achievement.

For a long time this was the best movie based on a Marvel comic. The casting is perfect, the story is well thought out and well told, and it left me wanting more. Also, of all the Marvel films it was at one time the only one I had nothing critical to say about it (especially with regard to its faithfulness to the source material), even after multiple viewings.

The most faithful comic-book adaptation ever produced, so faithful in fact that some people hated it for bringing nothing new to the table. The rest of us realize it didn't need to, and we love every minute of it.

Romero's excellent homage to the EC horror comic books, and some of my favorite Stephen King tales. "The Crate" scared me when I was little, and "They're Creeping Up on You!" still creeps me out (and is probably a big reason I hate cockroaches to this day).

If you'd told me when they started the Marvel Cinematic Universe that one day a Captain America film would be among my favorites, I would've scoffed and possibly smacked you for it. Turns out two of his films earned a spot on this list, knocking out some films that I thought would never lose their place. Credit goes to the Russo brothers for being able to elevate Cap's adventures to great status, delivering rich stories that play out in satisfying ways. The elevator scene in this one makes it an all-timer, and the more I watch it the more happy I am that this film exists.

Burton’s Batman & Batman Returns will always have a special place in my heart. He lifted Batman out of campiness and made him dark & brooding, as he should be. Michael Keaton is excellent as Bruce Wayne AND Batman, which could never be said of Kilmer or Clooney. Nicholson’s Joker is menacing, mad, and full of one-liners, which also works well. The only failure here (SPOILER ALERT, but really you should have seen this by now) is Joker’s demise. Why he couldn’t have wound up in Arkham Asylum instead still eludes me. Regardless, I still love the film for what it is, and if it weren’t for Nolan’s reboot this would be much, much higher on this list.

I had no urge to see Wanted when I saw the trailers. It looked horrible. On opening night, however, I found myself dragged by friends to see it. I warned them that I’d walk out if it sucked as much as I expected it to. By the time Wesley Gibson goes off on his supervisor & co-workers, however, I was hooked. I wound up seeing it again in theatres and buying it on DVD. Excellent.

Lori Petty is perfectly cast as Tank Girl, Naomi Watts is perfectly cast as Jet, and Malcolm McDowell is their perfectly cast adversary. The story is well-told and a lot of fun, and so far it’s aged very well. Plus, you get to see Ice-T play a kangaroo, and how often does that happen?

TMNT stayed true to the spirit of the comic book, tells the origin well, and has some really memorable scenes. Best of all, it doesn't have Vanilla Ice showing up and ruining it. Pretty sure I could watch it right now & quote the dialogue along with it still.

Michelle Pfeiffer is brilliant as Selena Kyle/Catwoman, and Danny Devito is the best Penguin we'll ever see. Burton used both villains effectively and did a great job of humanizing them, and the overall story is perfectly executed. It's an even better film if you sit through either of its sequels (though I recommend you not).

Admittedly, I haven't read the comic, but I really enjoyed this movie. It's violent, bloody, dark, and the pacing is perfect. When I saw it in theatres I caught myself a few times tightly gripping the armrest, and that's a good sign of an effective horror film.

The airport scene alone gives this one a permanent place in my heart, as it delivers the kind of awe-inspiring and jaw-dropping excellence that makes someone like me who grew up devoted to comics thrilled to the bone. Thankfully the rest of the film fires wonderfully on all cylinders as well, and brings Cap's trilogy to a mostly satisfying ending.

I'm not sure any of us were prepared for Deadpool to be the kick in the pants it turned out to be for comic book movies. Wade Wilson's first full feature left me in stitches and kept me in high spirits that linger after the film ends. It's a shot of adrenaline and a dose of hilarity that was much welcome, and I'll be coming back to experience it again often.

As far as I'm concerned this is the only Crow movie that exists. It's a good love story, revenge story, adaptation, and Brandon Lee's best performance. I saw it a few times in theatres & have watched it more times than I can count at home. Best watched around Halloween, when the story takes place.

Jim Carrey was obviously the best choice for this adaptation, and the movie retained the comic's dark humor. It loses some points for toning down the violence from the comic book, but gains a few back for the cartoonish violence which makes sense here. It gets extra points for the Tex Avery-inspired animation.

I'd be lying if I said this film doesn't deserve a spot on this list. I fully understand why so many women embraced it, and it works well for me too. The No Man's Land scene alone makes it worthy of inclusion on any best-of list, but the fact they honored the character's history so well and delivered her origin story strongly makes it all the more worthwhile. It's the kind of film I look forward to my daughter seeing down the road, as I'm sure she'll love it too.

Finally we got the Spidey movie I always wanted. The casting is pitch perfect, his high school has a population that's more reflective of real life, and it's all kept on a smaller scale that makes sense for the film. Had it left out or at least further minimized the Iron Man pieces it might have been great, but as a diehard fan of RDJ's Iron Man it didn't bother me too much.