The comic book genre has taken Hollywood movies to the next level. Every year Hollywood is putting out one or more comic book movies that gross billions of dollars a year. From Superman in the early 80’s to The Avengers in 2012 and beyond, movie companies can’t ignore the fact that the genre has made them filthy rich. Screenwriters and producers have found a way to take these compelling comic book stories and put them on the big screen. There have been some great movies and there have been some really awful ones as well. Here is MY list of comic book movies that I think helped pave the way for current and future films.
Batman - For those that know me Batman is my favorite comic book character. I’m not trying to be biased here but I really think that the 1989 Batman movie started it all. Yea Christopher Reeve’s Superman was a breakthrough but Batman really pushed the envelope with its dark and raw feel. With an all-star cast and the visionary direction of Tim Burton, Batman took a different look at the way this genre can be made. Before the movie came out in the summer of 1989, everyone was used to the campy Bat-Man TV series and movie with Adam West. DC comics sure appreciated the approach they went with that but found a greater appreciation for the visionary team in Tim Burton’s Batman. Bob Kane admitted that Batman was never supposed to be campy and fun but more dark and mysterious. I think comic book movies in general owe Batman a bit of gratitude.
X-Men – Bryan Singer’s mutant movie was fantastic. I thought X2 was a better movie but X-Men started it off. Before X-Men I can’t seem to remember a comic book blockbuster that had the “team” feel to it. Everything was mainly a bunch of solo movies. After X-Men came out, movies like Hellboy and The Fantastic Four came along. The Avengers and soon to come Guardians of the Galaxy are going to take over/have taken over the comic landscape. X-Men brought many different superhero egos and blended them in quite nice. Even though the story seemed to revolve around Wolverine and Rogue, the rest of the characters fit in perfectly. Who else could have played the roles of Professor-X and Magneto better than Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen?!
Sin City - Finally! A grown up feel to the genre. Very explicit, and visually stunning, Sin City brought a true feel of what a graphic novel movie can bring to the table. The black and the whites and the grey with a smack of red and yellow really had me hooked from beginning to end. With the different story lines and characters Sin City pulled off this multi-plot film in amazing fashion. Was there a better rated R comic book movie before Sin City? No. Why? Nobody had the balls to push that envelope. But Robert Rodriguez sure showed us all HE did.
The Dark Knight - When Christopher Nolan came out with Batman Begins the fanboys and movie critics weren't really sold on the new remake of Batman. The story was good, the cast was good, but because this a was an origin story some may have found it a little boring. Everyone knew that Nolan was going to make a second movie but when Nolan cast Heath Ledger as the Joker, everyone went crazy. I read somewhere that said “What the hell is Nolan thinking?” With the passing of Ledger the movie started to build steam and was a huge success in the theaters. The movie was so great it had a chance to become nominated for an Academy award for Best Motion Picture. Ledger’s acting was so great the he won an award for Best Supporting Actor. Nolan had taken this genre and created not just a comic book movie, but an epic film. The Dark Knight had a Martin Scorsese crime movie feel to it. At some points of the film you almost forget you’re watching a comic book movie. Hands down, the best comic book film of all time.
The Avengers - Mix in a hand full of superheros, an alien invasion, some pretty awesome special effects and a gallon of Red Bull and out comes The Avengers! Marvel really went above and beyond to bring this movie to life. Once the first Iron Man movie came out the wheels were now in motion to create what we know now as the Marvel Universe. This Marvel Universe has taken off and is now in the works for 5 future films. Because the Avengers was so successful we will now be stuck with 2 new Marvel films a year for possibly the rest of our lives. Thank you Joss Whedon!
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