I thought seeing as their is a pause in comic book films till this summer I’d do a pointless internet top (n) list about them. I chose the number 5 because that is about as high as my attention span will let me get. Plus I’ve also recently re-watched ‘High Fidelity’ so I have Top 5 lists on the brain.

5. X-Men 2

This is the franchise that really kicked off the modern Superhero film, building on the good will created by Blade. X-Men was a good film in its own right but it was a bit self-conscious at times and oddly goofy at others. It was also saddled with introducing many characters and explaining powers and origins. X-Men 2 was where the franchise found its feet and unfortunately thanks to the almost dire X-Men 3 and mediocre Wolverine films it was also where it peaked. It is a nicely balanced film. Superheroics, drama, new characters, better wigs and focusing on the existing characters better all rise it above X-Men.  And thanks to not being saddled with so many introductions there is more plot available for the film. More importantly this is the film we really got to see the Wolverine in action.

4. Spider-man 2

Spider-man was a good film despite suffering from Superhero origin syndrome. If there was one Marvel character that could have had his origin easily glossed over it is Spidey. The sequel improved everything laid down by the first. Better plot, better characters, better villain, better dialogue, better action sequences and much improved CGI. Yet again this was also the peak of the franchise as Spider-man 3 was such a let down  that everyone involved swore off it and Sony has had no choice but to reboot the franchise and take it back to its roots. It helps that the film was really ‘my Spider-man’. I grew up reading the comics of the young adult Peter Parker rather than the teenage one so this fits in better with my idea of how Spider-man should be. What? This is my list so the reasons the films get on it don’t have to apply to you too.

3. Watchmen (Ultimate Edition)

The Ultimate Edition DVD is what slides this into the top 5 otherwise this would be the honourable mention. The extra footage and the inclusion of the Pirate comic as a cartoon really makes the film complete. I consider this film both entertainment and a work of art just like the comic book and you never read this but I prefer the film’s ending over the comic’s. Synder did the impossible with this film and made probably the best adaptation of Watchmen that was possible and even tweaked it to make it more relevant to a modern audience. I can fault it on very little. The soundtrack alone is the best Superhero film soundtrack ever and the opening sequence is sublime. Despite the length I never feel like the film is dragging or trying to do too much. Horribly violent yet never mindlessly so and all the violence in lovely slow motion instead of that modern trend of shakey cam and quick cuts like the Bourne films.

2. The Dark Knight

Batman Begins was good, really good, probably the best first film of a Superhero franchise when it came out. Dark and broody without the peculiarity of Tim Burton and with a Batman who can keep up with the Villain in the acting stakes. The Dark Knight not only went its own way with its naming convention it also took everything write with Batman Begins and made it better. Nobody thought Heath Ledger would be able to match Jack Nicholson’s evil funny uncle portrayal of the Joker but he match it and then some. Ledger’s Joker was phenomenal. Yet he managed to do it in away that he didn’t over shadow the films protagonist. Which might have more to do with the differences between Bale and Keaton to be honest. The film is so good it is possible to ignore Bale’s almost comedic Batman voice.

1. Iron Man

This as it stands is the ultimate Superhero film. It gets everything right. It manages to incorporate the colour and spectacle of a Superhero without dragging the film to far away from reality. Despite being an origin film it never seems to get bogged down. Possibly because it is not an origin we have seen 100s of times before like say Superman’s. It manages to use special effects in just the right amount to serve the film without dominating it. Even with all the CGI and action the thing that stands out more than the armour is the man in it. Downey was born to play Tony Stark and thanks to the lack of a complete script he is allowed to really make the character his. The dialog feels fresh and real because so much of it is an either ad-lib or was written with the author. And you know what else it is an enjoyable film with a delightfully roguish hero you can’t help but love. If the pattern of the 2nd film in a comic book franchise being the best continues then Iron Man 2 should be a stonker.

Honourable Mention: Daredevil – The Directors Cut

A lot of people dislike this film and the theatrical cut has a lot to be disliked, not least of which is Ben Affleck’s acting while being Matt Murdock. As Daredevil he manages to Batman it up just right but as Murdock he is unconvincing and his hair looks stupid. So why is this an honourable mention? Well partly because the Directors cut pretty much fixes most of the complaints you could have with the film that come down to Affleck’s wonky acting. The fact that Murdock is a broken man, both physically and psychologically and that really comes across in the film. He is covered in scars, coming apart and has to dose up on pain killers just to function. Mentally he is fried and long ago crossed that line into being Daredevil with Lawyer being his mask. The Director’s cut fixes the balance and frankly ads some plot. However it is the fact that Daredevil pilfers imagery from the comics like you wouldn’t believe that makes me like it so much. Few comic book films have dared draw from the comics in this way as much as Daredevil does. It is packed full of scenes from the very first to the very last shots that you can find in the comic books. I know I have those comic books and I am a comic fan before movie fan, sorry. I like that enough to bump ‘Batman Begins’ out of the honourable mention slot. Still it would have been better if they had just filmed Frank Miller’s ‘The Man Without Fear’.

Conclusions

It seems to me that is telling the origin story that often drags Superhero comics down. The problem is that Superhero origin stories are vitally important to the character but also tend to be quiet short. Long enough to drag down the quality of film but not long enough to make a whole film out of. You can either skirt over it as much as possible like Daredevil or expand it and make it the entire plot like Iron Man or Batman Begins.