Top 5 – Most Important Comic Book Movies
This week, Wonder Woman is released and it could be argued that it is one of the most important comic book movies ever released. Firstly, the DCEU has a lot riding on it, especially after last year’s debacle of Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad, both of which were critical disasters and underperformed at the box office. But more importantly, it is the first female-led comic book movie since the abysmal Catwoman (2004) (but do we really count that one?), which is a landmark in the genre as well as for movies in general. So in honor of the monumental movie, what other comic book movie would you consider important? Not which ones are the best, but which ones changed the landscape of the genre? Here are my picks for the most important comic book movies of all-time.
5 – THE AVENGERS (Joss Whedon, 2012)
The Avengers is the biggest comic book movie ever made. Never before had a movie brought this many heroes together in one film on such an epic scale. This was a product of the MCU build up from all of their introduction films over the previous four years. Joss Whedon did something remarkable with the film in making a cohesive story the meshed perfectly with the MCU story but also not getting to out of control and messy. The movie was also a perfect segway into the next phase of the Marvel Universe, setting up stories and character motivations. This is set the bar for the scale of comic book movies.
4 – SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (Richard Donner, 1978)
I guess you could say this is one that started it all. Sure, there was the Adam West-staring Batman (1966), but the movie was more schlocky and campy and seemed more like a longer version of the television show. Richard Donner brought the legendary Superman to life and did it on a new level. Christopher Reeve is still the best Superman to ever grace the screen, epitomizing the boy scout mentality and the heroism that defines him. Mix that with dazzling effects and a terrific Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor and you have the first legitimate comic book film.
3 – IRON MAN (Jon Favreau, 2008)
Similar to Superman: The Movie, Iron Man is the one that started it all. But what separates Iron Man is the ambition and gamble of the film. The Avengers are B-grade characters, nowhere near as popular as Spider-Man, X-Men, or even the Fantastic 4, so starting a franchise with them is already risky. But, casting Robert Downey Jr, who was nowhere near as famous as he is now, and putting Jon Favreau behind the camera, even though he had only three films under his belt, were the biggest gambles. The outcome, however, was nothing short of brilliance. This movie set the pace for the tone and quality that is expected from the MCU and they have yet to make a better movie. Without the success of Iron Man, there is no MCU. But, because of its success and because of its greatness, we have one of the greatest movie series of all-time.
2 – X-MEN (Bryan Singer, 2000)
X-Men almost made the number one spot, but in the end, it just missed. X-Men could be argued as the film that launched the modern comic book movie. Never before had we seen our super heroes so grounded and fleshed out on screen. Never before had we had a cast like this with stars like Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, and Anna Paquin and introducing us to the likes of James Marsden and the now legendary Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. This was the way comic book movies should be made. It was ripped directly from the comic books and directly from the animated television show and made into a perfect live-action film. The later films may have hurt the franchise, but this started it all for comic book films.
1 – BATMAN BEGINS (Christopher Nolan, 2005)
How do you rebuild from a fire? A neon-colored fire at that? That was the task that Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan had when they were rebooting the Batman franchise after the techno-colored skid mark that was Batman & Robin (1998). Batman is beloved character, maybe the most popular superhero out there, and what Batman & Robin did ruined a lot of the character for a lot of people. This was the tallest of tasks to accomplish. The next Batman film had to bring an entire audience back and make them fall in love again. Nolan succeeded and then some. This showed us a Batman like we’ve never seen before. This showed us the incarnation of the Caped Crusader and him trying to save the dirtiest and most corrupt Gotham City we’ve ever seen. This took the seriousness and grounded nature of X-Men and took it to another level, making the comic book genre feel more realistic and authentic and placing our heroes and villains in the world we live in. The movie also had a style, tone, and gravitas to it that was never before seen in the genre. The Dark Knight (2008) may be the better movie, but Batman Begins made audiences love Batman again and took the comic book genre to another level of realism, story-telling, and in terms of filmmaking, which is why, for me, it is the most important comic book movie ever made.
What do you think the most important comic book movie ever is? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.