20. Superman: The Movie (1978) - Some might see this as sacrilege, ranking the original comic book movie so low. But the truth is, the only reason I'm ranking it at all is to acknowledge the debt owed to it by the rest of the superhero movies on this list. Otherwise, it's basically unwatchable unless the nostalgic pull one gets from it is too much to resist. Christopher Reeve is great as Clark Kent, but pretty much everything else sucks, from the plodding origin story to the ridiculous plotting to a bumbling Lex Luthor to Lois Lane's "Can you read my mind?" monologue. If you haven't rewatched it lately, do yourself a favour and don't. The movie in your memory is better than the one that exists on celluloid.
19. Ghost in the Shell (1995) - I've seen a total of three anime movies in my life, two for the purposes of this list (Akira was the other), so I'll admit right now that I might be missing another great manga adaptation for this list (like, for instance, the sequel to this film). I enjoyed both Akira and Ghost in the Shell for what they are, but its not a medium that I completely embrace (or understand for that matter). Still, you have to admire the ambition of each film, with Ghost in the Shell's cyberpunk themes resonating a bit more for me than Akira's... uhh.... whatever that movie was about.
18. Road to Perdition (2002) - This was one of the first mainstream non-superhero graphic novel adaptations to come out, expanding the types of stories that could be adapted from the comics medium. There's a lot to admire about this film, including Tom Hanks playing against type as a hardened hitman, Paul Newman as his amoral boss, and the moody cinematography of Conrad L. Hall. It's a solid film, but a little too sombre to the point of dullness at times.
17. Hellboy (2004) - This is a very enjoyable movie, but I still consider it to be merely above average overall. In fact, it's probably not as good as Road to Perdition, but I enjoy it more. Despite the imagination and talent of Mike Mignola and Guillermo del Toro, the only thing that keeps the film from being a mere pleasant distraction is Ron Perelman as Hellboy, and the attachment the viewer gets for the character. This is why the more visually compelling and ambitious sequel The Golden Army doesn't make this list, because it didn't give us enough of Hellboy being Hellboy.
Article comments
1 - Dusty Somers
Nice piece. Not sure if I agree with the Spiderman movies ranking so high - first viewing was great, but they haven't held up over time very well for me.
Here's hoping Nolan's third Batman film won't go the way of the Spiderman and X-Men franchises.
2 - Dan Coloman
I Think your list is pretty solid, however you did leave out some pretty good movies.
1. Fantastic Four- rise of the Silver Surfer. Although the first FF movie seemed way too campy and the Doom character was not as menacing as in the comics, it did have a better storyline and more action than the first.
2. Blade- the first movie was the better of the bunch. It had some weak points, but overall very entertaining.
The Punisher(Tom Janes)- not that great, mainly for the Vincent Vega Villan, but the new one for this fall rumors to have Jig Saw, one of the better advisaries.
Dare Devil and Electra- Again, entertaining and somewhat loyal to the book. not my favorite.
Ghost Rider- Not a big Nicholas Cage fan, but I love the fact that They used Peter Fonda and his Easy rider bike in the film.
3 - Andy
I've seen all but two of those (Ghost Rider and Elektra), but must say that none of them were contenders for this list. In fact, I thought Rise of the Silver Surfer was worse than the first Fantastic Four movie.
That said, I am somewhat looking forward to the new re-casted Punisher movie.