Ash's All Time Comic Movies (Top 10)
10. Man of Steel
For years the search for a Superman who could beat or be on par with Christopher Reeve was hopeless. Fans get EXHAUSTED with remakes and bad castings but every now and then...they find a diamond in the ruff. For Man of Steel that diamond was Henry Cavill who for years has played this generations best version of Superman since yes...Christopher. Not only did this movie cast the perfect Superman but the film itself was fantastic and a breathe of fresh air for DC in a Marvel Universe. The story was true to his origin without over doing it and it was an original version/take of a classic hero. I must highlight Michael Shannon as General Zod and Faora (who had one of my favorite fights on film). When it comes to "Most Epic Trailer" awards...this and 'Wakanda Forever' take the mantel/prize of their decade.
The Theme song in this film is one of the most recognizable in history and this superman can take the same title. Before Henry, this version of superman was the most accurate and well played version in my lifetime (along with his Lois Lane). I have to give major kudos to this film for my brother (who LOVES/LOVED) Superman (his fav DC hero) and my birth sperm donor who like 007 movies would not shut up about how legendary this film was. Yes I can appreciate it as an adult but as a kid this movie and Batman were the only topics at our little dinner table when at my dad's house.
9. Superman
8. Batman
Yet another blast from a fantastic past, this Batman was the pinnacle of DC excellence in it's time (yes there was a time in history when DC was toppling all the right dominoes). Michael Keaton as Batman? Flawless / Jack Nicholson as Joker? Flawless / Kim Bassinger as Vicky? Flawless / Tim Burton as the Director? Flawless
7. Spider-man
Now we slowly creep into the Marvel takeover...but like not officially. This was the SONY version of a Marvel character and because Marvel was not a big deal or even on anyone's thought path yet...they had a winner. The movie has it's cheesy moments but Tobey was a great starter spidey, Willem Dafoe is the stand out in this film and everything about it was everything fans wanted at the time from this beloved neighborhood friendly spider.
6. X-Men First Class / Days of Future Past
Let's make something very clear; I do LOVE the OG X-Men cast and they are on my honorable mention list of top comic films but something about these 2 films far surpassed them for me. First Class was the most real depiction of an X-Men film I had seen when it came out by diving into Magneto's past (maybe I gave an extra star or 2 for the World War 2 references..sorry). Kevin as Shaw and Fassbender as Magneto may have been some of my favorite acting in a comic film aside from some other stand-outs in other comic films. The Bar Scene, Coin Scene, Missile Launch and The Switzerland dentist visit were just SOME of my favorite scenes. Just when I thought this film hit all the right chords I went and saw Days of Future Past (the director Bryan Singer was in our theater which was pretty cool haha). This movie was even better and I adored First Class. Having the OG X-Men and the new X-Men AND Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine wasn't a difficult recipe for a box office smash and fantastic film.
Let me just say this... I have to be careful about what I write about this movie but YES. V for Vendetta could have been WAY higher on this list if some of the other epic films didn't come out I'll just say that. In fact this should/could technically hold the #1 spot but i'll let it rest here and in my heart for some reason.
5. V for Vendetta
4. Logan / Joker
Starting with Logan, this was a time I walked out the theater and thought 'Was that the best/my favorite film of the year?' and I really had to watch it twice in theaters to make that determination. Watching some films at home is fine but some films were created for the big screen and not just for action and big stunt moments. Logan had so much depth and realism to it, this was the first time FOX took on the DC persona (dark and real). Not only is Jackman the best and only Wolverine we need but X-23 was even more bad ass then her dad! Honestly every player in the film was on point and this was the first time we would walk out of a film....well I won't ruin it but just have the tissues on hand. Parallel to that Joker was also incredible. I feel like DC can dominate when they aren't trying to be or replicate Marvel. The reason something is great is because it 'Stays in it's Lane' and 'Does what it does best' add a splash of originality to the mix and all the most successful DC films sit nestled in this list. I say that to say Joker was DARK and I mean REALLY F**king dark. DC does so well when their films are gritty, dark and true to the character. Marvel is supposed to be family friendly and insanely cosmic...they do that flawlessly and that is why they work. DC films like Joker need to be exactly like this because it makes them stand-out and makes them different from their opposer.
3. The Avengers
No words necessary. I have an entire section on my blog for this incredible franchise. Top grossing comic franchise of all time and only 3rd because I always pay homage to great films no matter if I single handedly loved them or the world out-numbered me on their level of greatness
2. The Dark Knight Trilogy
Seeing Batman Begins at the Chinese Theater in L.A. felt like the coolest thing in the world to me at the time. Cillian Murphy's version of Scarecrow was kiss the finger in Italy great but Bale as Batman and Nolan at the helm get's you top marks and a franchise (that to me) was the best in a generation. I always try and place one film over the other in my enjoyment level but with this trilogy it's actually very difficult because all 3 are 5 star films. The Dark Knight did make my all time favorite film list for a slew of reasons, the biggest that I just didn't expect to walk out the film and be as blown away as I was. The night vision scene in that film also deserves high recognition, Ledger losing his life after playing the most iconic villain on film (at that time) and absolutely no one expecting that to happen or for him to be capable of that. The Dark Knight Rises (in a rare occurrence for trilogies) was on par with its' predecessor and saw yet another fantastic actor playing one of my favorite villains on screen (Tom Hardy as Bane). I think I played the scene where Bane and Batman fight in the sewer an obscene amount of times when it came out on Blu-Ray. Overall this superhero and this Trilogy was a masterpiece of it's kind and I'm just not sure when this will happen again for DC but they can always hope.
I know this may seem off-putting and very bizarre to place in a number 1 spot. Many people enjoyed the film, some didn't care for it and I always try to gage such a high rating with 3 pieces of criteria: Critic approval, Audience Approval and My own Approval. This may be the first time I go against that rule and place a puzzle piece where it may not belong but to me Watchmen was a visual work of art and a mental wonder. Dr Manhattan may be one of my favorite comic characters on film ('When you left me I left earth') and this was the first time in a comic movie (that I recall) where the 'Villain' was 100% justified for everything he did.
1. Watchmen
