Image via Complex Original
We are living in a golden age. As kids in the '80s, we were starved for comic book movies, desperate for even suspicious adaptations like Howard the Duck and Sheena. If you had told us back then that comic book movies would one day be so ubiquitous that we would actually groan at the thought of another Fantastic Four sequel, we would have thought you were crazy. But here we are, two decades later, and comic books are regularly adapted to the big screen, for better or worse.
While there are scores of poorly cast, unfaithful shit shows like Daredevil and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Hollywood has also hit us off with X2 and The Dark Knight, transcendent adaptations that respect their source materials. With so many eagerly anticipated comic book movies dropping in 2011—Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Green Lantern, to name a few—Complex decided to curate a countdown of the 50 best comic book movies. Hopefully this year's crop is so good that it knocks some of our favorites down a peg, but even if it doesn't, at least we know there will be many more comic movies to come.
By Alex Cox
The Punisher
Many people consider it one in a string of Marvel disasters from the '80s and early '90s, but The Punisher actually holds up pretty well as a ridiculous, stylized action movie along the lines of Stallone's Cobra or Schwarzenegger's Red Heat. Dolph Lundgren's Frank Castle is one of the vigilante character's weirder portrayals, and he spends as much time praying in the sewers (naked) as he does killing Yakuza. Louis Gossett Jr. is great as always playing cop Jake Berkowitz, and when the action gets going, this is an awesome guilty pleasure.
Swamp Thing
Adrienne Barbeau! Let us forgive the horrible rubber suit, the ridiculously low budget, and the overall mediocrity. Writer/director Wes Craven is a talented man, but his only inspiration this time around was in casting. And lo, there was Adrienne Barbeau. Works for us!
Red Sonja
When we were kids, every video store had a copy of Brigitte Nielsen's Conan spinoff in the science fiction/fantasy section. The box was always sun-faded and dusty, and no one wanted to rent it. We were afraid. Not of the bad acting—and yes, there was plenty—but that it would launch us into puberty prematurely with its scantily clad lady warrior. One day, we finally dared to watch Red Sonja, and that is the story of how we got chest hair.
Flash Gordon
With an amazing soundtrack by Queen, sexy ladies a-plenty, and a hero who played for the Jets, Flash Gordon is a notorious mess of a movie that nonetheless has a lot going for it. Max Von Sydow makes a terrifying Ming the Merciless, and some of the scenes (like an army of Bird-men flying across a psychedelic sky) are a rare and wonderful kind of crazy.
Punisher: War Zone
Starring Ray Stevenson, the guy who gave us nightmares on HBO's Rome, Punisher: War Zone was intended to be an ultra-violent, hyper-bloody, over-the-top reboot of the franchise after Thomas Jane's previous turn as Frank Castle. It delivers on all counts. This is pretty much everything you need in a Punisher movie; it's ridiculous and gory, and there is almost non-stop slaying of criminals by a man wearing a skull on his shirt.
Blade 2
In the far superior sequel to Wesley Snipes's comic smash, director Guillermo Del Toro took the weird to an all new level and created a new breed of vampires with toothy vagina mouths. That kind of horrific sexual dementia is what vampire movies are all about, Del Toro just put his crazy on screen for Wesley Snipes to shoot guns at. Well played, Guillermo.
The Incredible Hulk
Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk adaptation was disastrous. This reboot, which starred Edward Norton as Dr. Banner and the big green guy, was far superior but widely panned for being too action-heavy. Seriously? Any Hulk movie where he tears a tank in two, and then uses the pieces to beat on things is OK by us.
Popeye
One of the truly strangest films ever made, this delivered a hit to the careers of Robin Williams and Robert Altman that followed them for years. It's a musical featuring hash-soaked folk-rock tunes from Harry Nilsson, delivered by non-singers like Shelly Duvall, and it still manages to be catchy with songs as ridiculous as "Blow Me Down." A special MVP goes to "Mr Hand" himself, Ray Walston, as Poopdeck Pappy, one of the greatest characters in comics.
Hellboy
The Hellboy comics are some of the best things ever made. Rooted in folklore and feeding off the weirdness of old school Catholicism, they are, in essence, stories about a big dude who can take a lot of punishment while fighting monsters. That is what we call a "winning formula," and it would take a lot of work to fuck that up. Luckily, creature master Del Toro and his movie do not fuck that up.
Barbarella
Based on a sexy French science fiction comic, one might watch this movie for Jane Fonda in sexy costumes, Jane Fonda out of sexy costumes, or most importantly, the Jane Fonda side-boob. The appeal of this story about Barbarella and her sex-filled search for Durand-Durand, is pretty obvious.
30 Days of Night
Arriving a few years before vampires went Menudo all over our asses and took over pop culture, 30 Days of Night is a pretty straightforward and solid horror film based on a pretty straightforward and solid horror comic about vamps descending on an Alaskan town just in time for the sun to disappear for a month. Slade somehow managed to get the look of Ben Templesmith's awesomely murky artwork on the screen, and what resulted is moody, creepy, and pretty cool. We only wish it could sink its teeth into the Twilight films and bleed the life out of them.
Flash Gordon
Released two years before Superman first appeared, Buster Crabbe's adventures on the planet Mongo undoubtedly inspired every muscle-bound hero in tights for years to come. One of the first movies to bring a comic strip to life, this holds up as one of the great science fiction adventures of all time.
Batman Returns
Tim Burton's return to Gotham City in 1992 saw him even less interested in Batman than he was in 1989, and he created something totally bizarre. It's a creepy, cold, dark movie, set at Christmas and populated with filthy circus clowns, giant penguins, and Christopher Walken. Danny DeVito's deformed Penguin is so disgusting that he's almost hard to watch, while Michelle Pfieffer's latex-clad Catwoman is hard to watch in an entirely different way.
V for Vendetta
While this adaptation strays pretty far from the anarchic politics of Alan Moore and David Lloyd's brilliant original comic, the look and performances are right on target. The incredible centerpiece of the movie (Natalie Portman being broken down through psychological torture) is right out of the book, and Hugo Weaving steals the show by managing to convey emotion through a Guy Fawkes mask.
300
Like Robert Rodriguez's Sin City, Snyder's movie about the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans bravely fought against a Persian king's one-million-man army, goes above and beyond replicating the look of a Frank Miller comic. It is also noteworthy for being the most homoerotic movie ever made. EVER.
Fritz the Cat
Filthy, creepy, and borderline racist, Fritz the Cat does a pretty good job translating the Robert Crumb comics, despite him publicly hating the movie. It loses most of Crumb's satire, but makes up for it with some great hand-drawn animation. Personally, we're too skeeved out by cartoon animals having sex to ever watch it again, but it's historically important and certainly well-made.
Batman
Even after Tim Burton's game-changing Batman, years of cartoons on television, and The Dark Knight, there are still many, many people who think of Adam West when you say "Batman." That kind of staying power is impossible to deny. Bonus points for the coolest Batmobile ever.
Iron Man 2
Hold please. Before we can write anything about this action-packed sequel that goes deep into Tony Starks's personal demons, we require another Google search of "Scarlett Johansson black leather body suit."
The Rocketeer
The best special effect in this movie about a stunt pilot who acquires a stolen rocket pack is Jennifer Connelly dressed as Bettie Page. Man, she's attractive! Talented too, and she's aged well...the lady is 40 and could pass for 18! She's really stunning. Her and Phoebe Cates must have some deal with the devil where they only get better-looking as they...wait, what was I talking about? Oh yeah. The Rocketeer is pretty good.
Dick Tracy
World-class cocksman Warren Beatty was nailing Madonna (in her prime) at the time he made Dick Tracy, and that explains a lot about the film. You have Mr. Beatty, no makeup, wandering through a parade of great actors all under heavy prosthetics to look ugly, matching the bizarre Chester Gould drawings they were playing. I imagine that's what it's like when you're fucking Madonna; you walk around and your ego is so 'roid raged that everyone but you looks deformed.
Ghost World
Dan Clowes has one of the most subversive and sharp senses of humor in comics, and when Ghost World sticks to the source (originally serialized in the classic series Eightball), it's sarcastic, dark, and hilarious. Co-starring Scarlett Johansson back when she was actually trying to act, this movie goes off the rails a bit at the end and turns into a sad-guy-listens-to-old-jazz thing that doesn't make a lot of sense. Bonus: Researching this involved a Scarlett Johansson Google search.
Heavy Metal
Growing up, Heavy Metal magazine was the place to go for sci fi and fantasy stories filled with nudity and violence. This animated anthology of new and adapted stories added early eighties rock to the cartoon boobs and carnage. Even better.
Men in Black
Tommy Lee Jones is great. He can carry a revolver, a shotgun, or an enormous, goofy, alien weapon and make them all equally kick-ass. The original MiB comic was kind of forgettable, but the movie holds up incredibly well. Remember when Linda Fiorentino was the next big sexy leading lady? That was a long time ago.
Sin City
Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, and special guest director Quentin Tarantino went to insane lengths to replicate the framing, design, and stark black and white of the original Sin City comics, deviating only when it came time for Nancy, the stripper who is a focal point in every story, to appear topless. Way to go, Jessica Alba. Way to knock this movie out of the Top 10 by not showing your boobies.
American Splendor
Paul Giamatti stars as Harvey Pekar, author of the autobiographical American Splendor comic series, in this biopic. Great acting with all sorts of weird real-life characters. If you ever want to see unattractive, annoying people fall in love and get cancer, this is the movie for you.
Dororo
Based on the same classic manga as the PS2 game Blood Will Tell, this is the story of prosthetic samurai Hyakkimaru, who has to fight demons to win back his real body parts. This one is every bit as awesome as it sounds, and the demon designs are lifted straight from the drawings of the "God of Manga", Osamu Tezuka.
X-Men
Bryan Singer not only pulled off the seemingly impossible by making a fun hour-and-a-half movie with a solid cast based on forty years of comics and hundreds of characters, he also achieved the unthinkable by making a tall, handsome, possibly gay Australian believable as the notably short, hairy, surly Canadian, Wolverine.
Death Note
The best things about the Death Note manga, the story of a young man who can kill people simply by writing their names in a supernatural book, are the various demons that are attached to the titular Death Notes (the super-tight plots and insane twists don’t hurt either). When we saw that the CG demons in this were totally faithful 3D versions of the ones in the comic, we knew it would be good. And we were right, as usual. We’re always right, about everything. Also, we’re very handsome.
A History of Violence
Viggo Mortensen is great as a small-town diner owner whose instinctive and violent dispatch of two nasty robbers suggests that he may actually be a gangster in hiding. Dude has made a career out of playing total hard-asses, but he seems like the kind of guy who would be full of interesting gardening tips and things to say about soil. We bet he has a rocking chair with an old quilt, and maybe a hummingbird feeder.
Adventures of Captain Marvel
For years Captain Marvel outsold Superman on the comic racks, and was the most popular superhero in the world, thanks in part to the success of this serial. The flying effects are kind of amazing, even today, and it features what is possibly the most accurate comic-to-film costume ever made. Certainly better than George Clooney Batman's areola armor.
Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance
Lone Wolf and Cub is not only one of the greatest manga ever made, it may be one of the finest pieces of fiction ever written, period. When it was adapted in 1972, violence and gore were becoming standard in martial arts films, and this one runs red with plenty of blood. Starring the imposing Tomisaburo Wakayama as a chubbier Ogami Itto than the comic version, there are enough swords and sex in this to make it basically a masterpiece.
Superman II
In the second Superman film, escaped Kryptonian criminals come to Earth and threaten to subjugate mankind. Terence Stamp was so cool and righteous as General Zod that he forever made the phrase "KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!" shorthand for Total Badassery.
Danger: Diabolik
Inspired by the super-spy boom of the sixties, Mario Bava took one of the most beloved characters in European comics and made a swinging, psychedelic, pop-art heist film, complete with sexy ladies, sexy cars, and a bed literally made of money. With a classic score by Ennio Morricone, Danger: Diabolik is Europe's answer to the films of James Bond and Derek Flint, and is just as good.
Persepolis
Sex, drugs, and political revolution. Persepolis is a terrific look at Iran in the seventies, filtered through the eyes of a young girl who is into punk rock and Bruce Lee. Hey you, get your news from Jon Stewart, why not your history from a comic adaptation?
Ichi the Killer
Takashi Miike's disturbing take on Batman and the Joker comes complete with torture, latex, and lots of sobbing. Based on Hideo Yamamoto's equally disturbing manga, the "glasgow smile" of Yakuza enforcer Kakihara remains a creepy image made even creepier by Tadanobu Asano's amazing villainous performance.
Lady Snowblood
This film (and the sequels that follow) are notable for featuring, in the lead role, a beautiful kimono-clad woman being sprayed with blood as she kills people. In the original manga, she is usually naked while exacting bloody revenge. Advantage? MANGA.
Road to Perdition
Tom Hanks took an out-of-type turn when he played a vengeful mob hitman on the run with his son in this 2002 adaptation of Max Allan Collins's graphic novel, but he pulls it off like a champ. Jude Law is disturbing as a rival assassin who likes to photograph his dead, and a pre-Bond Daniel Craig shows up as the uber-sketchy son of Paul Newman's gangster kingpin.
Akira
For most of us, Akira was the first exposure to anime; it's a hypnotic look at the future, and one of the last great animated films before everything turned to CG. Neo-Tokyo is a fantastic place, fully realized, and Kaneda's red motorcycle and leather suit are almost as iconic as Batman's pointy ears.
Spider-Man
After years of false starts and messy deals, Spider-Man seemed like a movie that would never get made. By some weird miracle, when it finally did appear, it was by the hand of comic-nerd-turned-horror-maven Sam Raimi, and he delivered an odd, energetic, and flawed-but-interesting movie that made Spidey huge again.
Batman Begins
With possibly the most perfect casting of any comic film yet, Chris Nolan hit the ground running when he took over the Batman franchise, and gave us a ninja Batman (Christian Bale) who is smart, tough, and still human enough to grin like a kid when he sees his new car.
Annie
This movie, about an eight-year-old-girl who beats up bullies and rescues filthy dogs, was one of the biggest cultural events of 1982. While some of the music is undeniably corny, the best of it is crazy catchy, most notably "Hard Knock Life," which famously provided the sampled hook for Jay-Z's hit of the same name. Albert Finney's Daddy Warbucks captures the weirdo depression-era politics of cartoonist Harold Gray, while Carol Burnett, Geoffrey Holder (Live and Let Die's Baron Samedi), and Tim Curry round out a near-perfect cast.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Celebrated anime director Miyazaki’s adaptation of his manga about a post-apocalyptic world ruined by industrialism is, without a doubt, one of the most gorgeous movies ever drawn by human hands. Period.
X2
Bryan Singer's second X-Men outing jumps right into what makes the comic so great; humans hating mutants, ridiculous science fiction, and Wolverine hacking into people while growling like an animal. With plenty of Nightcrawler bamfing around, a great new villain in Brian Cox's General Stryker, X2 took a pretty good franchise and made it even better. If only we could've kept the third film out of Brett Ratner's hands.
Oldboy
When our ex-girlfriend watched this adaptation of Garon Tsuchiya's manga series about a man who is drugged and locked in a hotel room for 15 years, then released to investigate and discover the reason for it, all she could say was, "This is so fucked up," over and over again, as if she were in a trance. That's about as good a review as we can think of.
Batman
This is the line of division—the movie that made comic-books-as-blockbusters what they are today. The summer of 1989 was completely covered in black and yellow Bat-symbols, and the movie itself was like nothing anyone had seen. Tim Burton was not a comics fan when he started the film, and to keep himself interested he mixed in film noir, Grand Guignol, German Expressionism, and a cast that no one would have predicted. With set designs by Academy Award winner Anton Furst, and an operatic theme by Danny Elfman, Batman created a world that was just as important as the Man in the Black Mask, and just as compelling.
Iron Man
Jon Favreau did something completely unheard of when he made Iron Man: He actually stuck close to the comic. No redesigns, no origin changes, no bizarre character tweaks, just a movie lifted right off the pages of the current Iron Man comics. And it pays off in spades. Finding the perfect Tony Stark in Robert Downey Jr., this kicked off the Marvel Age of Movies.
Superman
Even in the peak of the cynical disco years, Christopher Reeve politely calling Margot Kidder "Miss Lane" and rescuing cats from trees was so gosh-darn sincere you couldn't help but love it. Despite some elements that border on deal-breakers (Lois's flying poetry recital, Ned Beatty's comic relief), this movie captured the heart of Superman as well as anything before or since.
Spider-Man 2
When Sam Raimi returned to Spider-Man, he went to the glory days of the late '60s and pulled out pure, unfiltered Stan Lee-style Spidey. Action, melodrama, and plenty of funny, with a villain who shouts ridiculous dialogue and still comes across as scary. This is the real deal.
The Dark Knight
While Christian Bale's Muppet-voiced Batman borders on ridiculous, amazing action set-pieces and Heath Ledger's disturbing and intense Joker make this a high-water mark of superhero movies. There are probably one too many speeches explaining the movie's ham-fisted themes, and we have a hard time believing that two of the most handsome men in Hollywood would be so worked up over Maggie Gyllenhaal's shrew of a DA, but it's hard to deny the primal awesomeness of an eighteen-wheeler going ass-over-tits.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a landmark achievement: the first comic adaptation to not only successfully translate the look and visual cues of a comic (especially one inspired by video games), but also the pacing, the tone, the energy, and the personality. This is not a movie based on a comic, it is a comic come to life. A killer soundtrack and terrific performances by Michael Cera as Scott and supporting actors Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, and Brandon Routh are just gravy. Amazing fight choreography and sexy ladies Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ellen Wong are even more gravy on top of the first gravy. This is the rare movie that takes awesome source material and makes it even more awesome.