Wed May 21, 2008 10:29AM24 comments ›
Wed May 21, 2008 — by Chris Ullrich
ComicMix Six: The Best Movies Adapted From Comic Books
From 'Batman Begins' to 'Sin City', these films are the best of the best
In a previous edition of ComicMix Six, I set forth my picks for The Worst Movies Adapted from Comic Books. Now, because a "worst" list is nothing without a "best" list, I've assembled another one for you. This time around, I'm casting the spotlight on the opposite of bad movies and highlighting The Best Movies Adapted from Comic Books.
In contrast to the worst films, these stellar examples of cinematic goodness are not only great comic book adaptations, they're great movies, too. From brilliant direction, exciting visuals that enhance rather than obscure the story, to compelling peformances, these six films deliver in a big way.
They alse showcase adherence to, and reverence for, their source material and represent what happens when talented people who appreciate comics get together to make a movie. Plus, they're just plain fun to watch.
So now, without further ado and in no particular order, here is my ComicMix Six list of The Best Movies Adapted from Comic Books.
SIN CITY (2005) -- Director Robert Rodriguez used modern technology to painstakingly create what amounts to a living, breathing comic book on film. This is one of the most faithful adaptations of comics ever attempted and it succeeds on almost every level. From near-perfect casting and solid performances to a clear faithfulness to the essence of Sin City the comic, this film ranks among the best comic-to-screen adaptations of all time.
Rodriguez obviously has a lot of love for the source material and wanted to "do it right." So much so, in fact, that Rodriguez insisted on sharing director credit with writer Frank Miller -- even at the expense of his membership in the Director's Guild.
BATMAN BEGINS (2005) -- Fortunately, director Christopher Nolan went back to the beginning and rescusitated the once-dead Batman movie franchise. After picking up the pieces Joel Schumacher had shattered, Nolan burned them, buried them and gave us the Batman movie we were all longing to see.
Dark, gritty, action-packed and full of great performances from Michael Cain Caine as Alfred and Liam Neeson as Ra's Al Ghul to Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon and Christian Bale as the brooding Dark Knight, Nolan managed to capture the magic of what a great comic book movie can be by going back to its roots, finding what's essential to the story and going with it.
If there's anything wrong with this film, it's the somewhat weak perfomance by Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. But even that isn't enough to spoil this great ride.
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005) -- This exceptional tale of a man's past that catches up to him with violent results is not only a great film, it's one of director David Cronenberg's best to date. This movie is full of great performances, including Viggo Mortensen as Tom Stall, a man trying desperately to forget his "history of violence" and to live a normal life; Maria Bello as Stall's wife, Edie, who realizes that he's not the man she thought he was; and William Hurt as the brother who represents the past Stall is trying to forget.
All of these elements, and more, combine to make this movie crackle with tension until the very last frame. If you've never seen this film, you're really missing out. Go rent it. Now. And learn what great filmmaking is all about.
SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004) -- Once we were able to get the obligatory "origin" story out of the way, director Sam Raimi was able to concentrate on telling a great Spider-Man adventure -- complete with action, romance, drama, pathos and one of the best villains of this or any comic book movie: Doctor Octopus.
As good as the first Spider-Man was, this film is better because it was able to get down to the business of letting Spider-Man be who he is and explore his relationships with Mary Jane, New York, himself and what it means to have great power.
SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (1978) -- After all these years, this film remains one of the best ever, simply because no matter what happened, the movie didn't make fun of itself and played it straight -- even with a man in a cape and tights. From Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor to Christopher Reeve as Superman/Clark Kent, this film managed to stay true to its roots and provide fun, excitement, action and a bit of romance all in one well-directed, well-written and well-photographed package.
When I first watched this movie as a kid in 1978, I completely believed a man could fly. When I watch this movie again today, I still do. I'll bet you do, too.
300 (2006) -- Another adaptation of a Frank Miller graphic novel that stayed true to the original vision of the source material but also took it, expanded it with subplots and more developed characters of its own, and made it come alive. This time, director Zack Snyder assembled a great team of actors and technicians and took us to the incredible world of the 300 Spartans who would not back down -- no matter the odds. This . . . is . . . a great movie!
IRON MAN (2008) - Honorable mention has to go to the recent Iron Man (which our own Matt Raub reviewed right here). Director Jon Favreau really put his heart and soul into making the best possible movie with a story featuring an egomaniacal, alcoholic womanizer with a bad heart that makes weapons for the military and flies around in an armored suit fighting bad guys.
Iron Man is great fun and ranks among the best adaptations of comics for the big screen to date. However, it's just not in my top six at this point. If it makes you feel better, let's put it on the list at #7 just this once. Maybe when ComicMix changes its name to something that rhymes with ten, I'll get to do a longer list. Until then, Iron Man will just have to be satisfied with being #7.
Want more ComicMix Six? Check out the ComicMix Six Archive for previous editions of CM6.
Think I left something out? Let me know in the comment section!
Jump to comments (24) 
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Comments (24)
Brian Alvey (10:46 AM on Wed May 21, 2008)
I haven't seen 300 yet, but I'd like to think that Iron Man could knock at least one movie out of the first six.
Martha Thomases (10:51 AM on Wed May 21, 2008)
Ghost World! And I liked Road to Perdition, although I'll grant you that History of Violence is the better of the Paradox films.
Van Jensen (10:54 AM on Wed May 21, 2008)
I'm really on the fence about 300. It was exceptionally well made and acted, but the story didn't do it for me, I guess largely because I'm a history nerd and I find the true story of the 300 much more interesting. That Leonidas-as-instigator-of-Democracy stuff is just ridiculous.
Andy Holman (11:13 AM on Wed May 21, 2008)
I'm always surprised when I see "300" on a "best of" list in which the criteria include anything other than very faithfully looking like a Frank Miller comic. It was entertaining, and an interesting exercise in cinematic excess, to be sure, but to say that it stood on its own as a better movie than, say, "X-Men?"
Obviously, though, to each his own. Cheers!
-Andy Holman
John Ostrander (11:23 AM on Wed May 21, 2008)
"Road To Perdition" is better than some of the films on your list. The original Superman movie was mixed at best -- the Lex Luthor stuff went way over the top, IMO. It became "comic booky". I think "Sin City" is a triumph of visual over content. Miller does "faux noir". IRON MAN does belong on the list; it's perhaps the best made superhero film I've ever seen and i include the Spider-Man films.
Rick Marshall (11:39 AM on Wed May 21, 2008)
WHAT?! "Man-Thing" gets snubbed once again??
This is getting ridiculous, Chris...
And no, I *still* haven't seen "Iron Man"...
Mike Gold (3:42 PM on Wed May 21, 2008)
Rick, you really should see Iron Man. It's part of your job (the, ahhhh, "no we won't pay for your ticket" part). We'd give you time off to see it, but we'd have to invent an eighth day of the week.
MARK WHEATLEY (11:49 AM on Wed May 21, 2008)
I have to agree with John about the SUPERMAN movie. Great moments and awful moments in the same film. On the other hand - I don't think there has ever been a better SUPERMAN on film than the Fleischer Superman cartoons.
Keith R.A. DeCandido (12:31 PM on Wed May 21, 2008)
Putting Spider-Man 2 ahead of Spider-Man is ridiculous, IMO. And calling Dr. Octopus such a great movie villain when a) he was a rehash of the Goblin from the previous film and b) bore no resemblance to the original comic book villain (who is far more interesting) is equally ridiculous to me. And X-Men didn't make the list when it had the perfect casting storm of Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, and Hugh Jackman?
Also, regarding Batman Begins -- I liked it better the first time when it was done better in 1994 as Mask of the Phantasm....
Van Jensen (1:45 PM on Wed May 21, 2008)
I'm with you on Mask of the Phantasm, Keith. Not only is it quite possibly my favorite comic book movie, it's among my favorite films (a list with no other comic book movies, I should note).
Rick Marshall (1:58 PM on Wed May 21, 2008)
I'm going to disagree on Spider-Man, Keith. To say I'm a big Spider-Man fan is likely the understatement of the week, but I thought the sequel was better than the first film for exactly the same reason Chris indicated. No more of the necessary origin-telling, much more of the great, swinging-through-the-city fun. To be honest, the only flaw I saw in the sequel was that whole "crowd of people on the subway see him without his mask and nobody whips out a camera phone" scene. I enjoyed Alfred Molina immensely as Doc Ock, too.
Oh, and on another note, I didn't like the first X-Men film at all. I thought X-Men 2 was a far better film. The casting of Stewart and McKellan were sort of no-brainers, as they were pretty much "psychic, disabled Jean Luc Picard" and "evil, magnetic Gandalf." Don't get me wrong, they were still excellent in their roles, but I thought Alfred Molina really made Doc Ock *his* character in Spider-Man 2, and Tobey really got his stride and made Peter Parker his own in Spidey 2. Sorta like Hugh Jackman did in X-Men 2, actually.
Rick Marshall (2:03 PM on Wed May 21, 2008)
My (serious) thoughts on the list:
I think I would've substituted "Hellboy" for "300," and if we want to take a step onto that slippery slope of counting manga and/or animated films in the pool of contenders, I'd include the "Ghost in the Shell" film instead of "Superman: The Movie."
Sean D. Martin (3:14 PM on Wed May 21, 2008)
"...and full of great performances from Michael Cain as Alfred"
Michael Caine
Rick Marshall (3:24 PM on Wed May 21, 2008)
Thanks, Sean. I missed that one. Corrected now.
Lauren (2:45 PM on Wed May 21, 2008)
what about Persepolis? Also, I liked Road to Perdition as well. I did not enjoy 300 at all.
Chris Ullrich (3:39 PM on Wed May 21, 2008)
Jeez, one little typo. . . Also, given the opportunity for a longer list, I might have included "Ghost World" (which I liked very much), "Road to Perdition" (which I also enjoyed but found rather flat, somewhat pretentious with a weak third act) and maybe "X-Men 2" (which is the best of the three films).
However, six is the magic number so here we are.
Allyn Gibson (3:43 PM on Wed May 21, 2008)
No love for The Rocketeer? I'd kick 300 to the curb for The Rocketeer.
Neil Ottenstein (9:46 AM on Thu May 22, 2008)
I didn't go see The 300 because I really disliked the story of the original comic. The Rocketeer was such great fun it really belongs there. Of course, it did terrible box office numbers so maybe that's why it was forgotten.
Mike Gold (3:44 PM on Wed May 21, 2008)
Yeah, it's really nice to see we can't fit all that are noteworthy into a list of six. I still think the first Flash Gordon serial deserves consideration -- as well as the Captain Marvel serial. But Road To Perdition would not only be on my top 6, it would be number 1.
Michael H. Price (4:58 PM on Wed May 21, 2008)
Quite a few serials might belong on a best-of list. The first two "Dick Tracy" entries, "Spy Smasher," "Cap'n Marvel," the 1938 "Jungle Jim" ... whoa. Of course, the serials are a breed apart from the feature-lengthers.
Perhaps a Sequence of Sixes would be in order -- best heroic-adventure adaptations, best crime-and/or-horror comics adaptations (together or separately), best how-it-feels-to-be-alive comics takeoffs ("American Splendor," "Ghost World"), and so forth. Maybe a distinction between animated-cartoon adaptations and live-action/spec-FX renditions. Nothing like overcomplicating the Mix.
Granted that Comics Is Comics as far as a whole lot of us are concerned, it's still kind of difficult to regard a "Road to Perdition" in the same light as a "Superman," and even more so to regard a Fleischer "Superman" in the same light as a Donner "Superman."
Rick Taylor (5:45 PM on Wed May 21, 2008)
Honestly, every week or so we get a new list of 'best comic book movies'.
I still like the Rocketeer the best.
russ carreiro (11:40 PM on Wed May 21, 2008)
I cant place the original Superman up there. The ending of that movie is an all time boneheaded stinker of an ending. Superman makes the world spin backwards and reverses time? Sorry but an ending can and did ruin that movie. Besides that, everyone knows the 2nd movie was at least a kazillion times better.
Russ Rogers (10:58 AM on Thu May 22, 2008)
Russ, you read my mind! The ending of "Superman" was one of the all time stupidest. But "Superman: The Movie" lost me with the "Can You Read My Mind" drivel. Superman and Lois Lane flit about like Peter Pan and Wendy. (Superman can't make someone magically fly just by touching their fingertips! Argh!) And Margot Kidder offers up one of the most hackneyed, embarrassing and out of context spoken word songs of all time. This makes William Shatner's "Rocketman" sound like Shakespeare. (Actually, I LOVE William Shatner. "Has Been" is a GREAT album!)
For those who want to see how that scene should have felt, I offer up "A Whole New World" from Disney's Aladdin, which successfully served the same thematic and plot purposes. "Superman: The Movie" wasn't a total waste but, "Can You Read My Mind" is just 3 minutes of my life that I can never get back.
"The Rocketeer," "Ghostworld," "American Splendor" and "The Road to Perdition" would all make my top six list before "Superman: The Turdburger."
Michael H. Price (9:47 AM on Thu May 22, 2008)
A greater point overall of such exercises might be the discovery, or rediscovery, of a good many examples of the deep kinship between comics and movies. All the way back to Winsor McCay and George McManus' earliest attempts to reconcile cartooning with cinema -- both in animation and live-action shooting. And all the way back to the influence that the comics have had on movies without the niceties of official adaptations.
"Dick Tracy" first reached the screen in 1937 -- or was it earlier, just by strength of influence? I'd suggest that a breakthrough procedural called "Let 'Em Have It" (from 1935) owes plenty to Chester Gould's "Tracy" strip, right down to its surgically disfigured bad guy.
The more keenly interested we all become in the current crop of pictures, the greater the rewards in looking back at the comics-to-movies connection over the long haul.
Mighty fond of "The Rocketeer," here, too.