# Best and Worst Comic Book Movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 19, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046 "2008-07-19T15:37:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/1 "2008-07-19T15:37:45Z")
I just saw the Dark Knight. I thought it was pretty great, especially Heath’s performance and the new Joker character in general. It got me wondering about its place among the top comic book movies. So I made a list. The great thing about “best of” lists is that almost no one ever agrees with them. I’m sure mine will be no different. Comic book movies from best to worst: Top 10 1. Superman 2. Batman (1989) 3. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut 4. The Dark Knight 5. Iron Man 6. X-Men 7. V for Vendetta 8. Sin City 9. Spider-Man 10. American Splendor Worst 10 1. Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer 2. Ghost Rider 3. The Punisher (1989) 4. Supergirl 5. Elektra 6. Tank Girl 7. Batman and Robin 8. Catwoman 9. Steel 10. Barb Wire In Between 1. The Incredible Hulk 2. Spider-Man 2 3. Batman Begins 4. Superman II 5. Batman Returns 6. 300 7. Blade 8. Hellboy 9. Dick Tracy 10. Flash Gordon 11. Men in Black 12. The Rocketeer 13. Hulk 14. Batman (1966) 15. Batman Forever 16. The Crow 17. From Hell 18. X2 X-Men United 19. Superman III 20. Superman Returns 21. Blade II 22. X-Men 3: The Last Stand 23. Richie Rich 24. The Mask 25. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 26. Popeye 27. Howard the Duck 28. Judge Dredd 29. Men in Black II 30. Spider-Man 3 31. Daredevil 32. Blade Trinity 33. Fantastic Four 34. Spawn 35. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace 36. Constantine 37. The Punisher (2004) 38. The Shadow 39. The Phantom 40. Alien vs. Predator ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/2 "2008-07-19T16:20:32Z")
I agree with the overwhelming majority of your list, except for one entry: Tank Girl. Yes, it had rappers dressed as furry guerrilllas and the dialogue was awful. The plot was also nowhere to be found. Still, Lori Petty attacked her role with charisma and gusto. She deserves better than to be ranked below Dolph Lundgren’s Punisher. So Tank Girl at #53, and that’s all I have to say. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/3 "2008-07-19T16:27:28Z")
X-Men 2 was better than X-Men and should be in the top 10. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/4 "2008-07-19T16:31:33Z")
Well, my “worst” list would have to include Reb Brown’s two _Captain America_ TV movies. The 1990 version of _Captain America_ makes most people’s hate lists, but I actually enjoyed it. I have not yet seen the 1944 matinee serial. When I am in the mood for lighthearted, campy fun, I can enjoy the theatrical version of the Adam West _Batman_. Usually, however, I put it on the “worst” list. ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/5 "2008-07-19T17:45:44Z")
[QUOTE=RikWriter] X-Men 2 was better than X-Men and should be in the top 10. [/QUOTE] I didn’t love X2. I thought it rehashed the first film without adding much new except for one scene. The opening White House sequence with Nightcrawler was top to bottom cinematic awesomeness. The rest of the movie paled by comparison. Plus they pretty much reused the original plot: the bad guys have a machine powered by one special mutant and the good guys have to stop it and save the mutant. Come to think of it the third film used that premise too, except it was a drug instead of a machine. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/6 "2008-07-19T18:01:41Z")
you’ve got Superman IV way too high. As in, higher than the very bottom. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/7 "2008-07-19T18:35:55Z")
(No matter what I list I’m probably going to catch hell because of the _Watchmen_ thread. Oh well.) Best: Batman Begins Spider-Man Punisher (2004) X-Men Spider-Man 3 Sin City Worst: Spider-Man 2 X2 X3 Superman Returns All Batmans prior to Batman Begins Fantastic Four (there are lots that probably belong on this list but I’m leaving them off in the spirit of honesty because they look so bad I haven’t seen them.) I’m not counting ones that are too far away from the super-hero genre like Ghost World, A History of Violence, etc. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/8 "2008-07-19T18:40:42Z")
They were not guerrilllas, they were kangaroos. Plus, the soundtrack kicks more ass than you want to think of. The dance number alone kicks it up higher. Wonderful B movie. Dr. Strange (70s) and Spidey (70s) should be on the list. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is one of the best Batman movies ever. Are you disallowing animated movies? I don’t see the Invincibles, either. Bulletproof Monk is missing… A History of Violence, too. And Josie and the Pussycats. Sorry, man, but it’s a comic book. And the blatantly missing Wanted. That’s in theaters right now! ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/9 "2008-07-19T18:47:51Z")
I think they would qualify as guerrilla kangaroos. What they were not was gorillas. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/10 "2008-07-19T20:42:33Z")
And there was no mist. Too little water. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/11 "2008-07-19T20:43:46Z")
I don’t go to the movies often enough to make a comprehensive list, so I’ll just go Best and Worst. Best: [Batman.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060153/) Worst: [Batman.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096895/) Same reason for both opinions: Comics are meant to be **comical**. The one I chose for worst is because it allowed the camel’s nose into the tent. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/12 "2008-07-19T20:58:40Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Same reason for both opinions: Comics are meant to be **comical**. [/QUOTE] I hope you’re joking. This reminds me of when I was sitting in a waiting room with my grandma a few years back. She asked if I had anything to read so I handed her a copy of _A Contract with God_ that I had with me. She read it for a few minutes and then put it down and said “I don’t get it.” “You don’t get what,” I asked. “Well, isn’t it supposed to be _funny?_” ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/13 "2008-07-19T21:05:06Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] I hope you’re joking. This reminds me of when I was sitting in a waiting room with my grandma a few years back. She asked if I had anything to read so I handed her a copy of _A Contract with God_ that I had with me. She read it for a few minutes and then put it down and said “I don’t get it.” “You don’t get what,” I asked. “Well, isn’t it supposed to be _funny?_” [/QUOTE] Ditto for “Maus.” Comics are a medium like any other. You can use them for just about anything. In fact one of my favorite comics growing up was “The Illustrated Bible.” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/14 "2008-07-19T21:14:08Z")
I guess they shoulda started calling them graphic novels back in 1939, then, instead of letting me think I was going to get as many chuckles out of one of those as from a copy of _Richie Rich._ ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/15 "2008-07-19T21:40:02Z")
Among the best non-superhero comic book movies are; “American Slpendor”, “Persepolis”, “Old Boy”, and “Ghost World”. I believe “Spider-Man 3” was a step down from “Spider-Man”'s 1 and 2. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/16 "2008-07-19T21:46:33Z")
[QUOTE=RikWriter] X-Men 2 was better than X-Men and should be in the top 10. [/QUOTE] I would place it #1. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/17 "2008-07-19T22:22:08Z")
And let’s not forget Barbarella (even if we’d like to). I assume you’re just sticking to American cinema since if you allow Asian then they really start to fill up the list even if you just live action. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/18 "2008-07-19T22:48:56Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] I guess they shoulda started calling them graphic novels back in 1939, then, instead of letting me think I was going to get as many chuckles out of one of those as from a copy of _Richie Rich._ [/QUOTE] I prefer comic because it’s a word that has evolved naturally, while _graphic novel_\* is a term that has been spread through marketing. The teeming masses would much prefer to talk about, or be caught reading, a “graphic novel” than a “comic.” Comics are for kids! \*Graphic novels do exist, but the vast majority of books that are now referred to as graphic novels are not. They’re typically comics that have been repackaged as _trade paperbacks_ and marketed as graphic novels. Two of the most popular “graphic novels” - _Watchmen_ and _The Dark Knight Returns_ - are not graphic novels at all. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/19 "2008-07-19T23:02:53Z")
_Sin City_ has to be my number one. It’s one of my favourite movies on its own merits (it wins points on pure emotional manipulation alone), and it’s an extremely faithful adaptation. _V for Vendetta_ is less faithful - much less - but another top movie. _Batman Begins_ is certainly on there, as the Batman movie I didn’t know I was waiting for. I love all three _X-Men_ films, the third especially. I’m not getting the dislike for it; I really should rewatch it to get it fresh in my mind and then start a thread about it. Haven’t seen _Dark Knight_, have a feeling it will be on there when I do. On the bottom ten: Well, obvious stinkers like _Barb Wire_ and _Judge Dredd_. I would also have to place the first _Superman_ movie here. I loved it as a kid, rewatched it as an adult and was shocked to find that it sucked. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046/20 "2008-07-19T23:28:35Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] \*Graphic novels do exist, but the vast majority of books that are now referred to as graphic novels are not. They’re typically comics that have been repackaged as _trade paperbacks_ and marketed as graphic novels. Two of the most popular “graphic novels” - _Watchmen_ and _The Dark Knight Returns_ - are not graphic novels at all. [/QUOTE] Is _David Copperfield_ a novel? _The Hound of the Baskervilles_? _Heart of Darkness_? _Starship Troopers_? _Bonfire of the Vanities_? I don’t see why being serialized prior to full-length publication disqualifies a graphic novel from being called such, given the ample precedent among “real” novels. I do wonder why the OP included a few comic _strip_ movies like _Dick Tracy_ and _Flash Gordon_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-comic-book-movies/457046.md?page=2)