Best Comic Book Movie: Top 5

This is what everyone has been waiting for, so here it is.

#5: Sin City

Sin City showed that if a comic is good enough, you really don't have to change anything about it. With that being said, not a whole lot was, it was as close as you could come to a living comic. First off, I loved the art style of Sin City and am a big fan of noir-type storytelling. Frank Miller is a genius and Robert Rodriguez is one of this generation's best directors. You could see that both really cared a lot about the subject matter and weren't out to make a quick buck.

Now on to the movie. Casting is super important to me and this movie has the best overall casting as everyone is believable in their roles. There's more than I can even name right now. The effects, I believe can stand the test of time, but it's the overall tone that people will always remember.

#4: Superman Returns

A lot of people may say "Hey, this movie sucked. There wasn't any action." Those people are idiots. Superman Returns wasn't suppose to be about action, but rather Superman and Lois Lane's reunion. It wouldn't make sense to re-introduce Superman and have him fighting the whole movie. Plus Superman doesn't have the strongest rouges gallery and that's because he's so powerful. I mean he has a zillion powers. So how do you make this into a good movie? You make Superman somewhat human and show his relationship with Lois being "complicated". And like Sin City, it has a somewhat "retro" feel to it.

The "human side" of Superman is what is really interesting. He's basically an alien in every sense of the word. He lives in a freaking Fortress of Solitude for crying out loud. He comes back and not only does the world seemingly not need him but the woman he loves is knocked up and seeing some other dude. These aren't conflicts that any other hero would be able to deal with. Bryan Singer understands this, I understand it, but there are douchbags out there was will never get it. Besides a good story can make you look past a lack of action.

#3: Batman Begins

I'll be the first to say that I never really cared for Batman. I refuse to read any of his comics and hated the first four Batman movies. But I loved Batman Begins. Why? The people behind the movie. Christopher Nolan is the only director that could do his movie. Christian Bale is totally believable as our title character, and Michael Caine is perfect as Alfred. This movie is an origin tale so it has to do a lot of set-up work, but it doesn't disappoint. Showing Bruce undergo ninja training was brilliant. That's what Batman is, not the campy "Bang!, Pow!, Punch!" fighter from the Adam West tv show.

The biggest improvement over all the Bat movies that came before wasn't that noticeable. The villains didn't overshadow Batman. Also they were believable and didn't run around delivering cheesy lines. My only real beef is the trend that started in the second movie, Batman Returns, that he has to fight two villains. Why throw it all into one movie? (Spider-Man 3) This movie actually left me, self-proclaimed "Batman Hater" wanting to see more.

#2: Spider-Man 2

Anyone who knows me, knows that I loves me some Spider-Man. I saw Spider-Man 2 in theaters a billion times. From start (with the Alex Ross art opening) to finish I watched this movie on the edge of my seat. It has everything you could possibly ask for in a superhero movie. I l especially loved watching Peter being repeatedly broken down, from losing his job, to seeing MJ move on to his boss's son of all people, to dealing with losing his powers when Doc Ock is out running amok. This movie has the best fighting scenes ever in any superhero movie.

What has always been the reason why I love Spider-Man is the fact that even though he has awesome powers, you can still identify with him. That's because Spider-Man is really about Peter Parker. He could be any one of us. This makes you feel what he is feeling more than any other hero. His relationship with MJ, you want him to pursue it but at the same time know why he feels he never can. The tension between he and Harry is something anyone who has ever tried to protect a friend can relate to. He knows Harry hates him for "killing" his father, but can't tell him that his father was the Green Goblin. His powers getting in the way of his school, not feeling appreciated; anybody who was ever a teenager understands these feelings.

There's so much of a connection with these characters that you are dying to see the next movie. My favorite scene in the whole movie is when MJ finally sees that Peter is really Spider-Man. You just know that she's gonna go back to him. But can it work?Who knows, but that look on her face in the final scene makes you wonder. The reveal with Harry in the end is perfect and really sets up where the next movie should have went more into. The perfect superhero movie but not the best...

#1: X2: X-Men United

After the first X-Men movie, I really felt like "they gotta step their game up" and X2 does. From the opening attack by Nightcrawler to the death everyone knew was coming, it goes from good comic book movie to great film. X2 sees the X-Men fighting one William Stryker, a man who wants nothing more than to see mutants wiped off the face of the earth. He has no superpowers but is the represents the perfect villain for the X-Men; the radical human that can't be reasoned with. A force so dangerous that the X-Men have to team up with Magneto, the anti-Charles Xavier.

The biggest draw about the X-Men is that they more than any other comic characters deal with discrimination and hatred just because they are different. Superman isn't human and deals with loneliness, but the general public doesn't hate and/or want to kill him. That what the X-Men go through everyday. There are so many great moments like Magneto's escape from his plastic prison, to Wolverine fighting off Stryker's men, but the best has no action. It's where Bobby tells his parents that he is in fact a mutant and their react how any real family would. This is the perfect example of how difficult it is "come out", if you will, to your family.

Another small, but great moment is the talk between Magneto and Pyro. Pyro is a confused young man and isn't sure if Xavier's dream is right. Any teenager can relate to questioning their parent's views on life. I especially like the fact that Magneto uses his powers to take Pyro's lighter, but after implanting a seed of doubt in Xavier's cause, reaches out and has Pyro take it out of his hand. The Wolverine-Lady Deathstrike fight was awesome but the subtle moments were the best. The ending set-up what should have been Singer's swan song, but never was. Bryan Singer made X2 into the best comic book movie and if you don't think having a passionate director who focuses on the small non-action moments as much as the huge fights is important, go watch X-Men: The Last Stand and get back to me.