Comic books have been around since the 1930’s and were once considered a niche market. Now, thanks to the rise of digital technology and the accessibility of comic books online, comic book movies have become a huge business. Comic book movies are now a billion dollar industry. Hollywood has been making a killing on the box office with superhero movies, but there are some other comic book movies that have been making a splash. We have combed through and picked out 50 of the most notable comic-book movies ever made.
1. Barbarella (1968)
Barbarella (played by Jane Fonda), an astronaut from the 41st century, sets out to find and stop the evil scientist Durand Durand, whose Positronic Ray threatens to bring evil back into the galaxy. The original Barbarella strip featured a space vixen with a curious resemblance to director Roger Vadim’s first wife Brigitte Bardot. Jean-Claude Forest created the character of Barbarella for serialization in the French V Magazine in spring 1962, and in 1964 Éric Losfeld published these strips as a stand-alone book titled Barbarella. The book caused a scandal and became known as the first “adult” (erotic) comic book, though American pornographic comic books known as “Tijuana bibles” had long predated it. For her creator, the character embodied the modern, emancipated woman in the era of sexual liberation, and as a result, this literary work has come to be associated with the mid-20th century sexual revolution. This 1968 science fiction film is set in the forty-first century, but gives way to the groovy bouffant hairdos, oil lights, and trippy 60’s lounge music. Barbarella is full of humor with entertaining visuals.
2. The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat (1972)
The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat is an American adult animated anthology black comedy film directed by Robert Taylor as a sequel to Ralph Bakshi’s Fritz the Cat (1972), adapted from the comic strip by Robert Crumb, neither of whom had any involvement in the making of the film. The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat focuses on Fritz (voiced by Hinnant), a fraudulent womanizer and leftist, who is shown in this film to have married an unpleasant woman, with whom he shares an apartment with their infant son. The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat adopts a non-linear narrative and is presented as an anthology of loosely connected short stories, connected as cannabis-induced fantasies which occur as Fritz’s spouse berates him. It was a shock for conservative cinemagoers back in 1972 when this anarchic ode to lewd debauchery hit the screens. In 1972 and before, animated films were safe, cuddly Disney movies aimed at families. Like Disney’s animations, it also ascribed human attributes to its animal characters. However this crew of sex-starved revolutionary reprobates is not cute and sweet.
3. Superman II (1980)
Superman was the first movie to even attempt to capture the true spirit of a comic book, tipping the audience a sly wink but treating the subject with seriousness, soul and absolute sincerity. With about 75 percent of Superman II shot, arguments over tone led to the director being ‘released’ from the project, and Richard Lester brought in to finish it off. It is the second installment in the Superman film series and a sequel to Superman (1978). Tensions rose between original director Richard Donner and the producers in which a decision was made to stop filming the sequel, of which 75 percent had already been completed, and finish the first film. To be officially credited as the director, Lester re-shot most of the film in which principal photography resumed in September 1979 and ended in March 1980. Lester junked much of Donner’s material, added the Eiffel Tower opening and reworked the movie to give it a breezier feel. Gene Hackman refused to work with Lester, Marlon Brando demanding extra money, and Margot Kidder lost noticeable weight, the film as released was a patchwork guided by two very different visions, and yet it remains a fantastic piece of work, superior to the original in almost every way. Terence Stamp’s General Zod remains the gold standard of a supervillain still to this day. Clark and Lois’s courtship throughout is genuinely affecting. While effects technology have improved, tastes may have broadened, and the iconography may have been irrevocably altered, there’s simply no substitute for Christopher Reeve in a cape, leaping tall buildings with a single bound. The film received positive reviews from film critics who praised the performances from Reeve, Stamp and Hackman, the visual effects, and humor. Richard Donner grabbed the superhero genre back from the underpants-outside-tights joke and rescued the genre. Superman II really nailed a sense of fun and danger. A director’s cut of the film, restoring the original vision for the film under Donner’s supervision, titled Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, was released on November 28, 2006 in various home media formats.
4. Flash Gordon (1980)
Flash Gordon is a space opera film directed by Mike Hodges, based on the King Features comic strip of the same name created by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip, regarded as one of the best illustrated and most influential of American adventure comic strips. A football player and his friends travel to the planet Mongo and find themselves fighting the tyranny of Ming the Merciless to save Earth. A campy 1960’s style comic book film for sure, which no doubt is “lovingly” derided by comic fans. Although a box office success in both the United Kingdom and Italy, Flash Gordon performed poorly in other markets. Critical reception during and since the film’s initial release has been generally favorable, and it has since gained quite a significant cult following. This is mostly in part because of the costumes, the music, fun, and entertaining bubblegum camp.
5. Heavy Metal (1981)
Heavy Metal is a Canadian adult animated science fantasy anthology film directed by Gerald Potterton, produced by Ivan Reitman and Leonard Mogel, who also was the publisher of Heavy Metal magazine, which was the basis for the film. The film is an anthology of various science fiction and fantasy stories tied together by a single theme of an evil force that is “the sum of all evils”. The culmination of this groundbreaking animation is Heavy Metal, the Canadian-made fantasy cartoon adaptation of long-running French comic Metal Hurlant. Adapted from Heavy Metal magazine, the original stories anchoring the film are an eerie green ball that magically transports us into a series of adventures in the past, future, and into the world beyond. Like the magazine, the film features a great deal of graphic violence, sexuality, and nudity. It captured the attention of teenage boys worldwide with brutal violence, extreme sauciness, and no doubt is blatantly sexist, juvenile, and dated (by today’s standards and some would argue by 1980’s standards), although it’s still impressive in the art of animated movies.
6. Swamp Thing (1982)
Swamp Thing is an American superhero horror film written and directed by Wes Craven, based on the Vertigo / DC Comics character of the same name created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. This unapologetically campy film did well on home video and cable and was followed by a sequel, The Return of Swamp Thing, in 1989. Swamp Thing received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Wes Craven’s take on DC’s mutant eco-hero finds the director, spreading his wings a little and working with a bit of a larger budget, feeding directly into his next movie, A Nightmare on Elm Street. Swamp Thing is an incredible character that helped set new standards for horror comics. The plot develops deep in the Florida Everglades where a brilliant scientist, Dr. Alec Holland, and a sexy government agent, Alice Cable, have developed a secret formula that could end world hunger. After a violent incident with a special chemical, a research scientist is turned into a swamp plant monster.
7. Akira (1988)
Akira is a Japanese animated cyberpunk action film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, produced by Ryōhei Suzuki and Shunzō Katō, and written by Otomo and Izo Hashimoto, based on Otomo’s 1982 manga of the same name. It is widely regarded by audiences and critics as one of the greatest films ever made, especially in the animation, action and science fiction genres, as well as a landmark in Japanese animation. While most of the character designs and settings were adapted from the manga, the plot differs considerably and does not include much of the last half of the manga, which continued publication for two years after the film’s release. Akira was released in Japan on July 16, 1988, by Toho; it was released the following year in the United States by Streamline Pictures. It garnered an international cult following after various theatrical and VHS releases, eventually earning over $80 million worldwide in home video sales. Akira opens opens with an explosion caused by a young boy with psychic powers tears through the city of Tokyo and ignites the fuse that leads to World War III. And this strikingly bloody and violent animation gets wilder from there, throwing in gang warfare and organ harvesting, mysticism and military malfeasance, cryogenics and berserk, grotesque Cronenbergian body horror. A singularly strange, compelling experience. This dystopian era Japanese animation is intriguing and interesting. The film had a significant impact on popular culture worldwide, paving the way for the growth of anime and Japanese popular culture in the Western world as well as influencing numerous works in animation, comics, film, music, television and video games. AKIRA is still relevant today, 35 years later.
8. Dick Tracy (1990)
Dick Tracy is an American action crime comedy film based on the 1930s comic strip character of the same name created by Chester Gould. This lavish, inventive and expertly acted adaptation of Chester Gould’s enduring comic character is a decent piece of entertainment. Warren Beatty produced, directed, and starred in the film, whose supporting cast includes Al Pacino, Madonna, Glenne Headly, and Charlie Korsmo. Dick Tracy premiered on June 10, 1990 and was released nationwide a day later. Reviews ranged from favorable to mixed, with positive comments on Madonna’s acting and Beatty’s direction. The film was a success at the box office and garnered seven Academy Award nominations, winning in three. The City is at the mercy of gangland mobsters spreading their massive crime wave and legendary comic book police detective Dick Tracy is the only man tough enough to take on the gangster boss Big Boy Caprice and his band of menacing mobsters. This stylistic and colorful live action film’s visuals are wholly different from those of any comics-based movie of today.
9. The Rocketeer (1991)
Not long after the Rocketeer comic books began hitting shelves in 1982, efforts began to get it adapted for the big screen. The Rocketeer is an American period superhero film from Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone Picture and received positive reviews from critics. The visual effects sequences were created and designed by Industrial Light & Magic. It is based on the character of the same name created by comic book artist and writer Dave Stevens. Set in 1938 Los Angeles, California, The Rocketeer tells the story of stunt pilot, Cliff Secord, who discovers a hidden rocket pack that he thereafter uses to fly without the need of an aircraft. His heroic deeds soon attract the attention of Howard Hughes and the FBI, who are hunting for the missing rocket pack, as well as the Nazi operatives that stole it from Hughes. The final film is a remarkably close adaptation, and although it cut the nudity and coarse language found in the comic. It’s a fun-filled ride with colorful imagery and detail, expertly capturing the look and mood of the ’30s. The Rocketeer has garnered a small cult following in recent years.
10. Batman Returns (1992)
Batman Returns is an American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to Batman (1989) and the second installment in the 1989–1997 Batman series. Batman Returns broke several box-office records and earned about $266.8 million worldwide. Tim Burton’s sequel, the first time we saw “The Bat, The Cat and The Penguin” together. Tim Burton’s dialed up gothic off-kilter style and elaborate sets, is quirky and very dark. With Burton’s trademark of a whimsical yet macabre tone, it meshed together the personality of a tortured playboy with sadness, nihilistic violence and compassion for its heartbreaking characters comic book crime-fighting adventures. Batman Returns has been reassessed as one of the best Batman films in the decades since its release, and its incarnations of Catwoman and Penguin are considered iconic. The movie received Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup.
11. Timecop (1994)
Timecop is an American science fiction action film directed by Peter Hyams and co-written by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden. Richardson also served as executive producer. The film is based on Timecop, a story created by Richardson, written by Verheiden, and drawn by Ron Randall, which appeared in the anthology comic Dark Horse Comics, published by Dark Horse Comics. It may have only had a three-issue run as part of a Dark Horse anthology in 1992, but the Timecop comic managed to spawn a decent action/sci-fi movie, a television series, and a video game. The movie stars Jean-Claude Van Damme as a ‘time enforcement officer’ who must protect the timestream from would-be abusers. An officer for a security agency that regulates time travel, must fend for his life against a shady politician who has a tie to his past. To date, it remains one of his most successful films and showcases what is probably his best acting performance having become a cult classic with fans.
12. The Mask (1994)
The Mask is an American superhero comedy film directed by Chuck Russell and produced by Bob Engelman from a screenplay by Mike Werb and a story by Michael Fallon and Mark Verheiden loosely based on the comics published by Dark Horse Comics. The film became a critical and commercial success, making it the most-profitable film based on a comic up to that point. The Mask was actually a cult comic book, and the movie was an attempt to bring the visual style and flair of the comic book to life on the big screen, though the comic book was much darker in tone and content. Producers of the movie decided to use Jim Carrey’s natural talents to make the film version more of a comedy. This fantasy superhero slapstick action comedy succeeded in launching Jim Carrey into superstar status and established Diaz as a leading lady. Neurotic, repressed loser Stanley Ipkiss’ (Jim Carrey) life changes when he discovers the ancient, wooden mask of Loki, God of Mischief. When Stanley dons the mask he’s transformed into a lunatic, shape-shifting, cartoon-character brought to life. He uses his powers to try to rescue his crush, Tina (Cameron Diaz) from her gangster boyfriend. The film was a serendipitous combination of the up-and-coming Carrey’s manic performance style and the newly emerging technology of CGI effects. Add in the then-unknown Diaz and the film resulted in a massive hit with audiences and even critics. The Mask spawned a sequel in Son of The Mask and an animated TV series. The film also influenced the resurgence of swing music in the 1990s.
13. The Crow (1994)
The Crow is an American superhero film directed by Alex Proyas, written by David J. Schow and John Shirley. It stars Brandon Lee in his final film appearance as Eric Draven, a murdered musician who is resurrected to avenge his death and that of his fiancée. The film is based on James O’Barr‘s comic of the same name. The movie is best remembered for the accidental and tragic death of actor Brandon Lee, who was the then up-and-coming son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee. Lee was accidentally killed on the film’s set when he was hit by a defective blank from a stunt-gun. Now a cult favorite, The Crow received much critical praise when released and its unique visual style continues to win new fans to this day. The Crow, is based on a series from Image Comics created by O’Barr in 1989, and was ranked #37 on the Imagine Games Network’s (IGN) 2011 list of the Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time. The character has proven popular enough to appear in a television show, novels, and several sequels to the original film based on the comic book. It’s the old tale of a young couple at a crucial moment in their relationship when a gang of liquored-up nunchuck-wielding street punks descend and give them a proper thrashing. Brandon lies dead on the roadside only for a crow to inject him with the spirit of life (and crows) so he can turn into a lank-haired vigilante who looks like The Joker’s emo kid brother and knock together some heads in the name of righteous retribution.
14. Tank Girl (1995)
Tank Girl is an American science fiction film directed by Rachel Talalay based on the British post-apocalyptic comic series of the same name created by Jamie Hewlett and written by Alan Martin, originally published in Deadline magazine. Lori Petty takes the title role and Malcolm McDowell plays the evil corporate antagonist. Courtney Love did the edgy soundtrack in this adaptation which sadly, failed miserably at the box office. Despite the box-office failure of the film, it has become prime example of a comic-book film with a cult following. It is noted for its feminist themes and it’s cool steampunk aesthetic that was well ahead of its time. Fans have expressed that Petty’s role provides a contemporary post-feminism icon.
15. Men in Black (1997)
Men in Black is an American science fiction action comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, produced by Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald and written by Ed Solomon. It is loosely based on the Marvel comic book series of a similar name created by Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers. The action comedy film Men in Black, and its two sequels are based on a comic book series originally published by Aircel Comics and later Marvel Comics. The film stars Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith as two agents of a secret organization called the Men in Black, who supervise extraterrestrial lifeforms who live on Earth and hide their existence from ordinary humans. The film featured the creature effects and makeup of Rick Baker with visual effects by Industrial Light & Magic. The Men in Black, who secretly protect Earth from aliens bent on invading or infiltrating our planet, was a modest hit as a comic book which turned into a blockbuster, becoming the year’s third highest-grossing film. It received positive reviews, with critics praising its script, set pieces, and the performances of Jones and Smith. The film received an Academy Award for Best Makeup and was nominated for two others: Best Art Direction and Best Original Score. Following the movie’s success, Marvel Comics collected all of the Men in Black issues into a trade paperback graphic novel that has sold reasonably well. Marvel also has published several one-off issues of Men in Black over the years. The tone in the comics though is more serious and less light-hearted and comedic than the movies.
16. Mystery Men (1999)
Mystery Men is an American superhero comedy film directed by Kinka Usher and is written by Neil Cuthbert, loosely based on Bob Burden‘s Flaming Carrot Comics, published by both Dark Horse Comics and Image Comics. This weird and quirky movie about a group of inept amateur superheroes predates the current superhero movie craze by a few years. It is a fun and engaging movie starring comedic actors Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo and Paul Reubens (aka Pee Wee Herman) as a team of lesser superheroes with unimpressive powers who are required to save the day. These would be superheroes with unique traits attempt to make a name for themselves, but their inexperience, infighting, and dubious abilities generally result in defeat and frustration. Although Mystery Men received generally positive reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb it made for an interesting and entertaining film, definitely with it’s moments of pure brilliance.
18. From Hell (2001)
From Hell is a gothic period slasher film directed by the Hughes Brothers, written by Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesias, and is loosely based on the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell about the Jack the Ripper murders. The film stars Johnny Depp as Frederick Abberline, a drug-addicted police inspector as the lead investigator, striving to solve the Jack the Ripper murders in Victorian England. It’s an effective thriller and did well at the box office when released in 2001. The film remained true to the comic’s story, tone, and murky atmosphere. The movie was also helped by a strong performance from actor Johnny Depp’s lead role and Heather Graham as a Victorian prostitute targeted by the Ripper.
19. Ghost World (2001)
20. Blade II (2002)
Blade II is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Blade, directed by the iconic Guillermo del Toro and written by David S. Goyer. The film follows the human-vampire hybrid Blade, staring Wesley Snipes as the Daywalker, samurai-sword-wielding bane of all Satan’s minions, in his continuing effort to protect humans from vampires. His sidekick is a country-singing legend with a voice that could strip a sideboard. The one thing everyone remembers about Blade 2, apart from the fact that it’s about 100 times better than it might have been, is that Luke Goss made his big comeback in the role of the mutant king of the sub-vampire Reaper sect. Blade II was a box office success, becoming the highest-grossing film of the Blade series. It received mixed reviews from critics, earning praise for its performances, atmosphere, direction, and action sequences. A sequel, Blade: Trinity, was released in 2004.
21. Road to Perdition (2002)
Road to Perdition is an American crime drama film directed by Sam Mendes. The screenplay was adapted by David Self from the graphic novel of the same name written by Max Allan Collins and illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner. This movie doesn’t seem like the content came from a comic book, yet Road to Perdition is based on a comic books series published by Paradox Press, a division of D.C. Comics. Being a full-fledged comic book series, it follows an honorable mafia hitman Michael O’Sullivan and his exploits during the Great Depression of the 1930s. This heavy drama about a hitman forced to protect his son from his mafia boss employer after the son witnesses a murder. The film stars Tom Hanks, Paul Newman (in his final live-action theatrical film acting role), and Jude Law in one of his earliest roles. The film was well received by critics, who mainly praised the direction and visuals, performances (particularly of Hanks, Newman, and Law), cinematography, themes and setting. In addition to Hall’s win for cinematography, the film earned five Academy Awards nominations, including Best Supporting Actor for Newman.
22. X2 (2003)
X2 is an American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris and David Hayter, from a story by Singer, Hayter and Zak Penn. The film is based on the X-Men superhero team appearing in Marvel Comics. Wolverine strives to uncover the secrets of his past, which leads him to a mysterious military base. Meanwhile, General William Stryker, a staunch advocate of the Mutant Registration Act, launches an attack on X-Men mansion to eradicate Professor Xavier and his kind once and for all. Faced with possible extinction, Xavier turns to his enemy Magneto for help in fending off the deranged military man. X-Men 2 is indisputable. The film’s premise was influenced by the Marvel Comics storylines Return to Weapon X and God Loves, Man Kills. Filming began in June 2002 and ended that November, mostly taking place at Vancouver Film Studios, the largest North American production facility outside of Los Angeles. Production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas adapted similar designs by John Myhre from the previous film. X2 received positive reviews for its storyline, action sequences, and performances receiving eight Saturn Awards nominations
23. Oldboy (2003)
Oldboy is a South Korean neo-noir action thriller film directed and co-written by Park Chan-wook. It’s a loose adaptation of the Japanese manga of the same name. Both involve a man locked away for 15 years for no reason he can understand, before being unleashed to wreak havoc on his captors. In Asia, manga/graphic novels are the preferred medium for storytelling, encompassing every genre and theme you can imagine and the Oldboy manga series has inspired two separate adaptations about the protagonist inexplicably held captive in a hotel room for years before being released to follow a trail of clues that will supposedly lead him to his revenge. There are, however, a number of differences between the manga and film versions. In the manga, the protagonist is locked up for a decade; in Chan-wook Park’s 2003 film he’s locked up for 15 years, and in Spike Lee’s 2013 remake, he’s locked up for 20 years. Park’s version also introduced a lot of the violence and darker elements that people commonly associate with the story. In the original manga, nobody gets killed until the very end, and sans the film’s famous corridor fight sequence. The film however, received praise for its action sequences, and most notably the single shot hammer fight through a narrow hallway sequence. It has been regarded as one of the best films of all time and listed among the best films of the 2000s in several publications
24. American Slpendor (2003)
American Splendor is an American biographical comedy-drama film about Harvey Pekar, the author of the American Splendor comic book series. The film, which is a hybrid production featuring live actors, documentary, and animation, is in part an adaptation of the comics, which dramatize Pekar’s life. American Splendor was written and directed by documentarians Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini It’s an uncompromising portrayal, weaving the contents and creation of Pekar’s semi-fiction into a blend of real life and real art. American Splendor might be the most interesting entry on this list. The directors of the movie had a background in documentary filmmaking and utilized their talents to cleverly intermix appearances and interviews from the real Pekar and his associates in between all the fictional portrayals of them. It was filmed entirely on location in Cleveland and Lakewood in Ohio. American Splendor won the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, in addition to the award for Best Adapted Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America. At the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, the film received the FIPRESCI critics award. American Splendor was given the Guardian New Directors Award at the 2003 Edinburgh International Film Festival. It was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2003 Academy Awards.
25. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi and written by Alvin Sargent from a story by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Michael Chabon. Based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name, it is the second installment in Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy and the sequel to Spider-Man (2002), starring Tobey Maguire alongside Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, and Donna Murphy. Set two years after the events of Spider-Man, the film finds Peter Parker struggling to stop Dr. Otto Octavius from recreating the dangerous experiment that kills his wife and leaves him neurologically fused to mechanical tentacles, while also dealing with an existential crisis between his dual identities that appears to be stripping him of his powers. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man series is one of the most unabashedly enjoyable comic book franchises ever to grace our multiplex screens. It received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its emotional weight and visual effects, as well as Maguire and Molina’s performances and Raimi’s direction. It was the third-highest-grossing film of the year and won Best Visual Effects at the 77th Academy Awards. It was also nominated for Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing, received five awards at the Saturn Awards, including Best Fantasy Film and Best Director for Raimi. The film is widely regarded as one of the greatest superhero films ever made and a blueprint for future movies in the genre
26. V for Vendetta (2005)
V for Vendetta is a dystopian political action film directed by James McTeigue from a screenplay by the Wachowskis. It is based on the 1988 DC Vertigo Comics limited series of the same title by Alan Moore, David Lloyd, and Tony Weare. The film, set in a future where a fascist totalitarian regime has subjugated the UK, centres on V (portrayed by Hugo Weaving), an anarchist and masked freedom-fighter who attempts to ignite a revolution through elaborate terrorist acts, and on Evey Hammond (portrayed by Natalie Portman) a young woman caught up in V’s mission. Stephen Rea portrays a detective leading a desperate quest to stop V. The film stays true to Moore’s revolutionary angst and uncompromising attitude. The iconic V masks have become a strong symbol of global anti-capitalismwith anarchists have using it to promote their beliefs. David Lloyd stated: “The Guy Fawkes mask has now become a common brand and a convenient placard to use in protest against tyranny—and I’m happy with people using it, it seems quite unique, an icon of popular culture being used this way.” It had mostly positive reviews from critics and became a box-office success as well as becoming a cult classic.
27. A History of Violence (2005)
A History of Violence is an action thriller film directed by David Cronenberg and written by Josh Olson. It is an adaptation of the 1997 graphic novel of the same title by John Wagner and Vince Locke. The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt, and Ed Harris. In the film, when a pair of petty criminals attempt to rob his small-town diner, Tom Stall quickly and easily kills them both. In the flush of news coverage of Tom’s seemingly heroic actions, a threatening stranger named Carl Fogarty comes to town, fingering the unassuming family man as long-missing Philadelphia mobster Joey Cusack. Cronenberg brings his queasy, corporeal concerns regarding our inability to read or truly understand people to a tightly wound drama of family dysfunction and the resurfacing of personal demons. Canadian director David Cronenberg received some of the best reviews of his career. The graphic novel was highly praised when released in 1997, and the film version stays faithful to its tone and style. The shooting scene at the start of the film is virtually identical to what takes place in the comic book, making this movie a very faithful adaptation. It is sometimes considered one of the greatest films of the 2000s. The film was specifically praised for its performances, screenplay, atmosphere, and plot. William Hurt was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, while Olson was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. Mortensen himself praised it as “one of the best movies he’s ever been in, if not the best”, also declaring it was a “perfect film noir” or “close to perfect”. It is also notable as being one of the last major Hollywood films to be released on VHS.
28. 300 (2006)
300 is an American epic historical action film[4][5] based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley. Both are fictionalized retellings of the Battle of Thermopylae in the Greco-Persian Wars. The film was co-written and directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant. It was filmed mostly with a superimposition chroma key technique to replicate the imagery of the original comic book. In 480 BC, around 300 Spartans really did hold off the entire Persian army. Through the film’s narrative technique, various fantastical creatures are introduced, placing 300 within the genre of historical fantasy. The story is framed by a voice-over narrative by the Spartan soldier Dilios (David Wenham). The highly stylized film received mixed reviews, with critics praising its visuals and style yet criticizing its depiction of the Persians, which some characterized as bigoted or Iranophobic. The film’s opening was the 24th-largest in box office history at the time.
29. Death Note (2006)
Death Note is a Japanese supernatural thriller film based on the manga series of the same title by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. It was followed by a sequel, Death Note 2: The Last Name, released in the same year. The film centers on a Tokyo college student who attempts to change the world into a utopian society without crime, by committing a world-wide massacre of criminals and people whom he deems morally unworthy of life through a supernatural notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in the pages. The Japanese Death Note comic-book seriesis based on a book in which anyone could write the name of a victim plus the manner of their death, and the universe would conspire to make it happen – played it out over several years. In bringing the story to the screen, director Shusuke Kaneko chose to focus on the darker aspects of the story, resulting is a strange mixture of brooding, action-packed, almost apocalyptic darkness, small-scale suburban realism and wacked-out psychedelic absurdity. DEATH NOTE was first released in Japan in 2006, becoming an instant smash hit.
30. Wonderwoman (2007)
Wonder Woman is an American animated superhero film focusing on the superheroine of the same name. The plot of the film is loosely based on George Pérez‘s reboot of the character, specifically the Gods and Mortals arc that started the character’s second volume in 1987.[3] It is the fourth film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies released by Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Animation. After languishing in development bins for nearly two decades, it wasn’t until Gal Gadot’s scene-stealing part in Zack Snyder’s critically mauled Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice that things began to click. The addition of director Patty Jenkins, most famous for directing serial-killer drama Monster, was the catalyst for success. The film’s period setting and origin story helped it stand apart, as did its injection of lightness into the DC Extended Universe, which previously had a penchant for all things grim.
31. Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures,[a] it is the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Jon Favreau from a screenplay by the writing teams of Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, and Art Marcum and Matt Holloway.The film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man alongside Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb, and Shaun Toub. In the film, following his escape from captivity by a terrorist group, world famous industrialist and master engineer, Tony Stark, builds a mechanized suit of armor and becomes the superhero Iron Man. It was selected by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best films of 2008, received two nominations at the 81st Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects. In 2022, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. Two sequels have been released: Iron Man 2 (2010) and Iron Man 3 (2013).
32. Hellboy II The Golden Army (2008)
Hellboy II: The Golden Army is an American superhero film based on the fictional character Hellboy created by Mike Mignola. The film was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro from a story by him and Mignola, and is a sequel to the 2004 film Hellboy, which del Toro also directed. Ron Perlman reprises his starring role as the eponymous character. Hellboy II: The Golden Army was released by Universal Pictures. Building upon the stylish, supremely strange world he conjured up for the first Hellboy, Guillermo del Toro let it rip with this sequel, ramping up the scope and bombast without allowing the intimacy and pathos of Big Red’s thorny metaphysical predicament to fall by the wayside. It’s the baddies that make this second instalment so stunning, nudging the film from great to something close to comic book alchemy. Luke Goss is perfect as the vengeful Elvish prince who not only attempts to wrest the world from the ravages of man, but also begs some searching questions as to Hellboy’s chosen place in the world. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the fantasy atmosphere of the film, as well as Perlman and the other cast’s acting performances. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup.
33. The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight is a superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero, Batman, it is the sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and the second installment in The Dark Knight Trilogy. The plot follows the vigilante Batman, police lieutenant James Gordon, and district attorney Harvey Dent, who form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City. Their efforts are derailed by the Joker, an anarchistic mastermind who seeks to test how far Batman will go to save the city from chaos. The ensemble cast includes Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman. Building on the excellent Batman Begins, Nolan constructed a wonderfully layered film that works as a thunderous action movie, a mystery worthy of the World’s Greatest Detective and a comment on the war on terror. The Dark Knight was the first major motion picture to be filmed with high-resolution IMAX cameras. Christopher avoided using computer-generated imagery unless necessary, insisting on practical stunts.The Dark Knight received acclaim for its mature tone and themes, visual style, and performances. Heath Ledger stood out with a performance that earned many posthumous awards including Academy, BAFTA, and Golden Globe awards for Best Supporting Actor, making The Dark Knight the first comic-book film to receive major industry awards. Since its release, The Dark Knight has been assessed as one of the greatest superhero films ever made, one of the best films of the 2000s, and one of the best films ever made. It is considered the “blueprint” for modern superhero films, particularly for its rejection of a typical comic-book film style in favor of a crime film that features comic-book characters. Many filmmakers sought to repeat its success by emulating its gritty, realistic tone to varying degrees of success. The Dark Knight has been analyzed for its themes of terrorism and the limitations of morality and ethics.
34. Watchmen (2009)
Watchmen is a 2009 American superhero film based on the 1986–1987 DC Comics limited series of the same name co-created and illustrated by Dave Gibbons with co-creator and author Alan Moore choosing to remain uncredited.[10] Directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay by David Hayter and Alex Tse, the film features Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Patrick Wilson. A dark and dystopian deconstruction of the superhero genre, the film is set in an alternate history in the year 1985 at the height of the Cold War, as a group of mostly retired American superheroes investigates the murder of one of their own before uncovering an elaborate and deadly conspiracy, while their moral limitations are challenged by the complex nature of the circumstances. This adaptation of Alan Moore’s subversive superhero epic had perhaps the most painful gestation in modern movie history, going through countless drafts and a fistful of directors. But eventual helmer Zack Snyder had a guiding instinct that saved the film. He stuck as close to the source as he could, except for a slightly improved ending. Snyder all but took himself out of the equation, creating a film which takes not just its narrative and dialogue but its visual style, its colour palette, its soundtrack, and even its editing from Moore’s masterpiece. It doesn’t come close to capturing the emotional intensity and raw political fury of the novel, but Watchmen remains entrancingly bleak.
35. Red (2010)
Red is an American action comedy film loosely inspired by the Homage Comics limited series of the same name. Produced by Di Bonaventura Pictures and distributed by Summit Entertainment, it is the first film in the Red series. Directed by Robert Schwentke and written by Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber, it stars Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban and Mary-Louise Parker, alongside Rebecca Pidgeon, Brian Cox, Richard Dreyfuss, Julian McMahon, Ernest Borgnine, and James Remar. Red follows Frank Moses (Willis), a former aging black-ops agent who reunites with his old team to capture an assassin who has vowed to kill him in a very effective action-comedy film. The premise and story come from a three-issue comic book miniseries published by Wildstorm. The main difference between the comic book and movie is that the comic focuses on a lone CIA agent named Paul Moses who is hunted by his former employer. The movie turned the premise into a group of former CIA operatives so as to make the film an ensemble piece. Still, the results in the movie are hilarious as the veteran actors clearly enjoy chewing the scenery and shooting off their guns – especially John Malkovich.
36. Kick-Ass (2010)
Kick-Ass is a superhero action comedy film directed by Matthew Vaughn from a screenplay by Jane Goldman and Vaughn. It is based on the comic book of the same name[a] by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. It tells the story of an ordinary teenager, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who sets out to become a real-life superhero, calling himself “Kick-Ass”. Dave gets caught up in a bigger fight when he meets Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), a former cop who, in his quest to bring down the crime boss Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong) and his son Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), has trained his eleven-year-old daughter (Chloë Grace Moretz) to be the ruthless vigilante Hit-Girl. British director Matthew Vaughn’s foul-mouthed subversion of the genre in which Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the hapless teenager who decides to transform himself into a superhero. Nicolas Cage wins MVP as the loveable Big Daddy, and the film could use a lot more of his winning, off-beam charm to counteract the air of bratty cynicism. The film has gained a strong cult following since its release on DVD and Blu-ray.
37. Scott Pilgram Vs the World (2010)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a 2010 romantic action comedy film co-written, produced, and directed by Edgar Wright, based on the graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley. It stars Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim, a slacker musician who is trying to win a competition to get a record deal while also battling the seven evil exes of his newest girlfriend Ramona Flowers, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Scott Pilgrim is roughly equidistant between Ghost World and X-Men, which for a studio film is completely bananas. The film uses famous features of its Toronto setting and matches the style of video game and comic book imagery. It used real musical artists, including Beck and Metric, as a basis for each fictional group in the battle of the bands plot, with some of the actors also performing. A combination of digital and physical methods were used to create the extensive visual effects. Despite becoming a box-office bomb,Scott Pilgrim vs. the World received positive reviews from critics, who noted its visual style and humor, and it eventually garnered a cult following. The film has made several top ten lists and received over 70 awards and nominations, and was shortlisted for the Best Visual Effects category at the 83rd Academy Awards. In scholarly analysis, it has been
38. The Avengers (2012)
Marvel’s The Avengers is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures,[a] it is the sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Written and directed by Joss Whedon, the film features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner as the Avengers, alongside Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, and Samuel L. Jackson. In the film, Nick Fury and the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Thor, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton to form a team capable of stopping Thor’s brother Loki from subjugating Earth. By the time of The Avengers, director Joss Whedon had been through the grinder of cancelled TV shows, mangled scripts and failed directorial attempts. So it was pretty big of Marvel to hand him the reins to the most anticipated comic-book movie of all time. It worked: dominating the box office, sending fans into a frenzy and cementing Marvel as the kings of the multiplex. Despite cramming together the leads from a decade’s worth of superhero blockbusters, The Avengers is so much more than just a wisecracking love-in between a bunch of guys in tights. As with much of Whedon’s work, it’s the sheer generosity that wins out, both to the characters and the audience. This is an overflowing goody-bag of a film, crammed with bar-raising action set-pieces, wonderfully sketched characters and just enough old-school Whedon wit to reward those who’d stuck with him all along. The Avengers was featured as one of the 100 greatest films of all time in an Empire magazine poll. It received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 85th Academy Awards, among numerous other accolades.
39. Dredd (2012)
Dredd is a science fiction action film directed by Pete Travis and written and produced by Alex Garland. It is based on the 2000 AD comic strip Judge Dredd and its eponymous character created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra. Karl Urban stars as Judge Dredd, a law enforcer given the power of judge, jury and executioner in a vast, dystopic metropolis called Mega-City One that lies in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Dredd and his apprentice partner, Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), are forced to bring order to a 200-storey high-rise block of apartments and deal with its resident drug lord, Ma-Ma (Lena Headey). Few films are guaranteed to make a nerd seethe like Danny Cannon’s disastrous 1995 Judge Dredd, a film that took everything that was great about 2000AD’s unruly dystopian action strip and chucked it in a vat of toxic waste. So thank Tharg for this much-needed reboot, in which Karl Urban plays the taciturn lawgiver with all the grimacing tough-nut nihilism he can muster, stomping through the convincingly detailed wasteland of Mega City One like the angel of grim death. Dredd saw greater success following its home release, and has since been recognised as a cult film. The theatrical gross made a sequel unlikely, but home media sales and fan efforts endorsed by 2000 AD‘s publisher Rebellion Developments have maintained the possibility of a second film.
40. Snowpiercer (2013)
Snowpiercer is a 2013 post-apocalyptic science fiction action film based on the French climate fiction graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette.[5] The film was directed by Bong Joon-ho and written by Bong and Kelly Masterson. A South Korean-Czech co-production, the film marks Bong’s English-language debut; almost 85% of the film’s dialogue is in English. This is quite simply one of the best sci-fi movies of the decade. Bong turns a faintly ludicrous premise – following a sudden global freeze, the only humans left alive are the passengers on a single train following an endless circular track – into a rivetingly strange and unpredictable class satire. Tilda Swinton is the most memorable as a Thatcheresque Yorkshire psycho with gravestone teeth, but everyone here is superb, and the action scenes are phenomenal. Snowpiercer is one of the best comic book adaptations to come along in recent memory. As is the case in most dystopian futures, the division of classes on the train are appallingly apparent with the rich front section passengers living a lavish life of luxury while those in the rear compartments are crammed together and forced to exist in brutal conditions. That is until Curtis Everett (Chris Evans) decides the time has come to lead a revolution, and together with a group of tail passengers, attempts to battle his way to the front of the train. The essential element that both the comic and the film focus on is social stratification, but they also each provide an excellent commentary on global warming and economic trickle-down philosophy. When you combine this thought-provoking material with a little high-octane action, you’ve got the recipe for a very compelling sci-fi movie with director Bong Joon-ho making every encounter in a new train compartment feel fresh and exciting. The movie also does a great job of capturing the aesthetic of the comic, with the production design selling it almost as much as the acting, which includes an incredible performance by Tilda Swinton as the middle managing Minister Mason.
41. Captain America: The winter Soldier (2014)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and the ninth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo from a screenplay by the writing team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. It stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America alongside Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Toby Jones, Jenny Agutter, Robert Redford, and Samuel L. Jackson. In the film, Captain America joins forces with Black Widow (Johansson) and Falcon (Mackie) to uncover a conspiracy within the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D. while facing a mysterious assassin known as the Winter Soldier (Stan). Probably the best of Marvel’s Avengers spin-offs. Points about government surveillance are unsubtle but well timed, and the irony of placing the ultimate flag-waving Yankee boy in opposition to his government is brilliantly played. The effortless camaraderie between Evans’s square-jawed crusader and Scarlett Johansson’s pithy Black Widow adds warmth and soul. The film became a critical and commercial success, receiving praise for the performances and the action sequences, making it the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2014, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.
42. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 10th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by James Gunn, who wrote the screenplay with Nicole Perlman, it features an ensemble cast including Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper as the titular Guardians, along with Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, and Benicio del Toro. In the film, Peter Quill and a group of extraterrestrial criminals go on the run after stealing a powerful artifact. The best straight-up slice of space opera since Serenity. The plot may make next-to-no sense – there’s some bad guys, a prison and a talking tree – but that’s irrelevant. The special effects are shiny, the action’s speedy and the jokes are sharp, and there’s an unexpected layer of sweetness to tie it all together.
43. Logan (2017)
Logan is an American superhero film starring Hugh Jackman as the titular character. It is the tenth film in the X-Men film series and the third and final installment in the Wolverine trilogy following X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and The Wolverine (2013). The film, which takes inspiration from the “Old Man Logan” comics storyline by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven, follows an aged Wolverine and an extremely ill Charles Xavier who defends a young mutant named Laura from the villainous Reavers led by Donald Pierce and Zander Rice.[4][5][6] The film is produced by 20th Century Fox, Marvel Entertainment, TSG Entertainment and The Donners’ Company, and distributed by 20th Century Fox.[7][8] It is directed by James Mangold, who co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Green and Scott Frank, from a story by Mangold.[9] In addition to Jackman, the film also stars Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, and introducing Dafne Keen in her film debut as Laura. Two things stand out from this gritty bone-and-gristle farewell to the Marvelverse’s most reluctant superhero. First, it’s unashamedly R-rated in a way that leaves your eyeballs needing a post-movie ice bath. A gloriously bloody snikt-athon (snikt being the name given to the sound of Hugh’s claws sliding out), it’s so unrestrained, so brutally committed, it feels like it’s making up for lesser Wolverine outings (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, we’re staring at you). The second – with apologies to Stephen Merchant, whose superhero debut is as joyous as it is unexpected – is its star. Hugh Jackman’s grumpy, jaded and often booze-soaked old-timer is the gunslinger-with-a-heart facing his final showdown. In a film that takes its cues from westerns, he gives the superhero genre its John Wayne-in-The Searchers moment.
44. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013), and is the 17th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Taika Waititi from a screenplay by Eric Pearson and the writing team of Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, and stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor alongside Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, and Anthony Hopkins. In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor must escape the alien planet Sakaar in time to save Asgard from Hela (Blanchett) and the impending Ragnarök. It took two solo films and a pair of Avengers flicks, but somebody finally figured out that maybe, just maybe, the intergalactic God of Thunder who rides around on a rainbow bridge and fights giants while swilling ale might work better as an action comedy. Luckily, that person was Taika Waititi. The Kiwi maverick fully harnesses the comedic potential of big lug Chris Hemsworth and snidey Tom Hiddleston and sent them on a Flash Gordon-esque adventure to the far reaches of the galaxy, letting them crack wise for two straight hours. The film’s full embrace of Jack Kirby’s psychedelic landscapes provides ample eye candy, while noted scenery-chewers Cate Blanchett and Jeff Goldblum feast on the manic fringes. The film received praise for its acting and Waititi’s direction, as well as the action sequences, visual effects, musical score, and humor, with many critics considering it to be the best installment of the Thor franchise. It became the highest-grossing film of the series and the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2017.
45. Black Panther (2018)
Black Panther is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 18th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Ryan Coogler, who co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Robert Cole, and it stars Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther alongside Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis. In Black Panther, T’Challa is crowned king of Wakanda following his father’s death, but he is challenged by Killmonger (Jordan), who plans to abandon the country’s isolationist policies and begin a global revolution. Now one of the highest-grossing films of all time, Black Panther is not just an important movie, it’s also a great movie. With an almost entirely black cast, a black director and black writers, the film is a thrilling exploration of afro-futurism, cultural oppression and revolution. Its story is magnificent, too, proving it to be one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s best standalone outing, and the acting feels electric, with the performances by Boseman, Jordan and Wright really standing out. It’s that rare breed of superhero movie that’s worthy of repeated viewings. And while the untimely passing of star Chadwick Boseman is sure to loom large over the sequel, his spirit will carry over. Wakanda Forever.
46. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a 2018 American computer-animated superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Miles Morales / Spider-Man, produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the first animated film in the Spider-Man franchise.[4][5] Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman (in Persichetti and Rothman’s feature directorial debuts) from a screenplay by Phil Lord and Rothman, it stars Shameik Moore as Morales, alongside the voices of Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Vélez, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Nicolas Cage, and Liev Schreiber. The film’s story follows Miles Morales as he becomes the new Spider-Man and joins other Spider-People from various parallel universes to save his universe from Kingpin.Ten years after Iron Man and The Dark Knight transformed blockbusters in vastly different ways, the genre was getting stale. The last thing we needed was another Spidey adventure. Or so we thought. Four years and a Best Animation Oscar later, Into the Spider-Verse remains a dazzler: A groundbreaking leap forward in animation that combines kinetic visuals with a heartfelt story that leans full-bore into lunatic comic-book logic. These days, both the MCU and the DCEU are all about parallel dimensions. Into the Spider-Verse led the way, ripping the fabric of space and time wide open and rejoicing in the weirdness that came gushing out. Good luck topping the spectacular Spider-Ham, Loki.
47. Joker (2019)
Joker is an American psychological thriller film directed by Todd Phillips, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Scott Silver. The film, based on DC Comics characters, stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker and serves as a standalone origin story for the character. Set in 1981, it follows Arthur Fleck, a failed clown and aspiring stand-up comic whose descent into mental illness and nihilism inspires a violent countercultural revolution against the prosperous in a decaying Gotham City. Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz and Frances Conroy appear in supporting roles. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Joker was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, Bron Creative and Joint Effort. Whether you embraced it as a bold vision of what comic-book cinema can be or a grimy incitement for incels, Todd Phillips’s Scorsese-inspired take on the Clown Prince of Crime changed the game. The film netted over $1 billion and scored Joaquin Phoenix the Oscar he was denied for The Master. It’s a rough, unsettling ride, anchored by Phoenix’s nightmarish central performance. More crucially, it made a laughing stock of an industry that’s long been gun-shy about more adult comic-book fare. Joker got the last laugh.
48. Avengers: End Game (2019)
Avengers: Endgame is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the direct sequel to Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the film features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin. In the film, the surviving members of the Avengers and their allies attempt to reverse the destruction caused by Thanos in Infinity War. For all the colossal powers on display, perhaps the most impressive thing about Endgame is that it didn’t buckle under the weight of its ambitions. There was a lot to accomplish, including wrapping up a 22-film arc, giving closure to beloved characters and, most of all, being remotely coherent as dozens of A-list ch aracters slugged it out over the fate of the universe. Yet somehow, Endgame pulls it off. It smartly recenters the narrative on the original Avengers group, sending the heroes scurrying through time like hypersteroidal McFlys in an effort to undo intergalactic genocide. Sure, some characters get the short shrift – the underuse of Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther is particularly sad in hindsight – but for a film with this much on the line, Endgame delivers a solid, if a little bloated, return on investment full of heart, thrills and closure.
49. The Suicide Squad (2020)
The Suicide Squad is an American superhero film based on the DC Comics team Suicide Squad. Produced by DC Films, Atlas Entertainment, and The Safran Company, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a standalone sequel to Suicide Squad (2016) and the 10th film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). It was written and directed by James Gunn and stars an ensemble cast including Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, Alice Braga, and Pete Davidson. In the film, several convicts join a task force known as the “Suicide Squad” in exchange for lighter sentences. They are sent to the South American island nation of Corto Maltese to destroy all traces of the giant alien starfish Starro the Conqueror before it falls into the local government’s control. So much more than a course correction following the critical drubbing of David Ayer’s studio-compromised original, James Gunn’s deranged Dirty Dozen riff strikes a surprising balance between ultraviolence, dark comedy and endearment. Essentially a $180 million Troma movie, Gunn’s viscera-soaked actioner is at once a throwback to ‘80s action excess and a screenwriting clinic in how to juggle multiple lead characters. Plus, it has an adorably huggable giant shark who eats people. In a movie that takes endless pleasure in blowing its characters into wet chunks of spandex, Gunn knows that tugging at heartstrings is just as effective as splattering them across the screen. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances, action sequences, Gunn’s writing, direction, and visual style, with many deeming it a significant improvement over its predecessor. The film became the most-streamed DCEU film on HBO Max, but underperformed at the box office and only grossed $168.7 million worldwide against a production budget of $185 million, which was attributed to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the film’s availability on HBO Max, and its relationship to the first Suicide Squad. Peacemaker, a spin-off television series starring Cena, debuted on HBO Max in January 2022. Two other spin-off series are in development for HBO Max.
50. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is an American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Doctor Strange. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to Doctor Strange (2016) and the 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Sam Raimi, written by Michael Waldron, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange, alongside Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Rachel McAdams. In the film, Strange protects America Chavez (Gomez), a teenager capable of traveling the multiverse, from Wanda Maximoff (Olsen). Doctor Strange director and co-writer Scott Derrickson had plans for a sequel by October 2016. He signed to return as director in December 2018, when Cumberbatch was confirmed to return. The film’s title was announced in July 2019 along with Olsen’s involvement, while Jade Halley Bartlett was hired to write the film that October. Derrickson stepped down as director in January 2020, citing creative differences. Waldron and Raimi joined the following month and started over, adding elements of the horror genre that Raimi had worked with previously and making Maximoff the villain of the film, continuing her story from the series WandaVision (2021). Filming began in November 2020 in London but was put on hold in January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed by March 2021 and concluded in mid-April in Somerset. Shooting also occurred in Surrey and Los Angeles. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was released in the United States as part of Phase Four of the MCU. The film received praise for Raimi’s direction, the visuals, musical score, production design, cinematography, and Olsen’s performance, with criticism drawn to the screenplay. The film grossed $955 million worldwide, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2022.
