The Ten Best Comic Book Movie Adaptations – Listverse
Over the past few decades, superhero and comic book-based films have saturated the film industry. From powerful superheroes like Superman and Captain America to independent comic book crime fighters like Kick-Ass, audiences are flocking to comic book-based films. Comics and graphic novels that make it to the silver screen are not exclusive to superheroes; movies like Road to ruin And 300 were also based on successful comic books.
While the comic book film genre has come under a lot of fire from critics and leading members of the film community, its box office results are hard to argue with. Still, the golden age of comic book movies may be coming to an end, as an oversaturated market will often collapse. With that in mind, let’s take a moment and look back at the ten best comic book-to-movie adaptations.
Related: Top 10 Movies You Didn’t Know Were Based on Independent Comics
10 Dick Tracy (1990)
The classic comic strip Dick Tracy first appeared on Sunday, October 4, 1931 in the Detroit mirror. Created by Chester Gould, the character was a tough, intelligent police detective with a bizarre array of recurring villains to battle. “This lush, inventive and expertly acted adaptation of Gould’s enduring comic character is quite a piece of entertainment.”
While Warren Beatty doesn’t deliver his usual Oscar-level performance, with supporting talent like Al Pacino, Madonna, Kathy Bates, Dustin Hoffman and Dick Van Dyke, this film has plenty to cheer about. Released the summer after Tim Burton’s first Batman movie, Dick Tracy planned to capitalize on the success of the modern comic book movie and helped kick off a decades-long trend.[1]
9 V for Vendetta (2005)
Based on the 1988-1989 DC Vertigo Comics limited series of the same title by Alan Moore, David Lloyd and Tony Weare, this story is set in a fascist totalitarian futuristic United Kingdom. Moore, whose work on the groundbreaking graphic novel The guardsonce again links his genius to a dim view of global politics and propaganda.
Starring nerd film icons Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving. A shadowy freedom fighter known only as “V” (Weaving) begins a violent campaign to destroy those who have embraced totalitarianism. In his quest to free England from its oppressive ideological chains, ‘V’ recruits a young woman (Portman) he rescued from the secret police to join him on an epic adventure. It may be impossible to perfectly adapt an Alan Moore book into a film, but… V for Vendetta come closer.[2]
8 Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Marvel’s epic comic event Civil war was a 17-part Universal crossover, published in 2006-2007. The comics involve every superhero in the Marvel Universe, something that would be impossible to achieve on the big screen. With that in mind, Marvel Studios has done a great job of including almost every hero they’ve previously introduced, and one or two new ones. The key elements and driving forces in this story are well represented in the film adaptation.
The line is drawn between the title character and his sometimes friend, sometimes rival Ironman, Tony Stark. Feeling guilty over the deaths of innocent civilians during the Avengers’ battle with Ultron, Tony is forced to conform to government guidelines. Meanwhile, ‘Cap’ believes that those with superpowers cannot align themselves with politicians or governments. This movie offers everything a comedy nerd could want, including the first appearance of Spider-Man in the MCU with his various Star Wars references.[3]
7 Batman (1989)
There is no end to Batman stories in comics, TV, novels and movies. Tim Burton’s first film starring the Caped Crusader was a comic book masterpiece. The only things missing were the “Zap!” and “Pow” splashed across the screen. Burton’s vision of the classic hero was brought to life with the brilliant performances of Michael Keaton, Kim Bassinger, Oscar nominee Jack Nicholson, Billy Dee Williams and Jack Palance.
This origin story doesn’t spend too much time pondering the dark details of Bruce Wayne’s tragic past. Burton focuses on everything that makes Batman great: the gadgets, the Batmobile, the colorful backdrop of Gotham City and funny one-liners. For the first time, the villain Joker is given a legal identity, Jack Napier, who falls into a vat of chemicals while wrestling the Dark Knight. Oh, and Prince provides the soundtrack. Many believe that Keaton’s Batman was the best live-action portrayal of the character and that this is what is essential Batman movie.[4]
6 Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Of the MCU’s many films, few bring as many comic book frames to life as the third installment of the MCU Thor series. Ragnarok takes several Marvel storylines and ties them together, allowing fans to see what their two heavy hitters get up to while the rest of the group struggles Civil war. Together, Thor and Hulk embark on a light-hearted yet devastating adventure, allowing for character development, new characters to interact with, epic battle scenes and the ability to bring pages straight from the books onto the screen.
It transforms Thor into a new version of the God of Thunder, who has (mostly) learned from his mistakes and achieved a healthy amount of self-awareness. The film opens with an almost Deadpool-esque monologue from Thor, exploring the prophesied demise of his home kingdom of Asgard, the catastrophe of the title. This film expertly combines fun, fear, action, and superhero lore.[5]
5 City of Sin (2005)
Frank Miller’s Shame city is a neo-noir crime anthology film directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, based on Miller’s comic book series of the same name. Much of the film is based on the first, third and fourth books of Miller’s original comic book series. A star-studded cast, including Bruce Willis, Rosario Dawson and Mickey Rourke, brings Miller’s dark vision to life.
The black and white film follows the graphic novel books almost perfectly. Sin City introduces a world of corrupt cops, sexy ladies and desperate vigilantes. Some seek revenge, others long for redemption, and others hope for a little of both. A universe of unlikely and reluctant heroes still trying to do right in a city that doesn’t care. This film focuses on nuisance, lighting and cinematography and delivers more than the expected action and effects of a comic book film. It contains valuable lessons and hope, along with charismatic characters.[6]
4 Superman: The Movie (1978)
No superhero list would be complete without the Man of Steel. Before the MCU or the DCEU, there was Christopher Reeve’s Superman and Gene Hackman’s Lex Luther. It was perhaps the first major comic book film starring the most important film actor of the 20th century, Marlon Brando. In an era when three-and-a-half-hour superhero films wouldn’t make it to the cutting room, most of Brando’s scenes were cut. Nevertheless, his Jor-El lends credibility to a film whose lead role was a relative newcomer.
Clark Kent’s origin story has been told countless times, and Richard Donner’s version is widely considered the definitive story. It touches on his childhood in Kansas and he wants nothing more than to play football on the high school team and stand up to local bullies. Forced to hide his abilities until he moves to the big city under a separate identity, he introduces himself to the world as Superman through journalist Lois Lane. Enter criminal mastermind Luther and Warner Brothers ends up with one of the best comic book movies ever.[7]
3 Logan (2017)
After nearly two decades in their respective roles, Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman deliver their final (sort of) performances as Professor Charles Xavier and James Howlett, aka Logan, aka Wolverine, aka Weapon-X. Based on the Old Man Logan graphic novel, this film delivers a level of violence worthy of Marvel’s best killer, and an accurate adaptation. With the rest of the X-Men long dead, Wolverine keeps Professor
This, of course, starts them on a wild and blood-soaked journey away from those who plan to enslave the mutants. The inevitable carnage that ensues from those who stand in Logan’s way is framed by unparalleled acting. Stewart, Jackman and newcomer Dafne Keen as X-23, the daughter of Weapon-X, deliver powerful performances. A female X-23 has two front claws and one rear claw on each side. With two of them, it’s no surprise that this film is one of the best in its genre.[8]
9 Black Panther (2018)
The first comic book-based film to be nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award, Ryan Coogler’s 2018 Ben Hur-esque film exceeded expectations. The late great Chadwick Boseman played the lead role. Boseman made his name with non-fiction roles such as James Brown, Thurgood Marshall and Jackie Robinson. Supporting roles from Angela Basset, Andy Serkis and Winston Duke completed the film. However, Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger sets this film apart. Jordan plays such a powerful role that the audience can easily be drawn to his point of view.
The hero triumphs despite the villain’s condemnations, and the MCU does justice to the six-decade history of the character and the source material. This origin story takes most of its storyline directly from the comics. With a modern twist, as the MCU often does, it’s hard to beat this film for consistency and creativity from book to screen.
The story follows Prince T’Challa as he ascends and defends the throne of Wakanda. Wakanda is a relatively unknown country in an unnamed part of Africa, where technology has been centuries more advanced than anywhere else on Earth. The role of Black Panther takes T’Challa from battling the Avengers to taking on cybernetic arms dealers and even his own flesh and blood in this critically acclaimed film.[9]
1 The Mask (1994)
The masklike it Loki, is based on a mythological god of mischief. Based on the comics published by Dark Horse Comics, it stars Jim Carrey in the title role, alongside Peter Riegert, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck and Cameron Diaz in her film debut. Imbued with divine powers, doormat Stanley Ipkiss loses complete control of his life in hilarious ways that only Carrey can bring to life.
The only things that remain constant for Ipkiss after donning the mask are his crush on Diaz’s Tina Carlyle and the interference in his life by gangster Dorian Tyrell (Greene). With virtually unlimited power, Ipkiss paints the city red and runs through the fictional Edge City. The mask grossed over $351 million on a budget of approximately $20 million, making it the highest-grossing film based on a comic book to that point. The film also influenced the revival of swing music in the 1990s.[10]