Great Comic Books Adaptations

Superheros are those characters who entice us with action, story the willingness to fight for justice. There are hundreds of great title comic book character heroes out there but there are few that we hold up as the greatest of our time. There are also just as few perfect superhero movies.

But there are some films in which the embodiment of the comic character is captured. These films are not only smashes at the box office, but they hold up through time. They are made the way that the comic book creators should be happy with. They are a testament to great filmmaking and most of all, going along with the tradition of comic books, the lend themselves to sequels which means that the story is interesting enough to invite people to learn more.

Here are my top five films that involve Superheroes. My reasons for choosing each one come down to the script, the directing, the acting, the way the story is told the actual prowess of the superhero.

Number five:
X-Men (2000)
The story of a mutant human society trying to function amidst the intolerance of man, this film really made an impact on the way Superhero movies have been made since it's debut. Many times before with Superman and Batman, the story has focused on the life of the main Superhero. But with this film and with the comic book, it focuses more on society. It is a commentary on the oppression of men and women of the world.

Including a backdrop of Nazi Germany in the beginning and the current state of "racial" discrimination against mutants, the heroes of this movie see themselves as normal people. They only become heroes when they are threatened by those who wish to destroy them. They are fighting for survival. And fortunately the film isn't a complete drone of any other random action film. It has genuine moments of despair in its main characters, discoveries of the world we are thrown into and mysteries that even the characters cannot fully understand yet. It is a story about living your life no matter what odds you are up against. And it is done very well.

Number 4
Batman (1989)
Tim Burton's classic tale of Batman is not the traditional story of Batman. It is one of the only ones that really only uses the comic book as an outline. A semi-dark comedy, this version of Batman fast-acting, dramatic and scary in a different way. It is a slightly comedic version which makes the terrorizing of Gotham even more horrific. Batman, unlike the comic, is scary to his victims because he seems to be a creature coming out of nowhere to wreak havoc/justice.

Bruce Wayne, Batman's counterpart is a lonely billionaire who almost cares to be alone but has a quite pleasant demeanor. However when we get to the villain, Jack/the Joker, he is something to be reckoned with. With no moral fiber and silly attitude about killing, Jack Nicholson makes the Joker one of the most feared film characters in history. It's not only that he kills, but that he seems to not fear anything. He doesn't fear getting caught, killing someone he shouldn't nor even death. All of the characters in the Batman series have psychological problems stemming from their past, which always makes and batman film intriguing t watch.

Spiderman 2 (2004)
I skipped over Spiderman because Spiderman 2 is a far better film. The first one is classic, yes. But Spiderman 2 is an even more classic sequel. McGuire plays a Spiderman that is even more insecure about himself than even in the original comic book. But the story does stay very close to the comic as well.

This a story about family and living up to your full potential. The heartstrings are pulled out at every stop. An in between there is danger, laughter and the human spirit. This is not a lone here, this is a hero who is helped by the people. Spiderman centers around new technology and science but it is a very human story which is the irony of it.

Batman Begins (2005)
What a terrific beginning to a new series of films about Batman. The ever clever Christopher Nolan directs this masterpiece in filmmaking. It follows the comic book storyline directly but it also has Nolan's own style as all hero films should have their own. As the title states, the story shows Batman's beginnings - not only how he came to be Batman but how it was growing up for him without his parents and the specific reasons why he became Batman.

Bruce Wayne's reasons and training make a lot more sense in this tale, where we are not asked as much to suspend our disbeliefs about the character. He is a regular, but has had training with masters of martial arts because he has lost all hope in himself, still feeling guilty about his parents' deaths. We see Bruce change and evolve. Christian Bale is magnificent and besides the story of Bruce and his beginnings, we get a great sense of Gotham and all of its characters as well including the main villain, the Scarecrow.

Superman (1978)
The list may work differently in others' minds but for my taste, Superman the movie is the greatest Superhero film of all time. This film not only is the epitome of the comic book itself but it is the way films should work. The script is brilliant. Camp never knew it could be so good until it met this script. Richard Donner directed this film like it was right out of the comic book. The seventies feel on a 40's character worked perfectly for some reason.

And the characters, the standard to which the stories of Superman are now held up and compared to. Clark Kent was cast perfectly with Christopher, the all-American man. His looks were perfect but it was the pain and nuances of the character that Reeve really captured. His shyness towards Lois, the fake gestures in Clark Kent. The stamina he had to endure while training himself for years before getting a job at the Daily planet. This is not just a film, it is a chronicle.