Top 10 Comic Book Movies of All Time

While movies adapted from a comic book don't have to remain 100% faithful to their source material, they should still embody a generous portion of the spirit from which the series is based. In addition, excellent action and adventure, and realistic human drama would be the next crucial criteria behind all the choices listed herein. The title says it all, so I'll list some honorable mentions and we'll start the countdown.

Honorable Mentions:
Superman (1978), Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Watchmen (2009), Blade II (2002)

10. Sin City (2005)
Frank Miller's graphic novel is faithfully recreated, almost panel by panel in this noirish, gritty film. Bloody and hyperstylized within an inch of its life (the cinematography is mostly black and white with vermilion reds as the only stand out color), Sin City takes a look at three people whose lives are embroiled in a corrupt city whose social order is on the verge of violent entropy. With gangs and serial killers running amok, cops on the take, degenerate priests and drug dealers by the dozens, Basin City makes downtown Detroit look like the Care Bear's "Care-a-Lot". It's an Iguazu Falls of gore and splatter, and at the core, Bruce Willis, Clive Owen and Mickey Rourke keep Sin City's bloody heart beating.

9. Blade (1998)
The premise of a renegade half-breed vampire out for vengeance against the vampires who turned his mother is certainly an original concept. Director Stephen Norrington took the ball and ran with Blade, a great action movie with marvelous cinematography and editing. Energetic and rife with blood and gore, Blade's story sometimes took a backseat to the action, but with stunning special effects and wonderful acting turns from Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, and Kris Kristofferson, you could almost forget this minor infraction.

8. Superman II (1981)
"Kneel before Zod", Terence Stamp proclaims. And in the summer of 1981, we all knelt before Superman II. Presaging the special effects boom of the 1990s, Superman II can look dated at first blush, but there are other reasons for which this movie makes the list at #8. The first Superman (1978) brought the comic book hero to real life, but Superman II took it to the next level. Dated special effects aside, the stunt sequences are still solid and loads of fun (the wonders one can do with just a sewer lid). The opening Eiffel Tower scene is a swashbuckling hoot as Lois Lane's impetuous nature (a feisty Margot Kidder) will always put her in need of a Superman. Not one, but three black patent leather-suited villains? That was worth the price of admission alone. Add the late great Christopher Reeve who embodied the noble spirit of this flagship DC character and Superman II had all the right ingredients for a summer blockbuster. Just add the popcorn.

7. Superman Returns (2006)
Woefully underrated, Bryan Singer's Superman Returns deserves a second look. Not only is it beautifully shot with a reverent eye toward Richard Donner's 1978 adaptation of the Superman movie, but its brisk storytelling nimbly alternates between love story and action movie, with neither hitting a false or hurried note. Newcomer Brandon Routh ably fits the role of Clark Kent/Superman, whereas Kate Bosworth's Lois Lane seems to be the only slight misstep in casting. Lex Luthor's villainy lies in his vicious intellect and Kevin Spacey conveys this with his trademark dramatic pauses. Even the tinges of humor - more leftover from Gene Hackman's portrayal than anything from the comic book - doesn't detract from Luthor's deadly menace. Well over a two-hour running time, Singer knows how to let a movie breathe while still making it taut and entertaining. A double-take on this movie is most worth it.

6. The Hulk (2003)
While #7 was underrated, Ang Lee's "Hulk" was downright panned - and undeservedly so. The psychoanalytic slant to Bruce Banner's origins never feels weighted down as some have complained; in fact, it was crucial to the story arc and it was done deftly and convincingly. Fans wanted to see more "Hulk Smash", but talented directors like Lee know better: a good movie makes you care about the characters first, so when the beatdowns really start to kick in, the action means so much more. Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly do pitch perfect jobs as Bruce Banner and Betty Ross. Nick Nolte's literal scene chewing as Bruce Banner's unhinged father not only adds a Freudian twist to the conflict, but it makes the final fight scene a beautiful and harrowing curtain call. Add the stylistic comic book panel edits, and in more callow hands this movie might have been a farce. In Lee's hands, it becomes a wholly realized comic book story come to life.

5. Batman Begins (2005)
After a lamentable raping at the hands of Joel Schumacher, director Christopher Nolan gives the Batman franchise the proper reboot it deserved, creating "Batman Begins", a somber and decidedly more serious comic book movie. With second class villains like Ra's Al Ghul and Scarecrow, not to mention a more believable retelling of the Batman's origins, one would think Batman Begins is a plodding and leaden affair, but nothing could be further from the truth. With few special effects, Batman is one of the rare comic book heroes with no super powers, and as such, everything about the character is related on a human scale and within a realistic framework. Rather than an aerodynamically phallic space age automobile, the Batmobile is a veritable tank, clunky almost in its bulky frame. Even Bruce Wayne's alter ego goes through growing pains before he perfects his crime fighting persona. A cape interspersed with negative charges explains his ability to glide through the air. And as Batman wages a nightly battle with Gotham City's criminals, it's Bruce Wayne that wakes up the next morning visibly bruised and beaten. Tenebrous, moody, and relentlessly brooding, "Batman Begins" flawlessly distills the essence of a dark, psychologically complex superhero without compromising a scintilla of great storytelling or heart stopping action.

4. Spiderman 2 (2004)
Sam Raimi crafted a serviceable, albeit thankless, directing job in outlining Spiderman's origins in Spiderman 1 (2002), and I think no one would disagree that the Green Goblin posed a problematic interpretation to the big screen. Whereas Spiderman 1 was merely adequate, Spiderman 3 was just too unfocused and scattershot. Spiderman 2, however, was a pitch perfect superhero action flick. The comic book series as envisioned by creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, struck a light yet dramatic tone between Peter Parker's everyday teen problems and the burden of his newfound powers. Spiderman 2 balances this high wire act brilliantly. Whether Peter is struggling with his fading powers, dealing with the on again/off again relationship with Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), or a strained friendship that's about to boil over with Harry Osborn (James Franco), the movie's center of gravity comes from Peter Parker's constant grappling with the moral sense of duty his Uncle Ben inculcated in him: "with great power comes great responsibility". As far as villains go, Doctor Octopus could have been just another one-dimensional psychopath wreaking havoc and robbing banks. Extra kudos go to Alfred Molina for humanizing this villain.

3. The Dark Knight (2008)
The praise heaped on Christopher Nolan's follow up to Batman Begins deserved every bit of critical acclaim that came its way. The Dark Knight is as much a feast for the eyes as it is the brain, and it doesn't rest solely on Heath Ledger's volcanic and unsettling performance as the Joker - a sociopathic prankster who masterminds deadly social experiments just for funsies. It's the richly drawn characters with competing - and not always clear - motivations. It's the twisting plot narrative that pits a deadly game of one-upsmanship between The Caped Crusader and his deranged adversary. And it's Nolan's dark and claustrophobic visual style that keeps with the sense of doom that seems to lurk behind every corner. District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) looks to be the only bright spot in a city brimming with corruption and moral rot. Batman (a stoic Christian Bale) is viewed as just another vigilante and the rise of the Joker plunges Gotham's inhabitants into a state of perpetual fear and panic. The battle for Gotham's soul doesn't come in the final showdown as the Joker suggests, but in the complete vitiation of its one true rising star. The Joker is captured, but not defeated, and there's no tidy ending for this intense and dark thrill ride.

2. Iron Man (2008)
After a heart damaged by shrapnel from a terrorist ambush, Tony Stark literally has to schlep a car battery under his arm to keep his heart from giving out. Confident and cocksure just like its character, Iron Man is one of those movies that far exceeded my expectations. A-list actors marvelously cast in each role (Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges). A knock out script with boldly drawn characters. Suspense. Great special effects in service of the plot rather than the other way around. Action and drama tempered with bits of genuine, zippy humor. And in the middle of it all, a boozing, womanizing multi-millionaire with a brazen attitude must save his own life from terrorist captives. From this defining event, Tony Stark transforms himself into Iron Man, an all too frail human encased in a high tech, impenetrable shell of armor. Don't let it fool you - Iron Man is all heart.

1. X-Men 2: X-Men United (2003)
Though I was never able to articulate it as a child, I enjoyed the X-Men comic books on so many different levels. It wasn't just the idea of super powered mutants who protected a society that hated and feared them, but it was the obvious parallel it drew to the prejudice and bigotry real people experience for being regarded as different and therefore socially unacceptable. In X-Men 2, director Bryan Singer skillfully and subtly weaves this subtext throughout the entire movie. On the surface level, X2, just as in the pages of the comic, is about a group of super beings shunned by normal society for the extraordinary abilities they possess. Government operatives are hostile towards this new, powerful race, who many think are poised to occupy and dominate the next rung on the human evolutionary ladder. As well on the surface, it's jam packed with great action and character cameos that would make a fanboy pump his fists. The opening sequence with Nightcrawler's balletic attack on the White House is just an amuse bouche for what's to follow. Along the way, there's a handy subplot involving Wolverine's origins, there's the introduction of Jean Grey's Phoenix persona, Cerebro, and Lady Deathstrike. At more than two hours, X2 never feels like it bites off more than it can chew precisely because its quieter moments reveal a genuine poignancy. "Couldn't you just stop being... a mutant?", Bobby Drake's mother asks. Substitute "mutant" for "gay", or any word to define weird or "other", and X-Men 2 taps closer to the human marrow than any comic book movie should.