Top 10 DC Comics Superhero Movies of All Time

DC Comics invented the super-hero genre with Superman in 1938, followed by Batman in 1939, the Flash in 1940, and Wonder Woman in 1941. So it was natural that DC's characters would largely create and revolutionize the almost-30 year old comic book movie franchise film industry. Check out the following list of the top 10 DC Comics comic book movies of all time.

(10) "Supergirl" (1984). Helen Slater stars as Kryptonian refugee Kara Zor-El. Her father, Zor-El, played by Simon Ward, is brother of Jor-El, whose only kid is Kal-El, known on Earth as Superman. Adventure runs in the family. Unfortunately, success doesn't. "Supergirl" flopped in the States though it was a more successful film overseas - especially in Japan - but that doesn't mean it's a horrible movie. The story is lighter and more like a fairy-tale than the high adventure in the "Superman" films. Faye Dunaway plays a truly campy, vile witch. But the real reason this movie earns a place on the top 10 is Supergirl herself, Helen Slater. Like Christopher Reeve, Slater immersed herself in the role. She trained with the fitness experts who trained Reeve. While the story falls flat in places, and its views on teenagers more at home in the 1950s than the 1980s, it presents a very in-character Girl of Steel, so in character, it would seem, that less than a year later DC Comics killed off the Supergirl character in the comic book series, "Crisis on Infinite Earths".

(9) "Batman Forever" (1995). Joel Schumacher was once viewed as a promising replacement for director Tim Burton (who takes on a producer credit this time out). Schumacher obviously got bats, having directed the smart, dark "The Lost Boys". And all his movies showed an understanding of angry young men which lent promise to his Bat-film adding Robin the Teen Wonder. But somewhere along the line, he emphasized style over substance. The worst of his infractions don't come along until 1997's franchise-killing "Batman and Robin". This time out, there's Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey as Two Face and the Riddler. The Riddler was a huge success, Two Face not so much though the performance had rare moments. Val Kilmer took over for Michael Keaton in the tights, now including faux-nipples. Kilmer definitely looked like he was wearing a costume as Batman but his Bruce Wayne was probably one of the best until 2005's "Batman Begins".

(8) "Constantine" (2004). A blonde Brit in London becomes the dark-haired American Keanu Reeves in Los Angeles. And yet it still works. Given the character, John Constantine, had his roots as a supporting character in "Swamp Thing" comics of the 1980s, the end result could have rivaled the two "Swamp Thing" movies as, more or less, a failed DC property adaptation. Notwithstanding the changes made to the character's roots (ethnic and hair color) - and the studio decision not to give the movie the same name as Constantine's comic book, "Hellblazer" because of its similarity to horror film franchise "Hellraiser" - Reeves embodies the essence of Constantine's character. The movie's box office wasn't great but it's done well enough on DVD to initiate sequel talk.

(7) "Batman Returns" (1992). Tim Burton's second and final time in the "Batman" director's chair. This movie would edge ahead of 1989's "Batman" if the film had focused exclusively on Michelle Pfeiffer's fascinatingly feline Catwoman and her odd relationship with Bruce Wayne and Batman. Unfortunately too much screen time is given to Danny DeVito's questionable portrayal of the Penguin - and even more questionable Penguin for Mayor plot done much better with Burgess Meredith on TV's "Batman" -- which stretches the character's background and motivations to turn him into yet another Gotham City freak. Also, the film might have scored higher if its dark tone hadn't been what ultimately caused Warner Brothers to go with Schumacher on "Batman Forever" which is what caused Michael Keaton to leave the series and ultimately resulted in "Batman and Robin".

(6) "Superman Returns" (2006). The special effects were mind-blowing. New Superman Brandon Routh is wonderful in the role - he is his own person while still evoking Christopher Reeve. Unfortunately, the story comes to a grinding halt about a half hour shy of the end. Superman needs something or someone to hit next time out. Enough Luthor - bring on Brainiac.

(5) "Batman" (1966). Admittedly not as wonderfully hysterical as the first season of the live-action TV series, but still delivers on its dual premise of wowing the kids and making the grown-ups laugh. Adam West and Burt Ward bring their TV roles to the big screen with most of the regular players. The biggest Batman baddies band together to take over the world - Meredith's Penguin, Cesar Romero's Joker, Frank Gorshin's Riddler, and, taking over for the unavailable Julie Newmar, Lee Merriweather. Because the movie had a larger budget than a weekly TV show, the producers built a Batcopter and Batboat, using footage of those vehicles from the movie on later episodes of the series.

(4) "Superman II" (1980)/"Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut" (2006). Fourth place is a tie between two different versions of the same movie. Original movie director Richard Donner was hired to directed the first two "Superman" films simultaneously. Filming went drastically over-budget, deadlines and release dates were missed, and acrimony developed between Donner and the film's producers. Work ceased on the filming of "Superman II" to concentrate on making the planned December 1978 release for the first film. After the first film's huge success made getting everyone together to finish "Superman II" inevitable, Donner and the producers failed to make peace which led to the directing reins being handed to Richard Lester. Lester re-filmed certain sequences but most notably filmed virtually all of the climactic battle between the villains and Superman in Metropolis. All of what Donner shot with Brando was ultimately shelved as Brando's profit-participation deal made it cheaper to re-film all of his sequences with Susannah York as Lara substituted for Brando's Jor-El. Over the years, fans petitioned Warner Brothers to dig out the Donner footage. Finally Warners did just that with last month's semi-finished Donner cut edited together by long-time Donner colleague Michael Thau. Now there are two versions of "Superman II". They present a fascinating case study of how two different directors interpret the exact same material. But moreover, they present Superman engaged in kick butt, take no prisoners super villain fighting action against three rogue Kryptonians.

(3) "Batman" (1989). If you were alive in 1989, it's likely you still remember the Batmania that gripped the nation that summer when Warner Brothers released the first Tim Burton-directed "Batman" movie. At the time it came out, it was the most well-made and important comic book movie that had come out in the 11 years since "Superman: The Movie." Burton raised eyebrows and outraged comic book fans when he initially cast Michael Keaton as the Dark Knight. Fans feared that Keaton's casting meant the film would be played for laughs as Keaton's resume up until that point had been mostly comedies like "Mr. Mom" and Burton's "Beetlejuice". At the same time, fans couldn't question the logic of casting Jack Nicholson as the Joker, a role many suggested the actor had been born to play. The movie wasn't served well by a Hollywood writers' strike during production that resulted in Burton re-writing much of the ending to the film on-set. Story has never been Burton's forte. Not the least of this film's many contributions to pop culture is the strong affiliation between the Batman character and the Danny Elfman penned themes created for this film and its first sequel (and adapted for "Batman: The Animated Series").

(2) "Batman Begins" (2005). It's Batman, not as the gross distortion of reality gothically portrayed in Burton's 1989 film but as a hyper-reality with its own consistent rules of logic. Christian Bale plays a tortured yet instantly likeable Bruce Wayne. Gary Oldman owns the role of Commissioner Gordon. Likewise for Michael Caine's Alfred Pennyworth. Oldman and Caine finally bring the roles of Gordon and Alfred to life as true supporting characters to Bruce Wayne and Batman. They're integral to the plot and to Batman's life. Even the Queen of the Scientologists doesn't muck things up too much with her presence especially when one considers her job as District Attorney opens up the sequel to introducing D.A. Harvey Dent, who becomes Two-Face. Bale and company return for 2008 sequel "The Dark Knight" which will include Heath Ledger ("Brokeback Mountain") as the Joker.

(1) "Superman: The Movie" (1978). The first American super-hero begets the first modern comic book movie. Along with "Jaws", "Star Wars", and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "Superman" changed the big-budget movie landscape forever. It made Christopher Reeve a household name and Marlon Brando a small fortune for 11 days of work.