And RottenTomatoes’ penchant for countdowns asserts itself yet again, this time with a genre that’s near and dear to me — ye olde comic movie. Unlike the previous RT list I linked to though, this one just ranks all of the comic movies on the site, in order of the ratings they received. (So yes, Catwoman and Elektra are right at the bottom of the barrel.)
My own list (obviously shorter and with less critical verve) would be something like this:
10. Ghost World. Because it’s a genuinely good movie, even without the comic origins. (It’s also the only non-Addams Family Christina Ricci movie I will admit to having seen and enjoyed.)
9. Ichi the Killer. Utterly insane gorefest from Japanese auteur Takashi Miike. The cinematic equivalent of standing in the middle of a freeway and dodging traffic for 2 hours.
8. The Rocketeer. I was in the sixth grade when I saw this movie, and I still get a really stupid smile on my face every time I think about that beautiful, beautiful rocket pack.
7. Men in Black. Will Smith at his best. The sequel was unable to capture most of raucuous brilliance of the original though.
6. The Crow. Hey, it proved that Goth is cool. (Oh, and RIP Brandon Lee.)
5. Superman II. Any responsible comic fan would say that Superman: The Movie put comic-movies on the map, but II was just better all-around.
4. Batman Returns. The better of the two Tim Burton Batmans. This is an example of how really good casting can turn things around for an otherwise by-the-numbers storyline.
3. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. If Tim Burton had this script with Batman Returns, it would have been the best comic movie of all-time, hands down.
2. Spider-man II. It’s ironic that the Spidey movie with the most annoying villain would be the best of the three installments, but hey, what can I say. The only thing that Spidey II was missing was Bruce Campbell sporting a French accent.
1. Batman Begins. Chris Nolan, I salute you.
I won’t ruin the faux excitement by saying which movie is at the #1 spot (hell, I had to click fifty times to see it, and so should you). Start the countdown here.