My 2 cents:
my top 10 Comic Book films:
Honorable Mention (Batman Forever, Superman 2 the Donner Cut, Spider Man 2, X2 and The Dark Knight Rises)
10. X-Men
Not a bad film, I thought it gave us a great story, and insight into the relationship of Charles Xavier and Magneto. While I am not fan of the comic book Wolverine, I enjoyed the take on Logan here, and how they mixed in the love triangle with Jean, Scott and Logan. There are some things I wished they could have expanded on, but its is still a good film (Although Sabretooth could have been better).
9. Green Lantern
Before I get hate mail, this is actually a good film. If DC is to make a leap to the Justice League this is a good starting point. Ryan Reynolds does well as Hal Jordan (Even if the character seemed a bit Kyle Raynar to me), the cast was strong (Tim Robbins, Angela Basset {Way too hot to play Amanda Waller}, Blake Lively, Peter Saarsgaard) and while I wouldn't have made Parallax the focus, still I enjoy watching this movie. A perfect sequel in the end credits is established, and I hope we get one someday.
8. Wolverine: Origins
As before, I love the Wolverine character as displayed in the X-Men Films. Hugh Jackman gives another awesome performance here as the title character, while we get the way Sabretooth should have been portrayed by Liev Schrieber. This also served as an origin of sorts for the X-Men. If you loved the 1st 2 X-Men films (X3 was a piece of S***) this is one you HAVE to see.
7. Spider Man (2002)
A few years ago this would have been higher up, but IMO it is superior to the Amazing Spider Man in every way. Sam Raimi's direction is brilliant, Tobey Maguire does an excellent job as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man, and Willem Dafoe is just plain creepy. While I didn't like the armored Green Goblin, I can put that aside for what is a fun movie to watch. All the characters are true to their comic counterparts, but the best performance is JK Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. The best part of Raimi's Spidey films is his portayal, which gives great comic relief
6. The Incredible Hulk
While I liked the way Ang Lee shot the 2003 Hulk movie, this film completely rocked my world. Ed Norton made Bruce Banner easy to relate too, and Liv Tyler's portrayal of Betty Ross was as touching as Jennifer Connoly's. I liked that the comics were the guide to this film as we see the Leader (briefly) and the Abomination and the Hulk fight is my favorite of the Marvel series. The best part was having Tony Stark at the end, hinting at what was to come.
5. Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr made this film. Given that he and Tony Stark share the same past, and have overcome that. Seeing the origin was cool, but I would have liked a better villain than Iron Monger. Still, this is a fun movie to watch, and the origin is updated in an innovative way.
4. Avengers
While I think the Avengers and the Defenders are in the same realm of Marvel teams (I think the X-Men are a stronger team) this was a film well worth the wait. Placing Captain America, Thor and Iron Man films into a single one, adding the Hulk, made this fun. I have to admit seeing Thor and the Hulk beating the crap out of enemies on the big screen was sending chills up my spine. The best of the Marvel films, and the most fun.
3. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
What? An animated film? Forget that its animated. This is a great story. A new villain makes his way into Gotham, and gives Batman a run for the money. We also get to meet a woman who almost makes Bruce forget about becoming Batman, and the flashback scenes help flesh out the movie without taking away the excitement (just like Batman Begins would do a decade later). The voice cast is the same as the animated series, but Abe Vogoda, Stacy Keach and Dana Delaney add a lot to the film (Dana Delaney would later voice Lois Lane in the Superman Animated series). This is a great film, and gives us another peek into the origin and legend of Batman. This one has it all, double crosses, mystery elements and some WTF moments.
2. Batman (1989)/Batman Begins
I have these films tied b/c they both shed light on the origin of Batman. While Chris Nolan went for a more realistic Batman, without Tim Burton's 1989 film Batman would not be what he is today. I loved the design aspects of the 1989 film, the whole thing was gothic (pun intended) in the design of the city and the costume itself. Jack Nicholson portrayed the best Joker (Heath Ledger did well, but his untimely and tragic death left him incomplete in The Dark Knight). In Batman Begins, Chris Nolan gave us Ra's Al-Ghul and the Scarecrow, 2 Batman villains yet to appear on the big screen. Batman Begins borrowed heavily from Frank Miller's Year One (right down to the end scene) and cemented the new Batman films. I couldn't place these films separatly but felt placing them together would be better.
1. Superman
Superman is my favorite comic character so yes I am biased here. Even though this film and I are the same age, I still enjoy watching this film. Richard Donner perfectly characterizes Superman in the current time (1970's going into the 1980's) and the cast is impressive. Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, Marlon Brando as Jor-El. Of course having Zod in the beginning sets up the sequel perfectly. But what made this film was Christopher Reeve's portrayal as both Clark Kent and Superman. We finally could buy the Clark Kent disguise, and the aw-shcucks way he carried himself as Clark. As Superman, he still influences the way we all think he should be on screen. He was in shape, and more importantly looked like Superman should look. Check out the Super Powers action figure of Superman, that was Christopher Reeve as the inspiration. Ignore the clothing and the outdated tech, the story still holds up, the effects do as well, and we get the film that every super hero film since has tried to replicate.