01. The Avengers (Joss Whedon, 2012)
Unless youve been living under a rock, or just have no interest in superheroes, youll have heard the buzz surrounding Marvels latest cinematic offering The Avengers, the ultimate superhero team up movie . After spending several years building us up with a series of origin movies, Marvel finally handed the reigns of their most ambitious project yet to master of the geeks Joss Whedon, who in turn created a neo masterpiece that has set a benchmark for all comic book adaptations. Somehow escaping punishment at the hands of his brother, Loki cuts a deal with an alien race known as the Other, to capture the infamous Tesseract in order to open a portal to the ends of space which would allow them to invade and ultimately conquer the Earth, with Loki ruling over the broken human race. Fearing that Earth will fall to this new threat, S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) assembles a group of elite superheroes known simply as The Avengers who are tasked with defeating Loki and retrieving the Tesseract before the portal can be opened. Will they be able to do it? Can the Earths mightiest heroes set aside the Earths biggest egos and coexist? Or will the Avengers succeed only in disassembling themselves? Avengers Assemble is by far the greatest comic book movie ever made. OK, so Chris Nolans Batman is a bonafide rival for that title but there has never been a purer comic book adaptation than this. Avengers is perfect for fans and newbies alike and has wide enough appeal so not to alienate Joe Public who may not be much of a geek. It doesnt matter who your favourite Avenger is either as every base is covered with sufficient screen time dedicated to each of them. Sure, Iron Man gets a little more attention but that reflects his character, the brash attention seeking braggart that will always thrust himself forward as the groups spokesman. Whedon also gives us a glimpse of the inner friction the group has with hilarious scenes involving Thor and Hulk fighting like two school children, and fanboys are allowed to see their favourites go one on one to determine who really is the toughest Avenger. This really is a geeks wet dream. It is a rarity these days that a film truly deserves to be seen on a cinema screen rather than waiting for the DVD. The Avengers is that exception. Miss it at your multiplex and you will absolutely miss out on the experience. The Avengers is everything youve ever wanted from a superhero movie and more. Take your friends, take your kids, take your friggin dog if you have to just go see it now before its too late! Geeks Assemble! So there you have it. WhatCultures first edition of the top 100 comic book movies of all time. Theres certainly going to be a lot of arguments stemming from this feature and as always wed love to hear from you. Is there something weve missed? Do you think Catwoman is the greatest comic book movie ever? Did you enjoy the nipples on Clooneys Batsuit? Well, youre insane but let us know about it.