100 Greatest Comic Book Movies Of All Time
76. The Punisher: Director’s Cut (2004)
Far, FAR from a perfect film, there's a low budget, practical stuntwork charm to The Punisher that elevates every great idea across the script. Whether it be the nose-fracturing fight between Thomas Jane's Frank Castle and Kevin Nash's The Russian (watch for when Jane comes thundering through a wall and collides with the opposing brickwork), or a blistering, monologue-charged finale, there's a lot to love.
Thomas Jane's performance is loaded with sardonic one-liners and black comedy too; the perfect encapsulation of Frank's approach to life after his family get murdered and he's left for dead.
Overall, though John Travolta is utterly wasted and there's far too much time devoted to hanging around a trio of support characters while Frank recovers mid-flick, The Punisher does get there at enough points in its runtime to make the whole thing recommendable.
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75. Persepolis
Considering just how beloved the source material was and still is to this day, there was a lot of pressure on Persepolis when it released back in 2007. Fortunately, with the original writer on board to direct the adaptation, its status as one of the best movies of that year was all but guaranteed.
An autobiographical coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution, the striking black-and-white animation is haunting and beautiful all at once, fully realising the profoundly affecting beating heart at the core of this essential story.
[JB]
74. Venom
It shouldn't work. Like, Venom is so obviously a bad movie. Its entire first half is pointless, dragged out, unfocused and borderline amateurish. But from the moment Eddie gets infected to literally the end credits? It is a BLAST.
The CG is surprisingly solid and Sony - though they don't show any viscera - don't shy away from the idea of Venom eating heads or tearing off limbs. The best thing though? It's Eddie and Venom's bromance chemistry.
Tackling everything from how to be honest with Eddie's partner to precisely which evildoer they should tear in half next, it's ironic for a split-personality character, that exactly half of this movie is outstanding, whereas the rest is totally skippable.
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