100 Greatest Comic Book Movies Of All Time
70. Spider-Man 3
So, while it was easy to get swept up in the widespread disappointment at the time, revisiting Spider-Man 3 today is a dream. In an era where superhero movies are desperately trying to fight back against homogeneity, and a sliver of directorial authorship is championed, even with the studio mandates Spidey 3 is a Sam Raimi film through-and-through, for better and worse.
These little flourishes - emo Peter Parker, a jazz number that comes out of nowhere and Harry’s OTT villainy - award the film with so much character. And that’s ultimately what Raimi’s original trilogy was about, these believable characters trying to navigate unbelievable situations.
While fans wanted bigger and better action and the horror of Venom to be fully realised, Raimi was primarily concerned with paying off the surprisingly deep relationships that had been built up across three films. And in that sense he achieved everything he wanted to, even if the melodrama did clash with the pacing massively.
Of course, there’s admittedly wasted potential and head-scratching plot developments all over the place (having Sandman be Uncle Ben’s real killer still feels like a major “f**k you” over 10 years later), but there’s an emotional core they’re all in service of that, when it hits, makes every misstep feel forgivable.
[JB]
69. Justice League: The New Frontier
Warner Bros. Animation’s DC Original Movies have been a constant source of quality since debuting in 2007 with Superman Doomsday, but no film exemplifies the line’s qualities more so than Justice League: The New Frontier, a stellar adaptation of the late, great Darwyn Cooke’s DC: The New Frontier.
The New Frontier was published in 2004 and recontextualised the DC Universe within the frame of the “Long 1960s”, with the Cold War and Civil Rights Movement at the foreground of American politics.
Through the lens of JFK’s eponymous New Frontier speech, Cooke married the real-life history of the era with DC’s past to create one of the most compelling incarnations of the mythos ever put to print. When WB adapted the story four years later, Cooke’s vision translated effortlessly.
The New Frontier recreates the late artist’s style beautifully, and captures the Cold War zeitgeist much the same way the comic did. Throw in some stellar performances from Jeremy Sisto, Neil Patrick harris and Lucy Lawless, and you have pretty much the greatest Justice League story ever committed to film.
[EP]
68. Judge Dredd
The first appearance of the judge, jury, and executioner known as the titular Judge Dredd, the one-man justice machine came into our lives in 1995 - and whilst on release it was universally panned by critics, there’s been some leniency from audiences who appreciate the dive into the world of 2000AD.
It might not be the best comic book movie of all time, which is why it comes in at a wholesome 68, but there are flashes of potential and great world-building that make Judge Dredd something that doesn’t quite deserve the berating it continually gets. Stallone really is perfect for this sort of moral action movie part, and the Cursed Earth that’s set up is a great concept - if not fully fleshed out.
Without this film, the far improved Dredd would have nothing to build off. Judge Dredd is a mixed bag yes, but it’s weird and wonderful in that only pre-Avengers 90s genre films can be.
[AM]