100 Greatest Comic Book Movies Of All Time
49. Mystery Men
With the comic book movie world defined by genuine superheroes, supermen, Gods and perfect specimens, there's always going to be space for underdogs, weirdos and misfits. That's why the MCU has spent so long establishing how fundamentally broken its heroes are, why Suicide Squad is a thing and why pretty much every cinematic superhero is in some way haunted by something.
It's also why there's so much affection for Kinka Usher's beautifully charming Mystery Men, which takes the Dirty Dozen concept but goes even further, asking what it would be like if the heroes we have to depend on are just plain losers. This team are the dregs but united by enthusiasm and grit and they're not victims in all of this and that's what matters.
Usher's film is an anthem for outsiders and it works because it's as heartfelt as it is funny.
[SG]
48. A History of Violence
Although A History of Violence may not seem like a David Cronenberg film at first, its initially mundane setting and slow build gives way to a gloriously visceral display of body horror. Viggo Mortensen is at his very best as an ordinary man thrust into the spotlight after defending his diner from two robbers, constantly keeping you guessing as to whether or not he is who he says he is.
It’s kinda ugly and purposefully unlikable in parts (as a lot of the director’s work post-2000 can be), but its tense, neo-noir tale of gang violence immediately sets it apart from other comic-book adaptations.
[JB]