100 Greatest Comic Book Movies Of All Time
81. Batman: Under The Red Hood
Batman: Under the Hood wasn’t actually all that great a comic, but, for some reason or another, it made for an excellent animated film.
There are few events in the comics medium as infamous as the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. Readers called in via a telephone poll to decide whether or not he’d live or die during Death in the Family, and it wasn’t until 2005 that the decision to kill him off was effectively reversed (in hamfisted fashion), by the Superboy Prime punch. (It’s better if you don’t ask.)
Anyway, flash forward to 2010, and Judd Winnick brings his Under the Hood story to WB Animation. Boasting a better origin for Todd’s return involving the al Ghuls, great animation and some truly inspired castings in John DiMaggio as Joker and Jensen Ackles as Jason Todd, Under the Red Hood debuted to critical acclaim and was a stark improvement over the comic on which it was based.
It’s worth watching for Ackles alone, who gives a voice to Todd in a way no one else has really managed, but all of the cast manage to elevate the material too.
[EP]
80. Flash Gordon
Cheesy 80s movies will always reign king, and Flash Gordon might just be the king of those kings. Even though his Queen-fronted theme song has been bastardised beyond redemption by cleaning companies, Flash Gordon’s ridiculous premise of a star footballer sent to space to become an intergalactic hero is just prime retro territory, and fun enough to stand the test for sheer entertainment value at Flash’s immaculate blonde locks.
It’s a staple of the crazy comic book adaptation world and an inspiration to filmmakers like Edgar Wright, and artists like Alex Ross, earning itself a well deserved cult following in the years since release. SAVIOUR OF THE UNIVERSE.
[AM]