100 Greatest Comic Book Movies Of All Time
79. Superman II
It’s a little sad to think just how GREAT this film might have been because, despite the troubled production and departure of original director Richard Donner, this Superman sequel is still rather good.
It doesn’t quite reach the heights of the first, but it expertly captures the right spirit and tone of the Big Blue Boy Scout, with Christopher Reeves’ incomparable performance once again shining bright.
He’s matched this time by not one but two villains: Gene Hackman’s glorious return as Lex Luthor, and Terrance Stamp’s superb take on General Zod. Kneel before him, and kneel before this, the last good Superman movie.
[James Hunt]
78. Batman (1966)
While Batman & Robin was loved in a so-bad-it's-good way for being terribly campy in all the wrong ways, the 1966 Batman movie - based on the successful original TV show - was so intentionally comic and over-the-top that it became an instant favourite.
In the first 20 minutes alone you have Adam West’s Batman attempting to dispose of bomb on a crowded pier, before spraying a shark in the face with shark-repellant bat-spray. It doesn’t quite sustain its charm over the lengthy runtime, but with a wild, super-villain team-up plot that draws on some surprisingly salient Cold War fears, there’s more than enough to love.
For better or worse, it's 100% pure West.
[JB]
77. Constantine
Keanu Reeves is always solid as the chosen one, and Constantine continues to prove that entirely true. Stuck in a raging war between heaven and hell for the souls of those that inhabit our fair planet, Lucifer and God are on an uneasy agreement to not manifest on earth - instead letting their hybrid offspring do their bidding for them. Only, the devil doesn’t play fair and neither do his demons, meaning John Constantine, a man who can see the forces of good and evil for what they really are, is left to bring balance to the sides.
With a narrative like that, of course it’s cheesy as heck. That doesn’t render it instantly bad however, as adaptations always function best with a vein of unadulterated goofiness running through the middle. Combined with admirable effects and dabble with horror territory, and it’s an original, entertaining tale at the very least.
[AM]