Top Five Movies based on Comic Books/Graphic Novels

I have been collecting comic books since I was Sixteen years old but have been reading comic books since I was about seven. It was my Dad who first introduce me to the magical world of superhero and supervillains when I was younger. There was nothing more that I like to do then watching the battle between good and evil unfold in the pages in front of me. Often this would lead to me envisioning my very own stories for these characters to face; I would let my imagination run wild as these heroes came to life in my head.old but have been reading comic books since I was about seven. It was my Dad who first introduce me to the magical world of superhero and supervillains when I was younger. There was nothing more that I like to do then watching the battle between good and evil unfold in the pages in front of me. Often this would lead to me envisioning my very own stories for these characters to face; I would let my imagination run wild as these heroes came to life in my head.

Just like every kid, I dreamt of growing up and having superpowers, I can not think of a super power I didn’t want. I wanted to fly, have heat vision, control water, read minds, turn into animals, basically any super power that existed I wanted to have it. However, for most of my life superheroes were only cartoons on a page, and on animated series on televisions, sure we had the Superman films but in the modern age, they were no longer satisfying. We wanted our heroes to be gritty and face danger at every corner; we wanted our heroes to be humans face with an uncertain destiny. We wanted to see the world in our heroes.

It was not until I was six that I could recall a superhero movie that had a huge influence on me, yet when Spider-man came out in 2002, I could envision one of my favorite heroes as a real human being, instead of ink on a piece of paper. This movie is what kickstarted my love of superheroes and comic books into the full out nerdiness it is now.

Throughout the years I have seen many, many movies based on some of my favorite comic books and graphic novels while some films have disappointed me, many films have exceeded my expectations and fuel my passion even further.

1. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World– Based on the graphic novels by Brain Lee O’Malley this cult classic has everything you could want in an Edgar Wright movie, witty and hilarious dialogue, heartful moments, choreographed fights, larger than life characters, and even a killer soundtrack to go along with the film. This film is a love letter to video games and indie music and mixes these two perfectly. Not only is this movie visually stunning, but it feels genuine. If I have friends who have yet to see this movie, I will pop it into my DVD player and just sit and watch it with them, because everybody deserves to see this masterpiece at least once in their lives.
2. Captain America: The First Avenger–  I have an enormous soft spot for this movie because it was the first time I saw a superhero movie and had to think really about all the characters involved. I was no longer just a kid who could sit back in my seat and for the next two hours lose their sense of the world as the action sequences blow my mind, I was enthralled wth the characters, especially Peggy Carter. I will defend Captain America with all my breath, but I will fight for Peggy Carter.  I felt she had a purpose in the story whether than being another love interest for the hero to save. Peggy Carter could save herself. The movie was a refreshing take on period pieces, a specially of directors Joe Johnston, but still had the modern feel of the superhero movies we know and love today. This film was the perfect way to introduce the first avenger to the rest of the world before the Avengers, and I would not have it done any other way.
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service– Yep, the unexpected hit from last February, is based on the comic book series of the same name by Mark Millar, best known for writing Kick-Ass. This movie was fantastic and left me speechless at the end. The action sequence in the Church is enough for me to put this on my list, as it look effortlessly choreographed. Even the fact that Oscar Award Winning Actor, Colin Firth was in this movie at all still amazing me, as he goes against character type for the role in was in, and he played the role perfectly. Not only was this movie the perfect parody of spy movies, but it was the perfect homage as well because it shows director’s Matthew Vaughn, love of this particular film genre instead of attempting to go against the grain. I am excited for the sequel to come out in the next few years, but for now, at least, I have this movie to keep me company.
4. The Avengers– Two Words: Hulk Smash. This movie was the superhero movie that I had waited my whole life for the moment it came out. It has humor and action and surprising interactions with characters. When I left the theater, I wanted to see it over and over and over again. To me, these are the signs of an excellent film. The movie did not touch issues lightly, and the tensions between the heroes before they form the team was a beautiful touch, as the formula of the team being happy to work with each other was starting to get dull by the release of this movie. The pacing was fantastic as nothing felt slow or quiet; there was always some form of action or tension happening on screen.
5. The Dark Knight– This list would not be complete without this movie. It may be on every best film list you can read on the internet, and it deserve to be, just because it is that good. Christopher Nolan take on Batman will not be forgotten for years to come, with his gritty and quite frankly the realist takes on the famous cape crusader. The acting in this film is phenomenal, with Heath Ledger’s Joker at the forefront of it all. His performance is still chilling to this day and is the best live action Joker to date. With all that said and done, this movie made me a huge Nolan fan, and I will see any of his other movies without hesitation. As well as being the pinacol of how Superhero movies are structured in the D.C. Universe, this film truly changes the way the world view Superhero movies, they were no longer just for kids, but could now resistant with adults.