By Pete Barrington and Sean Favager
EDITORS NOTE: Sean and Pete decide to stop arguing over who should be #3 in the chart.
Another week has passed and yet another Comic Book film hit the silver screen. This time it was Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated the Dark Knight Rises. I went along with Pete on Friday with a few friends, was it worth all the hype surrounding it. Fuck Yeah! I now fully understand there is nothing to look forward to in life so I may as well try and find a girlfriend (EDITORS NOTE: Good luck with that!) have a few children (EDITORS NOTE: dear god not little you’s!!) and just give up now. I would like to review and give my opinion on the Dark Knight Rises but I’m sure wherever you are looking on the internet you will find something to do with this film. So here at The Comic Asylum we have devised a new blog for #007 in which we will discuss where the Bat franchise goes from here. Until then we will continue our run down of our favourite Comic Book Films. As good as TDKR was it isn’t on this list. This is because we stupidly came up with it a few weeks before hand but ah well you live and learn. So without further ado here for your reading pleasure is the Comic Asylums rundown of numbers #5 – #1.
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5. Watchmen
When I first heard that this film was announced, I was a bit worried.
Tagline: This city is afraid of me; I’ve seen its true face.
Pete: When I first heard that this film was announced, I was a bit worried. The graphic novel is very good and the ending is something that couldn’t really translate to the silver screen. Never mind the huge amount of material that they would have to put into the movie to make it flow as well as the novel. So as always with films, news slowly started floating around about which actor might play this character and who will be directing and as I heard more and more, I became more excited. The fact that almost all of the actors/actresses were relative unknowns at the time really pleased me as I couldn’t imagine some a-lister being Rorschach or Nite Owl, although I would have paid double to see Angelina Jolie in that yellow and black Silk Spectre II costume ……..MMMMMM……… oh sorry, anyway the director was announced as Zack Snyder who’s only work I was aware of before this was 300 and that film visually looked very good and again my expectations rose. Then after the trailer I was all ready to see it, I read the novel again in preparation as I read that Snyder said it followed the novel quite closely. The film did not disappoint at all, and to my dying day I will not understand some of the bad reviews that it got as it was the best Watchmen film that could have been. Ok they changed the ending slightly but as I said earlier, the original ending would never have worked all that well anyway. Now with all the Before Watchmen comics coming out, I would love to see some individual storylines but I doubt it. This film is without doubt, one for the die-hard fan as I and Sean both are, and that’s why it’s at number 5.
Sean: I’m going to be completely honest here. When this film was announced I was like “what the fuck are the Watchmen?” I had never heard nor read the graphic novel when this film arrived so I went in as a neutral. As soon as the opening scene starts up with the Comedian’s death to Nat King Coles ‘Unforgettable’ playing in the background I was engrossed and couldn’t peel my eyes away. Snyder does an excellent job at the beginning of the film to establish that since 1940 costume heroes have been a massive part of America, starting with the Minutemen then onto the Watchmen. There are so many brilliant shots in this opening package. The Comedian pulling the trigger on JFK, Dr. Manhattan on the moon & the man spray painting “Who Watches the Watchmen” on the shop window. What this film does differently to every other comic book film is that it’s so grown up. It’s also so easy to believe that this all happened. It’s obvious who my favourite was coming out of the Watchmen and that was Rorschach, Snyder got it spot on giving the part to ol’ Jacky boy but everyone really shines in this film, like Pete said above me Silk Spectre II wow wow wee waa! Since my first viewing the Watchmen has grabbed my attention ever since and I have been collecting the Before the Watchmen series. Might I add if you aren’t picking these up please go and have a quiet word with yourself. These are the best comics on the shelves at this moment in time and I’m going to be really upset when it’s finished, but back to the film. Snyder really does hit this out of the park, it’s visually stunning, awesomely cast and the soundtrack is brilliant. It really should be higher on the list but as a collective we have ranked it at number 5.
Favourite Scene:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ5290-0lw0&feature=relmfu
Favourite Quote: Rorschach: “Rorschach’s Journal: October 12th, 1985. Tonight, a comedian died in New York”
Random Trivia: Of all the Watchmen, Rorschach and Dr. Manhattan are the only two that never swear during the entire movie.
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4. Superman
The thing that makes Superman different from almost all other superheroes, for me, is that his alter ego is Clark Kent, whereas most other supers' alter ego is the hero.
Tagline: You’ll believe a man can fly!
Pete: OK let me start by saying that I know this is a bit of a shock to be this high up on the list and when me and Sean discussed this film, it caused a bit of controversy between us, mainly because Sean has never been a massive fan of the Man of Tomorrow but I was at the other end of the scale and was a huge fan. The thing that makes Superman different from almost all other superheroes, for me, is that his alter ego is Clark Kent, whereas most other supers’ alter ego is the hero. Kal-El is the real identity whereas Clark Kent is how Kal-El views the human race, basically a smart man, that’s a bit shy, bit slow at times but basically a decent human being. Superman invents Clark Kent as opposed to Bruce Wayne inventing Batman. The main reason I place this film so high is how Christopher Reeve plays these essentially polar opposite characters, yet while still being the same person. It’s a brilliant performance by Reeve that hands down owns that of Brandon Routh, George Reeves and Dean Cain. Whereas in those incarnations, a simple pair of glasses wouldn’t have fooled Lois Lane, but this one has to the point that you could put them in the same room and you still wouldn’t know they are one and the same (this actually happened in Superman III. Thank you for proving my point Red Kryptonite!) The second film in this series was very good too because of General Zod being a proper bad-ass but the ending to that was quite poor whereas this film is a good story, start to finish and should always be considered as the benchmark for Superman films in the future (Man of Steel, I’m looking at you!) Yes you can argue that the effects are out-dated and the acting a bit cheesy at times but you’ve got to remember that this film came out in 1978. Special effects like this were unheard of at the time, yes you can argue that Star Wars came out a year earlier but the effects and puppetry used in that film, while good, were not on the level of actually watching a man fly. Safe to see I really enjoyed this film, it deserves its place on this list. This high-up? That’s for you to decide and be sure to let me know…..and I didn’t even mention how good Lex Luthor was!
Sean: I guess with any relationship there is a bit of give and take. Here I just had to bite my lip and take it, (you do not want to see Pete upset, he throws things. I have scars.) But I didn’t want to just go into this mini review and bash this film. I’m going to put it out there, I do not like this film, I hope I never have to sit through it ever again. When Pete first even brought up this movie I wanted to fire him on the spot. But there is a reason it is on this list and not just because Pete said so. No it is here because this is where it all started for blockbuster Superhero movies. Without Superman: The Movie would we have what followed? I know it’s not as bad as the three that came after it, I’m just putting myself in the position of when this film first came out. It does deserve to be on the list whether I like it or not and that’s the whole point. This film is much bigger then myself bad mouthing it. I am hoping 2013 brings good things for the big blue boy scout, after seeing the trailer before the Dark Knight Rises I’m very intrigued.
Favourite Scene:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2yH5HFUOGg
Favourite Quote: Lex Luthor: “Look at the overgrown boy scout, Miss Teschmacher. Tell me what you see.”
Random Trivia: After the success of Rocky, Sylvester Stallone lobbied hard to play Clark Kent/Superman, but he was ultimately turned down. Stallone found out that Marlon Brando, who had casting approval, turned him down for the role, just as he had allegedly vetoed Burt Reynolds’ casting as Sonny in The Godfather.
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3. Batman Begins
What really attracts me to this movie is how real Nolan made it all feel.
Tagline: Evil fears the Knight.
Sean: In at number three is none other than Christopher Nolan’s first film out of his Dark Knight trilogy. To me this is the best origin to any superhero / comic book film ever. I really doubt this will ever be bettered. I can’t count the times I’ve sat and watched Begins, if you live in the UK you will know it’s a lot as it’s never off ITV2 (cheap plug). What really attracts me to this movie is how real Nolan made it all feel. He took this larger than life comic book character and he brought him into our world. What this film revolves around is fear, and who better to cast as a secondary villain then the Scarecrow. Cillian Murphy is really convincing as the crazed Dr. Crane testing his fear toxin on patients of Arkham Asylum. The main villain is Liam Neeson’s Ra’s Al Ghul, starting out as Bruce Wayne’s mentor and father figure wanting Bruce to be by his side while he burns Gotham. As we all know Bruce Wayne has a completely different view on justice and ends up creating this symbol for his enemies to fear and the innocent people to look up to. He transforms himself into the Batman, and along with his childhood friend Rachel Dawes, Jim Gordon, Lucius Fox & Alfred, attempts to give Gotham back to the innocent. Christopher Nolan really had a tough job in bringing the Bat back and in just over 2 hours he just doesn’t bring him back, he changes the whole landscape for a movie genre. Every member of this assembled team deserves a knighthood from Bale to Zimmer, I have no flaw to this movie. In a perfect world this would be even higher but there is a reason it isn’t and I’ll go on about that below.
Pete: The film that started it all! Batman Begins showed the world exactly how Batman should be portrayed. The influence for this film was not just one story arc of Bats but many rolled into one, most notable being that of Batman: Year One, by far one of the best origin stories in comic book history, (In my humble opinion of course). Everyone knows the story of why Bruce Wayne became the Bat and the tragedy that was behind it, but this is the first time we learn how he got his skills, his fighting technique and his need to use his abilities for good and the origin of his ‘one rule’, feeling every criminal must be tried for their crimes. Although origin stories as a whole have been largely disappointing in the past (suck it Wolverine!), this one showed us that although we don’t see the iconic image, in this case, the Batman, for almost an hour into the film that we didn’t care as the story being told that leads up to Wayne donning the cape and cowl is just as intriguing as the moment he becomes Batman and starts going after Gotham’s most wanted, starting with Carmine Falcone and his stuffed bunnies business. The Scarecrow is a great choice as a villain as it would have been easy to throw in the Joker straight away as someone we all know but to give us lesser known villains in the Scarecrow and Ra’s Al Ghul was a stroke of genius as it introduced us to villains unknown and showed the limits Batman was willing to take before bigger foes came along. Sure there were things that could have been better, the static fighting moves, the gravelly voice, Katie Holmes! But all these just pale in comparison with the good parts, the training montage, the new Batmobile, Michael Caine as Alfred! If anything, the bad points just highlighted how good the good points were and didn’t detract from the storyline in any way. The film has no equal in terms of starting something from the beginning and yet we feel like we have seen no other incarnation that has gone before. The best way I can describe this film is that it isn’t a comic book film in the normal sense, but a brilliant drama/action film that is based on comic book characters and it gives you the feel that these things could actually happen in our world today.
Favourite Scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF5q_4tXDLk&feature=related
Favourite Quote: Henri Ducard: “You have learned to bury your guilt with anger. I will teach you to confront it, and to face the truth. You know how to fight six men. We can teach you how to engage six hundred. You know how to disappear. We can teach you to become truly invisible.”
Random Trivia: Marilyn Manson, Christopher Eccleston, Ewan McGregor and Jeremy Davies were considered for the role of Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow.
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2. The Avengers
It was in 2008 when the buzz for the Avengers really picked up and it had us all guessing and arguing. Can it be done? Are they really doing a Thor stand-alone film? Who will play Captain America?
Tagline: Avengers Assemble
Sean: Right, I know a few people may be scratching their heads at why Avengers is so high on the Comic Asylums top ten. It’s really quite simple. For the first time in years this film made me want to go back to the cinema to watch again and again. From start to finish this movie is just really, really fun. It was in 2008 when the buzz for the Avengers really picked up and it had us all guessing and arguing. Can it be done? Are they really doing a Thor stand-alone film? Who will play Captain America? The questions went on and on so the group that debuted in 1963 was finally getting its outing on the big screen in 2012. All our questions would finally be answered and by god did they exceed our expectations. What Marvel gave us was a film that the kids loved and made adults feel like kids again. It’s very rare a film comes along that you watch with a huge grin on your face willing your favourite superheroes on to kick some ass. But this is what the Avengers does and does so well. What really sets this apart from other comic book films on the list is many if not all have that dark tone towards them, especially Nolan’s Bat franchise. Marvel steers clear of this and shouts we can be fun and make a good movie, and they are right. Not every superhero has to have a dark past or thirst for justice. Some superheroes just really want to help others because it’s the right thing to do and this is what you have with Marvel’s Avengers. A lot going into this film was can so many A-listers and out of this world characters co-exist. The answer coming out was fuck yeah! It was the best part of the film seeing these characters and egos smashing together. Be it Iron Man v Captain America, Thor v Hulk. It was all done brilliantly. A huge factor in how well this film was received was always going to be Hulk. Over the years he has always been mediocre, yet for the Avengers the studio pulls no punch in giving the viewer and fans the Hulk we have been waiting to see for such a long, long time. Ruffalo nailed it! This film made me feel like a child once again and that is the magic of good film-making, Josh Whedon has to be praised and I hope he stays on to do a sequel as do all the cast. Whoever was the person to put Scarlett Johansson in that cat-suit may I say god bless you. So at number 2 it is Marvel’s Avengers.
Pete: Quite possibly the most anticipated comic book movie of all time, with trailers and scenes that could have come straight out of a fan boys wet dream. Let’s just put this in context, in this film alone we have Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, Loki, The Skrulls, and Fing Fang Foom (one for those fan boys). Now I know anyone reading this will know exactly who was in the film and doesn’t need me pointing it out. I only do it because can you imagine the sheer scale of getting all those components in to one film and not have it seem overloaded and forced. It was a miracle it worked at all and boy did it work! Generally speaking the Box Office doesn’t lie and the amount of money this film took, and is still taking is just crazy. It proves that not everyone has to love comics to love a good film. The films leading up to this were all very good in building to this climax, with little scene stealers from Coulson in each one or the post credits scene that in some cases were more anticipated than the movie itself (Captain America anyone!) The film works on many levels and every character is given their own time on screen and their own moment of glory. Everyone coming out of this film is going to have a different favourite Avenger than they did going in. I know Sean’s is Captain America, but that’s only because Scarlett Johansson’s arse doesn’t count. Mine personally was the Hulk, although he wasn’t given a lot of screen time as the Big Green, Mark Ruffalo was the best incarnation of Bruce Banner/Hulk as there ever has been on big or small screen and I really like Edward Norton’s version. The final reveal that he is in fact control of The Hulk and he actually cares for his fellow Avengers was a massive tick in my box. Although I doubt we will see another standalone Hulk film, I am very excited to see a sequel to this where he is in control for all of it, and the banter between him and Stark was priceless. Getting almost all the same cast as the prequels was a must and honourable mentions need to go to Jeremy Renner who was Clint Barton/Hawkeye and Tom Hiddleston as Loki. He was good and menacing in Thor but I know I wasn’t the only one who was worried when I heard he was the sole villain (sort of) for this film, but he pulled it off from the start and genuinely looked like he was going to succeed. Now I can’t talk about this film without mentioning the post credits scene with Thanos, the main big bad in the Avengers world. Now I have to admit that I’m not 100% up on the history of this guy, but needless to say, what Ive read is that he is one mean mother and I am very looking forward to seeing what they do with him, whether they wait until the sequel or introduce him in one of the other movies. From all accounts, the clues were there for his arrival, his Gauntlet in Thor and the stone in Loki’s staff all pointed to the Purple One (that’s what I’m calling him). Finally, this film may not be as dark as things that DC are throwing at us at the moment but as I said, the Box Office proves that a good action family film can still do wonders and leave people wanting more.
Favourite Scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaWtOtrXtXs
Favourite Quote: Tony Stark: “You’re missing the point! There’s no throne, there is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it’s too much for us but it’s all on you. Because if we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we’ll avenge it!”
Random Trivia: The battle cry of the Avengers, “Avengers Assemble” was not spoken throughout the film. However Chris Evans would say it behind the scenes to call out the rest of cast via text message to hang out off the set.
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1. The Dark Knight
When news broke about Heath Ledger getting the role as the clown prince of crime WOW, did the trolls came out to play!
Tagline: Welcome to a World without Rules!
Sean: Did anybody else not guess what was going to come in at number one with us. It was the film that we all flocked to see when it hit the cinema. Nolan brought the Batman back with Begins. With the Dark Knight he made sure he stayed in the mainstream. He also brought someone with him too, a certain Heath Ledger. When he was first cast as Batman’s greatest foe the internet nearly shut down. It was crazy, how the hell can the guy from ‘10 Things I Hate about You’ top Jack Nicholson. Ever since Begins ended with the Batman turning over the Joker card the whole world gasped and got so very wee your pants excited to see the Joker once again. Then news broke out about Heath Ledger getting the role as the clown prince of crime. WOW the trolls came out to play I’ll pop up a couple quotes from various websites regarding his casting.
Now these two morons were so wrong. (Why can’t trolls spell as well?) What Ledger brought to the table in Dark Knight blew everyone away. A lot of people may say his Oscar was because of his passing but that is 100% BS. Though the tragedy of his passing occurred he would have got the nod either way. I could go on and on about Ledger but he isn’t the only reason this film is number 1. It is number 1 because it’s a 10 out of 10 film. Someone said imagine Heat with Batman and that is exactly what it is. From start to finish you are hooked into Nolan’s Gotham City and his characters. Batman and the police have cleaned up the streets, there is a new D.A. coming up in Harvey Dent. The only way the mob have a chance is when the Joker seemingly forces there hand to let him join in on the game. “If your good at something never do it for free!” is what the clown prince states but we find out this villain doesn’t want money. The Joker just wants to watch the world burn. So Christopher Nolan builds a story of what one man must do to stop a man like the Joker and he tells this story superbly. Christian Bale yet again proves there is only one man to portray Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Pete: So here we are folks, the Number 1 comic book movie all time as decided by The Comic Asylum. And let’s be honest, could it really have been anything else? I dare anyone to call me out on it, seriously, if you disagree you can find me on Twitter at @Pete_the_Red or call me on 077-EAT-SHIT-ITS-AMAZING. Now with being the number one on the list, and one of the highest grossing movies of all time, brings with it its own hardship to write a review 4 years after the film has come out, every comic book movie since has incorporated something from this film to try and make their own better. Just look at how they are approaching the new Superman reboot, or how The Amazing Spiderman was much darker than any before it. Yes the story of Batman needs to be much darker than others but this film shows that the storyline and the drama behind it can easily lend itself to other films and improve them greatly. So what I’m saying is there is really no need for me to sit here and tell you why it’s so good because I quite simply don’t have to; the box office records (the Random Trivia below speaks for itself), the awards and every review of the film have done that for me. So I will try and come at a different angle that sees that this film is not a simplistic tale of good versus evil. Batman is good, yes and The Joker is evil but Batman poses a more complex puzzle than usual: The citizens of Gotham are in an uproar, calling him a vigilante and blaming him for the deaths of policemen and others, and The Joker is more than your bog standard villain. He’s a man whose actions are more fiendishly designed to pose moral dilemmas for his enemies. Heath Ledgers performance became the first posthumous Oscar winner since Peter Finch and deservedly so. When you learn that he spent 6 weeks locked in a hotel room defining the character traits he needed to bring this menace to the screen, you really understand that this young actor was driven to give the best performance possible. The Jokers make-up (also designed by Ledger) is sloppier than before, his cackle betrays deep wounds and he seeks revenge, but for what is unknown. Throughout this film, The Joker devises ingenious situations that cause Batman, Gordon and Dent to make impossible ethical decisions and by the end the whole moral foundation of the Batman legend is deeply threatened. It is normally customary in a comic book movie to maintain a certain knowing distance from the action, like you know it’s set in a world that doesn’t and couldn’t possibly exist but this film simply side steps this and fully engages us through-out and for the first time in comic book movie history, you think that this could be quite possible, and that thought alone is quite scary. Because of this you find yourself deeply concerned for the tragedy that engulfs Dent and the spectacular special effects are not allowed to upstage the natural human response to such stress and anguish felt by all. Studios are now starting to realise that these stories touch on deep fears, traumas, fantasies and hopes. And with the Batman legend, with its origins in film noir, is the most fruitful one for exploration. With his first two Batman movies, Christopher Nolan has freed the character to be a wider range of human emotion because we all know Bruce Wayne is a troubled human with a tragic past and if he was ever to be in exile from this heroic role of Batman, it would not surprise anyone what he finds himself capable of doing. And that leads us straight to The Dark Knight Rises…………………………..
Favourite Scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QehZjjwb7-I
Favourite Quote: Joker: “Hey! Look at me. So I had a wife. She was beautiful, like you. Who tells me I worry too much. Who tells me I ought to smile more. Who gambles and gets in deep with the sharks. One day, they carve her face. And we have no money for surgeries. She can’t take it. I just want to see her smile again. I just want her to know that I don’t care about the scars. So….I stick a razor in my mouth and do this….to myself. And you know what? She can’t stand the sight of me! She leaves. Now I see the funny side. Now I’m always smiling!”
Random Trivia: Made more money in 6 days of release than ‘Batman Begins’ did in its entire domestic run!
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So there you have it from us our complete top ten films. It really is a shame we started this project before going to see the Dark Knight Rises because without a doubt it would be on this list. I hope you enjoyed reading even if you didn’t agree with everything we said. You can reach us on our new Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ComicAsylum feel free to drop by and give us a like. What we are planning is a podcast, I’m just working out the best way to go about things so hopefully you’ll be able to not just read us chat shit but listen as well. Anyway until next week take care you beautiful bunch.
You can follow Sean on Twitter at @seanfav1 and Pete on Twitter at @pete_the_red or catch them on the official Comic Asylum account @Comic_Asylum
Posted on August 2nd, 2012
Category: NEWS & VIEWS, THE COMIC ASYLUM
Tags: Batman Begins, Comic Asylum, DC Comics, Film review, marvel studios, Pete Barrington, Sean Favager, Superman, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Vertigo, Watchmen