20. Men in Black: Here is that example of a film that was based off an independent comic, which at the time was owned by Marvel. And this was before Blade, so technically it's the first official Marvel movie. The movie is good enough on it's own, and has become far more famous than the short-lived comic book it's based on. In fact, it has little to no relation to the original source material, other than the name, the involvement of aliens, and the main characters being, well, "men in black". This movie is a fun sci-fi comedy with plenty of action thrown in for good measure.
19. The Punisher: Now, although I don't like this as much as the last entry on this list, it is technically a better comic book movie, as it does follow it's source material far better. This entry, unlike the previous, is a dark, gritty, violent movie with more in common with 70's revenge thrillers than any other Marvel movies. It follows Frank Castle, a former US Army Delta Force operator, who's wife and entire extended family are gunned down at a family reunion by gangsters, by order of Tampa mob boss Howard Saint and his wife. Castle, in a mix of depression and rage, decides to become a vigilante. Donning a black bullet-proof vest (with a white skull painted on it) and a black trench-coat, Castle dubs himself "The Punisher", and begins "punishing" criminals, working his way up the crime food chain, up to the people responsible for his entire family's murders. This wasn't the first Punisher film (1989's direct-to-video action film The Punisher starring Dolph Lundgren had little to do with the comic), and it wouldn't be the last (2008's Punisher: War Zone starring Ray Stevenson, which was a reboot), but it is by far the best. The cast are pretty good. Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Rebecca Romijn, Ben Foster, Roy Scheider, Will Patton, and Laura Harring are satisfactory. The movie shines in it's action scenes. Although it's not the best Marvel movie, or even the best action movie, it's good enough. It has since gained a cult following, prompting Thomas Jane to reprise the role in a 10-minute long short film at Comic-Con, which also starred Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Blade II, 1000 Ways to Die, Sons of Aarchy, Teen Titans), titled Dirty Laundry.
18. Kick-Ass: Technically from a Marvel Imprint (just like Men in Black), this movie still, well, kicks ass. It's a blend of gruesome violence, comedy, and clever writing. Although not at all what it claims to be (a "realistic" look at what superheroes would be like), it does have it's funny moments, which are often dark humor. Although, unlike many people, I found Hit Girl an over-the-top, annoying, and somewhat disturbing character, I really enjoyed this movie. Despite the fact a lot of the brutal violence overshadows the funny bits, and the fact that the film kind of shows a guy who teaches his daughter to mercilessly and gleefully kill other people as a hero, this movie is a fun, violent, bad-ass action-comedy with a few twists thrown in. Also, the director of this movie produced movies like Snatch, and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, so you know it's worth a watch.
17. X-Men, First Class: This movie may not be as good as some other entries in the X-Men franchise, but it is a fun movie. Director Matthew Vaughn (director of Kick-Ass) stays true to the source material and the previous films, all while being it's own, incorporating Vaughn's slick directing style and his witty humor. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender made an impression with this movie, especially Fassbender, as Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr, respectively. I consider these to be their breakout roles. The movie also has a lot of bad-ass comic book action, and some great special effects. New and old mutants alike make appearances, the film also adds more development for supporting characters like Beast, Mystique, Emma Frost, Moira MacTaggert, Banshee, and Havoc. The movie also has a great cameo by Hugh Jackman, reprising his iconic role as Wolverine. The film has a lot of focus on Xavier and Lensherr (Magneto), even more so on Magneto. You can tell this was originally planned as an origin movie for Magneto, the working title X-Men Origins: Magneto was used for quite a while before this movie was officially announced. The film also pays a good amount of attention to the villain, Sebastian Shaw, portrayed by Kevin Bacon. Very different than how he appears in the comics, Shaw is no less threatening. In fact, he's more threatening due to the fact that he can overpower almost all the heroes to his use of energy manipulation. X-Men: First Class is a fun, action-packed sci-fi comic book movie, give it a watch.
16. Spider-Man 3/The Amazing Spider-Man: First, the third film: Although this gets a bad rep, it's not all that bad. Sure, Venom is a little rushed, but hey, Raimi wasn't even gonna put him in until fans petitioned to have him put in, so we're lucky we even got him. Otherwise, besides it's sometimes cluttered plot, it's a damn good comic book movie. The main villains, Sandman and New Goblin (a re-imagining of Green Goblin II from the comics), similar to the previous two, are bad-ass, but, in the end, sympathetic. Venom is also somewhat sympathetic, despite going all-out psycho in the end. The film is a bit scattered, but hey, it had to tackle Sandman, the Alien Suit arc, New Goblin, Peter and MJ's romance, a love triangle, Peter's emotional issues, and Harry's inner conflict in a 2 hour movie. Pretty difficult task if you ask me. Raimi pulled it off pretty well, and was able to squeeze in one last cameo by his friend, cult actor Bruce Campbell. The film's cast give good performances, and the action and special effects are up to par with the previous installment in this trilogy. Now, the reboot: Although not a good as the previous Spidey films, it is good. The main cast are satisfactory, and the special effects are just spectacular. The action scenes are less frequent than in previous films, but they are entertaining as hell. Although the villain (The Lizard) is a little lackluster compared to other Spidey bad guys, the overall plot is a little underdeveloped, and Andrew Garfield isn't nearly as good as Tobey Maguire, The Amazing Spider-Man manages to be a fun, entertaining superhero film, with some clever humor added for good measure. (Although I found Spider-Man's "clever" comebacks and jokes to be just annoying and awful.)
15. Blade: This was the first official Marvel movie, and, sadly, it's pretty much forgotten when it comes to discussions and debates about comic book movies. This movie blends superhero storylines with thrilling action and horror to create an original and entertaining movie. Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff give great lead performances as Blade and his vampire nemesis Deacon Frost, and Kris Kristofferson gives a great supporting performance as Blade's mentor and father figure. Snipes makes the character of Blade all his own, and Dorff makes the villain charismatic, yet despicable at the same time. Blade blends the action and horror genres perfectly, making it worth several viewings.
14. Thor: Although not the best in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this is an entertaining movie. despite Kat Dennings being quite annoying, most of the cast, which includes Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins, Renee Russo, and Stellan Skarsgard, are great. The film has some good jokes, cool special effects, good action and acting, clever writing, and a great chemistry between Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. The film also features a cool cameo by Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye (referred to as Agent Barton), and another by Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson.
13. X-Men: This may not be the best of the franchise, but this was the beginning. The movie also started Hugh Jackman's career, and also features some great actors and actresses such as Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Jenssen, Anna Paquin, and Rebecca Romijn. The film also has some impressive special effects for the year 2000, and the action scenes are outstanding. Props goes to director Bryan Singer, as this was his first major film since The Usual Suspects, and this was his first big blockbuster.
12. The Incredible Hulk: This movie is a reboot of the Hulk franchise, and was rebooted as part of The Avengers franchise. Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, and William Hurt star in this adrenaline-fueled thrill ride. Although not as psychologically interesting as the 2003 film, it is more true to the comics, and some cool cameos by Stan Lee (a regular for Marvel films), Lou Ferrigno (from the 70's TV show), and Robert Downey Jr. (as Tony Stark from Iron Man).
11. Hulk: This provoking psychological drama focuses on the more human side of the Hulk character: Dr. Bruce Banner. Eric Bana gives a good performance as the tormented gamma radiation expert and scientist. Jennifer Connelly, Josh Lucas, Nick Nolte, and Sam Elliott also star. The film has some dated special effects, but the action scenes are pretty cool, and the insight into the Hulk's mind and backstory are surprisingly interesting, and sometimes disturbing. Director Ang Lee brings his artful directing style to this surprisingly dark comic book movie. This superhero drama also features cameos by Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno.
10. Iron Man 2: This sequel may not be as good as the original, but this movie is great. Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Rockwell, Paul Bettany, Clark Gregg, and Jon Favreau (the director of this film) all give great performances. The action scenes and special effects are even better than the first, and the overall themes of the movies are pretty intriguing. The relationship between Tony and his late father that was explored I found interesting. Iron Man 2 is not the best film in the trilogy, but it's entertaining, thrilling, and funny.
Stay tuned for Part 2 (9-1 and runner-ups)!!!!
(Images: Wikipedia)
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