By Chris E. Hayner on Jun 03, 2017 05:35 am
27. Thor: The Dark World
There's been no shortage of great comic book movies released over the last 10 years. Here are the 26 best, ranked by their Metacritic scores. First: While Thor has fit seamlessly into The Avengers, the character's solo movies just don't seem to live up to their hype. The Dark World had the promise of an adventure on Asgard, but it didn't connect. The film received a 54 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
26. Man of Steel
While you may be hard-pressed to find someone that's a fan of Zack Snyder's DC Extended Universe films--or his dark, gritty take on Superman--at least Henry Cavill looks the part of the titular Man of Steel. Unfortunately, the movie does him no justice. The film received a 55 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Warner Bros.)
25. Watchmen
Zack Snyder's vision of the cult classic comic book isn't necessarily bad. Unfortunately, it's incredibly long and too complex for those that aren't already fans to understand. While it's a faithful adaptation of Alan Moore's original story, perhaps it could have been streamlined a bit more for film. The film received a 56 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Warner Bros.)
23. Iron Man 2 (tie)
Iron Man 2's biggest problem is that it follows Iron Man, the incredibly well-received movie that kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Mickey Rourke, fresh of an Oscar nomination, stars opposite Robert Downey Jr. as the movie's villain Whiplash. Sadly, it all pales in comparison to the first outing. This film received a 57 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Paramount Pictures)
23. Thor (tie)
While better than its sequel, Thor had way too much backstory, both on Asgard and on Earth, to truly make a major impact. It also leaned heavier on comedy than any of the other Phase One films in the MCU, which leaves it as the odd movie out. This film received a 57 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Paramount Pictures)
22. Spider-Man 3
Packed with villains, a dancing Peter Parker and the introduction of Spidey's iconic black costume to little fanfare, Spider-Man 3 is such a strange film. While it was still a box office success--and entertaining in some parts--Sony opted to reboot the franchise rather than develop Spider-Man 4. The film received a 59 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Sony Pictures)
21. The Wolverine
It would be hard for a sequel not to improve upon X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Adapting the Silver Samurai story from the comics, The Wolverine moved slowly but told a solid and interesting story in the X-Men universe. This film received a 60 on Metacritic. (Image credit: 20th Century Fox)
20. The Incredible Hulk
This is the strangest film in the MCU's Phase One. Five years after Ang Lee's Hulk, Marvel rebooted the character and recast Edward Norton in the role. The movie delivered better than anyone who watched Hulk could have imagined. Still, Norton was recast in future MCU movies by Mark Ruffalo. This film received a 61 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Universal Pictures)
19. Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3 just didn't fit what fans expected of a comic book movie. Director Shane Black brought emotion back to Tony Stark and gave Downey's character a redemption story as he rebuilt himself, literally and figuratively. This film received a 62 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
18. Ant-Man
Marvel took a turn with Ant-Man, presenting what was essentially a heist story that just so happened to involve superpowers. It was a nice change of pace for Marvel that opened a new avenue in the MCU. This film received a 64 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
16. Deadpool (Tie)
The Merc with a Mouth finally got his time in the sun with the dirtiest, most vulgar comic book movie one could possibly imagine. Deadpool wouldn't fly in the MCU, but he fits surprisingly well in the X-Men universe and proved to everyone that R-rated superhero movies can be successful. This film received a 65 on Metacritic. (Image credit: 20th Century Fox)
16. X-Men: First Class (tie)
Many fans thought the X-Men franchise was dead after X-Men: The Last Stand. Instead, it went back in time to show the origins of several characters in the universe. This film received a 65 on Metacritic. (Image credit: 20th Century Fox)
13. Avengers: Age of Ultron (tie)
While the sequel to Marvel's Avengers wasn't quite as good as the first, it did illustrate how close the team of superheroes had become since their first adventure together. Unfortunately, crazed robot Ultron didn't prove to be a worthy adversary. This film received a 66 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
13. The Amazing Spider-Man (tie)
The Amazing Spider-Man felt like more of a genuine adaptation than the trilogy that came before it thanks to Andrew Garfield playing up Peter Parker's more humorous side. That can't necessarily be said about its sequel, though. This film received a 66 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Sony Pictures)
13. Captain America: The First Avenger (tie)
It's one of the most iconic stories in Marvel Comics history, and director Joe Johnston did it justice. Set during World War II, The First Avenger finds the right balance between action and heart while setting the stage for just how grand the MCU would become. This film received a 66 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Paramount Pictures)
12. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
If there's such a thing as too much Baby Groot, it has yet to be seen. The second Guardians manages to expand the crazy world set up by the first movie, while also taking the time to focus on developing each and every one of the main characters. It's the rare sequel that lives up to the first movie in practically every way. This film received a 67 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
11. The Avengers
Marvel's first superhero team up couldn't have gone much better. With a worthy villain in Loki, Avengers gave the team a reason to come together and made use of the cast's natural chemistry to create a truly special moment. This film received a 69 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Winter Soldier stands in the MCU as one of the best single superhero movies of all time. With a deeply personal story between Steve and Bucky, dazzling action moments and the destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D., Winter Soldier works on every level. This film received a 70 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
9. Doctor Strange
As with Ant-Man, Doctor Strange broke the mold of what people expect from comic book movies. Instead of superpowers and storylines bogged down in continuity, it dealt with the mystic and set its hero on his own adventure. This film received a 72 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
8. X-Men: Days of Future Past
With time travel as a tool, Days of Future Past bridged the original and new X-Men casts, making for a truly memorable experience in an effort to save the world. It also gave director Bryan Singer the chance to fix some of the things that left fans annoyed by The Last Stand--such as the death of Cyclops. This film received a 74 on Metacritic. (Image credit: 20th Century Fox)
7. Captain America: Civil War
Adapting one of the better modern comic book arcs, the film pits Iron Man against Captain America in a battle that tore the Avengers apart. It also introduced the newest Spider-Man, who was a welcome addition. This film received a 75 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
5. Guardians of the Galaxy (tie)
The film that showed Marvel they could go outside of the box, Guardians took a little-known comic book team and made them mainstream heroes as they fought colorful alien monsters in space, all to a perfect soundtrack. As with Ant-Man and Doctor Strange, this movie benefits from not having to do any heavy-lifting of MCU continuity. The threads are there, though. This film received a 76 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
5. Wonder Woman (tie)
Wonder Woman delivers the hope that the DC Extended Universe has been missing. While movies like Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad were dark and gritty, Wonder Woman was bright, empowering and actually pretty funny at times. Will it turn the tide for DC, though? This film received a 76 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Warner Bros.)
4. Logan
Hugh Jackman's final adventure as Wolverine is also the best in the entire X-Men franchise. Taking a cue from Deadpool, Logan leaned heavily into R-rated territory, embracing the violence and gore that are a trademark of the Wolverine comics. That, mixed with newcomer Dafne Keen as a little girl with similar powers to Logan, created one of the most artistic comic book movies to date. This film received a 77 on Metacritic. (Image credit: 20th Century Fox)
3. The Dark Knight Rises
The final film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy serves as a true ending to that version of the characters, something a lot of superhero franchises never get the chance to do. While there are some questionable choices made in the film--like Joseph Gordon Levitt's character's real name--Batman versus Bane proved to be an epic showdown. If only Bruce Wayne was in the cowl more often during the movie. This film received a 78 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Warner Bros.)
2. Iron Man
Iron Man, the movie that launched the MCU, is great from top to bottom. Downey is inspired casting as Tony Stark and his journey from egotistical playboy to superhero is riveting. This film received a 79 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Paramount Pictures)
1. The Dark Knight
It's been called the Godfather II of comic book movies, and for good reason. The Dark Knight furthered the Batman mythology while introducing a truly legendary take on the Joker, with Heath Ledger embodying the painted madman in a way nobody else has before. This movie set the bar for what a superhero movie could be--a standard that will always be incredibly difficult to surpass. This film received an 82 on Metacritic. (Image credit: Warner Bros.)
By Joal Ryan on Jun 03, 2017 05:34 am
21. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Metacritic's data definitively shows DC Comics movies are more miss than hit, but they're not all bad. Here's the rundown, from the most critically reviled big-screen DC adventures to the most celebrated, starting with Superman IV. (PS: You're in for a surprise at No. 1.) Metacritic score: 22 Christopher Reeve was stranded in this "dull, shoddy film" that marked his final appearance as the Man of Steel. (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
20. Catwoman (2004)
Metacritic score: 27 Oscar-winner Halle Berry starred in this notorious reinvention of the Catwoman character that was declawed by "cartoonish effects and overacting." (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
19. Batman & Robin (1997)
Metacritic score: 28 The second and final Joel Schumacher-directed Caped Crusader movie had its "ice" kicked for boasting "quips, not characters." (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
18. Jonah Hex (2010)
Metacritic score: 33 Josh Brolin couldn't fire up audiences or critics with this "lamentably uninteresting adaptation of the DC Comic about a war-weary Confederate soldier." (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
17. Green Lantern (2011)
Metacritic score: 39 Nothing about this flop worked; critics even denounced future marrieds Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively for showing "minus-zero chemistry." (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
16. Suicide Squad (2016)
Metacritic score: 40 What's crazier than Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie)? While critics bemoaned Suicide Squad's "muddled characters and uneven storytelling," audiences helped it to a nearly $750 million worldwide gross. (Image credit: Warner Bros.)
15. Superman III (1983)
Metacritic score: 42 About the best that can be said of this substandard "disappointment," which inexplicably teamed Richard Pryor with Christopher Reeve, is that it wasn't as bad as Superman IV. (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
14. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Metacritic score: 44 DC's first all-star team-up movie, starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, was hammered as "incoherently structured," "overstuffed," "incoherent" and "joyless." But other than that... (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
13. Constantine (2005)
Metacritic score: 50 In this adaptation of the Hellblazer horror series, Tilda Swinton's angelic Gabriel was brought back to Earth by a "confusing narrative muddle." (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
12. Batman Forever (1995)
Metacritic score: 51 It was fun to look at the cartoony likes of Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and the Riddler (Jim Carrey), but in the end the Joel Schumacher film was the "empty-calorie equivalent of a Happy Meal." (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
11. Man of Steel (2013)
Metacritic score: 55 This Superman reboot was greeted with mixed-to-bad reviews: praised for looking "amazing," but dinged for being "businesslike to a fault." (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
10. Watchmen (2009)
Metacritic score: 56 A lavish, faithful adaptation of the Alan Moore-Dave Gibbons series that was "ultimately undone by its own reverence," Watchmen reigns, so to speak, as the best-reviewed DC movie of the Zack Snyder era. (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
9. Batman Returns (1992)
Metacritic score: 68 See, critics do like (some) DC Comics movies! Danny DeVito's Penguin was among the "many jolts of pleasure" in Tim Burton's second and final Caped Crusader movie as director. (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
8. Batman (1989)
Metacritic score: 69 Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger helped elevate the comic-book movie in this Tim Burton game-changer filled with "unpredictable spins" and "images [that] sing." (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
7. Batman Begins (2005)
Metacritic score: 70 In his first outing as the legendary comic hero, Christian Bale loomed over a "great," "grimly gothic vision" rendered by director Christopher Nolan. (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
6. Superman Returns (2006)
Metacritic score: 72 Kevin Spacey donned Lex Luthor's bald wig, a la Gene Hackman, in this "superb," "generally thrilling entertainment" that honored Richard Donner's Superman. (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
5. Wonder Woman (2017)
Metacritic Score: 76 GameSpot's own Edmond Tran, in his review, hailed this story of a 5,000-year-old Amazon princess turned World War I fighter for doing something most recent DC films have not: "Crafting a character that is easy to care about, telling an origin story that establishes believable and relatable motivations, and putting that character through situations that make us genuinely sympathize with her, in addition to being completely in awe of her at her most powerful." (Image credit: Warner Bros.)
4. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Metacritic score: 78 As the brutal Bane, Tom Hardy was a "hell of a villain" in the "unfriendly masterpiece" that was the final film of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
3. The Dark Knight (2008)
Metacritic score: 82 Heath Ledger passed away before he could hear the near-universal praise for Christopher Nolan's "enthralling" second Batman film, or for his own "monumental" Oscar-winning performance as the Joker. (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
2. Superman (1978)
Metacritic score: 86 Released in the dark ages of the comic-book movie, director Richard Donner's serious (but not-too serious) take on the last son of Krypton charmed critics, who found it a "pure delight." (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
1. Superman II (1981)
Metacritic score: 87 It's true love: Critics have never liked a DC movie as much as when Superman (Christopher Reeve) and Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) heated up the Fortress of Solitude in this "big, generous, beautifully crafted piece of entertainment." (Image credit: Warner Home Video)
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