Here at Soccer Therapy, I like to mix it up from time to time. This piece lists my favorite comic books gone Hollywood in the last decade or so. To be clear, I am not a comic book or graphic novel buff. I have simply fallen in love with a genre of movies and that has inspired me to put this list together. I have compiled THE List, which consists of beast-mode comic book movies (CBMs) that make the highest grade for their excellence and awesomeness. Then I have a list of some Honorable Mentions – these are solid movies that deserve to be mentioned, but do not deserve a place on THE List. I also have some Non-honorable Mentions – I liked them, but I wouldn’t recommend watching unless you are a real CBM junkie. Finally, I have a section for CBM busts that I would never recommend to a friend – that is the These Movies just Sucked section.

THE List

Simply put, this includes only the greatest comic books to ever go Hollywood. I am incredibly picky and I don’t throw just any CBM on “THE list.” Despite this, my hope is that it continues to grow as CBMs are produced. “THE list” is ordered chronologically because I couldn’t bring myself to rank them.

Batman Begins (2005) – We know about the Dark Knight and how much everyone loves it, and sadly, I think this prequel gets overlooked as a result. I love stories about the rise of a hero (Luke Skywalker comes to mind), so watching Bruce Wayne overcome his demons to become Gotham’s new savior was a pleasure. After having to watch Michael Keeton (great actor, but he is no Batman) play the role in the 90s, Chris Nolan’s Batman Begins truly showed me how badass the Batman story can be.

Sin City (2005) – Long but good. I always go back and forth deciding which feature story is the best. Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen and Bruce Willis each feature in their own unique story. Directed by Robert Rodriguez, Tarantino and the creator of the graphic novel himself, Frank Miller. Enough said. Admittedly, if I were ranking these, Sin City would rank lower on THE List.

V for Vendetta (2005) – One of the most unique and badass characters from any story. The storyline, writing and overall production are simply excellent. This one is a 5-Star CBM for me, no doubt about it.

300 (2006) – The second one sucked, don’t ever watch it. But if you like action, fight scenes, blood, bravery and heroism, 300 packs more of that stuff into 117 minutes than just about any movie I have ever seen (maybe not any more than Rambo, tough to top my boy Rambo). But this is a thoroughly entertaining watch with great visuals and storytelling.

Iron Man (2008) – The original and still the best. Robert Downy Jr. led a star studded cast including Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltro and of course, The Dude (Jeff Bridges). Top-notch visual effects and a very cool story – if you are unfamiliar with the Iron Man tale, go watch this now! – but I won’t give anything away. There is so much action you would never know it’s a 2-hour movie.

The Dark Knight (2008) – Yeah yeah we all saw it and it was really good. The Dark Knight is widely considered to be the best CBM produced to date. Heath Ledger’s performance gets all the accolades and it should. It is a real shame about Heath too because director Chris Nolan said himself: the biggest mistake from the Tim Burton Batmans of the 90s was killing off The Joker after only movie. This suggests that the Joker would have been part of the Dark Knight Rises had it been possible. The Dark Knight is like the Lebron James of movies: ridiculous hype that would be impossible to live up to, but then it exceeds the hype by giving you more than you ever could have hoped for.

X Men First Class (2011) – In terms of the actual comic books, X-Men may very well be the best. The relationship between Professor X and Magneto has always been a strange one, and this movie takes a close look at that. The visual effects are amazing, it has a pretty solid plot that revolves around the Cuban Missile Crisis, and of course, Kevin MothaF***n Bacon. I can’t quite put my finger on just what it is about this movie that I like so much. But I think it’s probably Michael Fassbender playing the Magneto role to perfection. As far as the best all time characters go, Magneto is right up there with V (for Vendetta) and Heath Ledger’s Joker. The scenes in this movie where Magneto gets revenge on former Nazis are pure gold.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) – I didn’t think this one would be good but I was thoroughly surprised. It is unquestionably the funniest CBM of all time and it differs from other CBMs in that badass songs from the 70s are a motif throughout the film. Very original and very well done, also kind of long, but it was one of those that I didn’t want to end. It just came out and I have only seen it once, but this one promises to grow on me even more over time.

Honorable Mention
Pretty good, but not really even sniffing “THE List”

X-Men (2000) – Pretty good, but for the first real X-Men movie, I think we were all hoping for a little more. Still, whenever I flip by this one on the tube, I set the clicker down and enjoy what’s left.

X-Men 2: X-Men United (2003) – Striker! A cool character (pictured above) that is as integral to the amazing X-Men story as any. But like the first X-Men film, I think this one left fans wanting more.

Thor (2011) – Like many average films, Thor was awesome for the first half of the movie while the second half was a let down. The main character, played by up and coming actor Chris Hemsworth, makes the movie.

X-Men Days of Future Past (2014) – Good, but for me, not as good as X-Men First Class. Again, Magneto steals the show.

Non Honorable Mention
it’s still a mention!

Avengers (2012) – Good, not great. But, it’s got Agent Coulson! (even though he misspells the name).

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) – To this day, I have not talked to one person who endorsed this movie or said it was much better than a steaming pile of dung. I guess I am in the minority, but I liked it. Striker!

These Movies just Sucked
Way too long, but they would still suck if they were short

Hulk (2008) – Okay, maybe this movie didn’t suck. But I wouldn’t give it three stars or anything. And I just couldn’t justify putting it on the non honorable mention list.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) – Maybe this is a product of high expectations. Still though, this movie was ridiculously long and did nothing to make me feel like it was a good use of time. A disappointing ending to a three-part series that landed two CBMs on THE List.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) – 124 minutes long but it felt like an eternity.

Iron Man 2 (2010) – I just remember thinking this movie sucked. Mickey Rourke and Robert Downy Jr. too, how do you screw that up? Plus, I love Don Cheadle as much as the next guy, but it really bugs me when a different actor plays the same character in a sequel. Terrence Howard played the James Rhodes/War Machine role just fine in Iron Man 1.

Iron Man 3 (2013) – Like Iron Man 2 this movie sucked, and makes me wonder how they did such a good job on the first one.

The Fantastic Four Movies: Yes, I saw these. And yes, my blog just went down a notch in everybody’s book (justified).

The Unlisted/Unwatched
-Any Spider Man movie – never cared for the Spider Man tale.
-Green Lantern
-Watchmen
*A bunch of other comic book/graphic novel films that I am probably forgetting*

Hope you liked the CBM commentary – if you are looking for soccer stuff, check below, and above (or go to the SoccerTherapy.net homepage).