The Best Comic Book Movies in the Last 16 Years…According to Rotten Tomatoes

We know there have been plenty of comic book movies over the decades but I believe the modern age of comic book movies began in 2000 with the coming of the first Bryan Singer X-Men film. Since then, there have been 48 comic book movies from both Marvel and DC properties.  Here in 2016 we are still waiting for Captain America Civil War, X-Men Apocalypse, Suicide Squad, and Doctor Strange releasing in that order to bring the total to 52.

In honor of the Golden Age of Comic Book films, I decided to write some posts exploring the ranking of these movies based on their average score between critic and fan reception from Rotten Tomatoes.

I have already let the stank out with the top ten worst and now it’s time for the champions… The top ten movies in the last 16 years.

10. X-Men: First Class– 87%- I am an X-Men fan before any other. After disappointments like X3 and the Wolverine movie this was like a prayer answered. No, it wasn’t a Bryan Singer X-Men movie but it did have the same love for the material. This movie gave audiences a brighter, more comedic, and still profound return to the X-Men Universe. Despite not having the star power (Jennifer Lawrence still wasn’t that big in 2011) the cast held their own and gave not just a worthy mutant movie but a worthy comic book movie overall.

9. Deadpool- 87.5%- Honestly surprised that the average scores between fans and critics puts this giant R rated hit at only number nine on the top ten. As much as I adored this movie I think I adored Ryan Reynold’s journey to getting this made even more. Horrible portrayal in Wolverine, horrible Green Lantern, studio won’t make this thing, Fox sits on it for years, Reynolds and crew leak the test footage, studio says R rated won’t bring in the bucks, small budget, and STILL this movie not only manages to perform beautifully it also becomes one of the best comic book movies of all time and even the best R rated release ever. Deadpool has now sparked the conversation, do superhero movies have to be pg-13 or, in an age where kids have access to all things gruesome with a device in their pockets, can these characters be done justice without boundaries? Personally would have loved this top 5 but, rules are rules.

8. The Dark Knight Rises-88.5%- Sure. Not the strongest of the three Dark Knight movies but that by no means makes it bad. Bane was worthy, Selina Kyle was excellent, and the entire thing gave a great finale to a nearly perfect trilogy. The only thing working against this movie was the phenomenon that was its predecessor but it’s absolutely worthy of top ten.

7. Batman Begins- 89.5%- Funny that they should be right next to each other but sure. Batman Begins had something it shared with its middle sibling that the baby of the three did not. Anxiety. Perhaps many would disagree but the first two films, set in a Gotham where no one can be trusted, made the Batman seem all the more destroyable (even though Bane breaks his back in the last one) and the stakes so much higher. I loved the scarecrow in this, the original telling of the Bat’s origin, and truly a wonderful “first installment” overall.

6.Captain America: The Winter Soldier- 90.5%- This one surprised me just for the fact that I wasn’t all that into the first one. The Russo brothers came out of nowhere with this intense, ground level, corruption inspired, violent thrill ride! This movie proved Marvel can do serious and Marvel can do high stakes. Great supporting cast, fun, action packed, and just a fun time from start to finish.

NOTE- The following three movies averaged the exact same score on Rotten Tomatoes between fans and critics. The only thing I could do to try and put them in an order was to look at their global box office totals. If some disagree with that intervention I apologize. You can consider the next three films, if you want, a 3 way tie for third place. 

5. X-Men: Days of Future Past- 91.5%-The return of Bryan Singer, the return of Wolverine with the X-Men, the return of the original cast, the sequel to the very good First Class, and the telling of one of the most beloved stories from the Uncanny X-Men comics. I was as nervous as a mom on Maury waiting to hear the results if a punk was the father or not anticipating this movie. I wanted X-Men to have this victory and fortunately, it really did. Based off box office totals, DOFP ends at number five on the list but on score alone ties with the following two movies for third place. I’ll take either one. DOFP was the best received X-Men movie of them all and also performed the best at the box office out of its 6 predecessors. I loved every minute and I wish they had kept the “Rogue Cut” as the theatrical version because to me it presented (even with those simple 15 minutes) a more complete and better story (if you can believe possible).

4. Guardians of the Galaxy- 91.5%-I confess. I did not see this when it came out in theaters and instead chose to wait for it to come out on DVD. I was mad ok! I didn’t want to see a movie about a tree and a raccoon! But in the end…man. In my opinion one of, if not the, best Marvel movie! Funny, great cast, great chemistry, introduces us nicely to the cosmic elements of Marvel, hell of a great soundtrack, and a true underdog coming to steal the day.

3. Avengers-91.5%- The first team-up movie and the first film to pull off the unification of a cinematic universe. The movie that jokingly put DC comics on suicide watch. The phenomenon that is the Avengers that made over 1 billion dollars around the world. I don’t think there’s any debate that if one of the three movies should take third place over the others, it’s this gem. Joss Whedon was able to pull of something extraordinary and it’s the film that has sparked the rush from other companies to start creating universes of their own. Excellent stuff Avengers, excellent stuff.

2. Ironman-92.5% Uhhh ok. First of all, loved it. I’m not saying I didn’t. But number 2? Following the rules of averaging fans and critics this is indeed where the first Ironman film falls… Great story, great origin, I mean all the pieces were there! Perhaps it’s just in the last 8 years there has been so much more and so much exploration in the comic book genre that as worthy as this movie is it just doesn’t feel like a silver medal winner to me? Well, respect given anyway. Ironman was the spark that would ultimately become the Marvel cinematic universe so a strong salute and a bow.

1. The Dark Knight- 94% Was there ever any doubt? The champion of the 48 films has remained number one since its release in 2008 despite the explosion of films to follow. Heath Ledger in the  greatest Joker we’ve seen, a thriller so fucking intense you seriously forget its based off a comic book and the same material that made the 60’s camp sitcom. What is justice? How far can people be taken before corruption takes them? Is it always as simple as good vs evil? This movie asked the right questions and though it never gave set answers by the time we saw Batman ride off into the night, it left the audience with so much to think about, explore, appreciate, and (personally) worship.

 

Those are the top ten. I’ll be posting later the full list of 48 movies ranked. I don’t agree with all of them but hey, what can you do.

I’m eager for the remaining four films to release and to see if any of these ten will lose their spot. What has me most eager is the arrival of Captain America: Civil War that with (currently) 52 reviews has a 98% for critics on Rotten Tomatoes. DAMN. Will it take out The Dark Knight? Will X-Men Apocalypse join its predecessors somewhere on the list? Will Suicide Squad be the first movie in the DCEU to make it? Time will tell!

 

For Fun- If you wished for those three movies to share 3rd place, it would mean that for you,

10. X-Men- 83%

9. Ant-Man-84%

8.X2:X-Men United- 85.5%