Best and worst comic book films

With Zack Snyder's epic homage to 'Watchmen', the so-called Greatest Graphic Novel of All Time, finally heading to our screens we got to thinking... just what would be our top five best and worst comic page-to-screen adaptations?

Well, we finally got around to scratching that itch. Here goes...

The Top 5 Greatest Comic Adaptations of All Time!

5. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Peter Parker and his web-slinging alter-ego just had to be in here somewhere. Sam Raimi got off to a flying start with the uber-colourful 'Spider-Man' pitting Pete up against arch nemesis The Green Goblin. But it's the second instalment that really mixes things up. Following the tried and tested formula of Bigger, Darker and More Intense this sequel actually bettered the original in every department. Toby Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco all had time enough to get to grips with their characters and Alfred Molina, as fan favourite Dr. Octopus, chewed up every piece of scenery going.

4. Road to Perdition (2002)
And I bet you thought this one didn't start life as a comic! Aha! Sam Mendes' gritty take on Max Allen Collins and Richard Piers Rayner's graphic novel is notable for two reasons. Tom Hanks plays a bad guy (well, sort of but cross him and he'd rather gun you down in the street than look at you) and Perdition marked the late, great Paul Newman's final onscreen performance - check out his exchange with Hanks in the basement of a church for one of the truly standout scenes in cinema!

3. Watchmen (2009)
In with a bullet! Snyder's adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' cherished work is less a love letter and more a stalker awaiting a restraining order so slavish is it to the source material. Granted, it may divide audiences when it opens this Friday but this epic is every fan's dream come true. Almost shot-for-shot, Snyder's perfectly created world is brutal, uncompromising and brilliant.

2. X-2 (2003)
Hang on. Another straight sequel? Well, it's nigh on impossible to argue with Bryan Singer's 'X-Men' reboot. If the first film was all foreplay then 'X-2' is all payoff! There's action aplenty, more mutants than you can shake a rather large stick at and, of course, a perpetually pissed Wolverine to contend with here. Yes, it's 'darker' and ended on a poorly judged cliff-hanger (which in turn spawned the derisory 'X-Men: The Last Stand') but Singer's sequel still rises above the rest!

1. The Dark Knight (2008)  
Well, what did you think it was going to be? Inspired partly by Alan Moore's (him again) 'The Killing Joke', Christopher Nolan's follow-on from 'Batman Begins' is as good as film gets (and I'm not just talking about comic adaptations here). Described lovingly as the 'Heat' of superhero films, 'The Dark Knight' is everything a Batman film should be encased in a palpable sense of unease thanks to The Joker and Heath Ledger's posthumous, Oscar-winning performance. There are absolutely no chinks in The Dark Knight's armour.

So, do you agree with our pick? Or are you up in arms that there's not a Superman film in sight! What about David Cronenberg's 'A History of Violence'? Or last summer's hugely entertaining 'Iron Man'? Should we have put 'Batman Begins' in there too or would that have been unfair on the others? Have your say below, and read on for our five worst comic book adaptations.

The Top 5 Worst Comic Adaptations of All Time!


5. The Spirit (2009)
Ooooo. Controversial! There are those that would dine at the feet of Frank Miller for services rendered to the comic book (and rightly so) but his homage to Will Eisner's 'The Spirit' earlier this year, is a bloated mess. As camp as Christmas and tonally schizophrenic, not even a bevy of bright young things can save this awkward flop.  


4. The Phantom (1996)
And speaking of camp. They don't get any more kitsch than 'The Phantom'. Apparently Billy Zane (remember him? Kelly Brook's ex if that helps) lobbied for years to bag the role of the Ghost That Walks... and just look where that got him! This bizarre take on Lee Falks' long-running character was truly forgettable.

3. Spawn (1997)
Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse! Adapted from Todd McFarlane's series of cult comics, 'Spawn' may have pushed the boat out on the effects (partly helped by ILM) but there was no saving the confusing story and laughable dialogue. When your lead villain is dubbed the 'Violator' you must surely know your on to a bad thing!

2. Batman and Robin (1997)
Wow. '97 was a vintage year for awful comic book adaptations. There's a school of thought that states when something is so bad, so utterly, utterly irredeemable then it goes full circle on its way to becoming good. To date, we're still waiting for Joel Schumacher's atrocious Batman sequel to complete the first lap. Routinely dubbed the Worst Film of All Time, what could have possibly beaten it to the punch?

1. Punisher: War Zone (2009)  
Look out! Because there's a new contender in town! Yes, Lexi Alexander (responsible for 'Green Street') has brought us a new, toxic adaptation to play with. It really must be seen to be believed but then by seeing it you may accidentally tip the scales and allow this audio-visual torture to make its money back! And then we might, just might have to endure another bout of this cinematic carnage. Remember the Tom Jane and John Travolta-starring Punisher a few years back? Well this makes that one look like 'The Godfather'!

Do you agree wholeheartedly with the above selection or would you care to offer a 'Catwoman' or two? Or perhaps we've neglected 'Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'?

Have your say on our best and worst top five below...

- More on Yahoo! Movies: Watchmen feature | Watchmen competition