Believe it or not, there were some truly great90s comic book movies. For many of us, that particular decade doesn’t feel like it was all that long ago, but it is a time that is getting further and further away in the rearview mirror. There is a lot of nostalgia for things made during that period be it toys, games, music and yes, movies. The thing is, not everything holds up as well as we would like it to and the 90s specifically had not yet cracked the code on comic book movies.
Long beforeMarvelwould launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe and lay out a template that virtually every studio in Hollywood is trying to emulate, comic book movies were just something that studios would try. In the 90s it was a completely, seemingly random thing. Sure, some movies were made based on books from the big two, DC Comics and Marvel Comics, but really it was all over the place. It wasn’t the cornerstone of the industry like it is now.
Things really started to change in 2000 whenBryan Singer’s firstX-Menmovie hit theaters and the era of the modern comic book movie as we know it truly launched whenSpider-Mancame out two years later. These are movies that felt like they borrowed some of the best elements of things that were done in the 90s and they learned from the mistakes of some of the worst movies that were made in that decade that were based on comic books. And there were plenty of those to go around.
Movies likeSylvester Stallone’sJudge Dreddor the famously terribleTank Girl(which now has something of a cult following) took material that has proved it can work today under the right conditions and really bastardized it, simply because it seemed like the system had no idea what to do with it. Not to mention what Marvel movies looked like in the 90s. There was the unbelievably badNick Fury: Agent of Shieldthat starredDavid Hasselhoffas Nick Fury and the truly terribleCaptain Americamovie from 1990. The point is, a lot of mistakes were made and there was a lot to learn from.
With that said, there were a lot of positives that happened as well, which are things that helped pave the way for the comic book movie period we are in right now. Some of the best comic book movies from the 90s are movies that you wouldn’t even think of as comic book movies, while others were astounding anomalies that just managed to do superheroes right at a time when that wasn’t very common. So here are the nine best comic book movies of the 90s.
9Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
For some reason, Hollywood has had a relatively tough time truly cracking the code when it comes to theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The most recentMichael Bayproduced reboot succeeded in some areas, but failed big time in others. Outside of the comic books, the first live-actionTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesmovie from 1990 may still be the best representation of the heroes in a half shell to date. Sure, it is incredibly corny, cheesy and at moments maybe even groan-worthy when watching it as an adult, but the amount of joy 90s kids felt watching this movie can’t be ignored.
The movie also really helped propel theNinja Turtlesinto the pop-culture consciousness. Seriously, so many toys came as a result of this movie. Critics may not love it, but fans of theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesprobably have a soft spot for this movie. Not everything has to be gritty and overly serious. Sometimes you just need people in huge, weirdNinja Turtlecostumes fighting ninjas in goofy suits to have a good time. If anyone is ever going to make a truly great live-actionTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesmovie in the future, they would be smart to take some cues fromSteve Barron’s early 90s fan favorite.
8The Rocketeer
In the 90s, comic book movies weren’t as simple as pulling from Marvel or DC Comics. They weren’t the biggest movies in the world at the time, so things likeThe Rocketeerhad the chance to be made. The movie was based on the character created by Pacific Comics. DirectorJoe Johnstonhas made his mark on the modern superhero movie withCaptain America: The First Avenger, butThe Rocketeerreally lent itself to his strengths as a director. It is a glitzy, fun, B-movie, pulpy action adventure and the type of thing we simply don’t see in the modern comic book movie landscape.
The Rocketeerbenefited from a great cast that includedJennifer Connelly,Paul Sorvino,Alan ArkinandTimothy Dalton. Sure, many of the story elements and beats in the movie feel familiar and not all that surprising, but watching it now, it is surprising how well it holds up. The movie centers on a cocky stunt pilot who discovers a jet pack, puts on a fancy helmet and becomes a superhero with those two simple things alone. If you have never seenThe Rocketeer, do yourself a favor and check it out. If you have seen it, you probably have a special place for it. At the very least, it is a fun and different look at what a superhero movie can be.
7Batman Returns
There is little argument over what the bestBatmanmovie sequel of all-time is.Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knightwill pretty much be sitting comfortably in that spot for the foreseeable future, butTim Burtonalso made himself damn fineBatmansequel.Batman Returnsis strange, dark, different and still holds up today as a very goodBatmanmovie. It was also that last time we would seeMichael Keatonin the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, and he still may be the best person to ever play Bruce Wayne. Batman is still up for debate, but something aboutMichael Keatonas Bruce Wayne really works.
There is so much to love aboutBatman Returns.Danny DeVitois perfectly cast as The Penguin and his execution is going to be hard to rival if the role is ever recast on the big screen. There is also the delight of seeingMichelle Pfeifferin her prime as Catwoman.Anne Hathawaydid a fine job inThe Dark Knight Rises, but again, theBatman Returnsversion of Catwoman is tough to top. There is also the excellent supporting cast that includesChristopher Walkenand evenPaul Reubens.Tim Burtonis very hit/miss when it comes to his directorial efforts, butBatman Returnsremains one of his finest moments and is still one of the finest and most interesting live-actionBatmanmovies ever made.
6Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
Batman Returnswasn’t the only great movie about The Dark Knight to be released in the 90s. In fact,Batman: Mask of the Phantasmis considered by many fans to be one of the bestBatmanmovies ever made. Period. It doesn’t matter that the movie is animated, it is truly a great and perfectly executedBatmanstory, taking place in the world ofBatman: The Animated Series; one of the most true-to-character representations ofBatmanever.
The movie has the benefit of featuring the voices ofKevin ConroyandMark Hamillas Batman and The Joker respectively. Save forHeath Ledger,Mark Hamillis generally considered to be the definitive Joker outside of the comics andKevin Conroyhas been called the “one true” Batman. So, that definitely counts for something. It also features the voice ofStacy Keachas the villain The Phantasm, a villain that was so well done inBatman: Mask of the Phantasmthat no live-action production has tried to use him again. This is truly a must-watch forBatmanfans and a movie that gets overlooked a lot in the modern landscape. An argument could be made thatBatman: Mask of the Phantasmis the best comic book movie of the 90s and a lot ofBatmanfans would probably agree with that sentiment.
For years, the general sense was that comic book movies were not something that could be gritty, dark or serious. Many of the worst comic book 90s (Batman & Robin) took the opposite approach, completely missing the mark in terms of why people responded to the source material in the first place.The Crowwas truly one of the first comic book movies to ever get dark and gritty right. So much so that the movie holds up incredibly well to this day and part of the reason the long-rumored and in development remake has never really gotten off the ground. DirectorAlex Proyasreally laid out the groundwork for filmmakers likeChristopher Nolanwho would later realize their visions of truly serious and truly excellent comic book movies.
That said,The Crowisn’t just great because it was an influence piece. The insanely well-crafted story of Eric Draven, played byBrandon Lee, who was tragically killed on set during the making of the movie in an incident with a gun that had a defective blank bullet in it, is beautifully realized on film. A compelling story, based on the graphic novel byJames O’Barr, about a rock musician and his fiancee who are murdered by thugs, but Draven is resurrected a year after his death to get revenge on those who wronged him. Despite the unbelievable tragedy of what happened toBrandon Lee,The Crowremains and excellent comic book movie and one that everyone who enjoys them should see. Just avoid the sequels.
Jim Carreyhas definitely fallen from grace in recent years, but the mid-90s was where he really started to shine and had his most proud and memorable moments.The Mask, based on the Dark Horse Comics series of the same name, was one of those moments. The movie centers on a magical mask that gives the person wearing it zaney, reality-bending powers and also allows that person to abandon any inhibitions a normal person might have. The movie really needed a guy likeJim Carreyto work on any level and at the time, it worked quite well.
There is no denying thatThe Maskhasn’t aged as well as some 90s nostalgia seekers would like it to, but that doesn’t take away from the merit that exists in this movie. It was also the first movieCameron Diazever starred in, for whatever that is worth.The Maskwas also a tremendous hit with critics and at the box office. The movie still holds a 77 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and made a very impressive $351 million worldwide from just a $23 million production budget. That alone makes it easily one of the most successful comic book movies of the 90s.
3Men In Black
In 1997,Will Smithwas just becoming the truly massive movie star most of us know him as today. Many probably think ofSuicide Squadas his first comic book movie, but that isn’t the case.Men In Black, one of the movies that cemented him as one of the most bankable movie stars on the planet, was actually based on a comic book and remains one of his biggest hits ever.Men In Blackstarted out as a comic book series that was published by Aircel Comics, which later was bought by Malibu Comics who were then bought by Marvel.
In any case, what started out as a series of comic books about guys in black suits working for a secret government agency who deal with aliens hiding among us on Earth became a movie about exactly that, but it starredWill SmithandTommy Lee Jones. The movie was a tremendous success, grossing $589 million worldwide, which in 1997 was a staggering amount and even by today’s standards is very good. A couple ofMen In Blacksequels and even an animated TV series were made, but none of them were as good as the firstMen In Black. Even today, the effects really hold up and it stands as a very fun, well-paced truly memorable sci-fi movie. Also,Vincent D’Onofrioplays a giant alien cockroach. What’s not to love?
2The Mask of Zorro
Sometimes a comic book movie comes out that people don’t even realize is actually a comic book movie. Something likeRoad to Perditioncomes to mind. Another prime example isThe Mask of Zorro, which was a really solid action adventure movie that came out in 1998.Zorroactually started out as a pulp comic series dating back to 1919 and despite some changes, the core of the character has largely remained the same. Part of the reason thatThe Mask of Zorroworks so well is that it stayed true to many of those fun, swashbuckling elements that have helped the character endure for more than 100 years.
There have been a lot of movies made aboutZorroover the years, butThe Mask of Zorrois easily the one that holds up the best for modern audiences, largely thanks to the direction ofMartin Campbell. The movie also boasts a great cast, withAntonio Banderasplaying the titular hero andCatherine Zeta Jonesplaying the love interest, both at the height of their powers. WithAnthony Hopkinsplaying the originalZorro. It also doesn’t hurt that the movie was produced bySteven Spielberg. Even though we may not really think of it as a comic book movie,The Mask of Zorrois no doubt, a very good comic book movie.
Let’s get this out of the way up front;Blade IIis better thanBlade. There is almost no question about that. However,Bladedid a lot of things right and is still probably one of the better comic book movies made in the 90s. At the very least it is one of the most entertaining. This movie came out a decade before Marvel hatched plans to create a cinematic universe and a few years before the serious superhero boom that was brought on by movies likeX-MenandSpider-Man. It was very much ahead of the curve. With that in mind, it is still a very effective movie and one that any fan of comic book movies should have in their collection.
David S. GoyerwroteBlade, withWesley Snipesportraying the main character ofBlade, the vampire hunter. Sure, by modern standards certain elements of this movie are cheesy and a bit by the book, but it did help to put forth the template that many superhero movies still use today andWesley Snipeswas perfect in the role. So much so that there are still whispers of his character showing up in the MCU at some point. That should say something about the quality of the movie, or at least the quality of the portrayal of this very non-traditional Marvel Comics character.
