Films Based on DC Comics Best to Worst
by jigsawkiller135 | created - 04 Jun 2011 | updated - 09 Jun 2011 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Dark Knight (2008)
PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine
Votes: 2,868,612 | Gross: $534.86M
2. Batman Begins (2005)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After witnessing his parents' death, Bruce learns the art of fighting to confront injustice. When he returns to Gotham as Batman, he must stop a secret society that intends to destroy the city.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe, Liam Neeson
Votes: 1,577,516 | Gross: $206.85M
3. V for Vendetta (2005)
R | 132 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In a future British dystopian society, a shadowy freedom fighter, known only by the alias of "V", plots to overthrow the tyrannical government - with the help of a young woman.
Director: James McTeigue | Stars: Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Rupert Graves, Stephen Rea
Votes: 1,178,769 | Gross: $70.51M
4. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Romance
Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.
Directors: Richard Donner, Richard Lester | Stars: Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Ned Beatty
Votes: 19,072
5. Stardust (2007)
PG-13 | 127 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.
Director: Matthew Vaughn | Stars: Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Sienna Miller, Ian McKellen
Votes: 285,116 | Gross: $38.63M
6. Road to Perdition (2002)
R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A mob enforcer's son in 1930s Illinois witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Paul Newman
Votes: 284,397 | Gross: $104.45M
7. Watchmen (2009)
R | 162 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
In a version of 1985 where superheroes exist, the murder of a colleague sends active vigilante Rorschach on the trail of a conspiracy that will change the course of history.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino, Malin Akerman
Votes: 582,159 | Gross: $107.51M
8. Batman (1989)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure
The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl
Votes: 404,042 | Gross: $251.19M
9. A History of Violence (2005)
R | 96 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, which sets off repercussions that will shake his family to its very core.
Director: David Cronenberg | Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt
Votes: 252,708 | Gross: $31.49M
10. Aquaman (2006 TV Movie)
42 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young twenty-something diver living in the Florida Keys discovers he has the power to breathe underwater.
Director: Greg Beeman | Stars: Justin Hartley, Lou Diamond Phillips, Denise Quiñones, Rick Peters
Votes: 2,248
11. Superman (1978)
PG | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando
Votes: 187,435 | Gross: $134.22M
12. RED (2010)
PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
When his peaceful life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team in a last-ditch effort to survive and uncover his assailants.
Director: Robert Schwentke | Stars: Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker
Votes: 323,828 | Gross: $90.38M
13. Superman (1948)
Approved | 244 min | Sci-Fi
Superman comes to Earth as a child and grows up to be his home's first superhero with his first major challenge being to oppose The Spider Lady.
Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet, Thomas Carr | Stars: Kirk Alyn, Noel Neill, Tommy Bond, Carol Forman
Votes: 1,217
14. Batman Returns (1992)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Crime, Fantasy
While Batman deals with a deformed man calling himself the Penguin wreaking havoc across Gotham with the help of a cruel businessman, a female employee of the latter becomes the Catwoman with her own vendetta.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken
Votes: 327,301 | Gross: $162.83M
15. Batman (1943)
Approved | 260 min | Action, Crime, Family
The very first serial to adapt the comic book character of the Batman. In it, the Batman is a secret U.S. government agent, attempting to defeat the schemes of Japanese agent Dr. Daka operating in Los Angeles at the height of World War II.
Director: Lambert Hillyer | Stars: Lewis Wilson, Douglas Croft, J. Carrol Naish, Shirley Patterson
Votes: 2,472
16. Superman II (1980)
PG | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.
Director: Richard Lester | Stars: Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty
Votes: 114,576 | Gross: $108.19M
17. Constantine (2005)
R | 121 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
Supernatural exorcist and demonologist John Constantine helps a policewoman prove her sister's death was not a suicide, but something more.
Director: Francis Lawrence | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Djimon Hounsou, Shia LaBeouf
Votes: 373,983 | Gross: $75.98M
18. Superman Returns (2006)
PG-13 | 154 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Superman returns to Earth after spending five years in space examining his homeworld Krypton. But he finds things have changed while he was gone, and he must once again prove himself important to the world.
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden
Votes: 291,281 | Gross: $200.08M
19. The Losers (I) (2010)
PG-13 | 97 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A CIA special forces team is betrayed and left for dead by their superiors, galvanizing them to mount an offensive on the CIA.
Director: Sylvain White | Stars: Idris Elba, Zoe Saldana, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans
Votes: 106,975 | Gross: $23.58M
20. Batman: The Movie (1966)
PG | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The Dynamic Duo faces four supervillains who plan to hold the world for ransom with the help of a secret invention that instantly dehydrates people.
Director: Leslie H. Martinson | Stars: Adam West, Burt Ward, Lee Meriwether, Cesar Romero
Votes: 35,779
21. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
In an alternate Victorian Age world, a group of famous contemporary fantasy, science fiction, and adventure characters team up on a secret mission.
Director: Stephen Norrington | Stars: Sean Connery, Stuart Townsend, Peta Wilson, Jason Flemyng
Votes: 183,891 | Gross: $66.47M
22. Batman Forever (1995)
PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Adventure
Batman must battle former district attorney Harvey Dent, who is now Two-Face and Edward Nygma, The Riddler with help from an amorous psychologist and a young circus acrobat who becomes his sidekick, Robin.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman
Votes: 266,449 | Gross: $184.03M
23. Swamp Thing (1982)
PG | 91 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
After a violent incident with a special chemical, a research scientist is turned into a swamp plant monster.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Louis Jourdan, Adrienne Barbeau, Ray Wise, David Hess
Votes: 16,317
24. The Spirit (2008)
PG-13 | 103 min | Action, Crime, Fantasy
Rookie cop Denny Colt returns from the beyond as The Spirit, a hero whose mission is to fight against the bad forces in Central City.
Director: Frank Miller | Stars: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Jaime King
Votes: 62,827 | Gross: $19.78M
25. Superman III (1983)
PG | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Synthetic kryptonite laced with tar splits Superman in two: good Clark Kent and bad Man of Steel.
Director: Richard Lester | Stars: Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper
Votes: 74,737 | Gross: $59.95M
26. Jonah Hex (2010)
PG-13 | 81 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
The U.S. military makes a scarred bounty hunter with warrants on his own head an offer he cannot refuse: in exchange for his freedom, he must stop a terrorist who is ready to unleash Hell on Earth.
Director: Jimmy Hayward | Stars: Josh Brolin, Megan Fox, John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender
Votes: 61,771 | Gross: $10.54M
27. Wonder Woman (1974 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 73 min | Fantasy
A super-hero uses her powers to thwart an international spy ring.
Director: Vincent McEveety | Stars: Cathy Lee Crosby, Kaz Garas, Andrew Prine, Ricardo Montalban
Votes: 1,470
28. Supergirl (1984)
PG | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
After losing a powerful orb, Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin, comes to Earth to retrieve it and instead finds herself up against a wicked witch.
Director: Jeannot Szwarc | Stars: Helen Slater, Faye Dunaway, Peter O'Toole, Mia Farrow
Votes: 24,010 | Gross: $13.60M
29. The Return of Swamp Thing (1989)
PG-13 | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
In this tongue-in-cheek sequel, the benevolent bog creature falls for the vegetarian, plant-loving daughter of the evil scientist who created him.
Director: Jim Wynorski | Stars: Dick Durock, Heather Locklear, Louis Jourdan, Sarah Douglas
Votes: 6,304 | Gross: $0.19M
30. Batman & Robin (1997)
PG-13 | 125 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Batman and Robin try to keep their relationship together even as they must stop Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing Gotham City.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Uma Thurman
Votes: 268,006 | Gross: $107.33M
31. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
PG | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The Man of Steel crusades for nuclear disarmament and meets Lex Luthor's latest creation, Nuclear Man.
Director: Sidney J. Furie | Stars: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper
Votes: 52,693 | Gross: $15.68M
32. Catwoman (2004)
PG-13 | 104 min | Action, Crime, Fantasy
A shy woman, endowed with the speed, reflexes, and senses of a cat, walks a thin line between criminal and hero, even as a detective doggedly pursues her, fascinated by both of her personas.
Director: Pitof | Stars: Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, Benjamin Bratt, Lambert Wilson
Votes: 125,761 | Gross: $40.20M
33. Steel (1997)
PG-13 | 97 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
A scientist for the military turns himself into a cartoon-like superhero when a version of one of his own weapons is being used against enemies.
Director: Kenneth Johnson | Stars: Shaquille O'Neal, Annabeth Gish, Judd Nelson, Richard Roundtree
Votes: 15,070 | Gross: $1.71M
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