MY TOP 5 COMIC BOOK MOVIE PERFORMANCES

This week I’ve encountered a topic on several occasions.  I think the topic was sparked by the opening of Thor: The Dark World, but it seems the discussion of BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE ACTOR just seems to keep being in my face.  This is a very loaded and interesting topic that I could personally go on talking about for quite some time because their have been some great performances. 

Yesterday on Facebook I asked my friends who their TOP 5 COMIC BOOK MOVIE ACTORS were.  Again, it’s a great topic and I got some great responses.  I then thought about every ones suggestions and had to took my own personal preference into account and have mark my own TOP 5 list.  I had to take out TV series and animated movies because then it would just be ungodly to make a TOP 10 list even.  I thought about Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach, Alan Cummings as Nightcrawler, J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, and both Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger in their interpretations as The Joker. There have been some great performances!

So, like I said, I had to take my own taste into mind.  Some may argue with me about my TOP 5, just like I may with theirs, but these are 5 actors who I feel just nailed their roles and brought these characters to life where I felt that they were being ripped right off the comic page.

5) Wesley Snipes as Eric Brook/Blade

Say what you will about  Blade: Trinity I found it to be entertaining when I first saw it, mainly because Ryan Reynolds was hilarious in it.  For three films Wesley Snipes perfected the scowl of The Daywalker.  He was hard-edged and could kick some serious ass.  You saw the conflict in him and saw that he lived his part from the first reading of the script to the very last re-shoot.  To me, this all comes through on screen and just makes me smile every time Blade starts kicking ass from in the first scene of every movie. 

MY FAVORITE LINE:

Blade: Some mother-fuckers are always trying to ice-skate up hill.

4) Chris Evans as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch

Growing up, I loved The Human Torch.  He was silly, funny, and always cool.  As a young boy who couldn’t be entranced by the characters charisma.  As a kid, I always thought of my family as the Fantastic Four.  My father was Mr. Fantastic as the nerdy science guy none of us really connected with.  My mother was The Invisible Woman who tried to keep us together and functional.  My brother was The Thing, a little brooding, a little misunderstood, and we always seem to get on each others nerves.  Which of course left me as The Human Torch, a kid who was a little to arrogant, a little to energetic, and always wanted to look good in front of a crowd.

Regardless of how you may feel about the FF films Chris Evan encompassed everything I thought The Human Torch was or could be.  Evans was the comedy relief in the first Fantastic Four film and was so well liked he had the main character arch in the second film.  When Evans was cast as Captain America I thought it was a horrible choice.  I loved Evan as Johnny Storm, a character who could not be further from Steve Rogers.  But Evan surprised me and did a great job as Cap and I can’t wait for Winter Soldier to come out.  But to me, Evans will always be The Human Torch with the delivery of one line.

SUE: You don’t really want to walk around on-fire for the rest of your life, do you?

JOHNNY: Is that a trick question?

3) Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine

In my life I would consider myself an uber-geek about 3 things; Star Wars, Superman, and X-Men.  Because of this I am very critical about any movie about these topics.  I would say that four out of the six X-Men films are watchable and three I actually enjoy watching.  Hugh Jackman is over 6 ft tall.  In the comic books Logan is supposed to be no bigger than 5’7.  This is really my only beef with Jackman as playing the man who is best there is at what he does, and what he does isn’t very nice.

For six X-Men movies Jackman has played this character, and regardless of how I felt about each one, I was always impressed with Jackman as Wolverine.  He brings the rage, the depth, the vulnerability, the loneliness, and heroism, to this character like I always dreamed he would be in real life.  I can read a comic with Wolverine in it and picture Jackman delivering those lines and making it seem real. Although I can only hope that X-Men: Days of Future Past will be as good as the trailer makes it seems I have no doubt Jackman as Wolverine will be great no matter what.  I’m also hearing rumors of a 3^rd Wolverine solo film.  Give me a Fastball Special on that one!

MY FAVORITE LINE:

Wolverine: You picked the wrong house bub.

2) Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man

RDJ is quoted in saying that Iron Man saved his life.  Downey has had a roller-coaster-career. He's had  problems with drugs and alcohol that landed him in rehab and jail several times.  When I heard RDJ was cast as Tony Stark I thought, “a recovering, alcoholic, actor playing an alcoholic, narcissistic, superhero.  Perfect!” 

I’m not a big Iron Man fan but even I knew Donwey was made for this role.  After everything he went through in his life it helped him understand this character and bring him to life with such fullness no one could have matched.  RDJ has made this character more likable and bankable than any of the other Marvel Studio characters, and jump-started the whole Marvel cinematic universe.  Can you believe at one point Tom Cruise was considered to play Tony Stark?  Man, that would have been horrible!
MY FAVORITE LINE:
Tony Stark: They say the best weapon is the one you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once. That's how Dad did it, that's who America does it, and it's worked out pretty well so far.
Iron Man: 

1)Christopher Reeves as Clark Kent/Superman

Like you didn’t see this coming!  Most people who have an actual valued opinion on this subject matter grew up with Christopher Reeves as their Superman.  I wasn’t even born yet when Superman: The Movie was released but even I know the importance of the film and, Reeves iconic role, in the history of film and superhero/comic book genre.  He made us believe a man could fly.  He made us all believe that some one could be that good, and genuine, and honorable. Which is kind of the who point of Superman.

I have enjoyed other portrayals of the Man of Steel since Reeve hung up his cape.  Dean Cain turned him into the “every man” while I think Henry Cavill brought this character into a new age, even thought I have serious issues with Man of Steel, like so many issues that as a long-time Superman fan I can not bring myself to buy the blu-ray. 

Anyway, Reeves distinctly made sure that Clark Kent and Superman were two completely different people.  Every time I watch Superman: The Movie I still finish with thinking how awesome Reeves performance was.  He was the first actor to take a superhero seriously.  Without Reeves or this film the comic book and superhero genre in film would not have advanced so far to gives us Batman a decade later with Michael Keaton (who almost made my list) as a Dark Knight who was way more different than the last person to don the cowl; Adam West.  This is the movie I think all superhero films should aspire to be, and all who play comic book characters should aspire to this level of acting.

MY FAVORITE LINE:

Superman: General, would you care to step outside?