Ian McKellen as Magneto
You could say that the premise of this post is shamelessly stolen from ComicBook.com's Top 10 Comic Book Movie Actors. I prefer to think of this as a response. The execution of their list was excellent, but I disagree with their selections.
For better or worse, I'm focusing on superhero comic book films and live-action material only. Otherwise, this list would be dominated by Will Smith (Men in Black), Mark Hamill (Joker), and Kevin Conroy (Batman).
Honorable mentions: Adam West has some serious balls. Next? Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane in Iron Man. Finally, Stan "The Man" Lee. Who could forget "Guy Who Gets Turned Away from Reed and Sue's Wedding" or "Guy Who Gets Sick from Banner's Blood in a Soda Bottle"???
9. Michael Chiklis as The Thing. It's easy to forget that Chiklis is under pounds and pounds of makeup because he makes Ben Grimm look so natural. His work is both memorable and charming. Big props.
8. Heath Ledger as Joker. Should he be higher up on this list? While Ledger was terrific, I don't dig on his performance as much as most. I think he was solid and unique (and worthy of this list), but his acting was also very forced.
7. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. A truly odd choice for the role of Logan. Back in 2000, everyone said Wolvie was too soft in X-Men. Though he was unusually sensitive, he really let loose in X2: X-Men United and claimed the character in that film.
6. Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. She became a cat. Seriously, Selina Kyle never looked so sexy and so feline in her entire existence until Michelle took hold of the role. The physical element of her performance is simply amazing.
5. Michael Keaton as Batman. The litmus test for being great? Keaton's Bruce Wanye sticks in my head like no other live-action Batman performance. Like Jackman, he's an oddity from a casting perspective, but he really delivers.
4. Famke Janssen as Jean Grey. I can close my eyes right now and hear the soft delivery of Famke as Jean. Her acting is so well-rounded and composed that I always forget I'm watching an actress and completely believe I'm watching Jean Grey.
3. Jack Nicholson as Joker. It seems easy to play a wacky Joker until you think about the inherent contradiction between his aggression and his humor. Nicholson maintained an amazing balance that inspired fear and laughter at the same time.
2. Sir Ian McKellen as Magneto. Now this is what I'm talking about! When you find yourself quoting an actor without even trying, they've done their job. "Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answers?" "We are the future, Charles, not them." Wonderful.
1. Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man. Downey is Tony. Tony is Downey. I mean, REALLY, this guy became the character. Tony Stark, while having fluctuating levels of charm within his own comics, was catapulted to the Hall of Fame of Charisma by Robert Downey, Jr. 'Nuff said.
More: Comic Book Disloyalty and the Future of Cinema.
Why the Top 9? Because 10 is too many and 9 is better. 3 X 3 = Awesome. Now that’s what I call math.
I don't know if I ever bought Janssen as Jean Grey. It is always going to be hard for me to disassociate her with Xenia Onatop. Personally, I think we should give Halle Berry some props for pulling off a decent Storm - or maybe Alan Cumming for his Nightcrawler.
i was thinking about Cumming for Nightcrawler... okay that sounded wrong... anyway, i was thinking he did a good job... but then i realized that it was the special effects that really sold the Fuzzy Elf and not Cumming's performance. i mean, he was actually pretty cheesy. "look at my tattoos!" and the whole implied romantic interest in Storm = lame.
as for Storm, i truly wanted to enjoy Berry's performance, but i thought it sucked. no other way to say it. she had this weird on-again off-again African accent that never panned out, she looked awful in the costume, and she only really got good screen time in X3, which, by the way, blew chunks. i have really high expectations for Storm, so it's gonna be tough to meet my criteria. but nothing about Halle's performance captured any of the glory of the character.
Dude, are you kidding? Halle Berry's Storm was fucking terrible. I agree that Downey Jr. definitely has turned Iron Man into a serious franchise--but it is important to note Bridges as Obadiah (I personally think that Bridges is one of the great actors of our time, so I'm biased towards enjoying his performance, but I think he really nailed the balance between acting and comic-book over-the-topness).
I agree with Neal, though, about Jamsen, she seems way way too high on your list there, Nick. Nor are Stan Lee's self-serving cameos worth noting.
And what about Gene Hackman in Superman?
are YOU kidding, Pete? Hackman in Superman??? the guy has a "wah waaahhh" noise playing behind him in like half of his scenes. maybe the chick that played Lois Lane, but otherwise i find those Superman films to be populated by stiff acting.
i hear you guys on Janssen, but i think she was great. to me, she had a very memorable few performances. and i gave Bridges props... AND i was tempted to give him more and put him in the top 9... but i just claim him to be THAT good (at least not until i have some more distance from the film).
Well, I guess it's actually been many years since I've seen those Superman movies, but my childhood memory has me liking Hackman. Whatever. I like "wah wah" noises too.
Do you ever do Bottom 9 lists? The nine worst superhero performances would be fun to spot too (Halle Berry definitely makes that list).
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okay... let's do that list for next week! nominations are open RIGHT (wait for it... keeping waiting... almost there) NOW:
worst superhero movie actor noms
- Halle Berry
- Christian Bale
- Jim Carrey
- Vinnie Jones
give me more!
I agree with your first three, definitely (but I don't know who Vinnie Jones is).
The dude that played Cyclops also blew hard...
That soccer player who was Juggernaut...
Someone that does NOT make the list is Arnold as Ice Man, because its too much fun quoting his terribly campy performance, but Uma Thurman should get nega-props as Poison Ivy...
Ben Affleck as Daredevil...
Vinnie Jones was Juggernaut! Arnold was Mr. Freeze and he ruled - defintely NOT this list material. i do agree that Uma should make the list.
i'm not quite ready to call Cyke a failure yet, but i'll put him on the noms list for sure. Affleck already has a top spot with name on it.
so thus far we have:
- Halle Berry (Storm AND Catwoman)
- Christian Bale (Batman)
- Jim Carrey (Riddler)
- Vinnie Jones (Juggernaut)
- James Marsden (Cyclops)
- Uma Thurman (Poison Ivy)
- Ben Affleck (Daredevil)
let me add:
- Matt Salinger (Captain America)
a few more choices for you: George Clooney (Bat Nipples), Chris O'Donnell (Robin), Alicia Silverstone (She-Bats), Ray Park (Toad from X-Men), Cillian Murphy (Scarecrow from Bats Begins), Julian McMahon (Dr. Doom), Tobey Maguire (Spidey)...
lets not forget THE ENTIRE CAST of the Nick Fury movie! (Lisa Rinna & The Hoff)
agreed. the hoff needs to be on the list.
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I think the issue with the Clooney batman movie is that so many of them were terrible, so it would just water down the list to list them all separatly. We should either pick the worst of them or give them a slot as an ensemble. Personally, I think Uma was the worst of 'em and deserves a slot of her own. Maybe a toss up between Silverstone and O'Donnel, but they were more guilty of being totally bland, rather than out and out bad.
i'll buy that, pete. current list of noms:
- Halle Berry (Storm AND Catwoman)
- Christian Bale (Batman)
- Jim Carrey (Riddler)
- Vinnie Jones (Juggernaut)
- James Marsden (Cyclops)
- Uma Thurman (Poison Ivy)
- Ben Affleck (Daredevil)
- Matt Salinger (Captain America) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mECh8elEPTM
- Cillian Murphy (Scarecrow)
- Tobey Maguire (Spidey)
- David Hasselhoff (Nick Fury) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOuERMAjl0Y
disagree with any of these?
I didn't have much invested in Spiderman one way or the other, but I didn't really mind Tobey Macquire (but I only watched the first movie, part of the second, and none of the third one).
I don't think Cillian Murphy was too bad either. Otherwise, it looks pretty good...
but in the end, its your top (bottom) nine, so you make the final call.
now pete. this is ours. just like the child.
- Halle Berry (Storm AND Catwoman)
- Christian Bale (Batman)
- Jim Carrey (Riddler)
- Vinnie Jones (Juggernaut)
- James Marsden (Cyclops)
- Uma Thurman (Poison Ivy)
- Ben Affleck (Daredevil)
- Matt Salinger (Captain America)
- David Hasselhoff (Nick Fury)
i can't believe no mention for Nic Cage in Ghost Rider. wtf
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ross - ghost rider was not a good look for Cage.
Halle Berry was on of the worst comic book movie performances ever.
I totally agree with Famke Janssen's placement on the list, btw. She gave really nuanced performances in X2 and X3. Ian McKellen himself actually singled Famke out for her excellent performance in X3 (and she won a Saturn award for her performance, beating out Cate Blanchett). Doing the multiple personality thing is not as easy as it looks!
thx creejay. i agree with you about famke. "nuanced" is a great word to use to describe her job as jean.