I Am Iron Man

I saw the movie "Iron Man" last night and thought it was an excellent comic book adaptation.

We have now entered the "Golden Age" of movie adaptations of comic books. I remember when I was a kid they tried a few such movies (a really bad version of Captain America starring J.D. Salinger's son comes to mind) with disastrous results; I suppose the major advances in movie special effects have helped make the newer attempts more successful, but it's not only that: the more successful ventures have showed the characteris in a more complex light resulting in more sophisticated, "realistic" storylines.

Where does "Iron Man" rank on the all-time list of comic book movie adaptations? Pretty high on my personal list:

#5: Spider-Man (the 1st one)

#4: V for Vendetta

#3: Iron Man (this one)

#2: Hellboy (the 1st one--haven't seen the 2nd one yet but looking forward to it)

#1: X-Men (the 1st one)

Honorable mentions to League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the 2nd X-Men movie (I debated with putting on as #5 instead of Spidey), Batman Begins, Sin City, and Superman II.

Duds include The Hulk (though I haven't seen the 2nd version), Daredevil, Elektra, I Am Legend, and most of the Batman movies.