Credit: Chris Pizello/Invision/AP/ShutterstockProlific moviemaker and new head of the DC Multiverse at Warner Bros., James Gunn, sat down with GQ recently to discuss his favorite comic book films – and fans of his work may be surprised to know that not only is his favorite comic book movies not one of his own, or even one that looks like his.
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It’s Spider-man: Into The Spider-Verse.
Gunn described the 2019 Oscar winner as his “favorite superhero movie and my favorite comic book movie.” He said:
“This movie works from start to finish. It does not have a bad beat in it. The action was amazing, the emotion was amazing, the voice acting was incredible, it was well directed, well written; and I just don’t think that there’s been a better superhero movie than Into The Spider-Verse.”
Gunn also called Into the Spider-Verse “the first comic-book Multiverse movie” and said that even of all the existing ones, this one was among the best; it had fewer plot holes and was tight and elegant. He said it served as a great reminder that we should focus on making “high-quality animation that is not secondary.”
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“There is an advantage to animated films,” he said, specifically regarding planning abilities – “I think it’s one of the reasons why there are so many good, tight animated films, and more often than not, they’re better than live-action films.”
As far as the next four on the list go, there are some mainstream and more niche films. One of the mainstream ones, his second on the list, will surprise no one: It’s the Richard Donner Superman from 1978. He called it “a movie that changed my life.”
“I remember seeing it at the Pear Cinema in Manchester Missouri when it was first released.”
Compared to Star Wars, it is a “big magical movie.”
In discussing the film and the talents of its lead actor Christopher Reeve, Gunn also gave away what he’s looking for as he casts his own Superman movie. Rumors have been flying left and right, with the latest being that Nicolas Hoult is the frontrunner for the role.
“At the time, they did exactly what we’re doing now: They’re going through tons and tons of actors to see who captures that spirit…there’s this playfulness about Superman, like when he’s saving a cat; he’s got that wry smile, and that is one of the best part of the movie, is the playfulness of Superman. He enjoys what he’s doing. He likes helping human beings, he likes saving them.”
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His third and fourth picks were the more offbeat ones.
Number three was David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence, a film that Gunn didn’t even know was based on a graphic novel when he saw it – he just loved it. He mentioned that the director had a huge influence on him.
“I think Cronenberg has a way of turning the world just slightly to see something ugly about it, in a beautiful way, if that makes sense.”
The fourth pick was the Korean film Oldboy, about a man who wants vengeance for being locked in solitary confinement for twenty years. He described the film as “cinematic, colorful, gross, beautiful.”
“A lot of people don’t know this is a comic book film, but it’s based on a manga and it’s a Korean film. It reinvented action, and it really ushered in a new era of Korean cinema, which has continued to this day.”
Interestingly enough, Gunn also said the hallway fight in this film inspired the one in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
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Number five on the list was another Marvel story: the ever-beloved Deadpool.
“I think Deadpool is the perfect adaptation of a comic book, because a comic book is very much tongue-in-cheek, very much breaking the fourth wall all the time, talking to the audience, and I think the movie does that really well – but somehow keeps it a little more grounded and gives it a little more heart than the comics had.”
Gunn highlighted Ryan Reynolds as the film’s best part, comparing him and his dry humor to Christopher Reeves’ Superman and Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man.
“He’s one of the all time great comic book icons.”
Gunn’s honorable mentions for the list included Deadpool 2, Iron Man, V for Vendetta, and Spider-Man: Homecoming. He was very unsure about the exact positions of his choices, and he warned his audience that he might wake up tomorrow having completely changed his mind.
As far as his movies go, he said:
“My movies are like my children. So I can’t say one that I like better than the other.”
What do you think of James Gunn’s comic book movie rankings? Let us know in the comments.