James Gunn has become one of the most influential figures in superhero cinema in recent years: with the “Guardians Of The Galaxy” trilogy he has staged three of the best and most popular MCU films and with “The Suicide Squad” he really unleashed it in the DC universe. But he was also one of the creative minds behind the entire Avengers universe (who came up with the backstory of the Infinity Stones, for example). And from now on, as director and architect, he takes care of the new DC universe, which will begin with “Superman: Legacy”.
Long story short, James Gunn is someone whose voice carries a lot of weight among fans of superhero movies and the like. Now Gunn has revealed his five favorite comic book movies:
5th Place: “Deadpool”
James Gunn ranks Deadpool #5 on his list because it’s a “perfect comic edit” acts like he would to the magazine formulated. To him, the Deadpool in the movie is just as crazy and meta as the one in the comics, but at the same time, the character, perfectly embodied by Ryan Reynolds, also has a bit more heart.
4th Place: “Old Boy”
Fourth place for Gunn goes to a movie that many may not even know is a comic book adaptation – or more specifically a manga adaptation. “Oldboy” has in Gunn’s eyes not only reinvented Korean cinema, but also international action cinema, here he mainly highlights the iconic fight in the hallway. Gunn’s conclusion: Coarse, beautiful and with a really nasty twist.
3rd Place: “A History of Violence”
Third place is taken by another comedy film adaptation that many should not have on their screens: David Cronenberg’s “A History Of Violence” is based on the graphic novel of the same name by John Wagner and Vince Locke. Gunn appreciates the emotional, passionate thriller for its superbly staged action sequences and the infamous trap sex scene between Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello.
2nd Place: “Superman”
Second place, on the other hand, shouldn’t come as a surprise, because as mentioned at the outset, James Gunn is an upcoming “Superman” director. Richard Thunders “super dude‘ from 1978 changed his lifeGunn said it was the next big magic movie after 1977’s first “Star Wars.” So we wouldn’t be surprised if Superman: Legacy follows the film’s fun-loving tone and Christopher Reeve’s good-natured Man of Steel.
1st Place: “Spider-Man: A New Universe”
Gunn then puts “Spider-Man: A New Universe” first, which also received an excellent 4.5 out of 5 stars from the FILMSTARTS editors. For Gunn, the superbly animated, written, directed and voiced film works from start to finish there just isn’t a better and more elegant superhero movie for him.
If you want to see the full conversation with James Gunn, you can do so in this video from GQ. In it, the director and screenwriter also reveals which films just missed a spot in his top 5, including “Iron Man” and “V for Vendetta”: