The best reviewed superhero/comic book movies

SALT LAKE CITY - The much anticipated, "Avengers" is finally ready to debut and people are literally lining up to be the first to see the superhero team organize and take it to Loki. In honor of possibly the biggest superhero movie of all time we're going to take a look at the best reviewed superhero/ comic book movies.

This list was a little tricky because superhero/comic book movies encompass so much. So, I left out graphic novels and tried to stick to the more mainstream comic book films. That's why you will not see films like, "Sin City," "Watchmen" and "300" on the list.

The scores you see with the title are from Rotten Tomatoes which gives each film a score based off of negative versus positive reviews. The first number is the critics score and the second is audience score.

So, now that you have background let's get started.

10. Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Critics 87%, Audience 70%

This sequel wasn't the box office smash filmmakers had hoped, but critics seemed to love Guillermo del Toro's vision of Hellboy. Audiences enjoyed the flick, but didn't think it was quite as great as critics did.

9. X-Men: First Class - Critics 87%, Audience 88%

First Class was a bit of a gamble following the poor response to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." But a solid cast, a smart story and classic style wowed critics and audiences. First Class is the second highest rated film in the X-Men franchise.

8. X2: X-Men United - Critics 88%, Audience 84%

The X-Men sequel is considered stronger than the original and the film brought in more than $214 million at the box office. The film added to the solid "X-Men" and managed to improve on story and direction. Bryan Singer directed both entries, but he seemed to really hone his skill and eye for X2.

7. Superman II (1981) - Critics 88%, Audience 66%

To many, Christopher Reeve will always be Superman and Richard Donner/Richard Lester's "Superman II" is considered, by many, as one of the greatest superhero movies of all time. This entry in the series gave us an opportunity to see the indestructible Superman as a normal man. The film features one of the best super villains, General Zod, and managed to make over $100 million at the box office.

6. Spider-Man - Critics 89%, Audience 65%

Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" helped superhero movies become what they are today. The film not only told the story of a superhero, but it told it well. It showed that even with superpowers, superheroes have problems. The nerdy Tobey Maguire gave us a different hero and a box office total of more than $400 million proved that superhero movies could be goldmines.

5. Spider-Man 2 - Critics 93%, Audience 81%

Here's a film, like X2, that improved upon the original. "Spider-Man 2" had a sharper story and a sleeker look than the first and many critics thought it was the best comic book movie ever made at the time.

4. The Avengers - Critics 93%, Audience N/A

That's right, the film hasn't even been released yet and it's in the top five. Critics love the big, epic setting of the Avengers calling it, "stylish," "intelligent," "entertaining" and "exhilarating."

American audiences haven't had a crack at the film yet, it's already been released overseas, but considering how much fans loved "Iron Man," "Thor" and "Captain America," count on the "Avengers" being a huge hit with the masses.

3. Superman(1978) - Critics 94%, Audience 77%

As good as "Superman II" was, it didn't quite live up to the original. The film was smart, funny, touching and downright fun. Reeve proved to be a great choice for the Man of Steel and Richard Donner put together a film that would define a genre.

2. Iron Man - Critics 94%, Audience 91%

Eyebrows around the world were raised when word came out that comeback-kid Robert Downey Jr. was cast as the billionaire bad boy Tony Stark. All of the concerns were put to bed when everyone saw him kill the role in 2008's "Iron Man."

Not only was the film entertaining, but the story was fantastic. The characters were well developed and interesting. The villain was unexpected and frightening and Downey was brilliant. The film blew away both critics and audiences and may very well stand as Marvel's best movie.

1. The Dark Knight - Critics 94%, Audience 96%

As you can see, the last three films on the list have the same score. The reason they have been put in this order is going off of the audience score.

"The Dark Knight" was the second installment in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. The first was 2005's "Batman Begins" and the third is this summer's "The Dark Knight Rises."

Dark Knight offered a real, dark grittiness that had been missing from so many comic book films. We saw Batman and all of his flaws. We saw that a superhero/comic book movie didn't just have to be just frills and explosions, but it could actually be an incredible film.

Dark Knight boasts an intriguing story, mesmerizing direction; take your breath away action and some of the best acting ever shown on screen. Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker was hyped for months, and there was a good reason for that. His portrayal of the psychotic anarchist demanded your attention and even earned him a posthumous Academy Award for best supporting actor.

"The Dark Knight" is considered, by many, as the best comic book film of all time and has fans chomping at the bit for the conclusion, "The Dark Knight Rises."

Here is a quick list of numbers 11 - 20 on the list.

11. Batman Begins - Critics 85%, Audience 90%

12. X-Men - Critics 82%, Audience 83%

13. Hellboy - Critics 81%, Audience 63%

14. Captain America - Critics 79%, Audience 75%

15. Batman Returns - Critics 79%, Audience 68%

16. Thor - Critics 77%, Audience 80%

17. Superman Returns (2006) - Critics 76%, Audience 67%

18. Iron Man 2 - Critics 74%, Audience 80%

19. Batman(1989) - Critics 72%, Audience 78%

20. The Incredible Hulk - Critics 66%, Audience 75%

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