Slick action, a touch of danger, a moody hero with an edge -- this year's top action/adventure flicks trended toward the dark, highlighting a caped crusader, a gigantic ape, and pulpy degenerates. Thrilling audiences with the top adjusted score of 77.80 and the highest Tomatometer in the genre, "Batman Begins" performs a tricky task, successfully bringing a gloomy spin to an already eclectic and established franchise. At 83% on the Tomatometer, this comic superhero tale was described as "a smart, gritty, brooding, visceral experience" by Hollywood Reporter critic Kirk Honeycutt. Richard Roeper called "Batman Begins" "the best Batman ever by far," and he's right -- the fifth full-length film in the franchise, Chris Nolan's take is not only the best version in recent years, it also boasts the highest Tomatometer of the entire franchise.

Running a close second to the caped crusader, with an adjusted score of 77.25 and a tying Tomatometer of 83%, "King Kong" brings the epic story of the titular ape with a fondness for blondes to a whole new generation. Director Peter Jackson infused his "Kong" with heart and mind-blowing special effects, prompting Tom Long of the Detroit News to call it "Monstrous. Monumental. Magnificent."

Coming in third with an adjusted score of 73.51 and a Tomatometer of 78%, "Sin City" brings a new twist to the comic book genre. Dark and edgy, the Frank Miller-Robert Rodriguez project took Miller's original comic to the screen with a blend of live action and viscerally inked scenes, colors dripping off every shot with a fantastically shocking sensibility. "It's a visualization of the pulp noir imagination, uncompromising and extreme," wrote Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert. "Yes, and brilliant."

For more results, check out the list below.

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