descent comic book films

[tuck]

why are most films based on comics s**te?
batman was horrible
spiderman was ok but couldve been better
i haven't seen daredevil yet but why cant they get the kingpin's skin colour right?

they should make a movie out of the nam.

[Damien]

I dont think anybody would know if NAM was a comic book or just another vietnam story...

I would like to see GI JOE instead...

[fireal]

Movies based on comics! Here are a few:

Batman: I liked this. Had a really good dark feel to it and it portrayed the character well even if the story got changed about a bit. Plus Jack Nicholson as the Joker was one of the best casting moves ever.

Batman Returns: Again I liked this movie. Still had the right dark feel to it and again the casting was great. Almost as good as the first.

Batman Forever: Oh dear. Val Kilmer as Batman.!? What chimp thought of that? Jim Carrey was excellent as the Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones was good as Two-face but Chris O'Donnell as Robin. Oh dear oh dear.

Batman and Robin: Now this one has a promising cast with Swartzenegger as Mr Freeze ( he does have some funny if cheesey lines) and George Clooney looks cool as Batman but it gets bogged down in a crappy story line and even crappier actors ( Alicia Silverstone was so wooden I thought I would get splinters just watching her!).

Superman 1 & 2: Now this is a top quality show. Plain good fun all the way with Christopher Reeves as a slightly pudgy Supes.

Superman 3 & 4: Dunno what was going here. 4 was just plain terrible.

X-Men: Finally! A top quality comic movie! Even though I am a life long X-men fan I couldn't see one problem with it.

Daredevil: Again I totally enjoyed this flick. A nice dark feel to it like Batman. I was a bit dubious of Ben Affleck being Matt Murdock but he pulls it off really well.

Spiderman: A good movie but I felt that it was a bit over hyped after watching it.

Judge Dredd: Dredd was the first comic character I ever read when I was only 4 so this movie had a huge appeal for me. The first half was really good and then they took off the helmet and it all went down the crapper!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Captain America: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...... HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now this year we have X-2, the Hulk and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The hulk has left me drooloing the most at the minute I think because the teasers were so damn good. Can't wait!

[Damien]

Batman: I liked this. Had a really good dark feel to it and it portrayed the character well even if the story got changed about a bit. Plus Jack Nicholson as the Joker was one of the best casting moves ever.

This movie is so good that the comic has change to look like the movie.

Batman Returns: Again I liked this movie. Still had the right dark feel to it and again the casting was great. Almost as good as the first.

Sorry got old very fast...

Batman Forever: Oh dear. Val Kilmer as Batman.!? What chimp thought of that? Jim Carrey was excellent as the Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones was good as Two-face but Chris O'Donnell as Robin. Oh dear oh dear.

If it wasnt for Jim Carrey this movie would of sucked, and I cannot believe that Jim Carrey saved this movie... Jim "Cannot Act" Carrey... wow...

Batman and Robin: Now this one has a promising cast with Swartzenegger as Mr Freeze ( he does have some funny if cheesey lines) and George Clooney looks cool as Batman but it gets bogged down in a crappy story line and even crappier actors ( Alicia Silverstone was so wooden I thought I would get splinters just watching her!).

This is the big budget version of "Plan 9", I could only think somebody grab's Edwards script by mistake... but then I think all the acters were on the rush in making the movie (is it me or did they sound like they were "reading" the script durring filming)

Superman 1 & 2: Now this is a top quality show. Plain good fun all the way with Christopher Reeves as a slightly pudgy Supes.

Superman 3 & 4: Dunno what was going here. 4 was just plain terrible.

I liked Superman upto the last 10 mins... where the man of steel has turn the clock of time by moving the world backwards... very crapy... I do think Superman 2 would of been good if he didnt do all this "I love Lois crap" and Superman 3 (or The Richard Pryor movie with Superman) did have some intresting things... but it wasnt really a Superman movie. And Superman 4... so boring that I must of slept thru the whole movie.

X-Men: Finally! A top quality comic movie! Even though I am a life long X-men fan I couldn't see one problem with it.

Yea, right... I hope part 2 is much better... sure the characters were like from the comic... but could we please get some better bad guys... the good guys seems to outnumber the bad guys by so much that I just thought it was funny... and if your a true x-man fan... wouldnt it be better to do a movie off a comic book adventure...

Daredevil: Again I totally enjoyed this flick. A nice dark feel to it like Batman. I was a bit dubious of Ben Affleck being Matt Murdock but he pulls it off really well.

Havent seen the move and it does look good, but many people dont like King Pin being a black guy... I have to see the movie to really judge.

Spiderman: A good movie but I felt that it was a bit over hyped after watching it.

Boring!!! very crapy... it makes me wounder why make a story about the comic book character if they keep changing the character from the comic to movie (Typical in almost every comic book character movie)

Judge Dredd: Dredd was the first comic character I ever read when I was only 4 so this movie had a huge appeal for me. The first half was really good and then they took off the helmet and it all went down the crapper!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

(This is why I like to posted a reply here)

Judge Dredd by my understanding is funded by Disney and they (I could only guess) never read the comic book... and got SYLVESTER STALLONE to play the lead character... where here is a problem... they must of payed a good penny for SYLVESTER STALLONE in the movie and then found out that he's character should be wearing a mask... I think Disney's Managment must of freaked out... Stallone is a character that is wearing a mask... (I could only guess if Judge Dredd was done by a low grade actor [and I think most Judge Dredd fans dont care who was really acting as Judge Dredd either] he'll be wearing a mask durring the whole movie.

Captain America: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...... HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Which one are you talking about the poor 1970's or the crappy 1990's...

[Squishy]

"i haven't seen daredevil yet but why cant they get the kingpin's skin colour right?"

Are you suggesting that they should've bleached Michael Clarke Duncan? Or tacked a "whites only" sign on the casting door? Racist stupidity aside, think about this: the Hollywood actor, past or present, who most resembles the comic character is Tor Johnson. Would you have preferred him? ("Uhm a big boy now, Bullseye!") There's always John Rhys-Davies: he's white and therefore perfect for the role, yes?

Of all the not-so-recent superhero flicks--'80s and '90s--the only one I really enjoyed was "Superman: The Movie." The sequels--and "Supergirl"--were too self-parodying to like one bit. While I appreciated the design work and Burton's other efforts in "Batman," the scripts of all four movies in that "franchise" were total disasters, destroying all the (mostly) inspired casting. Plus, watching Keaton struggle with that huge, thick, immobile rubber Bat-mask (would Bats really wear something that prevented him from moving his head?) was just sad.

Fireal has already captured my reactions to "Dredd" and "Captain America." Let's just say I sat through "Captain America" with my mouth hanging wide open in shock from the second "Cap" showed up until about five minutes after the tape ended. Then the violent cursing began.

"X-Men" has several moments of "Hello? WTF is going on? Hello?" that linger for several minutes before being made clear (the Senator Mutant bit) or left half-explained ("I had you to guide me"), and it has a few lines of dialogue that make me wince ("The same thing that happens to everything else!!"), but overall it's a great film and the first truly excellent superhero movie.

"Spider-Man"--all hype aside--is a freaking masterpiece. "X" and "Spider" were (unlike the "Superman" and "Batman" series) pictures made by stable, able, skilled craftsmen who really enjoyed the source material--instead of seeing it as camp crap to giggle at, or their own personal freakshow.

If you can locate them, you have to experience the '40s serials. They're either stunningly awful ("Captain America," "Batman," "Batman and Robin") or a wonder to behold ("The Adventures of Captain Marvel"). Find 'em and enjoy 'em.

[Damien]

Racist... Please dont think of me as being racist...

But if it was good for them to make Kingpin black man, then I could think it would be great to make Professor X a Black actor, Blade a Spanish actor, and Zorro a White actor... and why should Wounder Woman be a Woman why not a guy. Do you see the sillyness here.

Many comic fans are disapointed that Michael Clarke Duncan is playing Kinpin... (this goes by why many comic books stories seems to suck when they become movies because the comics fans arent given any justice from the comic book to movie... Spiderman, is a great example... Like why recreate Spiderman instead of going by the comic book)

Sure Michael Clarke Duncan is a great actor... I love him with the Rock's movie... but Scorpion King isnt a comic book made into a movie.

And what about other super hero's that goes againt Kingpin... Spiderman, and Punisher for example... would it hold justice to make Kingpin's character a Black Actor (like Duncan) or make it a white guy like in the comic book...

[DARKWOLF]

Here's my oppions about the movies Superman 1 great movie 2 also great 3 was pretty good 4 was bad calling Christopher Reeve pudgy what are you smoking? If you saw The Making of Superman The Movie you would see the hard workout they put him threw to be Superman the weights some  were like a power lifter ones. Batman was good but still I would like if they had  the actor Kevin Conroy insted of Michael Keaton. The sequels Batman Returns was good, Batman Forever was pretty good, Batman & Robin sucks. The X-Men I didn't like they should've made the movie about the orignal X-Men Cyclops, Marval Girl aka Jean Gray, Iceman, The Beast, And Angel. Captain America the 70's one was good but the 90's one sucks stupid picture all the way.

[Squishy]

"Daredevil" writer/director Mark Steven Johnson:

"I knew that there would be some controversy on this one. I looked at a lot of actors, wrestlers...you name it. But in the end, I went with the best big man working today. To me, MCD is more true to the comic book than anyone else out there. The most important thing about the Kingpin is not whether he's black or white, it's whether or not he strikes fear into you. You must believe that he could grab Daredevil and snap his spine in half. If you go with someone smaller, he becomes Lex Luthor. Remember, Affleck is over 6'3". He dwarfs a lot of the so-called "big men." I don't want to use special effects to make somebody bigger because, again, that takes me away from the reality of the film. MCD is going to play him as Wilson Fisk. Not a hip-hop version. Not a street version. He's true in every way to the character from the comic book--except that he's Black. If I stayed true to the race of the comic book, I'd have an all-white cast. And how true to life is that? Regardless, this isn't about race. If MCD was white I'd cast him. If he was Hispanic I'd cast him. He just happens to be Black and the best actor for the role. In the end, I think he's going to be the ultimate Kingpin."

Usually, the sidestepping counterargument goes: "What if they made Storm a white woman?" Of course, since her character's long established as a native African, that's stupid--nevertheless, many have made the point that in the comic book, she IS practically white; most (not all) artists draw her in such a fashion that prior to coloring, her facial features are indistinguishable from those of a "Friends" cast member.

The Kingpin's ethnicity has, to my knowledge, never been a key part of his character, so as far as I'm concerned, anyone who otherwise fits the role can play him.

If "many comic fans are (disappointed) that Michael Clarke Duncan is playing (Kingpin)," because he's the "wrong color," that's their whiny moany little problem.

"comics fans arent given any justice"
--#6,956,789,544,007 on The List of Important Issues

"Teh ibled Kigp!2id fibbet ii retailiate fatel teh bib. Gle;er? Now I ma smat."
--Something I expect to see on a forum any day now, from a poster claiming to have a Bachelor's

[Vermin Boy]

I liked Mystery Men a lot. Not a perfect movie by any means, but a fun little movie with nice offbeat humor, great one-liners, and an excellent cast (and I'm not so much talking about the big-name stars so much as Paul Reubens, Tom Waits, Eddie Izzard, and Louise Lasser).

I thought Spiderman was much better than most superhero movies. Raimi has a good "comic book mentality." I like that, instead of going the Tim Burton "dark & brooding" route that most comic book movies have gone down in the past decade, this one went back to the wild, slightly insane feel of 60s Marvel comics.

Dunno if it's based on an actual comic book, but The Specials is worth a look. Similar to Mystery Men, but focusing entirely on characters rather than action (we only see the heroes' powers in the last 5 minutes), plus it's written by a pre-sellout James Gunn.

[Dolph Lundgren]

Decent comic book films and The Punisher wasn't mentioned?  C'mon you guys, someone in here had to have liked it besides me.  Dolph Lundgren as Frank, whoever made that decision was a wise person indeed.  I also liked X-Men, as Hugh Jackman made me a believer that he was BORN to play Wolverine.

Nick

[Damien]

Squishy... Thanks...

But its not the point if Kingpin is white or black its the point that many "Comic Book" movies seems to be "rewritten" and "retooled" and instead of getting a comic book turned into a movie, you get a movie with the name of the characters from a comic book...

Even if Storm was played by Alicia Silverstone or  Sharon Stone most of us x-man fans will be yelling bulls**t!!! It has nothing to do with race... It just that when you think of Storm from X-man you would have a good picture of what she look like because of the comic... Even if Storm was a green alien with yellow dots across her face, and a fork tounge... the movie should at least hold justice to the comic character...

Kingpin isnt a comic badguy scrub either.

The Punisher (is a good movie) but also a classic example of "rewritten" and "retool" and you get a movie with the name of the character from a comic book. (sorry most of my friends as well as myself dont think of The Punisher as a Marvel Comic Book Movie...)

If I stayed true to the race of the comic book, I'd have an all-white cast. And how true to life is that?

One word... Bulls**t! ("Daredevil" writer/director Mark Steven Johnson... are you saying that you cannot find a good spot for Michael Clarke Duncan, even thru the whole Daredevil comic book, but to change the outcome of one of the most important badguys in the comic book)

[Squishy]

Damien: What he's saying is, the book doesn't have a lot of Black people in prominent roles. Should Duncan have played Foggy?

Marvel characters should be glad they aren't DC, though: most Black superheroes in the DCUniverse are remakes of dead White heroes (Steel, Mr. Terrific, Green Lantern), dead themselves (Amazing Man--repeatedly), or shuffled off waaaaaay into the background (Black Lightning, Steel again) waiting to die.

The following is not aimed at Damien or anyone in particular; it's just a thought that occured to me while I was out.

Who's everyone's favorite Othello? Orson Welles? Raul Julia? Anthony Hopkins? Laurence Olivier? LORNE GREENE? (I'm not kidding. Look 'em up at the IMDB.)

Where was all this when Billy Dee Williams played Harvey Dent? Oh, right; Two-Face is a pimp-dressing lunatic hiding in abandoned warehouses with half his face blown off; Kingpin is a big scary guy with both physical and financial power, who flaunts it. Nevermind, I get it now.

If, twenty or thirty years down the line, Hollywood were to somehow gain the rights to, and remake, "Star Wars," or "Raiders of the Lost Ark," would people crap their pants if Han Solo were played by a Japanese actor, or Indiana Jones by a Black guy? Yeah, probably.

[Evan3]

Damien, do you even know what you are talking about?????
Spider Man was a much truer adaptation than anything but Daredevil than I can tell. Batman and X-Men are so far off the mark that it isnt even funny. So what if he edited out Gwen Stac ey and the web shooters. I bet anyone else would have not addressed Goblin's split personality and would have totally excluded Harry. You need to check your facts too. Race is not a big deal. X-Men however, changed the story line immensely, it should have been renamed Wolverine and pals. Not to say it wasnt good, just not the comic book. Same thing with Batman, which was even more altered.

As for the Batman Franchise, Batman Forever was definitely the best one despite Val "Im the dumbest man ever and can't act to boot" Kilmer.

Nick Fury, who was written as a white military hero and commander of S.H.I.E.L.D. since the 40s has suddenly been changed to an African American. Lex Luthor himself, a bald white businessman has also been made black and he is one of the most beloved villians of out time. Kingpin isnt even around anymore, the last time I saw him was in Japan for one issue fighting the X-Men! His empire is ruined in the comics, so I dont think a race change for him is so bad.

Plus, as Squishy says, it is the job the actor does not the race of an actor. Michael Clarke Duncan does an excellent job of filling in the Kingpin's massive shoes. Could John Goodman (the biggest white man I can think of) had done it? No.

So, in conclusion, Spider Man, Blade and the Batmen are great.
Daredevil, and X Men are Just good.
Spawn was the best one.

[Conrad]

Actually, since I have read 2000AD and have 1,000 + copies of it, I know about Judge Dredd.  O yes.  O yes indeed.  

Although never explicitly admitted by Tharg the Editor, the entire readership always saw Clint Eastwood as playing Old Stoney Face, as evinced by countless letters and fan art.  This theme ran for years and years.  Quite what fans thought when Sly ended up in the lead role - well, the mind boggles.  For myself I thought "Oh s**t" and d'you know what - I was right.

[fireal]

You have to allow a bit of poetic licence with comic book movies because they will never be exactly like the comics. Just as long as the writers, directors etc. don't p**s on the name from a great height!. X-men was a good transfer to movie screen. Batman too. Spiderman too although the emotional drama moments where a bit too dragged out. Daredevil is a good one too. And who really cares what skin colour the Kingpin has. Michael Clarke Duncan put across a very good foreboding performance.