Comicbook Based Movies.....

[tgpo]

Comicbook Based Movies.....

Some Are Good, Some Are Bad!!

[housepig]

it's nice that the technology has come to a point where you can accomplish on screen the things that artists have been accomplishing on paper.

now we just need to make sure we don't fall into the same pits that the comic industry has for the past 10-15 years....

"oooh, I'm going to go see X3 again!"
"didn't you see that last month?"
"yeah, but now it's been rereleased for 2 days with a special new title sequence, and it's only playing at 2 theaters in the whole state! I'm gonna go pay $100 on eBay for a $5 ticket!"

although considering how many editions and variants T2 and Army of Darkness have had, maybe we're already down in the shit...

Story first. Effects don't last - story does... or can, at least.

What *should* come out on screen:

The Watchmen
V For Vendetta
Astro City
Miracleman
Sin City
Why I Hate Saturn
Justice, Inc. (the Kyle Baker version).

[i-on-s]

I was at the movie thea. the other day and saw a Punisher movie poster and stopped and looked at it and was like "didnt they already do this comic geez thats sad."

anyone remember the Capt America movie? ha that was so bad the red skulls mask you could see a zipper even worse than the F4 movie with the zipper sticking out on the thing's suit brilliant i tell ya!

[housepig]

I was at the movie thea. the other day and saw a Punisher movie poster and stopped and looked at it and was like "didnt they already do this comic geez thats sad."

hopefully the first person the new Punisher will shoot will be Dolph Lundgren....

[Cole]

At least nowadays the films are now using some of the Super-Villains. Green Goblin in Spiderman, Joker/Penguin etc in Batman, Bullseye in Daredevil, the Angel gang in Judge Dredd...

In the Christopher Reeve films, where was the super powered Lex Luthor, or Mr Mxlspx (it was a long time ago!) or Brainiac etc etc. Come to think of it, where were these people in The New Adventures of Superman (as it was known in the UK)?

Who remembers the p*ss poor Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and The Incredible Hulk, from the 1970s, where our super powered heros only battled normal people! Wow, how exciting...

[AndThenSome]

For about the last 15years Hollywood has been regurgitating pop culture - like comic books. Adams Family, Batman, remakes, TV to movie productions like Charlies Angels blahblahblah. They are all out of fresh ideas.

Whats next? Its all eye-candy on the screen these days. Just imagine how impressive MrEd's horse-lips will be when they hit the bigscreen.

And dont tell me it's due for release!

[tgpo]

although considering how many editions and variants T2 and Army of Darkness have had, maybe we're already down in the shit...

At least Army of Darkness is a sweet movie!!! That's more than you can say for most of the comicbook movies.

I can remember seeing the Captain America movie when I was a kid. Even then I thought it was dumb looking.

[SquirrelDip]

One thing in favor of the current run of comic book movies is that the present computer animation can do justice to the comics. Enjoy them now - Hollywood has a way of beating an idea to death.

@tgpo: I agree - Army of Darkness is a sweet movie.

[housepig]

I can remember seeing the Captain America movie when I was a kid. Even then I thought it was dumb looking.

did you see BOTH of them?

I agree with that, totally. I was a Marvel comics kid, and I was so stoked for every new one that came out live action... until I saw it. Spiderman, The Hulk series, the Captain America movies, even the Dr. Strange movie.... all sucked.

(although I've seen a chunk of the Dr. Strange movie recently, and it looks quite MST3K-worthy, I might have to find a copy again...)

But that's okay... new Captain America movie in the works, ditto Fantastic Four, Iron Fist and others...

[Doggiedaddy]

Question #2
2) Is Hollywood Out Of Ideas??
Should read IMHO.
2) Hollywood is Out Of Ideas.

They also have very little if any imagination!!

It's only money, 80% of all Hollywood new release suck. I am so thankful for the 20%, that still show a shred of imagination. As long as we pay for s**t, they will feed it to us. Barnum hit it on the head, ONE BORN EVERY DAY, seem like a lot more now of days.
jm2c

[tygrus2000]

Only a handful have got it right, most hire cheesy directors and writers that never read a comic book and then treat the material too light (i.e. Batman & Robin) or too serious (i.e. Hulk). Brian Singer with the X-men has it perfect, the exact right mix of realism, super heroics that are not unbeleivable and a bit of light comedy throughout.

These are the ones done right:

1.) Superman I & II (maybe III) - the first ones and it was good
2.) Blade I - out of nowhere after a decade without a comic book movie, it was dark and subtle with good believable action
3.) Xmen I & II - you could almost believe these could happen they are that realistic looking
4.) Batman, Batman Forever - classic comic book very well treated.

And the very bad:

1.) Superman VI - way past its shelf life
2.) Spawn - I loved the animated series, but could they have ruined this anymore in the movie?
3.) Batman Returns, Batman & Robin - Joel Schumacher should be horsewhipped for this!
4.) Hulk - didnt anyone tell Ang Lee that CG has not progressed much in the last decade. He should get a copy of T2 or Jurassic Park and have watch. Or he should look at the BO returns for Final Fantasy, 150 million to make, took in $15 million.
5.) Daredevil - Must have been a slow winter cause this abomination made $100 million, now we get a sequal and a spin off. thx a lot.
6.) Spiderman - was tolerable, but way way overhyped. Really seemed like a B- movie on TV, effects were less than impressive and the villian sucked. Next one wont make $400 million I dont think.
7.) Blade II - different director ruined a potentially outstanding series.

[tgpo]

Batman Forever - classic comic book very well treated.

Are you kidding?? The only good Batman were the first two undder the direction of Tim Burton. Granted there were far off from the comic, but the rest of the movies sucked big time. I personally liked Spiderman, plus Sam Reimi is one of the best directors in the world, so that helps.

[tygrus2000]

Sorry TGPO, gott a disagree with you there. First Batman was good, but not because of Tim Burton, just cause it was fresh and had a couple A-list actors in it. Second one sucked, 3rd was good, 4th almost unwatchable

If you want to know about Tim Burtons true talent try renting these:

Bettlejuice
James and The Giant Orange Peach
Nightmare Before Xmas
Sleepy Hollow
Planet Of The Apes

He is the only director that still thinks claymation is cool. Need I say more?

As far as spiderman goes, it was likeable, but could have been soooooo much better with a decent villain (i.e. Venom), a better lead (i.e. Not Toby Mcquire) and a quality A-list director which Sam Raimi is not. Evil Dead is considered a cult classic, like Texas Chainsaw, but is not really a hallmark of quality moviemaking.

[tgpo]

Bettlejuice
James and The Giant Orange Peach
Nightmare Before Xmas
Sleepy Hollow
Planet Of The Apes

Actually I own all but one of those.

[tgpo]

and a quality A-list director which Sam Raimi is not. Evil Dead is considered a cult classic, like Texas Chainsaw, but is not really a hallmark of quality moviemaking.

It's all a matter of perceptions. The Evil Dead series in still in my all time top ten greatest movies list. But even then Darkman and A Simple Plan were awsome movies!! He also worked on The Hudsucker Proxy, GREAT MOVIE!!!!! He has huge talent, and it is displayed in his movies.


The last Batman movie was horrid!! I heard fake spring sounds and dumb sound effects when they punched people. How did Uma Thurman get caught up in that piece of trash?? Perhaps a contractual obligation, who knows.

[spiderman2k1]

I think comic bool movie's can be good but when holly wood get's there hand's on it. It's never the same Marvel is alway's change there store over and over. There are three HULK store how DR.Banner became the HULK one the comic book send the TV show and now the movie. Three different origin. And for the X-men one second Gambit is good now bad. If they just stuck to the comic store they would be better. That why we bought them in the first place at the comic book store

[Donny661]

The only comic book movie that i've been kind of impressed with was the Hulk. It was a neat movie, but I think the end kind of dragged on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on. The monster was just too fake looking and jumped to high to make it remotely interesting or believable in the end. Who cares how make tanks and helicopters he can destroy. Spiderman also wasn't that bad, but not anything really new either. Although, the best super hero movie of all time has to be Unbreakable.

[tygrus2000]

Hollywood has to do more of the type of thing they did with Matrix and Lord of the Rings. That is get 1 director and keep him until the series is finished as well as the actors too. Sign them up for a 3 picture deal every time. Many good things go bad when others take them over.

[tgpo]

Hollywood has to do more of the type of thing they did with Matrix and Lord of the Rings.

One thing that the Matrix had that really makes a movie worthwhile is surprise. So many movies today have plots and story lines that are so tired and wornout that we know exactly what to expect from the movie, and leave the theater with the feeling that we've seen it all before. What hollywood needs to do is to strive for new things and new ideas. So many of the movies we see today we look at and go, "Haven't I seen that before". And if they do use an old idea, they should at least try to tell it in a new way, some movies are almost exact copies of others scene by scene.

[Doggiedaddy]

=snip> Although, the best super hero movie of all time has to be Unbreakable.

Damn, is it true evil minds think alike. I actually was taken and surprised by this film.

[tgpo]

=snip> Although, the best super hero movie of all time has to be Unbreakable.

Damn, is it true evil minds think alike. I actually was taken and surprised by this film.

So was I, at how bad it was.

I had heard to many good things about that movie, and when I finially watched it I couldn't help but to think at how bad it was. I honestly didn't like it. But maybe I'm just weird

[Doggiedaddy]

=snip> Although, the best super hero movie of all time has to be Unbreakable.

Damn, is it true evil minds think alike. I actually was taken and surprised by this film.

So was I, at how bad it was.

I had heard to many good things about that movie, and when I finially watched it I couldn't help but to think at how bad it was. I honestly didn't like it. But maybe I'm just weird

"But maybe I'm just weird."
Alas, perhaps not weird enough.

[tygrus2000]

TGPO, the problem is that is movie going public is so dumbed down that Hollywood treats them like a bunch of simpletons, and you know what, most deserve it cause this is the same group that will sit and watch From Justin To Kelly or The Bachelor or some other total trash.

People are really into lowbrow entertainment these days and I just don't know why that is. I like escapism as much as the next guy in a movie, but I dont want to sit and have my intelligence insulted. Believe it or not, most people can digest actual dialogue rather than cheesy one liners and most know when something is unbelievable on the screen, When I see Matrix or Lord of the Rings, my mind is automatically in fantasy mode so I can suspend beleif for a bit, but when I see matrix wire fu in Charlies Angles or James Bond dodging AKA 47 gunfire for 2 hours, I just can't do it.

It isnt even entertaining. I'd rather spend my time on dvdrhelp.com

[tgpo]

TGPO, the problem is that is movie going public is so dumbed down that Hollywood treats them like a bunch of simpletons, and you know what, most deserve it cause this is the same group that will sit and watch From Justin To Kelly or The Bachelor or some other total trash.

People are really into lowbrow entertainment these days and I just don't know why that is. I like escapism as much as the next guy in a movie, but I dont want to sit and have my intelligence insulted. Believe it or not, most people can digest actual dialogue rather than cheesy one liners and most know when something is unbelievable on the screen, When I see Matrix or Lord of the Rings, my mind is automatically in fantasy mode so I can suspend beleif for a bit, but when I see matrix wire fu in Charlies Angles or James Bond dodging AKA 47 gunfire for 2 hours, I just can't do it.

It isnt even entertaining. I'd rather spend my time on dvdrhelp.com

Amen to everything you just said!!!

[Doggiedaddy]

TGPO, the problem is that is movie going public is so dumbed down that Hollywood treats them like a bunch of simpletons, and you know what, most deserve it cause this is the same group that will sit and watch From Justin To Kelly or The Bachelor or some other total trash.

People are really into lowbrow entertainment these days and I just don't know why that is. I like escapism as much as the next guy in a movie, but I dont want to sit and have my intelligence insulted. Believe it or not, most people can digest actual dialogue rather than cheesy one liners and most know when something is unbelievable on the screen, When I see Matrix or Lord of the Rings, my mind is automatically in fantasy mode so I can suspend beleif for a bit, but when I see matrix wire fu in Charlies Angles or James Bond dodging AKA 47 gunfire for 2 hours, I just can't do it.
It isnt even entertaining. I'd rather spend my time on dvdrhelp.com

Amen to everything you just said!!!

100% correct, I do not know why I spend almost $100.00 dollars a month on satellite feed,[well I do, teenagers in the house] and yet most of my time is spent on the old classic channels. These movies/series dating from 10 to 50 years ago. Oh, I know, I like to be entertained not dismissed as a moron willing to settle for tits and bombs.

[tgpo]

@Doggiedaddy & tygrus2000 What would you say is your favorite movie??

[tygrus2000]

Hard to choose but if I had to:

Fav. Comic: X-Men, (honeorable mention Batman Forever, Superman II)

Fav. SciFi : T2, (honorablke mention Alien(s), ST:WOK, ST:FC & SW:ESB)

Fav. Fantasy: Fellowship of the Ring (honorable mention probably ROTK)

Fav. Animated: Shrek (honorable mention Monsters Inc.)

Fav. Drama: Good Fellas (honorable mention Fight Club, Pulp Fiction)

Fav. Action: Indiana Jones Series (honorable mention Gladiator)

Fav. Horror: Se7en (honorable mention Excorcist)

Fav. Comedy: Austin Powers: Spy Who Shaged Me (honorable mention Happy Gilmore, Office Space)

Fav. Indie: PI (honrorable mention Sling Blade)

Fav. Music DVD: Eagles Hell Freezes Over

[tygrus2000]

but if I had to sum it up to one single movie, it would be T2.

I just think that movie was so well done and has held up to the test of time better than just about any movie I can think of. The CG in that movie is better than in most these days. Its the only movie I ever saw multiple times in the theatre - 4 times. :P

[Nitemare]

I voted some are good, some are bad... although I have to agree that most are bad.

Batman was a great film. The only problem fanboys of the comic (like me) had with it was that there was way too much Joker and not enough Batman. (Naturally the morons started running multiple villains after the first movie... don't get me started!!!!) Otherwise the first film was loyal to the comic and was wonderful.

The Batman series in its entirety sucks. The relationship between Batman and Commisioner Gordon was non-existent, and Gordon is a buffoon in the films.

Other great comic to movie films: (not already mentioned)

THE CROW
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (well... it was loyal to the comic anyway... and it STILL cracks me up!)
THE SHADOW (arguable due to radio origin... but the movie was based on the comic)
THE PHANTOM (a surprisingly enjoyable film... Treat Williams was awesome in this as the bad guy)
THE FLASH -- TV series (USA--CBS) ... it was excellent ... I was outraged when they cancelled this one
FLASH GORDON -- a classic, even if it WAS corny
BATMAN: MASK OF THE FANTASM (animated... everything the other Batman movies could have been but weren't)

I actually like the old Hulk series. (Starts Monday at 6:00 EST on Sci-Fi!) It suprises me that those of you who dislike the "lowbrow" crap Hollywood makes would slam that series. While there were some horrible episodes, in general the series was more of a drama than a fantasy and dealt with a very real character with a very real problem. It wasn't loyal to the comic as far as origin, but that was my only problem with that series.

the worst comic adaptions ever made?
SWAMP THING I, II ... although the costume was awesome.
BATMAN 2 THRU 4
DICK TRACY (bad guys great, Beatty and Madonna sucked)

Hollywood does occasionally make an intelligent and thought-provoking film. They bomb at the box office. Let me play devil's advocate here for a moment and ask you... what movies do you see in theaters or rent on video? Do you really WANT intelligence in your films?

If I want intelligence I read. For me, movies are sheer escapism. The "drama" section in the video store is a waste of valuable real estate that could hold more comedy, horror, and action movies... of course that's just my opinion.

Re: Unbreakable ... at least it was more surprising than Sixth Sense.

[pacmania_2001]

I didn't like Sixth Sense at all. Unbreakable was slightly more interesting but I think they finally got it right with Signs (although the ending was rather a let down).

As for the comic book movies/tv shows these are the ones I think are good:

The Hulk TV series: Like Nitemare said, it was more drama then fantasy, plus I like cheese.

Wonder Woman TV series: See the above comment about cheese.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: I loved them growing up and the movies were great.

Superman I and II: After these 2 it kinda lost it. I am looking forward to the new superman movie if they ever get it into production.

Batman and Batman Returns: Dont even get me started on Batman Forever / Batman and Robin. In the words of Mad Magazine "Yeech".