Comic Book Movies

Spider-Man makes me realize what a pathetic, worthless, piece of filth I really am. 5 STARS!

One of the best horror comedies of all time. As if Tim Burton, George Romero and Takashi Miike collaborated on one film. Rupert Evert is amazing and really pulls off the character well. I've read Dylan Dog and this seems to be a really loose adaption of that comic book. Can't say enough good things about this one.

I find it hard to believe this movie was made in America. I would have thought it was made in Awesometown.

A truly great film. As if Gasper Noe had taken over directing the last half hour of Death Wish. I love how this movie turns from a tough guy movie to a thoughtful meditation on vengeance. My favourtie part of Park's Vengeance Trilogy.

Amazing. Not the adventures of a group of super-heroes like most expected, but an extremely intelligent adaptation of the great graphic novel. Whereas The Dark Knight will be remembered in the future much like Tim Burton's Batman, a great popcorn movie, Watchmen will be remembered closer to Blade Runner or The Thing. Once everyone gets over the use of slow motion (oh my God! They used slow motion! An age old cinematic technique used in many classic movies! How dare they) and the ole statement "It's not as good as the graphic novel" to prove how smart they are and that they've read the source material, this will go down as a classic.
Great story, characters and filmmaking. Brilliant.

Saw this at TIFF and got a Ichi Barf Bag. So over the top and violent, but walks the tightrope between really disturbing violence (and sexual) and fun violence really well. Add to that a crazy story that is a predecessor to a lot of the over the top guns and gang films we're seeing now, and you've got one of Miike's best.

Junji Ito is a genius. He chooses the oddest things ever to make horror stories around. In this one the "monster" is SPIRALS, and believe me, he accomplishes what he set out to do. After reading the manga and seeing this film, spirals are scary. Maybe one day someone will make GYO, where the monster is, FISH WITH FEET!

An improvement on the already great original. The ending in this one bothers me, but a great film none the less.

Awesome, despite some problems that I only remember after immediately watching, I only remember the good stuff, that there is an abundance of. Hate that poem though.

Not being a big fan of any of the Batman films I went into this one very cynical and for the first little while I thought I was being proven correct by the film. Sure it was good, but it wasn't anything to get too excited about. But much like when I read Peter Straub's Ghost Story back in my teens, the whole pacing and beginning of the film was just to set the mood and atmosphere for what happens later, making it all the more amazing. Once a certain part kicks in, this movie goes beyond the Joker highjacking a truck to kill someone and into a whole other realm of storytelling. A truly remarkable achievement and worthy of all the praise it's receiving. And I've always hated the character of Batman (even in comics I read his stuff for the villains, not boring Bruce Wayne) but by the end I really loved the character of the Batman and the direction he was heading. Great, great stuff.

One of the most brutal and devastating depictions of life behind bars and the prison system. It's no wonder criminals are not rehabilitated if this is what goes on behind prison walls. Save us RICKY!!!!

A wacky comedy that could only come out of Japan. Though I've heard it compared to Shawn of the Dead (which I think is stretching it quite a bit) this movie towers over Shawn's mediocre attempts at comedy. Tadanobu Asano (in yet another great film) and Sho Aikawa play loser buddies who's jujitsu skills come in handy after the inevitable zombie takeover. Where that may sound a tad predictable, about halfway through the movie takes a sharp turn, landing it in Romero country. There are a lot of laughs to be had and the movie never lets up for a second. I can see why some audience members were turned off, Asano's character is so dumb and pig-headed that he is easy to hate in the third act, but to some audience members that is the joy of this film, characters who do not follow the beaten path.

Great conclusion. The battle between Light and L is one of cinema's better matches, reminding me of the great old detective stories of yore, which I'm sure it was inspired by. Even better than the first one.

Fun film about a different type of vigilante. I would have prefered to see the corruption of a certain character played out more, rather than just happening almost immediately (SPOILER: He attempted to kill the non-criminal "L" as soon as he found out he was hunting him END SPOILER) and I like the cliffhanger that leaves the audience anxious for the sequel.

Despite a flawed final reel, this movie had me in it's clutches the whole way. As a big fan of the Spider-Man character, it was great to see Raimi bring him to life again. This episode, though set up differently than the previous 2, reminds me a lot of actual comic books where in the course of 14 issues there are all kind of stories going on. It may not have worked perfectly, but it works pretty darned good. As for the flaw, without giving too much away, let's just say, "The butler did it". Loved the villains in this as well, just wish there had been more of them. I wasn't sure Sandman or Venom could carry an entire film as the lead baddie, but after seeing this I haven't a doubt. Too bad, but a little of a great thing is better than too much of a good thing.

Great stuff. I've been a big fan of the comics for a long time and was reluctant to see what Rodriguez did, and Miller's movie career is only notable for Robocop 3. But this is seriously about as close as one can come to putting the comic on screen, which is a very good thing since Sin City was always style over story. So many filmmakers take something ultra-stylish and then simply retell the story and wonder why it didn't succeed. Obviously, Rodriguez knew better. Not saying the stories in Sin City suck, far from it, but it was a perfect amalgamation of style and substance. Highly recommended to fans of the comic and fans of over the top crime cinema. Not to Jodie Foster though. Plus, the best use of Mickey Rourke since The Pledge.

Orgasmic! Finally a great Punisher film... and no one sees it.
This is exactly how Punisher should be made; with blood, bullets and insanity. Personally, I'd follow Jigsaw and his brother LBJ (Looney Bin Jim) just about anywhere, but that darned Castle is intent on the ole punishment thing. And thank goodness, blood and brains fly everywhere. West, Hutchinson and Stevenson are fantastic in their roles, and what's with Dexter's gal, Julie Benz? With this and Rambo on her resume she's a lady after my own heart.
Hope to see this again in the theater before it's gone (there were 4 other people besides me in there on it's opening week) and recommend it highly to vigilante and Punisher fans.

Marvel continues to surprise me. Every recent movie they have put out I think looks okay at best, and I'm really shocked that it's a really good movie. Iron Man has all the makings of a classic popcorn film, a strong lead character played by a strong actor, a good premise and it leaves the audience wanting more while still being satisfied with what they have just seen. Though he's been a character I haven't been crazy about in the comics, Iron Man and Tony Stark really come into their own in this excellent super hero film.

Very good film that has a great villain and some excellent action scenes.

Excellent hybrid of action and horror that has been copied poorly ever since. Yet, despite seeing godawful films like Underworld, I can't hold that against this film.

Excellent Tomie film from the always great Shimizu. I love the Ito mangas, and this film seems very much in the spirit of it. A very well done film.

Very fun film that kept me entertained all the way through it. You could criticize the story but that's like criticizing Pringles for not being suitable as a main course.

Wow. While everyone is going bananas over broody, boring Batman, this is the superhero flick for me (next to ole Webhead of course). I was initially concerned with Hollywood changing the classic Reed Richards and Sue Storm to kids Johnny's age (I also thought Doom was being played by a "young adult" as well) but my reservations were completely unfounded and prevented me from seeing this highly entertaining, great adaption of a classic comic. Granted, I like Marvel characters, I find them fun, likable, but complex enough to be highly interesting. And I loved that they really played up Ben Grimm's feelings of losing his humanity and becoming a monster while Johnny remains the complete jerk he was in the comic as well. Doom was great, and I loved how they ended his story.
If you're a fan of the comic or just Marvel in general (that's more like me, Fantastic 4 was never one of my faves) this is a must see. Now it's time to kick myself for discovering this film way too late to see The Rise of the Silver Surfer in theaters...Ow!

Great camp! I like these better than the recent films from Burton onwards.

Much like the other maligned third superhero movie, Spider-Man 3, this film pushes aside a lot of it's previous seriousness to just have fun. And I do believe it works well. As a comic book reader, I don't mind the odd fun issue, where the hero doesn't go through a personal crisis or nothing truly magnificent happens... but it's a cracking read. This one was a lot of fun from start to finish, and though it doesn't live up to the previous 2 films, it's still a good issue... I mean movie.

Fuckingham Palace is the greatest album title ever. Though the movie pretty much relies on one gag, a little girlie man being the lead singer of the #1 Death Metal band in the world, it's a very funny gag. Also, it's fun to see "L" from Death Note sing songs about cheese tarts and dance to a tambourine. I did like the idea of how dreams are different and each one is to be respected to boot. Definitely worth a watch at the very least.

Finally a film about the members of Manowar! Keep Fighting the World dudes!
It takes a while to take off, but when it does it's pretty damned good. Basically a series of battle scenes showing how the Spartans change fighting styles with each obstacle. Stylish as hell with some good ultra-violence and a WWE approach to storytelling.

Very good with minor problems. I really liked the characters in the original comic book and I can't understand why the makers would want to change the leads from a married couple who love each other very much to a married couple going through a divorce. Easy drama I guess, but I would have preferred for them to take the more difficult route. Still, good action and cool vampires make this one worth watching.

Not as good as the first one, I didn't find the Surfer storyline as good as the origin of the team and Doom, but still quite good indeedydoo. A very entertaining franchise that I really hope continues without getting to full of itself. And more Dr. Doom!

A good film, yet I'm a bit baffled why so many seem to be creaming in their jeans for it. Perhaps if it was a film by a new director that flew under the radar I'd be more impressed, but as a Cronenberg film I kind of expect more.

Back when anyone who had 5 bucks to spare could buy the rights to a Marvel character, came this exploitation classic. Everyone I know or have ever met hates this film, like it's somehow supposed to be more than what it is, but if it is taken for what it is, it's pretty cool. Lots of guns and action and Lungren plays a pretty decent Frank Castle. Plotwise, I don't remember any of it, but I do remember having a very good time.

Good superhero film with some fairly big flaws. It's great that they now take the characters and stories seriously, but the action and fight scenes, a big part of the superhero genre, are really underwhelming. Granted, they built suspence and tension really well near the end, but every action scene felt like it was not well thought out. Maybe Nolan decided not to focus on them too much, swim against the current so to speak, but the movie suffers for it (personally, I don't speak for the world at large's feelings). Now for some flaws that I can't avoid SPOILERS when describing.
SPOILERS when describing. When Wayne refuses to kill the prisoner at Ra Al Ghul's place, and then proceeds to set fire to it and escape, saving Liam Neeson's life, what are the odds that the prisoner survived that explosion? It's crazy, he refuses to kill the prisoner, then kills him thoughtlessly. Maybe he didn't feel the need to "save him", but that's just idiocy. Also, the fear agent dispersed throughout The Narrow should have everyone hiding, maybe attacking people out of panic, not forming groups to hunt down good guys. It just simply didn't make sense and it seemed that the audience is not supposed to care that it doesn't make sense. I was curious to what would happen when it was released and felt cheated when they just went against the whole idea of Scarecrow's fear agent and made it almost insignificant. However, despite this seeming like an incredibly negative review, I liked this film for the most part and look forward to seeing what Nolan does with the iconic Joker character, one of my favourite characters in all mediums since reading Alan Moore's, Killing Joke. Hated Nicholsan's interpretation, look forward to Ledger's.

Not near as intelligent as everyone claimed it was and I think Hanks was miscast as a killer.

Dumb fun from Craven. I guess that's the best you can expect from the man

For some weird reason I really loved the Marvel Conan comic books growing up. Sure I dug the b&w magazine type comics but I thought the Marvel ones were good fun.
However, even loving those, I still found this film rather silly and disappointing.

Could've been great, should've been great, but wasn't. Focusing on Castle's backstory too much is the film's first mistake. It seems like it takes forever for the film to actually get started. Then when it does, it putters along, adding characters from Garth Ennis' classic take on the character and ruining them. The last ten minutes of this movie is what it should've been like from the half hour point, Frank Castle as a ruthless killing machine. However, the last ten minutes did get me excited about the sequel, now that Frank is Frank, but it is beginning to look like it is not to be. I respect Jane's decision not to make a bad script, but could it have really been worse than this one?

So so film that's forgotten almost immediately after viewing. Like Teflon, nothing seems to stick.

I agree with most folk that this movie was a treat to the eye. However, I would have liked to see more in the character department, especially the Joker, who is a fascinating character in the comic. In the movie he goes from a murderous psychopath, to a murderous psychopath with a white face. To anyone whose read the comics, this film only works as a nice looking action film and nothing more. Nicholson was great with what he had to work with, which was a more psychotic version of TV's Batman's Joker, but had they taken a cue from the comics and actually told a semi-decent backstory it would be on par with the earlier Superman and the later Spider-Man and X-Men. Watching this movie again reminded me of just how shallow a story we were willing to accept in the mostly mediocre 80's.

Another mediocre effort from Burton that is all style, no story. Boy I was easily pleased when I was younger.

Liked it when I saw it in the theater, couldn't finish it when I saw it a couple months later on video.

A terrible adaptation of Alan Moore's brillaint comic, this film takes an interesting idea, an adventure/thriller story using famous, yet royalty free, characters, and turns it into crap. These characters could have been given any name, they need not be Alan Quarterman or Dr. Jeckyl, they are all just action heroes. A disappointment after Norrington's Blade.

Awful. Overlong, boring and filled to the brim with unmemorable scenes. And the plot is a stinkeroo. I really wanted to like this one, I really like the character, but by the time Superman first appears and rescues the airplane (about 45 mins into the movie at that point) I was incredibly underwhelmed. At least the terrible Quest for Peace is fun to laugh at, but this is just blah. And did anyone else feel weird about Superman stalking Louis Lane and her son and prancing around behind the husband's back? Superfreak is more like it.

I pray the trailer is just wrong and trying to appeal to the regular popcorn audience, but that certainly isn't the nasty, anarchic comic book I love. It's about vicious super villains killing superheroes! Not cool assassins. God I hope that trailer's wrong, but leave it to Hollywood to buy up a great story and work their hardest to make it lame. And I don't mean to sound like a whining fanboy, but seriously, why adapt something if you change it completely? Anyhow, I hope to eat my words and have to delete this message and admit I shouldn't be second guessing artists at work. God, I hope that happens, I need to be taught a lesson.
NOW THAT I'VE SEEN IT
Once again I was left scratching my head wondering why Hollywood insists on buying the rights to a property and then changing it completely. If this film had of been called The Fraternity I wouldn't have even thought it was a Wanted ripoff (maybe I'd be thrown off by all the other ripoffs in the film though). Besides that complaint, this was a very mediocre film with not much to keep the attention. I felt nothing for the characters and the story just sort of moved along. Sure there were some cool twists, but they held no weight because there was nothing leading up to them. They just happened and the movie would move along with the same style and atmosphere. Would have been a disappointment if I really had expected anything better.

God, what a mess. You can see the panic they must have felt in post production at having such a dull movie. "Throw in some split screen effects!"
"But sir, it's just a guy typing on a computer"
"DO IT PIG!"
Despite the critics praising Ang Lee's turd as the best superhero movie, audiences knew better. Heck, I hear even Marvel is starting this franchise over again and pretending this accident never happened.

Sorry Ang Lee. It could have been a lot worse.

This movie is a lot like the greatest Looney Tune sketches, if Looney Tunes totally sucked ass.

Suck a doodle doo, here comes crappy CGI!

Murder by Decree is so much better. Also the graphic novel itself is better. I've always argued that

films based on anything (books, TV shows, real life, remakes, etc) should be judged on their own merits and not the source's. Well, Hollywood has once again proven me wrong as I sat slack-jawed, watching in amazement at they played the most mediocre movie based on an incredible book (mediocre actually would've been nice). But despite this, I think if you haven't read the book you'll still be bored senseless.

This sucks and is gay, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Possibly one of the worst comic adaptations. One of my favourite characters in the funny books as played by a block of wood. Tragic in the sense that after this one sucked so friggin hard we probably won't see another Hellblazer film. As a sidenote, I saw Warren Ellis and he thinks this film is retarded.

Wow. Just wow.