Comic Movies

One thing I've learnt is that the movies have totally re-written the character history/storylines that the comics first established. This has been both a blessing and a curse.
I didn't expect them to go with the whole Jonah Jameson Jnr going into space to aquire the black symbiote but for quick plot development having it land as a metiorite works... even if it didn't set off any spider senses whatsoever!
Sandman escapes an entire squad of police officers by climbing a fence and instantly falling into a nuclear test facility, which studies particle structure which ultimately turns him into kitty litter. Which ultimately looks very cool and his powers do appear extensively thought through on screen. Also whereas Green Goblin was a scientist... Doctor Octopus was a scientist... it makes a change to see a villain as a desperate man who has been unfortunate. Ultimately we learn everything we need to about the character in one segment, that Haden Church does fantastically, and move on.
A personal favourite: Venom is born instantly... and then the action continues. A couple of scenes explains how Eddie Brock was exposed by Spiderman and Grace makes a positive show of wanting vengeance. Actually Grace was one of the highlights of the movie, for those who didn't think he could pull of the Venom exterior (myself included) he really did and by the end of it I was personally surprised at how accurate he had become.
Unfortunately and very disappointingly Howard doesn't get enough time to shine as Stacey and for a character that ultimately shapes Spiderman's history she is made to appear as an airhead bimbo... which she does very well anyway!
Many say that one of the movie's main problems is that it is so fast moving none of the character's get to unfold or reach new depths. The only characters that are really strongly focused on are Peter, Mary and Harry... and half the time it feels like the plotline is going around in circles. Personally I prefer this outing, whereas Goblin and Doc Ock were major characters... Sandman wasn't and never will be. Where the first two movies spent a lot of time establishing character, now that its done final outing (?) lets those character's bounce off each other and resolves all the main plots.
Finally Dunst is surprisingly good and has far more screentime whilst remaining attractive, a feature that sometimes never gets chance to show... and Maguire just does his usual thing. Except for the whole Emo montage half way through the movie which was totally uncalled for, unnecessary but I personally found hilarious.
The special effects were extremely high quality and the action sequences made this movie! They are simply the best action sequences in any comic book movie adaptation to date!
The movie may just be one enormous cliché and have a bit of a real emotionally duff ending... but despite what everyone says to be true... I still enjoyed it.
All the plots tie together nicely, all the performances were good and the story is epic. Rami really proves that he can handle the franchise as well as he has done in the past.
I know I'm being generous with 5 stars, the movie had its flaws... but at the end of the day you can't take comics seriously... so why should the films be any different. Loved it!

Sorry but i love this movie, I love the way its filmed in black and white to add to that film noir comic book element. It's violent... with a wide range of stars in it... it's easy to watch, it can be occasionally funny... i just think it was well made and now i'm waiting for the sequal :D wish they'd make the dvd verson better in the uk though.

This movie is just sooooo much awesome fun. Marvel "studio's" could have a Spider-man sized cash-in waiting for them.
Downey Jr. was born for this role.
Oh and it also has a right soundtrack on it.

Undeniably the best movie in the whole Blade series, and on its own a superior sequel. The plot is as basic as they come; Blade calls a truce with normal vampires so together they can hunt down a purer bread, which are basically unstoppable. The eveolution and appearance of the new form of vampire puts a nice twist on an all too familar theme.

Action packed, gothic, violent and yet strangely beautiful to watch. Del Toro's direction is elegant to watch, Snipes has great screen persona and the entire movie sits happily opposite the original. With more hand to hand combat scenes than the original they act as a personal asset to the action, actually one of the main reasons this movie is better is because of the fight scenes... they are amazing to watch combined with the way vampires expire the whole sequence becomes almost artistic.

I originally underrated this movie, sometimes it plays like a horror and others an action movie... but on re-watching it I was engrossed throughout, its only weak point is its abrupt ending. Some very violent gothic scenes appear graceful and just adds to the blood-lust. Acts just like a comic book adaptation should. Awesome Stuff.

On rewatching this... it was kinda shocking to see how i'd underestimated it originally.

Didn't have high hopes for this movie despite the anticipation, and from the opening I felt pretty certain that this was just going to be a tacky quick-fix of a comic adaptation. However after the dullest of the marvel character's history and Cage finally gets some screen time the movie pretty much takes straight off.
Blaze sells his soul to save his father from cancer, his father dies anyway and Blaze becomes a stuntman in his father's honour... not dying as he is still the devil's rent boy. Unfortunately for the Devil his son, Blackheart, wants his position and brings forth the "Hidden" to recover a contract of lost souls. (Yeh, i'm not entirely sure why this will help Blackheart in the long run) So Mr D. makes Blaze hunt down his son and apprehend him by becoming his Ghost Rider.
The fights with the hidden were a slight let down, they seemed to be over before they pretty much began and it would have been nicer to see a bit more of a confrontation. Finally the fight between Blaze and Blackheart was good but the same problem occurred. Actually when you think about it the movie plays out pretty much like Spider-man, it spends a lot of time establishing plot and characters and then lets down on the action slightly...on the other hand it set up the sequal perfectly. (So lets hope there's a Ghost Rider 2)
Tries to be gothic but lacks the edge and brutality of Daredevil but concentrates its elements well like the penance stare and the way Blaze first transforms. Awesome graphics and the pace of the movie is spot on. Cheesy oneliners, a little bit too much tack for my tacky taste and not enough Blaze as Rider but still really enjoyable. Plus its got Cage in it, and as the president of the I Hate Nicolas Cage fanclub it must be good!

It's movies like this that remind me why I keep reading comics!
Worth watching just to hear Freeman say "Motherfucker"

The first half was a little cheesey and felt like it was going to be camp. However once into this movie its actually pretty good. I mean it gets so good you don't actually mind the fact that Natalie Portman shaved her head and the main hero wears a Guy Fawks mask. Good Plot on how a country has poisoned its people into such a state of fear that they will do whatever their government tells them. Amazing characterisation... of the main hero, who can be argued whether he is a superhero or not... with a strong background. Deals with some very adult and controversial themes in a clever manner. Drags occasionally. Nice touch having some detective work move the story along via Stephen Rea. Finally has an explosive finale. I would like to see another but I just hope they don't cock it all up.

Good But I expected Better. The end of the last one really set this one up... and though it was good.. It just lacked something. Major Plot Holes. Main character's died for silly reasons. (Halle Berry wanting more screen time) Beast kicked arse though and should have been introduced earlier. A nice way to tie up the Xmen Movies but leaves you wanting more and unsatisfied that this is how its ended.

I love the concept of what they've done with this movie. Taking the original cast of the first movie and having the guts to tell a different story in animated form.
I wouldn't say I was a Hellboy fan and those that are might just possibly love this. For me personally I thought that as far as the story goes its great, but some giant flaws were the lack of character development and the simple fact that the main characters kept getting caught in messed up situations... for the sake of it.
When given the chance to keep the series alive after the release of the blockbuster movie this plays out more like an episode or a cartoon series you'd find on the Tv. Every chance that is given to branch out for its audience is denied directly.
The plot revolves around an ancient story of a samurai warrior who defeats the demons of Thunder and lightening... and captures them within a sword. However the price the warrior then pays is having his new bride executed and them lost in limbo for eternity.
Thunder and Lightening possess a professor and Hellboy gets trapped in another dimension... etc...etc...
Therefore in trying to escape this new dimension Hellboy pretty much ends up having to kill everything. Hmmm.
Hellboy restores peace. The end.
The animation in this movie is pretty basic but at times can look really good, it isn't as good as your Japanese style anime but has its own working style.
Having it as a cartoon means that Hellboy can basically slay everything he wants without running up a multi-million dollar buget... however....that would have been better.
Some great one liners, dark subject matter, good direction and a fairly strong story makes this one to watch for anyone who was a fan of the previous film or the comic genre in general.
Overall a great idea that works pretty well... most of the time.

Its alright for a superman movie, what I was really impressed by was the little details of how the movie stuck to the original format of its predecessors. The music, the titles, the storyline. Even Brandon Routh looks a bit like Christopher Reeve. The movie drags a bit and doesn't live up to the hype that had been suggested. For a superhero movie it spends too long resetting the scene and therefore the action is restricted. Kevin Spacey is a good as lex luthor but I still think that Gene Hackman as the ageing Lex would have been more appropriate, seeing that was the kind of feel the movie was going for. Some major plot holes... (like how a white crystal... when dropped in water, and which usually turns into a white island of sorts.... suddenly turns into a black one?) Bryan Singer does a decent job, but his X-men movies are far more superior. Alright, but nothing special.

This movie just isn't anything special, spends a lot of time setting an atmosphere which is ok... but thats it. Charlize Theron is mediocre (kinda really hard for me to say that) and if you listen to the commentary (not that I'm sad or anything) it's just like "oh I love that piece of furniture" or "Don't you just really like the way that lamp looks in this room" Fun...? Showed good potential but lost it. Some fairly alright action, nice visuals... except for the woman with hands for feet... eww. Very far fetched futuristic stuff and a basic plot, which is usually pretty good... but for me, this time it just didn't cut it.

Really guys? People prefer this over the Jane/Travolta attempt? Don't get me wrong... I love the Punisher... but really guys.... as a credible movie, this sucked major ass! Even in the sense of comic book villainy it failed! However, as a silly "guy" type movie to watch with buddies whilst drinking beer and constantly taking the piss out of it... not so much.

When dealing with very important literary character representations or a comic book adaptation its important you get it right... this movie doesn't. Not only does every actor give a half arsed performance the camera work/lighting is pretty poor. I don't usually comment on lighting but nearly in every shot there is some sort of glare on the camera from the lights which is very distracting. The camera work is occasionally out of place and during some of the fighting actions shots you wonder what you're looking at. Sean Connery is left to carry the entire movie as Allan Quatermain and his attempt is good from years of natural screen charm but it just isn't enough and most of the time it is overlooked anyway. Full of plot holes. Doesn't do the comic justice. Stuart Townsend is exceptionally bad in this. Different take altogether on some of the most famous characters ever created. A pretty dismal attempt on the whole, which is quite sad when it had so much potential.
Nothing like the exceptional Alan Moore graphic novel that it's based on. Damn, Hollywood gets it wrong again!

Sorry... but seriously? For all those people who fobbed off Ghost Rider... and Hulk... and nearly every other comic adaptation, but for some reason cherish this one, how?
Donnner + 1970's + pure tackiness + several long drawn out scenes in which the same event occurs again and again and again. = Zzzzzzzzzzzz.
Donner rarely makes a good movie and the "classic" Superman is no exception.
Reeve oozes baby charm as the infamous Man of Steal but his interpretation of Clark is an absolute monstrosity and ends up making him appear foolish and to some extent socially retarded. Which is still only a disguise but still... Meh!
Kidder was badly cast as Lois and was so obviously not interested in the role through the lack of chemistry she has with anyone! Donner could have got a ape in to play the role and it still would have done a better job.... and it would have been easier on the eye!
Hackman's scenes are the best thing in it but they're ruined by Beatty's character just generally pissing things up. Even if their chemistry was meant to be the stereotypical "boss/worker" relationship... it just got frigging annoying. Especially after they half to re-arm the missile twice!
Brando playing Kal-El's father was inspired but short lived... and slowed the pace of the movie's opening.... way way down.
This movie had a lot of problems despite it's age. It just didn't have enough force behind it to take me where a supposed "Superman" movie should.
It took too long establishing characters that never felt right, it really explored Kent's history too soon and the plot never really went anywhere up until the last 20 mins. Even after heating up towards the end.. each scene dragged and the pace suffered sufficiently. Again.
Oh and for the record... Flying like that with Lois, at arm's length. Get the fuck out of here! Despite the fact that it wouldn't work it also looked bloody stupid.
The only thing that makes this movie a modern-day classic is its amazing music score and the fact that it started off a very powerful and successful movie franchise.
Superman....
Super bag of crap more like.

If you like your shit, badly done 80's style action/horror flicks then this one is for you!... and hahah it was filmed in the 90's.
Hmmm Al Simmons is betrayed by the all powerful Jason Wynn and murdered. When sent to hell, Simmons makes a deal with the demon Malebolgia to lead the army's of hell in the ever growing battle between heaven.
Despite the fact the movie has shitty graphics, no substantial plot and badly directed action sequences... the one main thing that lets this movie down is the fact that the producers have taken such a beautifully dark comic and turned into a piss poor adaptation. In simple terms -its very badly written.
This was always going to be hard to adapt because the comic spent years on firmly rooting a character... and all that depth was never going to fit into a two hour movie. Instead we get Leguizamo as the infamous clown character... and instead of being menacing and generally quite freaky, we get stupidly gross, pathetic characterisation. Complete with about a thousand and one crappy one liners. Yay. I actually do think no research was done into the comic the movie is meant to be based on. It feels totally different and lame.
As for the performances, well when the dog's acting is better than the actors... its a definite bad sign.
Jai White wasn't too bad, he certainly had the voice down but half the time he looks like hes having problems moving in his suit.... so much so he looks like hes been filmed in slow motion.... and the majority of the time hes behind a mask so who fucking cares anyway.
Leguizamo... ruined everything.
And... Martin Sheen was actually a pretty good casting choice as Wynn yet sadly was not nearly nasty enough or got enough screen time... and when he did... the script let him down.
Some parts were alright, but by today's standards its lame and no real effort appears to have gone into creating this. Dubbed the special effects movie event of the year... WTF, even for Window 98 they're utter shit. Liars.
I think if a hardcore Spawn fan saw this they'd probably die.
To those thinking of watching this... watch the late animated series, despite the fact that it was cancelled... it is far more superior.

I wanted to like it... I really did but it was terrible! I'm still wondering how it got a green light? It makes Aeon Flux look like a masterpiece. No plot... unless you consider Millia Jovovich carting and protecting a dying kid for the entire movie a plot. The reason she does this is apparently in the future everyone is infected and this kidclone holds the cure. And this is told to us within the first five minutes. The fight scenes tried so hard but just weren't executed well. Some were pretty decent and thats the reason this movie gets a rating. However no movie can survive without basic character depth, so what made Ultraviolet thing it could? Crappy Melodramatic acting. Cringe worthy dialogue. Scenery that even I could have knocked up on my Pc. Cameron Bright wins the award for most annoying actor. Shame about Milla Jovovich trying desperately to create a new superhero based character but failing. I'm sorry but this movie is a total waste of anyone's time.