Top 10 Comic Book Adaptations

“You’ll believe a man can fly” promised the poster of the first Superman film in 1978. Since then we’ve seen men (and women of course) flying, web slinging, teleporting, silver surfing and just general avenging from the shadows. Gone are the days when only the young and nerdy had an extensive knowledge of superheroes and villains, today you can’t turn around without being attacked by some Incredible Hulk underwear or Batman belt buckles. Yes it’s a good time to be working in the comic book industry, especially Marvel who seem to be selling the rights to every possible character conceived without even stopping to ask….. “Does anyone even need to see an Antman film?”. The fact is, like it or not the superheroes are out of the closet and becoming a much larger part of pop culture. Unfortunately seeing your childhood favourites up on the big screen isn’t always a good thing and for every Dark Knight there’s at least 5 Fantastic Four style misadventures. This list documents the 10 films that I feel have played the largest part in creating the shift in trend and have done their characters the greatest amount of justice.

10. Blade (1998)

Blade is one of the earliest Marvel adaptations, it’s so early in fact that it lacks their trademark which is now standard issue on all their films. Wesley Snipes is undeniably cool as the half human, half Vampire boasting all the strengths of his enemies and none of their weaknesses. The opening scene in the night club is still one of greatest super hero reveals of all time but the film is far from flawless. The CGI used in the end is so depressingly abysmal that it almost ruins what could be a very decent final fight. However for all it’s missteps it showed the world that vampires could be cool again.

9. Superman (1978)

Superman’s first outing may be wholly unimpressive by today’s standards but it can’t be denied a place on the top 10. This one set it all in motion, it created a likable Clark Kent in the form of Christopher Reeve and established the formula that so many superhero adaptations retread. Unfortunately Superman is one of the least interesting superheroes and that’s because he can do pretty much everything yet has villains who would be much more at home trying to buy out Amazon.com than taking over the world. However this films significance cannot be overlooked and it opened more and more peoples hearts to the Man Of Steel.

8. Batman (1989)

Superman had already paved the way for the perfect superhero and in many ways Batman is everything that superman isn’t. Batman has no powers yet he still feels compelled to take the law into his own hands. While Burton’s film was eventually bested by Nolan who actually gave Bruce Wayne a gritty origin story there is still alot to be said for the original. Jack Nicholson gives an interesting interpretation of the Joker that showed how a clown prince of crime could be much more than just an annoyance. Burton’s love of gothic cityscapes provided the perfect back drop for pointy eared caped crusader.

7. The Crow (1989)

Some covers for the DVD of The Crow have a 3 word review on the front; “Better Than Batman”. Not the most insightful of reviews but I find myself inclined to agree. The Crow takes the dark avenger story much further than Burton’s Batman. It’s slick, cool and has a very dark rock soundtrack which fits this brooding vigilante perfectly. It does however also reek of cheese but technically it was still the 80′s so it’s all the more forgivable. The film is synonymous with the tragic death of it’s lead actor Brandon Lee and when you consider the plot of the film the event is all the more unnerving.

6. V For Vendetta (2005)

Alan Moore wanted nothing to do with this adaptation of his graphic novel and maintained that stance with the recent Watchmen adaptation; you won’t see his name anywhere in the credits. It’s a shame he felt that way because V For Vendetta surprisingly shaped up to be an entertaining political thriller that didn’t overlook the heroics. It does take certain liberties with the source material but the film works and that’s probably mostly because of the fantastic vocal performance from Hugo Weaving.

5. Iron Man (2008)

I’m unsure how high Iron Man would be on my list if it didn’t star Robert Downey Jr and the truth of the matter is, it probably wouldn’t be very high at all. Iron Man is a great film because of it’s leading man, the story isn’t particularly gripping, the fight sequences are few and far between, not to mention how unsatisfying the final villain turns out to be. However despite all of that it still has my number 5 slot. Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark is a prime example of how casting can make a film, the guy just has one of those incredibly charming screen presences that make anyone else in the shot seem invisible. I’m looking forward to seeing how Iron Man 2 turns out because hopefully it will be a film worthy of Downey’s portrayal of Stark.

4. X-2: X-men United (2003)

X2 was one of those oh so rare cases of a sequel being better than the original. I actually have 2 more instances of this coming up so perhaps it’s not so rare anymore. X2 was bigger, better and was just much more pleasing all round. Night Crawler makes a great addition to the team and his first scene is sure to leave an impression. My main problem with X2 was how it handled Cyclopes, he’s supposed to be a solid leader yet he gets delegated a pathetic role just so there’s more time for people to appreciate how “cool” Wolverine is. The nod towards Phoenix was a great final touch but best not to mention how they managed to royally screw that up in X3.

3. Spider-man 2 (2004)

Tobey Maguire’s portrayal of Peter Parker has often been criticised for lacking the characters wit and I believe this is a fair criticism. However Spider-man was created as an answer to the problem of how to make the readers relate more with a superhero and it is this aspect of the character that Maguire nails completely. Never before had the “Hero with problems” concept been so successfully addressed. He can’t pay rent, his best friend hates him, he’s losing his powers and to top it off the girl of his dreams is getting married…. aren’t super powers supposed to be fun? Alfred Molina is great as Docter Octopus and the fight sequences really capture the heart of the comic books.

2.Oldboy (2003)

This is the only film on my list that doesn’t actually involve some kind of superhero. Adapted from the manga of the same name, Park Chan-Wook’s Oldboy is one of the best films I have ever seen. The direction is stylish, the acting is spot on and the plot is filled with twists and turns that will keep you hooked until its chilling climax.

1. The Dark Knight (2008)

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock in your very own Bat Cave there’s no chance you’ve missed the hype surrounding Nolan’s follow up to Batman Begins. The Dark Knight bridges that gap between “good comic book film” and just a “good film”. There’s a wealth of talent here that extends beyond Heath Ledgers Joker performance, fantastic though it may be. Aaron Eckheart’s Harvey Dent is just as worthy of praise; in all honesty this film belongs to him and Ledger. It seems natural to assume that Ledgers joker was over hyped due to his untimely death but anyone who sits down to actually watch the film cannot hide behind such a dismissal. Christian Bale provides us with a decent Batman but he’s completely over shadowed here. The plot is much more grounded in reality this time around and that really works for a character such as Batman. The end result is the closest a comic book adaptation has ever come to perfection. While it’s inevitably impossible to follow I am quietly confident that if anyone can do it it’s Nolan but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Note: In the interests of covering a wider scope I’ve limited myself to only 1 film per franchise but honerable mentions go to Batman Begins, Batman Returns, Spider-man and Superman 2.

Review – Moon (2009)

Synopsis: Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is about to complete a 3 year working contract on the Moon. Over the 3 years he has only had the stations AI for company. After an accident on the job he encounters a younger version of himself who has only just begun his contract. Both Sam’s are forced to face the horrible truth about their existence and uncover the conspiracy behind their employer.

The main character of this film was written with Sam Rockwell specifically in mind, hence the name “Sam” was used for the protagonist. So just to get you up to speed we have Sam Rockwell starring as “Sam Bell” and  also co starring as “Sam Bell”. Got it?  Duplicates and clones are by no means a new concept for the science fiction genre but that’s sort of the point in Moon. It’s clear that the directer has a deep love for these kinds of films and so his final product is full of nods to the Sci-Fi classics. However Moon adds up to something much greater than one big homage.

It’s a testament to the acting ability of Rockwell that this film works so well because he is the only real actor on screen. All the other characters have the amount of screen time that would normally be given to extra’s. The one exception to this is Kevin Spacey, whose vocal chords provide the only supporting character not sporting Sam Rockwells face. The other roles are not small because of a lack of care during writing stages, they are small because this film is not about them, it’s about one man even if that one man is effectively split into two. Whenever dealing with identical twins or clones, film makers are often challenged with the task of making it easy to identify which one is which. Examples of this range from signature clothing colours and hair cuts all the way to ridiculous scars across the face. Yet there is no need to mark these characters with “Sam 1″ and “Sam 2″ T-shirts because Rockwell makes it very clear which one is which in his performances. The older Sam has softened over the course of his 3 years in solitude and his genuine need to connect with another living thing is clear, even if that living thing is a younger and much more hot headed version of himself. The way in which the two interact with each other is the core of the story and the illusion is seamless.

As a whole, Moon feels a lot like the middle part of a film but it is by no means incomplete. It begins quickly as if it is missing a boring set up of who Sam is and why he’s up there on his own. Similarly it ends at a point which a lot of film makers would  be tempted to further, remove all the mystery and tire out the concept. The fact that it lacks a drawn out introduction and ending only adds to it’s strength. This film doesn’t outstay it’s welcome even though you’ll probably wish it would. Moon proves that there is still a lot to be said for leaving the audience wanting more.