Entertaining movies based on comic books (1 Viewer)

[Colin Jacobson]

And while I can't say I'd recommend it, I didn't find Whiteout to be nearly as bad as its reputation would have it. It's a murder mystery set in Antarctica, starring Kate Beckinsale and Tom Skerritt. Based on a comic by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber. For the record, Rucka didn't like it.

Nor did I.

Summary from my review:

"I’ve certainly seen crummier thrillers, but I can’t think of many that are quite so dull. We find precious little inspiration or excitement in this turgid crime drama."

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Thought Spider Man 2 was the worst I have seen.

When I saw Willem Dafoe in that ridiculous green goblin outfit I turned it off half way through as it was just too silly for my liking.

Wrong Spidey movie.

 

[Sam Favate]

Thought Spider Man 2 was the worst I have seen.

When I saw Willem Dafoe in that ridiculous green goblin outfit I turned it off half way through as it was just too silly for my liking.

That was Spider-Man (2002). I’m referring to Spider-Man 2 (2004) with Alfred Molina. DaFoe in not in 2.
It’s easily the best of the first five Sony Spider-Man movies.

 

[ScottRE]

Oh yeah, The Incredibles is just about perfect. It’s not from a comic book, but it surely wouldn’t exist without them.

Yep it's the best Fantastic Four movie to date. Hoping for the best in 2025 just the same.

 

[ScottRE]

I'm not cut out for comic based movies am I?

TBH, no. You really aren't liking most of them, not even those considered the best of the genre, so I would suggest just going on to another type of film.

Having said that:

Timecop was a TON of fun. RoboCop, the original, isn't based on a comic, but it is a comic book movie in every other sense, and it's a brilliant (if disturbing and graphic) film. Darkman also is a fantastic comic book movie but not. I know you didn't like Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, but this movie is less family friendly and it's where a lot of Raimi's Spider-Man got its visual style from.

The original Hellboy is also excellent. Ron Perlman is just perfectly cast. Blade is also really good.

 

[Carl David]

That was Spider-Man (2002). I’m referring to Spider-Man 2 (2004) with Alfred Molina. DaFoe in not in 2.
It’s easily the best of the first five Sony Spider-Man movies.

Oh I get confused with them all.

I'll take your word for it that it's good.

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

I’ve enjoyed a good number - but certainly not all - movies derived from comics. Sometimes it’s a familiarity with the source material, and sometimes it’s just a well made movie.



There was an adaptation of The Phantom in the 90s, with Billy Zane and Treat Williams, that’s an enjoyable romp, in an Indiana Jones spirit. Disney’s The Rocketeer (1991) is a terrific film, with an old school spirit of adventure. Also Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy (1990) is a wonderful full color detective story.

Totally agree, I thought I was the only one who liked these three.

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

And while I can't say I'd recommend it, I didn't find Whiteout to be nearly as bad as its reputation would have it. It's a murder mystery set in Antarctica, starring Kate Beckinsale and Tom Skerritt. Based on a comic by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber. For the record, Rucka didn't like it.

For a solid action/fantasy movie based on a Greg Rucka comic (and, like Atomic Blonde, starring Charlize Theron) try the Netflix movie The Old Guard.

Loved The Old Guard, but wasn't sure what it was based on. Really hope for a sequel, don't know enough about the comic to now if one exists.

 

[jayembee]

Oh yeah, The Incredibles is just about perfect. It’s not from a comic book, but it surely wouldn’t exist without them.

Yep it's the best Fantastic Four movie to date. Hoping for the best in 2025 just the same.

It's also the best Watchmen movie to date.

 

[jayembee]

Nor did I.

Summary from my review:

"I’ve certainly seen crummier thrillers, but I can’t think of many that are quite so dull. We find precious little inspiration or excitement in this turgid crime drama."

I'm not saying that the film didn't have its problems. It definitely does. I just didn't think it was as bad as it's branded.

 

[jayembee]

Loved The Old Guard, but wasn't sure what it was based on. Really hope for a sequel, don't know enough about the comic to now if one exists.

The movie was based on a 5-issue mini-series. There was a second mini-series that is presumably the basis for the sequel, which finished shooting a year and a half ago, according to this:

Netflix's The Old Guard 2 wraps filming in Rome

Production began in June this year and also filmed in the UK

www.kftv.com

Why it hasn't been announced for streaming by now I don't know.

There's also a third, as-yet-uncollected 6-issue series, that's more an anthology series written by several different writers.

 

[AlexF]

Some other fun/entertaining movies based on comics include the Kingsman series (though they go off book REALLY fast), Wanted, and The Losers (which actually hits most of the beats in the original comic series) and has some pretty clever bits to boot.

None of those are of the "superhero" bent at all.

 

[jayembee]

Part of the problem is that to the general audience "comic book movies" means the same thing as "superhero movies". But comic books aren't a genre; they're a reading format, just like a prose novel. Just like prose novels (or short stories), comics can tell war stories, western stories, horror stories, science fiction stories, romance stories, historical stories, character dramas, character comedies, and so on. That a movie is based on a comic book is functionally no different than saying a movie is based on a novel.

Anyway...on a slight tangent...since I brought up European comic albums earlier, I happened upon the following article from a few days ago in The Hollywood Reporter. Not about movies adapted from European comics, but European comics that would make for good film adaptations:

Berlin: Move Over, Marvel! 10 Euro Comics That Are Ripe for Adaptation

As the Hollywood superhero pipeline begins to run dry, 'Tintin,' 'Blake and Mortimer' and other comics offer a treasure trove of content from across the pond.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

Part of the problem is that to the general audience "comic book movies" means the same thing as "superhero movies". But comic books aren't a genre; they're a reading format, just like a prose novel. Just like prose novels (or short stories), comics can tell war stories, western stories, horror stories, science fiction stories, romance stories, historical stories, character dramas, character comedies, and so on. That a movie is based on a comic book is functionally no different than saying a movie is based on a novel.

Anyway...on a slight tangent...since I brought up European comic albums earlier, I happened upon the following article from a few days ago in The Hollywood Reporter. Not about movies adapted from European comics, but European comics that would make for good film adaptations:

Berlin: Move Over, Marvel! 10 Euro Comics That Are Ripe for Adaptation

As the Hollywood superhero pipeline begins to run dry, 'Tintin,' 'Blake and Mortimer' and other comics offer a treasure trove of content from across the pond.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Well, one problem is they are called 'comic' when in fact they are not necessarily that. Just because they are drawn rather than written don't make them Donald Duck. Like, what is 'comic' about Sin City? Or John Wick?

And Spielberg already tried Tintin, and while I liked it and hoped for a sequel, apparently the general public didn't.

 

[TravisR]

And Spielberg already tried Tintin, and while I liked it and hoped for a sequel, apparently the general public didn't.

I will never understand how that movie wasn't a massive hit. It's a ton of fun, has great animation and was Spielberg's best action movie in decades.

 

[Desslar]

Most anime films are based on Japanese comic books (manga), so there's plenty of options there if you're into animation. I'm mostly into the scifi/adventure titles like Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, Metropolis, Akira, Mazinger Z Infinity, etc.

Then there's also been some Hollywood adaptations based on manga, but these have been pretty rough so far, so I doubt you'd care for them. Astro Boy and Alita: Battle Angel were OK I guess.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I will never understand how that movie wasn't a massive hit. It's a ton of fun, has great animation and was Spielberg's best action movie in decades.

I liked it a lot but really disliked the mocap and character design choices.

I just hate that "sorta photoreal but creepy" thing. "Tintin" works better than "Polar Express" but I still find that style off-putting.

 

[jayembee]

I will never understand how that movie wasn't a massive hit. It's a ton of fun, has great animation and was Spielberg's best action movie in decades.

A lot of people don't like 3D/mo-cap animation. I find it ugly.

On edit: Oops. Colin already said this (pretty much, and while I didn't mention it, I was thinking of Polar Express, as well).

 

[TravisR]

A lot of people don't like 3D/mo-cap animation. I find it ugly.

On edit: Oops. Colin already said this (pretty much, and while I didn't mention it, I was thinking of Polar Express, as well).

I think the look of the animation for Tintin actually nicely captures the style of the comics.

EDIT: Incorrect.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I think the look of the animation for Tintin actually nicely captures the style of the comics.

How so? The comics are wholly cartoony, the movie is photo real with some cartoony touches.

This illustrates how different the 2 look very well: