What is your favorite movie based on a comic book and why? Live action or animated. Let's hear what you have to say. No fighting or putting someone down for their choice, just share with us what you think.
The Nerdmudgeon Podcast
Three middle-aged nerds (including yours truly!) review all of the MCU movies in chronological order. Short, funny, and full of good vibes, check it out and let us know what you think!
Nerdmudgeon.com
My favorite movie is the trailer of Guardians of the Galaxy.
Now more seriously, I really liked the adaptation of Watchmen. Maybe not faithful to the spirit of the comic, but an awesome movie overall.
I don’t know if they actually MADE a ‘The Incredibles’ comic book, but in the DVD extras they did an equivalent. They put in ‘NSA files’ about various supers complete with audio clips. I liked it more than I like comic books.
Among live-action comic book hero movies, I still love most the Reeves and Pryor Superman (forgot the number?) As campy and ridiculous as much of it is, Pryor was so much better a ‘storyteller’ than many actors of his day ever were. I just love him recounting a super-exploit more than hyper-real CGI! It’s just more FUN.
I’ve always been partial to Mystery Men. Absolutely hilarious.
Also, the first X-Men movie
Ghost Rider! No wait…Green Lantern!!
Seriously though, mine has to be X2. Brian Singer is a brilliant director…he took different characters and brought them together as a team on the big screen YEARS before the Avengers. Plus, I have a soft spot for Nightcrawler. Avengers is a close second too…I know it has it’s flaws as a movie but gosh darn it it’s just too much fun!
X-Men 2 is near the top for me. I still get shivers when I think about Magneto escaping his prison. And Nightcrawler was awesome!
One of the worst travesties was Singer leaving to do the Superman Returns movie. We got two mediocre movies instead of a great follow-up to X2. Sorry for the negativity but I loved the X-men franchise and the trilogy could have been a shining example on how to do it right.
Given my ADD, I have a hard time watching movies because they require me to sit around and pay attention to the same thing for too long. Given my budget, the only comics I can afford to read are the free online comics, which aren’t likely to ever get a movie adaptation. As such, my selection for “Favorite Comic Book Movie” is rather limited.
That said, one such movie definitely comes to mind. That movie is, of course, straight out of 1980, the best worst movie ever: Flash Gordon!
My favorite super-hero movie is “The Incredibles”, but I don’t think that qualifies since this is about films based on comic books.
I think I’m going to have to go with “Iron Man”. It’s the perfect match of an actor with a role; the effects are great; the story’s engaging; and most of all, it’s a heck of a lot of fun.
I wasn’t a big Avengers reader when I was a kid (more into Spider-Man), but I can’t think of a bad entry in the movie franchise (yes, even Ed Norton’s turn as the Hulk was worthwhile). My favorites have to be Iron Man 3, Thor, and Captain America for their less super heroicness (focusing more on character dynamics, wits, and historical fiction than just being A BIG SUPERHERO MOVIE!!!!!!!). But speaking of A BIG SUPERHERO MOVIE!!!!!!!, The Avengers showed us how an awesome spectacle can be done right for once.
Dolph Lundgren’s portrayal of He-Man in the Masters of the Universe movie was the bom-diggity-goo.
I mean, the 1966 Batman movie is my favorite super hero movie because it looks most like the o.g. comics with all the bright colors, sound effects, and outright acceptance of the improbable… even opening up a can o’ Bat Shark-repellant. Laugh it up, but if a future Robin dies in a water tank full of sharks, it’s on you.
Ok, let’s be completely obvious here shall we. No, actually, let’s not. Instead of picking the one expected of me (i.e. The Dark Knight), I’m gonna go with “Batman Begins”, because it borrows heavily from the definitive Batman origin story (and possible best Batman story of all time) Year One. Plus it’s got Liam Neeson in it and, whilst his Ra’s Al Ghul isn’t a lauded as Heath Ledger’s Joker, he brings a character that no-one ever thought could be done on screen to the big screen in such a way that it’s hard to see it being done again by someone else. And Katie Holmes was a better love interest than Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Although having said that, I have to agree with Herr D and Jeff, if The Incredibles had been a comic that would be number one, because that movie is perfect in every way.
Oddly enough, I actually really like Batman Forever. Part of it’s the nostalgia factor (it’s the first Batman movie I saw as a kid), but I also think it has a fun cheesy quality to it and a nice amount of energy and charm, particularly compared to that other Batman movie Joel Schumacher made.
On a more legitimate level, The Avengers and The Amazing Spiderman were both pretty awesome, and GotG and TASM 2 are also pretty strong contenders.
There are a lot of good mentions here, some I dont really agree with though. I wont bash but I have to say that if you are a big comic book nerd to the point where you like the movie to stay as close to the original comic story line then most of the movies most of the time fall out of sync. As far as a movie they can be entertaining though. Some are pretty cheezy but I think it adds to the humor or nostalgia at some points. I hope that the movies yet to come are done well. I liked the Avengers movie but I would of liked to see the Hulk and actor like he was in Hulk-2. My son loves the old Batman TV show. I found it on Netflix at one point bu tI think they took it off. The 90’s Batmans were awful to say the least. I dont really follow DC as much as Marvel but I have really liked the newer Batman movies. The last one though was hard to watch, I kept falling asleep. Maybe the next Batman will be better, wait what…Oh Ben’s still casted as Batman? Nevermind then. The Blade movies were okay at best I guess. Another character I dont know much about but I kinda liked #2 but 1 and 3 seem to be played more on TV than the other. I really liked the Captain America movie, my wife loves any of the superhero movies with buff guys with their shirts off ( rolling eyes ). Lets see, Catwoman was better in the original Batman. The Crow…Oh man is so still so awesome to this day. I dont care for any of the sequels or TV show though. DoucheDevil oh I mean DareDouche oh I mean…whatever close enough. Moving on, Elektra left a lot to be disired other than the actress, she was highly desired. I may catch crap but I kinda liked both fantastic 4’s. Both Ghost Riders were okay as well. Green Lantern I was disapointed with. Hellboy seemed kinda cheezy but good. I dont know much about him either though. I loved all the Hulks even the old school TV one except the newest version. I know people didnt like the way he was done in #1 but I am sorry thats the way he was in the comics to my memory. You cant complain that a character thats not real isnt real enough. I liked Planet Hulk, there was a movie about Superman and Shazam on Netflix and another cartoon about All Star Superman that me and my son loved. I thought Iron Man 1 was the best one of those. I liked the newer was machine actor but missed the old one. The other movies were okay at best to me. Judge Dredd, Jonah Hex, Dredd, I may catch a lil crap again but I kinda liked them. I love the Punisher but felt like none of the movies really did a good job. Spawn and Spiderman could of been done a lot better. Thor was pretty good, I havent seen 2 yet. I dont know anything about V but thought the movie was interesting. I didn’t really care for any of the X-men line up of movies. Those were some of my first Superhero movies I watched and after seeing all the story mess ups, the disaster that was Deadpool, then Spidermans awful pick of Peter and Mary but what did it in for me was Venom, ugh! Daredevil, gag, I quit watching superhero movies for a while. I rather enjoy the cartoons better. My son was watching The Ultimate Spiderman cartoon the other day and Deadpool was in it and I laughed so much! I swear movie guys if you mess up this next Deadpool movie whenever it may be you decide to put it out so help me I will tell Deadpool that you stole all his Chimichangas! I think I covered the topic and then some well enough. Bye-Son 😉
Avengers for how they build up to through many movies before it and the all actors play their parts very well
Ouch. Hard one.
Batman Begins, because it felt so much like Batman
Sin City, because it felt so true to the comics
X-Men 1, because it was quite a shock (a super hero movie done right???) and was quite refreshing due to its approach to action movie clichés
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
Actually, no it’s not. It’s Avengers. But still, I like being contrary from time to time. And Scott Pilgrim has been such an immensely fun, quotable, somewhat bizarre thing that me and my friends have loved for a few years now. And yeah, the movie is a little bit of a different beast from the comics, and yet both are entertaining in their own right.
Really tough one here. Since no one’s picked an animated movie yet, I’ll pick from there. I’m a bit reluctant to go for the newest one, but Justice League: War stands out for the way The Members of the JL came together and all of them came to be better heroes by not just by teaming up, but also by learning from each other (except maybe Batman, who has very little to learn). Also Green Lantern caught Darkseid’s Omega Beams and threw them back at him, which is something I’ve always wanted to see a GL do.
I really love the Incredible Hulk. Hes one of my favorite comic heros and the movie just stuck with me.
If I had to go with something a little .different it would be the league of extraordinary gentlemen
Gosh this is a hard one. Warning there will be spoilers after I say my top 10. Not sure if this is Live-action only or not but I’ll just label my choice of films. Ten choices Id say
OldBoy-1
TDKR-2
Watchmen-3
Hellboy-4
The Crow – 5
Spiderman2- 6
V for Vendetta- 7,
The MASK- 8
Justice League Doom- 9
Daredevil-10 (Yup come at me)
*Spoliers ahead*(I will now explain why I didnt pick the more popular movies of the genre. Just gonna cover as many bases as I can.
Ready? Good.
– In no order-
My reasons for picking….. over …….. and Why I didnt pick ….
=Iron Man 2+3
Ironman 2 and 3 would have been on my list had they used their villians right. Still fun movies, but not excellent. Whiplash had me buckleaping about the place from the trailer and then I see they go ahead and make look like a punk with the fight. Dont get me started with Mandarin. I was always focused and silent when his trailer came one. He got your attention, scared you and you loved it. He was everything you wanted in a Mandarin. Ben Kingsly was a perfect choice and his dialogue sent shivers up my spine. Even when we find out his True purpose, I was still hopefull that it was all a ruse to a much greater plan. But alas soon I gave up hope.
=Dark Knight Rises Over Dark Knight?
Why TDKR over TDK? Simple. The villian!I loved Ledgers Joker. More so because I believed he was insane(not the joker cuz he has to be, but Ledger) when watching him. And that made it scarier. But then I watched Burtons Batman and Saw Nicolson’s Joker. He was scary, clean, damaged, and had the wit that I grew up with watching BTAS, He was A walking contradiction. Clean and smiling, yet filthy and dangerous. This was what ledger had to follow and he did so magnificiently in that last falling scene. Hardy on the other hand, had to follow “ICE TO MEET YOU!””LETS KICK SOME ICE””COOL PARTY” and Bat-nipples being associated with Bane. However, Nolan said a big Yes Please to Bane and along with Hardy, made Bane a respectable Awsome villian again. Plus Bane is the youngest villian to be catapulted into main media, just a year after his first appearence in comic’s he appeared in as a standalone villian in BTAS. Working as a hitman at first, but planing to kill his employer and reap the benefits. Then straight to the big screen with good old muscle mind and soul, right? WRONG! He was to be destroyed in one sitting. And Hardy’s version gave us Knightfall all over again with an audience, a voice, and a better laid out plan. Hardy just gave the better preformance in my opinion. Ledger had almost all of Batman’s run worth of research for the Joker(bar the years joker was dead), while Hardy had very little constructive writings to draw from.
=American Splendor
This didnt make it because I count it as more than a comic, its a touching piece of literature that makes the mundane fun.This is the story of the guy we meet everyday behind the bar or at the checkout line at the superstore. Its just amazing. But I can not see it as a comic, when I keep thinking of it as more than that.
=The Mask.
Honestly. I am angry at myself for not having this higher on my list.Good acting. Fun scenes. Memorable Dance numbers. Step right down to your local coco bongo and P.A.R.T WHY? because ya gotta! Its the kind of movie that deviats so far from the source material that it becomes something else entirely. And thats why Its not on the top five. It became its own wonderful self by being different, and with the acting talent of the underappreciated Jim Carey we saw a whole new side of big head. Hence why it is still on the list.
=V for Vendetta.
John.Hurt. Dies. In.Everything. Im sorry but he does. You look up his filmography he dies in like 95% of his movies and this ones no different. They take out some of the most disgusting points in it to make it more safe for younger audience;s, but that leaves those who have read the excellent Moore work a little let down at the lack of drugs, sex, fetishs, phobia’s and pyschological torture that the book gives. Only drawback of this film. Serouisly. If you didnt heed my warning, not having read the spoiler statement and have not seen this. Watch it now!
=TMNT
This my childhood. Watched it every morning when I could get up early enough (which usually was every morning). But its changed man. It went from childish to badass back to childish so fast Casey Jones didnt even get to finish his war cry. The movies themselve’s began to degenerate after a while and one or two good movies cant save the whole Micheal Bay issue. I just dont want my heart broken again.
=The Crow.
Yeah! Yeah! Heard it all before. Crows overrated or its only good because Lee died. Not true! Hell a movie can be rubbish and the actor could have died while making it. Contrary to popular belief TDK was NOT Ledgers last movie. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus by Terry Gilliam was. And I didnt care for it one bit, which made me sad because I usually love his wierd and wonderful world. What makes the Crow good is that its the kind of comic book movie that comes out at the right time, in the right decade, and with the right storyline. It screams 90s more so than Space Jam or Demolition Man or Terminator 2 did. It has some awsome scenes in it, nice acting, mild overacting villains(which actually works to the movies advantage), does not pull any punchs, and (unlike some movies) has a protagonist that seems to know everything having been to the other side of life, yet he acts like a confused child when confronted with someone not on his Hitlist(which once again plays to films advantage by making him more human). Hell my only issue with the crow is that I havent heard news of a remake as of late. After all its awful sequels and the influx of comic book movies to theatres these days, a crow movie must be made. And this time dont cast Forlong!
=Hellboy.
Jax is the devils spawn,carries around a huge revolver, fights off Russian Wizards, dating the chick from Cruel intentions, hangs out with Fraisers Brother, Ignores everything George Bluth Sr. says and his dads a timelord. Honestly if I didnt get you pumped by the word revolver and you arent looking up this movie right now, Im calling the big guns. He hangs out with cute Cats.
=Sherlock Holmes.
Before I get the argument, Id like to remind you that this was written back in an era where writers were basically jotting down little stories for weekly pulp magazines. Or comic books(with more words and less picturs). So, due to a loophole this is pretty much allowed to be used for certain famous novelists such as Poe, or Lovecraft. Anyways. Great movie all together. Wont bore you with the detials my good sir, but will state that it is not on the list because than the top ten would be nothing but Batman and Sherlock movies, with the exception of the next film and the last one.
=Watchmen
This film seperates a lot of people. Half Hate it, Half love it.Having read both the comic and watched the movie. I loved it. The actors that dont look as much like their characters from the book back it up by showing mannerisms almost identical to their characters. The actors that do look like their characters get the most attention and show the same level of mimicry to the source material that thier co-stars do. So what seperates the stories? The ending. Besides some small scenes and flash backs the biggest difference about the movie in comparasion to the book is the way Ozy Brings peace. Now many people would have issue with that but (and I am terrified of Alan Moore just appearing and choking me to death for saying this), this is one of those instances where the movies ending is better than the book. Hear me out. I loved the books ending, but it left some very big loop holes for me to try and figure out? Like why did John leave the universe if he was fine now? Why did Comedian have a break down? And was there really a need for the Paper stand scenes in the book? Plus this film was deemed undoable because(I like to think) The huge Brain monster thing! I did like the tying up the loose ends of the artist, the scientests and the little peices of info we get from finishing each book. But the Manhatton blast I like to think is more satisfying. There are hundreds of reasons why this should be on anybodies top ten.
=Judge Dredd Or Dredd?
Dredd. If I wanted to watch a man talk incoherently into a microphone while trying to sound intimadating…..Ya know what there is nobody who was worse at that than Stallone. Urban was angry, tough, collected, tactical, mysterouis, intimadating, and even in the sight of certain Death upheld the law. All while keeping his bloody helmet ON! You dont break the cardinal rule of Judge Dredd and that rule is He always wears the helmet! Hell urban’s Dredd even states to the rookie that if she looses her helmet its an instant failure. Everyone in this movie acts to perfection, which makes it all that saddening to know that it underpreformed.
=Spiderman 2
How can Ya beat Willem DeFoe as Goblin? Topher Grace as Venom….No? Well I actually like Topher as Brock but thats not the point. Spiderman 2 had everything. Breath taking Scenes, Bruce Capbell, conflict between superlife and normal life, Bruce Campbell, Pete’s powers going ka-poot when he doubhts himself, Epic fight scenes, A Tragic Villian, and Bruce Campbell. Doc-Oc is at his finest in this film, as the scientist wanting to finish his lifes work, but then realising that if he goes through with it he kills all life. That beautiful scene has me in tears everytime, when Otto overcomes the machine controling him and sacrificing himself saves the world.
=Daredevil
I am sensing some cocked eyebrows out there. Yes. Its not an amazing feet of magnificience that changes the perspective of everyone who sees it. But there are 2 beautiful preformance’s, and one sad set of scenes that make the movie addictive to me. The Preformance of Micheal Clark Duncan as the Kingpin was amazing. I mean who else could pull such an intimadating figure combined with the deminere of a buisness man? I mean I literally cant think of a better choice for the role. Then we have the other side of the coin. Not Jennifer Gardner (though she beat this preformance in Elektra) or Ben Affleck(he did alright with what he was given. Plus if you listen to the voice he does while in costume its actually pretty comforting to think he be Batman) but Bullseye. Thats right, the actor that’s been in almost every genre of film and has been in such greats as Crazy Heart, In Bruge, and Saving Mr. Banks. He is awful in this film. He plays an Irish Form of Bullseye,(which I hope is comic relief) who has a bullseye scar on his head, his accent sounds awful dispite being from Dublin Ireland, uses penuts to kill an old woman, wants a costume when he misses(i missed I want a prize.), seems to be a bit bi-polar at times, and appears to have every stereotype an Irish man can have. I mean Wow! This is a bad preformance.
=Justice League doom.
Watch It…….Now.!
=Old Boy.
This is my fave because of how graphic, messed up, violent, head scratching, and satisfying it is. I mean does the guy get the girl? Yes. Does the Villian get whats coming to him? Of course! Will I enjoy it? Not in the slightest!
This film is about vengence! But, also shows how something so small can be said and the result can impact on such a large scale. Set in S.Korea, A man is imprisioned for 15 years for reasons he is not told. Only to find out after a few days, he had been framed for the murder of his wife. His remaining family and police have no idea where he is, which begs the question where is the cell his is locked up in? He then dedicates every day of his time in the cell to training and planning his vengence. He is gassed often to put him to sleep for clothing change and haircuts and watchs tv to pick up on fighting techniques and news. Upon release he begans his search for vengence. A part of the Lady Vengence trilogy, this was remade recently by Spike Lee. I have not seen the remake yet, but I would strongly recommend the original to anyone as it probubly makes more sense why he just didnt shoot anyone. (S. Korean law regarding firearms)Instead we get an epic scene with a hammer being used to fight 20 guys in a narrow hallway.
Watch this now! Or I will find you.