Comic Book movies are perhaps the most demanding when it comes to audiences. There are certain groundbreaking concepts that are not materialised from the enduring legacy of the Marvel or the DC universe. According to Victor Hugo who says, “If a writer wrote merely for his time, then I would have to break my pen and throw it away.” Comic Book Movies, in a proper sense, are the offerings of some of the masterworks of certain literary translations that have explored the concept of entertainment against the conventional standards of comic book adaptations worldwide. The capacity of on-screen brilliance and the spectacular success of some groundbreaking concepts proves that even the non-fans might shift their attention to the noble vision of one’s creation that has been universal with human existence.
1. Tintin
The Belgian Cartoonist Herge was welcomed with a proper sense of adventure since Peter Jackson and Steven Speilberg decided to turn the beloved novella into a live motion picture. Based on a journalist’s sense of experiencing grand adventures and curiousness of solving incomplete mysteries, came the epic globetrotter from the cinematic trio of Edgar Wright, Steven Moffat and Joe Cornish.
The venture was a well-blended cocktail of the Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham’s Treasure. The inspiration behind making the grand opus from those three books was purely out of the sense of showcasing the first adventures of Tintin and Captain Haddock. Overall the movie sat atop the highest Rotten Tomato score rating ever after Batman, Iron Man 2 and the Amazing Spider-Man.
2. The Mask
An easy-going bank employee donned on the craziest green skinned mask character on inheriting a wooden mask, which was inhabited by Loki, the Norse God of Mischief. The dark fantasy superhero comedy film directed by Chuck Russell forayed into the warped mind of a boring banker whose inhibitions got tripled to a no hold mischief barrier when putting on the mask, that got the entire town and a gang of robbers seek him for personal gains.
The Mask was originally a very dark comic book which drew the attention of the director in the early nineties. At this time the comic book was referred to as ‘splatterpunk ‘which was termed to be a violent move within the horror genre. The movie was then bought by New Line Studio which then transformed into a comedy with the director’s added persuasion of hiring Jim Carrey. The studio first declined the director’s choice of carrying it as horror series with Carrey attached as they believed he was off his hooker but later asking him to transfer this into an entire comedy with a guy-girl and a dog in a nightclub, the style was changed for the adaptation.
Although with the newfound charm of doing something fresh with the guidance of the founder of Newline. The film scored a total of 77% Rotten Tomato against Captain America: First Avenger, Iron man 2 and The Amazing Spider-Man.
3. Sin City
Four Individuals cross paths when they try and solve their personal problems and fight corruption in Basin City. A shot to shot rendition was created for an epic multi-faceted film noir in black and white with a violent twist. Populated by Cops, tough guys and sadists in equal measures fighting on the wrong side created a beating pulp noir that was hard to ignore. For the movie was not about narrative and all style to produce the best neo-noir graphic all the time.
The comic art came alive with the violence that was painted on screen edited by Robert Rodriguez and co-directed by Frank Miller in the best edition possible. The Rotten Tomato gave it a 77% rating against Superman Returns, Thor, Batman, Iron Man 2, The Amazing Spider-Man and Captain America The First Avenger.
4. Dredd
Adi Shankar’s Bootleg Universe is the Megamind behind the unapologetic R rated crime-fighting drama Dredd. The Robocop slash terminator holds no bars when it comes to fighting crimes and even takes the perilous trip along with psychic Cassandra to stop a vicious crime lord. The comic book over here was applauded for the brand sense of humour it embraced. Amazed at Karl Urban’s cemented ability to be on the joke always, this highly addictive chemical movie scene latched itself onto the memories of moviegoers. With a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a one of a kind it conquers Batman, Iron Man2, The Amazing Spiderman, Superman Returns, Thor and Captain America
5. Addams Family
One of the few box-office highlights of 1991, at the modest budget of $30million the film that went on to gross $191million worldwide. The Addams Family was the summer favourite of the viewers. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures, yet it was the property of 20th Century Fox. In the likes of Scott Rudin who was the head producer during that time, pitched the story to FOX whose sheer excitement for the project was met with enthusiasm. Christina Ricci as Addams Wednesday was the popular female character that everyone connected with which gave it a top 78% score on rotten tomatoes.
The score was higher than any Marvel or DC movies especially when the film didn’t nearly get to cinemas at all. The architect of The Addams Family TV show created the film from the Frankenstein mess Orion pictures had developed with. Chris Addams the owner of Orion had died too at this time when the property was not well known to audiences under 40. Luckily, the ex-wife of Addams sold off the rights and that was when a draft was penned by Caroline Thompson and Larry Wilson who had also penned the script for Edward Scissorhands. As a Director the expertise of Barry Sonnenfeld was borrowed who had gone to make the Men in Black Films, Wild Wild West and Get Shorty.
6. Old Boy
The Documentary ‘Old Days’ captured the creation of Old Boy which was a classic tale of pure revenge drama. The making of the movie faced several financial constraints where the director wanted to spend more money, but the producer wanted to save a lot. The iconic corridor action scene in which actor Choi Min Sik fights many villains as he seeks vengeance for being locked up in a room for 15 years turned out to be incredibly stylish as that cut required more intense physical conflict.
The director confirmed that as the actor was getting worn out, his several takes on that sequence helped bring out the best lethal purpose of the character that made it score an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes while the Audience seemed to have loved that more who gave it a 90%. The brutality of it, however, proves that the action film didn’t seem to be entertaining more than gods in flying capes. It is a higher following at Rotten Tomatoes which is above Batman, Iron Man, Captain America and Thor.
7. The Crow
Brandon Lee died at the age of 28 after 8 hours of surgery because of a bullet that shot him and struck Lee in the abdomen, on the final sets of his film. The actor was the popular choice for playing the young talent who is murdered on his wedding night along with his wife only to seek vengeance when he awakens from his death. The artist in reverse was the infamous comic icon who became destined to give his killers a taste of their own medicine.
Alex Proyas’s original movie was the affecting cult phenomena that introduced Eric Davern, a fearsome vigilante next in the lines of Batman and Hellboy, a bold and brazen Rockstar bred in darkness on the hunt for perfect revenge. The remake was in the works until both Corin Hardy and Jason Momoa were no longer attached to the project due to creative differences with Samuel Hadida from Davis Films whose company hold the rights to the original movie. It scored a total 81% on Rotten Tomatoes.
8. Hellboy
Guillermo Del Toro has created the urban superhero in his own image. Lots of Alien faced creatures and demonic possessions are omnipresent in this film scene. Towards the end of World War 2, the Nazis resort to black magic and summons upon a demonic looking being known as Hellboy only to be captured by his allies to fight against evil.
Toro who has given us Pan’s Labyrinth perfectly aligns with his philosophy he adopts for this movie. The movie sits at the top with a Rotten Tomato score of 81%. But it’s a first when a movie of this calibre has been enjoyed more by critics than audiences who have given it a 74% Rotten Score.
9. Scott Pilgrim vs the World
Today everyone makes movies, but Edgar Wright is the one who makes movies with sprinkles on top. A comedy of a teenager on his battle for the love of his life faces the 7 evil exes. The art inspired from selective movie followings such as the legend of Zelda and other animes inspired this wrecking ball of a goofy action comedy. Edgar Wright who has had a career over a decade as a screenwriter for Tintin, A venture with Dreamworks called Shadows which got shunned and his solo movie Baby Driver after the Ant-Man Fiasco. The Rotten Tomato score has placed this director’s cut on an 82% rating which raises the bar higher than the previous entrants.
10. Men in Black
Latest news report Chris Hemsworth shaves his Men in Black Stuntman capturing the torturous process in a video shared recently. Chris Hemsworth and team Thor Ragnarok are back about 2 mismatched individuals that made the Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones starrer a blockbuster hit.
Approximately when about 1500 aliens take human form and lives amongst us, you have but only one choice to protect the city from the evil clutches of the species. Their latest mission to save the universe from an intergalactic attack came to the smart black comedy about agents wearing black suits and saving the world. Besides the genre, it was Smit’s patriotic embrace characters against aliens that made sci-fi such a delight to watch during summers. Barry Sonnenfeld sold this solid B movie league of being the best comic book movie ever with the highest 92% Rotten Tomato scoring.
