Thanks Thanks:  0
Results 1 to 3 of 3
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Venezuela
    Posts
    1,383
    Credits
    27

    Arrow F S R - "Top 10 Best Comic Adaptations of All-Time"

    From filmschoolrejects.com:

    Top 10 Best Comic Adaptations of All-Time

    by Kevin Carr

    This summer we are going to get another shot at Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. Next year we are going to be treated to another Batman film and possibly another go-round in Sin City. The only question is how these new films will rank among the Top 10 Best Comic Adaptations of All-Time:

    10. Tales from the Crypt (series, 1989-1996)



    While this is not a film adaptation, it is significant for its fine treatment of the classic EC horror comics. While the Crypt Keeper was updated quite a bit from the comics – with the Old Witch and the Vault Keeper buried forever – the seminal HBO series actually managed to present fair and popular adaptations of the original stories. Keeping in mind this premiered in the wake of 1989’s Batman, it’s a marvel this was possible without squeezing Prince into the soundtrack to appeal in vain to the masses.

    9. American Splendor (2003)



    Before Paul Giamatti was completely overexposed as the go-to actor for pathetic losers, he starred in this gem of a film. American Splendor captured the despair and loneliness of Harvey Pekar, making it the only non-fiction comic-book adaptation of note. With guest appearances from Pekar (playing himself on archived Letterman footage) and James Urbaniak as underground comic artist Robert Crumb, American Splendor was a unique and entertaining film.

    8. The Crow (1994)



    While Joel Schumacher was preparing to butcher the Batman franchise in the cinemas, Alex Proyas was making the penultimate goth-hero. Brandon Lee lost his life on the film, but he left a great legacy, which was never topped by the sequels.

    7. A History of Violence (2005)



    It’s not always remembered as a comic book adaptation, but rather as a great film on its own. David Cronenberg directed award-worthy performances from Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris and Maria Bello. It made me want to get my wife an old cheerleading outfit, get the kids out of the house and wax the stairs.

    6. X-Men series (2000, 2003, 2006)



    While many think that the Spider-Man series was the first to get it right, it was actually 2000’s X-Men that set the bar. Using the innovations in digital effects, the mutants were brought to life in a way no one had ever seen. The first two films solidified Bryan Singer as Hollywood’s comic book golden boy… at least until he gave us the mediocre Superman Returns.

    5. 300 (2007)



    Building on the success of Sin City, Zach Snyder’s adaptation of Frank Miller’s historically-inspired graphic novel proved again to Hollywood that frame-for-frame adaptations actually are a good thing. Highly stylized with eye-popping visual effects, 300 was a great action film that inspired the audience. And by portraying the Persians as vicious, inhuman monsters, it didn’t bow to the oppression of political correctness. Who cares that it was banned in Iran? What film isn’t?

    4. Mystery Men (1999)



    While its’ not a traditional superhero story, Mystery Men was a hilarious spoof on the entire genre. Surprisingly, in the middle of being a spoof, it also managed to be a fun story of third-tier heroes. The cast of comedians, including Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo, made it funny. Serious actors like Geoffrey Rush made it hilarious.

    3. Batman Begins (2005)



    After the Batman series’ descent into insanity with Joel Schumacher at the helm, Memento director Christopher Nolan revived the franchise with the best Batman adaptation yet. Christian Bale knocked it out of the park as Bruce Wayne, and the supporting cast of Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman made the cast shine (even with the counter-productive performance of Katie Holmes). This was the first DC adaptation since Marvel stormed the cinemas in the early 2000s, giving us hope for more Warner Bros. characters coming to life.

    2. Spider-Man series (2002, 2004 and 2007)



    By the time Spider-Man came out in 2002, the special effects had caught up to the vision of the comics. Instead of putting a director’s arrogant spin on an existing character, Sam Raimi worked to make an exciting movie that followed the source material as closely as it could. And when he changed anything, like making Spidey’s web fluid part of his mutation, it was actually for the better.

    1. Sin City (2005)



    Robert Rodriguez defied logic and the DGA to prove to the world that comic books can be adapted faithfully to film. Using Frank Miller’s graphic novels as storyboards for the film, Rodriguez made the market-standard for comic-book adaptations. Sin City is still one of the most unique, stylized and brilliant films of the decade.

    HONORABLE MENTION
    Fantastic Four (2005) –
    Not well loved by critics, and the character of Doctor Doom was changed considerably, but you can’t deny that Jessica Alba was super-hot as the Invisible Woman.

    Stick around because later in the week I will give you the “Ten Worst Comic Adaptations of All-Time” [also in ML forums].

    Posted on May 1, 2007 | Permalink
    Thanks to barrapunto.com

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Krakow, Poland
    Posts
    798
    Credits
    30
    My #1 is "Road to Perdition"

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Daly City, CA
    Posts
    1,319
    Credits
    1,095
    Admittedly, X-Men and Spider-Man were the only movies whose comics I'd actually seen. However, I have to admit that Sin City was an awesome graphic novel/movie. The actors/actresses may not look too much like the characters in the comics, but that's probably a good thing in most cases.
    If you can stay calm, while all around you is chaos...then you probably haven't completely understood the seriousness of the situation.

Similar Threads

  1. Comic to Movie adaptations, best & upcoming
    By Intercepter in forum General Chatter - Movie Related
    Replies: 20
    Last Post: 03-10-2005, 12:53 PM
  2. Finally happened, my top 10 of 2003
    By carl in forum General Chatter - Movie Related
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 06-24-2004, 04:07 PM
  3. Top 10 Comic to Movie Adaptations
    By WorkShed in forum General Chatter - Movie Related
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 05-06-2003, 08:34 PM
  4. Replies: 9
    Last Post: 05-03-2003, 12:34 PM
  5. Top 10 Comic Book Movies
    By chernabog_ca in forum General Chatter - Movie Related
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 02-25-2003, 09:58 PM

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •