Comic book movies started gaining popularity with the release of Sony’s Spider-Man movies and Fox’s X-Men movies back in the early 2000’s. By the late 2000’s, comic book movies have dominated the movie market, thanks largely in part to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has given us over twenty movies in the last eleven years, as well as DC’s Dark Knight trilogy from 2005 to 2012.
Nowadays, Marvel and DC are both all over the place, with the past few years seeing multiple releases from both companies. When one thinks of comic book movies, these two giants are normally what comes to mind first. Though it’s easy to forget there are plenty of other films based on comics that fared very well and had nothing to do with either of the two comic book giants, with one example being the just-released reboot of Hellboy, which was based on the Dark Horse series of the same name.
To coincide with Hellboy’s release, here are ten of the greatest non-Marvel and DC films that were based on comics (in alphabetical order).
1) American Splendor
Based in part on the autobiographical self-released comic book series of the same name, this film chronicled the life of author Harvey Pekar. While the film was mostly a narrative feature, at times it did dive into semi-documentary territory. Pekar was mainly portrayed by Paul Giamatti, while the film would occasionally cut to the real Pekar to speak directly to the camera and comment on the situation at hand. The film also featured other real life figures from Harvey’s life making the occasional appearance as well in the same fashion. The film was a very subdued effort, but still very entertaining thanks to Giamatti’s fun lead performance filled with his usual bitter sarcasm, as well as its wild visual style as it would bring to life many of Pekar’s comics (which chronicled his own life) as a way to keep the narrative moving. Ironically, after this film was made, the final run of American Splendor series was published by DC’s Vertigo imprint from 2006 to 2008. Though considering this was after the fact, it still counts for this particular list.
2) The Crow
Based on the comic book series of the same name originally from Caliber Press, The Crow will always be remembered more for the tragic death of star Brandon Lee while filming rather than the quality of the film itself, but it has gained a cult following in recent years. Before The Dark Knight set the stage for dark, gritty superhero movies, The Crow was probably as dark as it could get at the time for a comic book movie. A film centered around Halloween that focused on the titular character returning from the dead, the film was riddled with vivid, demonic-like imagery, and also contained a fair amount of bloody violence. Though the film contained a surprising amount of emotional depth, with parts of the film re-edited after Lee’s death to make for a fitting tribute to the actor, giving it more of a mainstream appeal without sacrificing its dark subject matter. While Lee’s career never got to take off the way his father Bruce’s did, his legacy will always remain alive with this film.
3) Dredd
Based on the series of the same name published in the 2000 AD anthology series, this was actually the second adaptation of the Judge Dredd character, after the 1995 Sylvester Stallone film that had the “Judge” part intact. While Stallone’s film was critically panned, this updated version has much more of a cult following behind it, with fans petitioning immensely for a sequel despite the film’s lack of box office success. Taking place mostly in one building as Judge Dredd goes to take down a drug lord, the film was released the same year as acclaimed Indonesian action movie The Raid: Redemption, and due to the many plot similarities, wound up getting relentlessly compared to the latter, though actor Karl Urban insists this was coincidental. Dredd plays out similar to a video game, with the titular character making his way up the building and going through hundreds of enemies. The film is loads of fun, complete with the silly one-liners that were all over the original adaptation, yet also containing plenty of over-the-top violence and visual effects that will please diehard action fans. The much-desired second film is still nowhere close to being in the making, but thankfully, this is a film that’s just as fun to watch on repeat viewings, and can hold over fans until then.
4) Kick-Ass
While the original comic technically was released by Marvel, it was under their creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the film was not branded as a Marvel movie. One of the most bonkers entries on this list, Kick-Ass sets up explaining to the audience that this will be a much more grounded superhero experience, and then totally goes off the wall from there, all while maintaining an extremely dark sense of humor. Centered on an ordinary teenager who sets out to become a superhero, joining forces with other vigilantes, the film contains plenty of bloody, over-the-top violence and one of the filthiest mouths in all of superhero movies. Though it’s incredibly entertaining as soon as it starts right to the very end. The film boasts plenty of excellent one-liners and dark visual gags, and also contains Nicolas Cage in one of his (purposely) funniest performances. The film was a box-office smash hit and went on to gain one of the largest cult followings not too long after its release.
5) The Mask
Loosely based on the much darker comic book series of the same name from Dark Horse Comics, The Mask is always going to be best remembered as one of three movies that launched Jim Carrey into super-stardom, being released the same year as equally popular Dumb and Dumber, and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. While Dumb and Dumber is often seen as the best of the three, it’s often easy to forget just how great The Mask is. While it doesn’t have the most unique story, the film contains easily one of Jim Carrey’s most cartoonish performances. Each time his character Stanley Ipkiss places on the titular mask, he is gleefully over-the-top, throwing out so many pop culture references that they almost match the amount of references mentioned by Robin Williams in Aladdin. The film also has plenty of whacky slapstick visual gags that put any film that came after it that relied on visual humor to shame. Still just as funny twenty-five years later as it was when it was first released in 1994, The Mask is an underrated comedy classic.
6) Men in Black
Like The Mask, this was also loosely based on a much darker comic book series of the same name, this one originally published by Aircel Comics (which was later bought out by Malibu Comics, which was also in turn later bought out by, ironically, Marvel). Will Smith’s second movie released within the first year of his hit show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ending, this - along with Independence Day - solidified the television star and hip-hop artist as a highly bankable movie star as well, and is still easily his best film. An over-the-top sci-fi comedy that was full of Smith’s trademark humor full of one-liners, the film also had a fairly complex plot that was highly engaging to follow. The film benefited immensely from the chemistry between Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, and also saw Vincent D’Onofrio as a villain who was loads of fun to watch. Full of heart and full of laughs, Men in Black still remains one of the best examples of a great sci-fi comedy.
7) Oldboy
Based on the Japanese manga of the same name, Oldboy is easily the most twisted entry on this list, and makes The Crow seem like a Disney movie. Directed by Park Chan-wook, the film was the second installment of The Vengeance Trilogy, a trilogy of unconnected films that were only linked by their thematic elements of salvation and bloody revenge (the other two being Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance). While the film is mainly a violent revenge thriller, it also addresses plenty of human drama that gives it a huge sense of heart and painful realism at the same time. The film is the right mix of the slow-burn followed by manic bursts of energy, with its more subdued moments containing an engaging story that’s intriguing to follow in between the moments of brutal violence. The film is not for the faint of heart, with plenty of twists and turns that can easily make some audience members uncomfortable. For those who can stick through it, Oldboy is a rewarding experience, mixing both tragic drama and over-the-top violence that make for one of the greatest films of Korean cinema.
8) The Peanuts Movie
Based on the beloved and instantly recognizable comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, The Peanuts have been on the big screen a few times, though their much more remembered on-screen portrayals lie in their holiday themed TV specials. The specials aside, as far as film adaptations go, this is easily the best portrayal of the characters, which helps largely in part that it was co-written by both Schulz’s son and grandson. The film is easily the tamest entry on this list, with a story that just shows kids being kids. It never does anything overly-ambitious, but that ends up being okay, as it perfectly captures the spirit of the original adventures of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang. It’s extremely sweet and contains plenty of innocent humor that still make for some legitimate laughs. What’s also refreshing about this film is that at the time, outside of Kristin Chenowith in a small role as Snoopy’s love interest (which consisted of noises as opposed to dialogue), all of the voice cast were full of unknown child actors, which allowed for audiences to associate the characters as themselves and not associate them by the celebrity who portrayed them (though Noah Schnapp, who voiced Charlie Brown, would go on to become much more well-known thanks to his role in the hit series Stranger Things).
9) Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Based on the Oni Press series of graphic novels, this one often went hand-in-hand with Kick-Ass when it was released. Both were released in 2010, were noted for their off-the-wall humor, and would later go on to achieve cult status later on. The only difference was that while Kick-Ass was a box office smash, Scott Pilgrim was a box office disappointment, despite receiving plenty of positive reviews. Directed by Edgar Wright, this was a film that was even more manic than his much-beloved Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The film was heavily inspired by video games, filled with moments such as the titular character “leveling up” and “earning an extra life.” It has an extremely fast-paced script, rarely taking a moment to breathe. It would switch from rapid-fire exchanges to eye-popping visual gags, and rarely was there a moment when the audience wasn’t laughing. The film also contains an all-star cast filled with plenty of notable actors who, while already somewhat well-known at the time, would later achieve superstardom, including Brie Larson, Chris Evans, and Aubrey Plaza.
10) Sin City
Based on the Dark Horse anthology series of the same name, Sin City was co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and the series’ original creator, Frank Miller. The film mirrored the style of Miller’s original series, being rendered completely in black and white, outside of certain objects being the only source of color in the scene. It was also a shot-for-shot retelling of the original series, with nothing new added to each of the stories and only certain scenes being edited down from the original graphic novels here and there. The film perfectly captured how to do a dark, gritty movie properly. While it was noted as feeling inhumane, its performances were top-notch, and it balanced bloody violence with an engaging story line. The film was broken up into three stories and was told in a very similar style to Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (Tarantino himself is actually a guest director for one scene in the second story). The first story, led by Mickey Rourke, is easily the best as it is a no-holds barred beat ‘em up that still managed to tell a heart-breaking story. Though the next two stories, one led by Clive Owen, and the last by Bruce Willis, were still very enjoyable. While the film’s sequel didn’t achieve neither the critical nor commercial success that the first film did, Sin City still remains an example of what it’s like to be a brutal, dark film and still be highly entertaining.
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