Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance hits big screens on Friday (Feb 17th) and we’re taking a look at some of the great comic book adaptations.
Comic Book: Kick-Ass
Creator / Publisher: Mark Millar / Marvel Comics
First Published: February 2008
Synopsis: A comic book loving teenager attempts to become a real life superhero and ends up entwined with a father and daughter vigilante team, who also masquerade as superheroes around New York City.
Movie released: March 2010
Director: Matthew Vaughan
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, Chloe Grace Moretz
Big screen transition: A fantastic screenplay by Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughan with Vaughan also directing leaving no stone unturned and it showed as Kick-Ass fast became one of the top movies of 2010. With fantastic pacing, uber violence, an amazing soundtrack and an incredibly well cast bunch of characters the movie caused it’s fair share of controversy. In particular Chloe Moretz’s character, Hit Girl. The pint sized vigilante hacked and slashed her way through the movie in memorable scene after memorable scene. It wasn’t so much the flying blood and limbs that caused the major drama, it was an 11 year old uttering the following words “"Okay you cunts, let's see what you can do now" And what a show she put on. An absolutely brilliant comic book adaptation that should be in every self respecting movie and comic book lovers shelf.While the finale is different from the source material, and the violence, believe it or not is toned down slightly, the movie stays incredibly loyal. With set piece after set piece delivering time and time again, this is a movie that will have you glued to the screen. Kick-Ass is simply phenomenal!
Bonus bit: After being rejected by every studio they approached, Matthew Vaughn raised the budget at a dinner party and made the movie independently. Vaughn ultimately sold the movie to Universal for more than he had originally asked them for.
Comic Book: Sin City
Creator / Publisher: Frank Miller / Dark Horse
First Published: Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special 1991
Synopsis: Individual stories set in Basin City or as it’s better known Sin City. Featuring a variety of characters and stories, entwined with violent corruption
Movie released: 2005
Director: Robert Rodriguez / Frank Miller / Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Clive Owen, Benicio Del Toro
Big screen transition: The movie adaptation primarily based itself on The Hard Goodbye, The Big Fat Kill and That Yellow Bastard. The other comic books in the series, A Dame to Kill For, Family Values, Booze, Broads & Bullets as well as Hell and Back went on the back burner from the movie perspective. With maybe one or two exceptions Sin City is a visual tour de force when it comes to comic book adaptations. It’s hard to describe it, but it’s like watching the actual comic unfold in front of your eyes. It’s unique black and white super stylized look received critical acclaim and it picked up the technical Grand Prize at Cannes in 2005, for “Visual Shaping”. The level of detail here is amazing, right down to the framing of the shots which are a carbon copy of the comic. You will not see a more accurate representation of a comic book anywhere else.And while it only covered 3 of the Sin City books, it remained true to it’s character, locations and stories. Attempting to include the entire Miller series would have either given us a 6 hour epic or would have provided an incredibly watered down film. Controversy also surrounded the movie and primarily two of it’s credited directors. Frank Miller’s original comic books were used as storyboards and he himself was quite involved in the direction of the film, particularly with the actors. Robert Rodriguez felt that with Millers involvement that he should also be garnished with a directors credit. The Directors Guild of America refused to allow two directors that were not an established team to be credited, and the fact that Miller had no previous directors experience, this didn’t help the case. So Robert Rodriguez resigned from the DGA.
Bonus bit: The film, and many of its effects and scoring, were all done in Robert Rodriguez's studio, which is immediately across the street from his home. Because the director refuses to work anywhere else and shuns other Hollywood traditions, it took his friendship with Miramax honchos Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein to make the production of the film possible, as no other studios would take a chance on either Rodriguez's methods or such a bizarre film.
Comic Book: Watchmen
Creator / Publisher: Alan Moore / DC Comics
First Published: September 1986
Synopsis: An alternative 1985 sees the glory days of costumed vigilantes shut down, but after one gets murdered, a group of the masked superheroes reunite to investigate the murder and discover a far deeper and more dangerous plot.
Movie released: March 2009
Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley
Big screen transition: The exception mentioned in the Sin City piece above, is here and it comes in the form of Zack Snyder. Considered by many, including it’s creator Alan Moore to be unfilmable, Synder stepped up to the plate and created quite the adaptation. Taking over 20 years to come to the big screen, panel by panel, frame by frame, Watchmen the movie was a real life living comic book. The movie delivers astounding pace, amazing characters (who share an almost indistinguishable resemblance to their inked counterparts) and selection of brilliantly realized set pieces which bring the comic to life in ways that nobody thought possible. And while some of the fight scenes were extended and a subplot about energy resources ran in the background, the movie is another incredible adaptation. The comic’s creator, Alan Moore stated he had no interest in seeing the movie, telling Entertainment Weekly in 2008 that “There are things that we did with Watchmen that could only work in a comic, and were indeed designed to show off things that other media can't". Was Moore correct? Watch the movie adaptation and decide for yourself, but prepare to be blown away.
Bonus bit: If you looks closely during the opening credits sequence when Silk Spectre is having her photo taken with the police, you can see the Police Chief slyly trying to look down her blouse. Watch him turn his head and grin.
