MEN IN TIGHTS 2008

[defrog]

ITEM: According to The Underwire, 2008 is Marvel Comics’ last chance to prove that you can TOO make a successful movie franchise out of a comic book series that doesn’t feature Spiderman or the X-Men.

The odds are not in their favor. Movies based on comics, you may have noticed, have a patchy track record. For every Batman Begins there’s about seven Catwomans, if you see what I’m saying.

To be fair, I think the problem isn’t the source material so much as the adaptation and execution (Mark Steven Johnson, I am talking to YOU). Or, if there IS a problem with the source material, it’s not the quality so much as its translatability into another medium – to say nothing of the fact that a significant chunk of a given comic title’s fan base is detail-obsessed continuity nerds with high compliance standards (and I mean that in a nice way).

On the other hand, the DVD aftermarket can make a hit out of almost anything these days, and even Daredevil made a profit without resorting to that.

Iron Man will probably make real money, but whether it’ll create a Spidey/X-men-sized franchise is up for grabs – it’ll depend on whether they can make Tony Stark as interesting on screen as he is in the comics. Or if it makes a gazillion dollars. As for The Incredible Hulk, it’ll be interesting to see if it works as a “do over” instead of a sequel, though I can’t decide if I find this innovative or annoying – it’s sort of like “Let’s pretend Highlander 2 never happened”.

I’ll probably go see both, but personally I’m more psyched about the new Batman film. And the Watchmen film next year, obviously.

And now, a list:

TEN DEF COMIC BOOK MOVIES

1. Men In Black
2. The Crow
3. V For Vendetta
4. Batman Begins
5. Batman
6. X-Men
7. 300
8. Spiderman
9. Death Note
10. Sin City

HONORABLE MENTION: Flash Gordon (technically a comic strip, not a comic book), Barbarella (ditto), Batman (the Adam West version), From Hell (so what if it's not "true to the original"), The Mask (annoying catch phrases aside) and Sheena (one of the great bad films)

DISCLAIMER: No, I haven’t seen Ghost World or A History Of Violence. I only have so many hours in a day, you know.

Holding out for a hero,

This is dF

Comments

[def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com]

Noted.

And welcome aboard.

If it helps, I'm surprised 300 did anything for me at all – I'm not much on either swords/sandals epics OR war films. Maybe it's all Frank Miller's fault.

[dinopollard.livejournal.com]

Miller's one of those writers who just doesn't do it for me anymore. I haven't read 300, but everything I have read by him post-Sin City just bombed miserably with me.