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Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

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Old 06-18-09 | 03:24 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

i'm not big into comics, but I was anticipating the reboot if The Incredible Hulk. I admired aspects of Ang Lee's Hulk, but it wasn't a very enjoyable film, nor was The Incredible Hulk. Now I can't decided which one I dislike more. I had become weary when they announced the director would be the guy who did Transporter 2.

In this new age of comic book movies, the only ones i've enjoyed were X2, Spider-Man 2, Iron Man, and the Batman movies. Hard for me to call films like Elektra and Daredevil disappointing when they dont interest me to begin with. Didn't the same guy direct Ghost Rider, Elektra, and Daredevil? I was anticipating Watchmen though. I didn't like 300 all that much, but I loved the Dawn of the Dead remake, so I had faith and was extremely disappointed with that (if were are counting graphic novels).

Superman Returns is an enjoyable movie for me as well, though I don't plan to revisit it very often. I am really hoping for a sequel on this one though, almost as much as Batman.
Old 06-18-09 | 03:55 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

SUPER GIRL (1984). I'm stunned nobody has nominated this turkey yet.

This was actually so bad that I use the term "endured" rather than "watched" to describe the two hours or so I wasted on this film. One of the 10 worst films I have ever endured, period.

Everything about this film is bad to downright awful: the story, the dialog, the acting, the cinematography, the special effects. Hard to believe that Peter O'Toole was in this!

Really, this one is so bad that it makes Daredevil and Batman & Robin look good by comparison (and those were very, very poor films in their own right).

I confess to enjoying the Fantastic Four flicks, though. Could they have been better? Absolutely. But are they entertaining enough for me to watch repeatedly? Yes. They have a certain charm to them, and while they lack tension and excitement, the actors are clearly having fun with the roles and the fun carries over to me and I find myself enjoying these films.
Old 06-18-09 | 04:12 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by moonraker
SUPER GIRL (1984). I'm stunned nobody has nominated this turkey yet.

This was actually so bad that I use the term "endured" rather than "watched" to describe the two hours or so I wasted on this film. One of the 10 worst films I have ever endured, period.

Everything about this film is bad to downright awful: the story, the dialog, the acting, the cinematography, the special effects. Hard to believe that Peter O'Toole was in this!

Really, this one is so bad that it makes Daredevil and Batman & Robin look good by comparison (and those were very, very poor films in their own right).

I confess to enjoying the Fantastic Four flicks, though. Could they have been better? Absolutely. But are they entertaining enough for me to watch repeatedly? Yes. They have a certain charm to them, and while they lack tension and excitement, the actors are clearly having fun with the roles and the fun carries over to me and I find myself enjoying these films.
Yeah it was a BAD movie, but was it DISAPPOINTING to you? Did you have high expectations that were woefully undercut? I don't think anyone thought much of Supergirl going INTO it, same with Batman & Robin and Elektra.
Old 06-18-09 | 04:40 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by Hokeyboy
Yeah it was a BAD movie, but was it DISAPPOINTING to you? Did you have high expectations that were woefully undercut? I don't think anyone thought much of Supergirl going INTO it, same with Batman & Robin and Elektra.
Ahhh.... ok, point taken. SUPER GIRL ranks as the worst super hero movie I've seen (and I admit I haven't seen them all) but perhaps not the most disappointing based on prior expectations.

For most disappointing then, I would nominate SUPERMAN RETURNS. This was a chance to get the franchise back on the right track, and instead it was a useless snoozefest.
Old 06-18-09 | 05:34 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by jeffbase34
I don't understand the Daredevil hate either. It stayed true to the comic, and I enjoyed Bullseye as a villian.
It did not stay true to the comic. I didn't see Elektra being assassin for Kingpin. I didn't see Matt (Daredevil) met Elektra in college and her father was gunned down by group of police that they thought he was one of bad guy. And I didn't see Bulleye escape from prison and challenge Elektra for Kingpin's assassin position.

Stayed true to comic book? Ha.
Old 06-18-09 | 05:45 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

My two cents from a lifelong F.F. fan. The comic is so epic and sci-fi rooted that the only way I can see pulling off a movie is to make it on scale with a Star Wars budget and effects. And tone. The F.F. is just to "fantastic" to look anything but hokey and silly otherwise.
Old 06-18-09 | 06:40 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by moonraker
Ahhh.... ok, point taken. SUPER GIRL ranks as the worst super hero movie I've seen (and I admit I haven't seen them all) but perhaps not the most disappointing based on prior expectations.

.

Well, it's SUPERGIRL. Not SUPER [space] GIRL.

With that correction in mind, you should re-watch it. It will definitely change your opinion.
Old 06-18-09 | 07:00 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by AnonomusBob15
i'm not big into comics, but I was anticipating the reboot if The Incredible Hulk. I admired aspects of Ang Lee's Hulk, but it wasn't a very enjoyable film, nor was The Incredible Hulk. Now I can't decided which one I dislike more. I had become weary when they announced the director would be the guy who did Transporter 2.
Well, he did Danny The Dog/Unleashed before that, which was a stinkin' bad-a movie. I do agree though, both hulks were mediocre.
Old 06-18-09 | 07:21 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

SWAMP THING. They had Alan Moore's work to draw inspiration from...so what happened.

Not that was bad enough, but then there was MAN-THING. Granted, it premired directly to Sci-Fi but when it was first announced, I had seriously high hopes for it. Look what Marvel managed to do with Blade....they could make Man Thing work if they devoted time and effort to it. Uh, not so much.

I will echo sentiments already expressed about Supergirl and Howard the Duck. Howard the Duck should have been animated, and it should have been at least PG-13, if not R. But the studio would never allow that, would they? And while Supergirl was a turkey, I really don't know how they could have done better with it, because of the time it was made and all. Good action movies starring women were very rare back then.

Which brings me to RED SONJA. The 80's was really a terrible time for comic book movies and even a worse time for comic books starring women. Not that things got better...10 years later we got TANK GIRL.

I probably could think of more if I allowed my memory to go to the dark corners of my mind, but I just want to say compared to those movies, recent offerings like Fantastic Four and Daredevil are masterpieces.

The worst more modern day offerings are SPIDER MAN 3 and ELEKTRA.

EDIT: I am hard pressed to think of ANY comic book movie starring a woman that was good. Action comic, that is...because Ghost World would be the best comic book to movie adaptation starring women.

Last edited by calhoun07; 06-18-09 at 07:26 PM.
Old 06-18-09 | 08:31 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by calhoun07
SWAMP THING. They had Alan Moore's work to draw inspiration from...so what happened.
[/B].
The Swamp Thing movie came out two years before Moore's run on the book started. But Swamp Thing II has no excuse.
Old 06-18-09 | 08:36 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Fantastic Four
Old 06-18-09 | 09:00 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Ang Lee's Hulk. I started watching it and got so bored with it that I turned it off about an hour in. I've never touched the dvd again.
Old 06-18-09 | 09:45 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

I thought Ang Lee's Hulk was quite good and one of the best made of the recent comic book films.

I thought Fantastic Four was terrible, and should have went a COMPLETELY different way. Darker, less goofiness. I also agree ,to have THAT director on board was stupid from the word go.
Old 06-18-09 | 10:08 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by moonraker
SUPER GIRL (1984). I'm stunned nobody has nominated this turkey yet.

This was actually so bad that I use the term "endured" rather than "watched" to describe the two hours or so I wasted on this film. One of the 10 worst films I have ever endured, period.

Everything about this film is bad to downright awful: the story, the dialog, the acting, the cinematography, the special effects. Hard to believe that Peter O'Toole was in this!

Really, this one is so bad that it makes Daredevil and Batman & Robin look good by comparison (and those were very, very poor films in their own right).

I confess to enjoying the Fantastic Four flicks, though. Could they have been better? Absolutely. But are they entertaining enough for me to watch repeatedly? Yes. They have a certain charm to them, and while they lack tension and excitement, the actors are clearly having fun with the roles and the fun carries over to me and I find myself enjoying these films.
It may be the worst movie, but Helen Slater was cute back then.



I thought League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Ghost Rider was awful.
Old 06-18-09 | 10:32 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by Match
It may be the worst movie, but Helen Slater was cute back then.



I thought League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Ghost Rider was awful.
I disliked LEAGUE also. GHOST RIDER was bad, but then again, the comic wasn't exactly high art, either.

And yes, Helen Slater looked great and was great as SUPERGIRL.
Old 06-18-09 | 10:58 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by calhoun07
EDIT: I am hard pressed to think of ANY comic book movie starring a woman that was good. Action comic, that is...because Ghost World would be the best comic book to movie adaptation starring women.
Funny, I wasn't going to bring up Ghost World since this thread is mostly on superhero comics/movies, but I was terrible disappointed when I first saw what Clowes and Zwigoff did with the adaptation. What I loved so much about the comic was the way it followed the slow dissolution of the friendship between Enid and Rebecca. I was sad to see the movie version push Rebecca into the background so it could focus on Enid becoming friends with Steve Buscemi.

I can enjoy the movie now for what it is, but it creates none of the emotion the comic does.

NOTE: I was also sorry they did not include the hilarious scene of the weirdo looking out the window and telling everyone on the street what celebrity they resemble, "You look like Homer Simpson... You look like Bosely off Charlie's Angels..."
Old 06-18-09 | 11:14 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Hellblazer. Love the comics, love the character. Once I knew Keanu was in it, I knew it would be awful.
Old 06-19-09 | 07:05 AM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by DieselsDen
Well, it's SUPERGIRL. Not SUPER [space] GIRL.

With that correction in mind, you should re-watch it. It will definitely change your opinion.
This opinion is bubkis. That movie blows serious moosenuts.

Last edited by Hokeyboy; 06-19-09 at 08:53 AM.
Old 06-19-09 | 08:13 AM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by McHawkson
It did not stay true to the comic. I didn't see Elektra being assassin for Kingpin. I didn't see Matt (Daredevil) met Elektra in college and her father was gunned down by group of police that they thought he was one of bad guy. And I didn't see Bulleye escape from prison and challenge Elektra for Kingpin's assassin position.

Stayed true to comic book? Ha.
Well I stand corrected. I usually don't get that nit picky about minor details, but when they totally change the origin story like with FF, that pisses me off. From what I remember, the origin of Daredevil was kept true to the comics, and I thought they did a great job of illustrating his special sense of seeing.

Obviously, they have to take some license. Bullseye would have looked ridiculous in his original costume.
Old 06-19-09 | 01:52 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

I enjoyed Daredevil and felt it retained the spirit of Frank Miller's run, even if it re-wrote the actual events. Which brings me to a point about comic adaptations. It's hard to really discuss these in today's movie-making climate because they have been increasingly faithful to the source material, whereas previously many scripts simply took the characters and wrote an entirely new story around them. So, with that in mind, I would nominate:

Most Disappointing All-New Story Based on Existing Comics Characters: Batman & Robin, for squandering what could have been a great movie featuring the tragic Mr. Freeze and the socially-conscious Poison Ivy, to say nothing of turning mastermind Bane into a glorified goon.

Most Disappointing Faithful Adaptation: Watchmen. Zack Snyder was so concerned about getting every panel translated to film that he somehow managed to miss the feeling of the original comics.
Old 06-19-09 | 02:26 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by Hokeyboy
This opinion is bubkis. That movie blows serious moosenuts.
No, seriously. Watch the monster tractor scene. It's pretty exciting the way it goes around smashing churches and gas stations before Super Girl has to stop it.

Also, watch the scene where she gets trapped in the Phantom Zone, especially with all the blatant visual continuity errors. It puts Richard Donner's work to shame.
Old 06-19-09 | 02:31 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

The worst ever superhero movie has to be the Wonder Woman movie from 1974. I saw this when it first came out and all I could think was WTF?!!!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072419/




Last edited by mrhan; 06-19-09 at 02:35 PM.
Old 06-19-09 | 03:27 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by DieselsDen
No, seriously. Watch the monster tractor scene. It's pretty exciting the way it goes around smashing churches and gas stations before Super Girl has to stop it.

Also, watch the scene where she gets trapped in the Phantom Zone, especially with all the blatant visual continuity errors. It puts Richard Donner's work to shame.
You ARE joking, right?

The monster tractor scene is downright pathetic and is a prime example of the B-movieness of this film. In fact, calling it a B-movie is actually an insult to B-movies.

I agree that Helen Slater was easy on the eyes, but that still frame shot posted up above is infinitely more appealing to view than the movie itself.
Old 06-19-09 | 03:31 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by mrhan
The worst ever superhero movie has to be the Wonder Woman movie from 1974. I saw this when it first came out and all I could think was WTF?!!!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072419/



I remember watching this on TV back in 1974! Is this movie available to rent/watch anywhere? I'd love to see it again as an adult, if nothing more than to see how bad it might really be.
Old 06-19-09 | 04:00 PM
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Re: Most Disappointing Comic Book Adaptation to Screen?

Originally Posted by jeffbase34
To this day, I am puzzled why the FF was given a light comic tone, and not a serious adaption like Xmen.
I always thought the FF were fairly "light" to start with, but I agree the films are really disappointing.


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