The Moviefone Blog

The Top 5 Reasons Why We're Excited for 'Captain America: The First Avenger'

David Brothers — 2011-06-24T12:00:00+00:00

'Captain America: The First Avenger', the latest entry in Marvel's quickly-expanding movie franchise, arrives a month from now, and the marketing is beginning to ramp up in a major way. The film features Chris Evans as Captain America, a 98-pound weakling-turned-super-soldier and patriotic icon. He's going to be fighting Nazis in World War II and, more specifically, Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull.

Judging by the info that's been released thus far, there's a lot to like about this flick. Now's as good a time as any to break down the top five reasons to go and see 'Captain America.'

5. The Cast

There's one danger that almost always comes along with superhero adaptations. What about the actors? Will you get people who will ham it up, like John Travolta in 'Punisher', or overdo it out of a misguided sense of staying true to the comics? 'Captain America' looks to be in a very good place, as far as the cast is concerned. Hugo Weaving and Tommy Lee Jones are both well respected veteran actors, and talented enough to turn an okay movie good and a good movie great. On top of these two, Derek Luke, of Spike Lee's 'Miracle at St. Anna,' has a role of as-yet-unknown importance. He's a seriously underrated actor, and hopefully this will spring-board him into bigger roles.

The supporting cast looks good, and Hugo Weaving plays great villains. While some superhero movies have had weak characters in every role but the starring ones, 'Captain America' looks like it's going to buck the trend. I'm looking forward to seeing how the cast ends up performing, and I'm willing to bet cash money that one of these guys is going to steal the show.

4. Howling Commandos
The Howling Commandos are a good example of how comics can sometimes "fix" history by portraying past times as more enlightened than they were. The Howlers were a fully integrated World War II unit who went into action years before segregation ended in the military in real life. They were a mixed up crew of various ethnicities and personality types, and the sort of crew who you could see easily see getting into 'Dirty Dozen'-style missions on a regular basis. As a comics fan, seeing them in a movie is very, very cool. They're a relatively tiny part of the Captain America mythos, or really comics in general, but they're a neat idea and an indicator of how comics can show us something to strive for, instead of just being disposable entertainment.

3. War Story

If you look at most of the past superhero movies, you'll find that they all take place within the same general genre. Most of them are essentially action comedies, with the addition of a small dose of sci-fi to account for the powers. While 'Captain America' is sure to be at least a little comedic (you don't hire Chris Evans and not let him grin at the camera), there's a good chance that it'll be more of a war movie than an action comedy.

If they go that route, and they almost have to, considering the source material, expect a number of differences in how the movie scenes play out. There will be a greater emphasis on teamwork amongst the soldiers who make it into the supporting cast, supporting characters who get a brief moment to shine before the big ending, and the action sequences can be much more intricate and lengthy than they would be with just one person fighting another.

Branching out into new genres is going to be essential for comics movies, and a good way to try and head off a possible glut of cape films at the pass.

2. The Costume

How can you make one of the corniest, but most classic, costumes work on the silver screen? Turns out the answer is you keep the colors, but make it look a little more like actual combat gear. If you take a good look at the screenshots they've released of the costume, Chris Evans is wearing a more or less reasonable facsimile of a uniform. There are belts and latches that cinch and connect how things should in real life, and pouches to keep things in. He's got sturdy combat boots, too.

The only thing that makes it outlandish is the coloration. Evans is wearing subdued shades of red, white, and blue. It looks good, and manages to be both faithful to the original costume while moving that costume into the modern day. It turned out far, far better than I expected.

1. Chris Evans

Chris Evans has been an actor who I've loosely followed over the years. I thought he was quite good in 'Cellular', and he did a great job in 'Sunshine'. He played the Human Torch in the two 'Fantastic Four' movies, and was hands down the best part of those films, particularly his interactions with Michael Chiklis as The Thing. When you add in his funny performance in 'Scott Pilgrim', you've got an actor who is on the cusp of greatness. He's an actor with a lot of potential, good looks, and some pretty great comic chops. All he needs is one big, meaty role to push him over the edge. My guess is that 'Captain America' is that film.

What's Right and Wrong With 'Green Lantern'

David Brothers — 2011-06-20T12:00:00+00:00

'Green Lantern' cleared 50 million bucks on its opening weekend, and while others will undoubtedly discuss what that means for the movie, a possible franchise and DC Comics, what's vastly more interesting is talking about the movie itself. It was entertaining, but flawed. After the jump, we're going to sit down and discuss five things about 'Green Lantern' -- four things it got wrong and one thing it got right.

(Warning -- Spoilers after the jump.)

WRONG: Damsels in distress are passe.

Endangered loved ones are a common trope of action cinema, but let's be honest here: We've seen it so often that it's clichéd and lazy. 'Spider-Man,' 'The Dark Knight,' 'Iron Man' and plenty of others have all had scenes where the hero's love interest or lady friend gets in trouble and needs to be rescued. It's usually followed by a scene where she shows that she is just as capable as the hero, either by attacking the villain or by performing some other action to make up for being kidnapped. 'Green Lantern' features a scene where Blake Lively, as Carol Ferris, gets kidnapped and used against Green Lantern. It goes exactly how you would expect: The hero frees her, drops a quick quip, and later needs her help.

The problem is that these scenes are always, always predictable. She isn't going to die, because then the hero is a failure and the movie is depressing. So, if it's perfectly predictable, the five or 10 minutes spent on revealing how much danger the female lead is in is essentially wasted. The audience doesn't learn anything new. The most we can hope for is a neat bit of action. These days, that just isn't enough.

WRONG: Hook us, don't bore us.

'Green Lantern' opens on a voice-over explaining the role of the Green Lantern Corps. This is valuable backstory and gives the film sort of a Star Wars feel. It feels like a space epic, with flybys of stars and galaxies. The problem is, all of that stuff the narrator is explaining? It sounds really fascinating; space cops imprisoning galactic-level threats, patrolling the cosmos, and more. It sounds like the sort of thing that you would want to see rather than have someone explain to you. The fact that the movie opens with a voice-over that explains the plot and then moves on to a minor action sequence, instead of a slam-bang action sequence, is a mistake. I'm theoretically part of the target audience for this movie, and bland narration doesn't cut it.

WRONG: Show the growth, don't tell us about it.

If you've ever seen a movie before in your entire life, this won't come as much surprise. There are moments when Green Lantern loses faith in himself and has to be talked into being a hero. It's the same as every other action movie, and perhaps most reminiscent of 'Batman Begins.' There are a number of lines that are callbacks to prior scenes and pithy aphorisms pretending to be good advice. Someone tells Green Lantern that he's courageous, and boom, he's ready to go back into action. Does he become obviously more courageous? Do we see that courageousness in action? Well, no. The only difference is that the thing he was weak at earlier in the movie, which several characters specifically called out as being a weakness, is no longer a weakness.

There's no actual growth, but there is someone telling you that growth has happened. It would be nice, for once, to be able to point and go, "See? Look, our hero has learned something because he did _______," rather than watching someone explain how the hero always knew what he had to learn.

WRONG: A distinct lack of imagination.

Every Green Lantern has what is essentially a magic wishing ring. If they can visualize something and have the appropriate amount of willpower, they can bring it into reality. In 'Green Lantern,' this means machine guns, swords, fists, a race car and track, a few fighter jets, and maybe one or two other constructs. Green Lantern never really breaks out the unbridled creativity that the ring would naturally suggest. His constructs are all very normal and boring.

Where are the giant robots? The suits of armor? The wacky stuff that any kid could think of? The fists and jets are nice, but you've got functionally unlimited creative possibilities with a Green Lantern ring. You've already given up on realism just by virtue of having a character with a ring that can do almost anything, so why not take it to the next level instead of showing us standard action movie clichés with a neon green tint?

RIGHT: The tone.

Despite my complaints, 'Green Lantern' wasn't half-bad. It might even make a nice foundation for a series. There wasn't a lot of dead weight in the cast, though some actors were undeniably better than others, and the world has plenty of room for growth. More than anything, though, the tone was pretty much exactly what it needed to be. Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan is appealingly goofy, and while he doesn't display much range, he's pretty believable in his role. There's a lot of broad comedy in here, the type of jokes that appeal to almost everyone, and the writing gives all of the characters brief moments to shine, for better or for worse.

'Green Lantern' subverts one part of the superheroic myth very well, with a couple of solid jokes aimed at secret identities, and walks the line between irreverent and space epic pretty well. I'd like to see future installments breaking away from the safe, middle of the road aspects of this movie, if only to get some really good and imaginative action scenes and explorations of exotic alien cultures. That's part of the point of Green Lantern as a concept -- fantastic vistas, unreal action and sci-fi hijinx. This is a good first step. Hopefully part two will get the series to where it needs to be to really take off.

What Did You Think of 'Green Lantern'?
It was awesome!	1304 (23.0%)
It sucked!	1072 (18.9%)
I'll come back for a sequel, but they need to fix the problems!	3302 (58.2%)

The Comic Book History of Professor Xavier & Magneto

David Brothers — 2011-05-18T17:40:00+00:00

James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender play Professor Xavier and Magneto, respectively, in this June's 'X-Men: First Class,' (in theaters June 3) which will show the early stages of what would become a decades-long, and really quite complicated, relationship.

While it's too soon to know exactly how they meet in the movies, it seems clear that they find each other at the best possible moment: before mutants become a growing concern and an object of fear for humans. The central conflict that develops between the two men after that moment is their disagreement over exactly how to handle this new human-mutant relationship. Xavier, ever the peacemaker, thinks it vital to show humans that mutants are not a threat. Magneto thinks otherwise. He believes that he was born better than humans and has little reason to kowtow to what he sees as their tyranny.

We'll have to wait until 'X-Men: First Class' hits theaters to get the full details, but that's OK -- Xavier and Magneto have an well-fleshed-out history in comics already, and Moviefone will get you up to speed.

*The important thing to understand about superheroes like Professor X and Magneto is that while they've been around for decades, their actions have generally taken place in something resembling the present day. This leads to a few pretty amazing plot holes. Just relax and roll with it. The specific dates don't matter half as much as the relationships do. For example, if a character should be 60 years old but is clearly drawn in her late 20s, don't stress over it.

Young Xavier and Magneto: Best Buds
After graduating from Harvard at 16 and spending a few years at Oxford, Charles Xavier was drafted into the Korean War. He specialized in rescue missions rather than combat, perhaps due to his anti-fighting nature. After the war, he wandered around the world, getting into various misadventures that laid the seeds for the X-Men. While visiting a clinic in Israel intended for Holocaust victims, he met Erik Lehnsherr, who would later become known as Magneto.

This was before anyone even knew mutants existed, and both Xavier and Lehnsherr's powers were kept secret. Eventually, however, circumstances forced the two men to reveal their powers to each other, and they struck up an easy friendship. They enjoyed chess and debate, particularly on the subject of mutant rights. They could tell that mutants were going to be an important social and political issue in the future but differed on how to approach that issue.

Lehnsherr, due to his brutal experience in a World War II concentration camp, wanted to protect mutantkind from the predations of baseline humans.

Having seen the absolute worst that humanity has to offer, Lehnsherr refused to let that happen to his kind. He wanted mutants to emerge without needing to hide their powers or be subordinate to humans.

Xavier, on the other hand, took a more integrationist stance. He thought that mutants coming out slowly and obeying the laws of man was the best idea, hopefully to avoid any combat or strife.

Super-Powered Xavier and Magneto: Rival Teams
Despite their shared interest in supporting mutantkind, the two differed on mutant-human issues so drastically that they never managed to reconcile. After parting ways, they met years later as Magneto of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (yes, really) and Professor Xavier of the X-Men. By this point, Xavier's aversion to fighting had eroded somewhat, as the X-Men were (and are still) essentially a paramilitary mutant strike force. Magneto's protective stance, on the other hand, had evolved into pure terrorism, rather than anything pure of heart.

Their rivalry lasted years and transformed into several new configurations. At certain points, Magneto reformed and joined the X-Men, serving as a valuable and wise mentor to a new generation of mutants. Sometimes they had a working truce, while Magneto and Xavier sought space from each other and their near-constant battles. Their conflict suddenly reached an end when Xavier, in a moment of desperation, wiped Magneto's mind clean, leaving him amnesiac and catatonic.

This is comic books, though, and no one ever stays dead. It turned out that the act of wiping Magneto's mind traumatized Xavier, which soon gave birth to Onslaught, an evil combination of Magneto and Xavier. It took the combined might of the entire Marvel Universe, including Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and many others, to take Onslaught down.

Still later, Magneto finally realized his dream of becoming a protector of mutants once he became the leader of a mutant-led country. This soon ended, however, and after some trials and tribulations, Magneto rejoined the X-Men.

Veteran Xavier and Magneto: Odd Couple Roommates
Nowadays, Magneto and Xavier are not quite buddy-buddy, but they still manage to coexist on the same team. Xavier has retreated into more of an advisory role, while Magneto continues to go on combat missions. Very little attention has been paid to their current relationship, but it's fair to assume that that relationship is due for some upheaval fairly soon.

A Plastic Prison
X-Men - MOVIECLIPS.com

Their history in comics is long and layered, but if you get a chance to dig deeper, give it a try. For the foreseeable future, though, 'X-Men: First Class' is the easiest place to get your fill of Magneto and Xavier having deep conversations.

Xavier & Magneto -- More of the Best Comic Book Frenemies

David Brothers — 2011-05-18T13:45:00+00:00

Everybody knows that the best relationships are the ones fraught with drama. While kind, loving relationships are all well and good, they don't make for great entertainment. If you really want to get people interested and play their heartstrings like a fiddle, you need to set up a fantastic friendship and then pull it apart. Give people a reason to care before you introduce a conflict, and you'll hook them to an amazing extent.

In the world of 'X-Men' movies and comic books, the rocky relationship between Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto is the centerpiece of the mutant soap opera. One-time friends and battle allies, their difference of opinion on non-powered humans drove a permanent wedge between them. Sure it may be tragic, but the fight scenes look impressive on the big screen. Fans are eagerly awaiting the release of June's 'X-Men: First Class,' (in theaters June 3) which examines how Xavier and Magneto met and what exactly led to their complicated love-hate relationship.

With that in mind, here's a look at five more of the best friends-turned-enemies in comics.

5. Punisher and Microchip
Frank Castle, alias the Punisher, is waging a one-man war on crime. Of course, a normal human being who decides to go around battling "crime" alone tends to get beaten up, kidnapped or killed. Frank Castle, incredibly talented though he is, is no different. Past a certain point, he needs help. At one point, this help came in the form of Microchip, a rotund hacker who lost his son to violence. Microchip hacked into security systems, procured weapons, bought safehouses, and outfitted vans with all the guns Castle could handle.

Their relationship was great, until Microchip lost his nerve. He couldn't take the killing any more and quit. That's fine -- everyone breaks. Micro's mistake was coming back years later in an attempt to recruit Castle to do some work for the CIA. More specifically, to do some work for a less than legal section of the CIA. Castle would have all the guns and targets he wanted, but he would be subordinate to the same men and women who had spent decades funneling drugs and guns all around the world. As you can imagine, this encounter didn't end well for Microchip.

4. Clark Kent and Lex Luthor

Depending on who you ask and what you're reading, Clark and Lex were best friends, acquaintances, or strangers as kids. In one of the best Superman stories, 'Superman: Birthright,' however, they were good friends who had a major falling out. In Smallville, Clark Kent was a bright and fairly popular boy. He played sports and he had friends, but he still felt a little estranged from his classmates. He found a kindred spirit in a young Lex Luthor, who was entirely too smart, and entirely too anti-social, for his own good. Despite their differences, they became tentative friends, and then good friends.

Nothing good lasts, and their relationship soon turned sour. After an experiment went wrong and Luthor misinterpreted something Clark said, the young genius left town and wiped away any trace that he'd been there. He grew up and became a billionaire industrialist, and once Superman appeared on the scene, he became the world's foremost supervillain, too. Why? Because no man can be better than Luthor, and Superman is clearly a threat to human ingenuity.

Curiously, Luthor's reason for hating Superboy a few decades back was much more absurd. When an experiment started a fire in Luthor's lab, Superboy blew it out using his super-breath. Somehow, this resulted in Luthor losing his luscious mane of red hair, causing Luthor to swear vengeance on Superboy.

3. Batman/Two-Face/James Gordon
It makes sense, doesn't it? Batman teams up with hero cop James Gordon and successful District Attorney Harvey Dent to form a three-headed crime-fighting monster. While it's of questionable legality (correction: it's totally illegal), it's easy to see why this trio was so effective. They're all aspects of the same idea. Batman represents vigilante justice, Gordon pursues justice, and Dent uses the law to ensure that justice is done.

After a mobster threw a vial of acid in Dent's face during a trial, the team-up went south in a major way. Dent's mind crumpled under the strain, and his new persona enjoyed justice, but in a different way. Two-Face thought of justice as being truly blind, and used a scarred two-headed coin to decide what was fair. If it landed scarred side up, then evil acts were coming. Clean side up? Then he would see that justice be done. This, of course, led to endless battles with Batman.

2. Thor and Loki
In terms of failed relationships, the mother lode is parent/child. A close second, though, is fraternal. Thor and Loki grew up as brothers, with all of the love and bickering that that entails. They came of age together, battled goblins and monsters together, and saved Asgard together. Eventually, Loki's true nature began to shine through. He was the god of mischief, and sometimes a good prank is hard to resist. What's more, pranksters often need to escalate their antics, which often leads to pranks becoming tragedies.

By the time they became adults, Loki was fully entrenched in his trickster role, while Thor was the hero of the kingdom. Loki resented his brother and did his best to dog his heels, doing everything from being a minor nuisance to casting love spells to actively working to straight-up murder Thor. Thor, for his part, was more than willing to respond in kind.

1. Peter "Spider-Man" Parker and Harry "Green Goblin" Osborn
Brothers make for good drama, but best friends may be even better. Peter Parker, eternal wallflower and hopeless nerd, had a crap social life. The big man on campus hated his guts, the girls wouldn't give him the time of day, and the teachers were all too eager to encourage him to become a teacher's pet. Eventually, Harry Osborn arrived, and they struck up a casual friendship. Harry would tell Peter's tormentors to back off and leave the poor kid alone, and Peter would help Harry with his homework. By the time they got to college, they were best friends.

The wrinkle comes because of Harry's father Norman. Norman was the Green Goblin, Spider-Man's archenemy, and the death of Norman broke Harry's mind. He blamed Spider-Man, and blamed Peter for not revealing Spidey's secret identity. He became a new Green Goblin to battle Spider-Man. When he eventually found out that Spider-Man was Peter Parker, any chance of rekindling their friendship evaporated. Harry wanted revenge, and he would stop at nothing to get it.

Or, so you would think. In a surprise reversal, right when he had Spider-Man at his mercy, Harry spared his life. The fond memories of their friendship turned his hand, and Harry died soon after.

After 'Priest': 5 Manga Hollywood Should Adapt

David Brothers — 2011-05-13T13:45:00+00:00

'Priest,' a loose adaptation of Hyung Min-woo's manhwa (Korean comic), hits theaters this weekend. But fans have been reading the comic series over several volumes from the publisher Tokyopop, a manga (Japanese comic) company. "Manga" has become a catch-all when describing the world of Asian comic books, and features characters as popular as Superman and Spider-Man.

Now that American comic books have flooded Hollywood, it looks like manga may be the next big thing. We've already seen adaptations of 'Dragon Ball Z' and 'Akira' has been in the news lately. What's next? We've got five manga that should be adapted, and some compelling reasons why.

The thing about Hollywood adapting manga is that a thriving industry doing exactly that already exists in Japan, and many of the more popular titles are translated and sold over here. The question, then, is what's the point? There are already several animated and live action adaptations that you can go out and buy right now, so this slate of adaptations has to be something special.

The best possible angle to take would be to employ a bit of creative-driven cultural fusion, rather than simply translating a work to a new medium. If you're going to take a Japanese series and adapt it for American audiences, then you should treat it like a big deal. Prior Hollywood manga adaptations have been sorely lacking in the quality department, and that's something that needs to be corrected. Put your best actors, writers, and directors on the project, and come up with a take that's faithful, but still different enough to make the adaptation worth it.

Kenichi Sonoda's 'Gunsmith Cats'

Why? Rally Vincent is a gun nut. Minnie May is a bomb freak. Together, they're the Gunsmith Cats, teenage bounty hunters and gunshop owners. Kenichi Sonoda's manga is a whirlwind of trick shots, an incredible amount of attention paid to guns and cars, an interesting look at Chicago, and a whole lot of explosions. There's also plenty of cheesecake, if that's your thing, but the real draw here was the relationship between Rally and May and all of the impressive ways they found to shoot people and/or blow them up.

Who Should Work on It? 'Gunsmith Cats' requires fast-paced, punchy, and funny dialogue and good action direction. Rally and May get into a whole lot of trouble, often with awkward consequences, but they're consummate pros. Shane Black practically invented movies with those sorts of characters, so let him write and direct this one. I'm not sure who would be good to play Rally, but Dakota Fanning is good enough to pull of Minnie May's unhinged cutie-pie mayhem.

Nobuaki Tadano's '7 Billion Needles'

Why? '7 Billion Needles' has a basic plot that's probably pretty familiar. A girl meets an otherworldly presence, gains super powers and eventually saves the world. The twist is in the fact that she doesn't fully embrace these powers, they don't necessarily make her life better, and saving the world seems like a pretty traumatic experience. This story teeter-totters on the edge of going dark, but manages to stay upbeat.

Who Should Work on It? '7 Billion Needles' is a distinctly urban Japanese adaptation of a hard sci-fi classic, Hal Clement's 'Needle.' It needs a director who can capture the differences between Japan's countryside and densely populated urban centers, but also show the inner conflict of the girl at the center of the maelstrom. My pick is Guillermo del Toro. 'Pan's Labyrinth,' 'Hellboy,' and 'Blade II' proved that he can capture quiet creepiness and effects-driven action.

Monkey Punch's 'Lupin the 3rd'

Why? Thieves are awesome. We ate up 'Ocean's 11,' and while that movie was perfectly fine, sometimes you need a heist movie with even more swagger. Monkey Punch's gentleman thief is the grandson of Arsène Lupin, who could easily be described as the criminal counterpart to Sherlock Holmes. Lupin the 3rd, however, is younger, flashier, and more willing to do extraordinary heists in public. He's got a crew, too. Fujiko Mine is the love of his life and sometime bane of his existence. Daisuke Jigen is his no-nonsense sharpshooting partner. Goemon Ishikawa XIII is a master swordsman from a family of master swordsmen. They're opposed by Inspector Zenigata, a hard-nosed and harder-headed agent of Interpol who never quite seems to get his man.

Who Should Work on It? This one's got to be a globe trotting epic, but at its heart is the story of professionals who just want to get the job done, whether that job is hijacking Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro or stopping that theft. You know what director does professionals at work better than anyone else? Michael Mann. 'Lupin the 3rd' could easily be 'Heat,' but funnier and sexier.

Ai Yazawa's 'Nana'

Why? This down-to-earth drama is a good one with a funny hook. Two girls with the same name, Nana, come to Tokyo with different goals, but end up living together. The series charts the evolution of their relationship, as they experience love, loss, and rock and roll. 'Nana' is about living out your dreams, and could be a great movie for 20-somethings. Relationship drama is universal, whether it's in Tokyo or Timbuktu, and 'Nana' definitely has strong source material.

Who Should Work on It? This is a weird choice, but Spike Lee should direct this one. His work with female characters tends to be lacking, and this would serve as a nice corrective, and hopefully influence his future work. More than that, though, is the fact that Lee can shoot conversations between two people, the sort of thing that dramas are made of, and make it as interesting as someone else's action scenes. '25th Hour' and 'Inside Man' were both largely composed of people just talking, and they were tense, exciting films. Lee is a weird choice, but a good one.

Akira Toriyama's 'Dr. Slump'

Why? You can't leave kids out when you're looking at movies to license. Movies for kids can do gangbusters if you do it properly, and then sell for years as an evergreen title. Toriyama's 'Dr. Slump' is goofy, dumb, and entirely suited for kids. The humor is low brow, with plenty of poop jokes, but also pretty clever. The jokes are set up and telegraphed, but you'll still laugh until you cry. Arale, the robot girl who stars in the series, is precocious and hilarious. 'Dr. Slump' is good stuff, and more than worthy of a big budget adaptation.

Who Should Work on It? Pixar. Who else could do it justice? 'Dr. Slump' has to be cartoony and flexible. The characters twist and warp under the weight of jokes, whether they're pulling funny faces and getting blown up in rocket launcher accidents. 'Dr. Slump' uses a very visual kind of humor, not unlike the old 'Looney Tunes' shorts.

Do you agree with our reasoning? Have better ideas for the cast or crew? Let us know in the comments!

Get more comic book news and reviews from David Brothers at ComicsAlliance.

Watch the trailer for 'Priest,' in theaters today:

The Top 25 Comic Book Movies

David Brothers — 2011-05-10T12:00:00+00:00

We're in the middle of a deluge of comic book movies right now. 'Thor' is the no. 1 movie in the country, with 'Priest,' 'X-Men: First Class,' 'Green Lantern,' 'Captain America' and 'Cowboys and Aliens' all due this summer. (Not to mention 'The Avengers' and 'The Dark Knight Rises,' which are being shot as we speak.) Is this the golden age? It's entirely possible. Before we can decide that, though, we have to rewind and take a look at what came before. After the jump, Moviefone presents our list of the Top 25 Comic Book Movies.

The trouble with making a Top 25 list is how you judge the entries. Do you do it by box office receipts? Or critical consensus? What about the quality of the script, or how well a movie has aged? We took all of these factors into account while making our list, with one more criteria: how significant is the movie? Where does it stand in the history of comic book movies? These twenty-five entries are the 25 most significant comic movies, with a few entries you'll recognize and a few that you should seek out immediately.

25. 'Shogun Assassin' (1980)

Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima's 'Lone Wolf and Cub' manga is a certified classic. A samurai, Ogami Itto, is betrayed and forced to go on the run. He takes his son, Daigoro, with him, and together, they are the lethal sword-for-hire team Lone Wolf and Cub! 'Shogun Assassin' is a mix of the first two adaptations of the 'Lone Wolf and Cub' manga, and a surprisingly good time at the movies. Quentin Tarantino's a fan, too. Come for the cheesy dialogue, but stay for the great action, clever gimmicks, and Daigoro's classic voiceover.

24. 'A History of Violence' (2005)

David Cronenberg's 'A History of Violence' is a loose adaptation of the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke. It takes plenty of liberties with the original characterizations and plot points, but still manages to come out pretty good in the end. Cronenberg knows exactly what he's doing, and he knows how to make you feel it, whether "it" is disgust at the visceral violence or the desperation in an incredibly awkward sex scene.

23. '300' (2007)

Zack Snyder's '300' is pure visual spectacle. You get to watch a horde of hard-bodied men with impeccably toned abs walk around in capes and loin cloths while battling faceless hordes, monsters and Persian ninjas. Snyder does a pretty good job of bringing Frank Miller's original graphic novel to the silver screen, and he makes up for his shortcomings by amping up the visual effects. This is the movie where Snyder's signature visual style actually works.

22. 'Road to Perdition' (2002)

This adaptation of Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner's graphic novel may well have the best cast of any comic book movie ever. Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, Daniel Craig and Jude Law are all featured, and you'd be hard pressed to beat any of them. What's more, 'Road to Perdition' has a direct link to 'Lone Wolf and Cub.' Collins has admitted that the original story is an homage to 'Lone Wolf and Cub.' There's something about a father and son team that just works, and this is one of the finest examples of the trope.

21. 'Hellboy' (2004)

Sometimes an actor is born to play a role. Patrick Stewart was rumored to play Professor Xavier of the X-Men for years before he got the role, and who wouldn't want to see Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson play Namor the Sub-Mariner? In this case, Ron Perlman and his throaty growl was perfect casting for Hellboy. He's got that right mix of cool detachment (Hellboy's response to most major threats is not worry, but something closer to "C'mon! Seriously?!") and devil-may-care physicality.

20. 'X-Men' (2000)

'X-Men' had the interesting effect of pulling the comics featuring the X-Men into the 21st century, kicking and screaming. The movie largely ditched the DayGlo and garish costumes for something sleek and leathery, with perhaps a little bit of bright yellow for contrast. This movie made the X-Men cool again, and while its cast is about 50/50, it definitely set the bar high for the next wave of superhero movies. 'X-Men' was sexy, funny, and violent: three traits that can make a good movie great.

19. 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' (2010)

It may have flopped at the box office, but Edgar Wright's adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novel series shows what happens when a director really gets what he's working on. It's visually cluttered in the best way, with every action scene doing its level best to jump off the screen and every conversation overflowing with personality. The 'Seinfeld' gag partway through the movie still kills, and Wright did a great job adapting a long story into a short running time.

18. 'Persepolis' (2007)

Comics are one of the most powerful ways of telling a story, and Marjane Satrapi's 'Persepolis' is proof. Her tale of coming of age in Iran, not fitting in, experiencing war first-hand, and standing up for yourself and those who need your help was an instant classic, and the movie adaptation was just as good. The animation is simple, effective, and beautiful. 'Persepolis' racked up a whole host of awards and nominations, and it's easy to see why.

17. 'Sin City' (2005)

'Sin City' remains one of the most interesting comics adaptations. Rather than picking and choosing from the mythos, like 'X-Men' or 'Spider-Man' did, Robert Rodriguez directly adapted several of Frank Miller's stories into one movie, turning the disparate stories into a series of vignettes that weave in and out of each other's path. What's more, he shot it on a green screen and gave the old college try to emulating Miller's signature visual style. The result? A treat for 'Sin City' fans and a change to directly transplanting comics onto the silver screen.

16. 'X2' (2003)

'X2: X-Men United' has a clunky official title, but this loose adaptation of Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson's 'God Loves, Man Kills' was, at that point, one of the best comics movies ever. It opens on what may well be the best fight scene in a live-action comics film, and ends with the type of cliffhanger that leaves you thirsty for more. There's a lot in 'X2' to enjoy, whether it's Mystique and Magneto's cattiness when discussing Rogue's shock of white hair or Wolverine battling Lady Deathstrike.

15. 'Ghost in the Shell' (1995)

'Ghost in the Shell' is a perfect storm of talent. It's based on a manga created by Masamune Shirow, who also created 'Appleseed,' 'Dominion Tank Police,' and hundreds, if not thousands, of pages of fantastic art over the course of its career. It's directed by Mamoru Oshii, whose career is littered with award-winning feature films and incredible motion pictures. 'Ghost in the Shell' made a huge splash in America when it was released, with anime fans and casual viewers alike clamoring to see it.

14. 'Iron Man' (2008)

While Robert Downey Jr had quite a few solid roles before 'Iron Man' came out, 'Iron Man' definitely catapulted him back to the top of Hollywood. His role as Tony Stark, the cool exec with a heart of steel, endeared him to audiences. Downey as Stark could charm the fur off a polar bear in the dead of winter. Stark was a hero that was confident, but not Classic Movie Star confident. Downey got the job done so well that the best parts of 'Iron Man' don't even involve his high-flying suit.

13. 'Lupin the 3rd: Castle of Cagliostro' (1979)

If you haven't heard of this one... get familiar. It stars one of the greatest characters to ever grace a TV screen, Monkey Punch's gentleman thief Lupin the 3rd. Imagine Robert Downey Jr in 'Iron Man' and double the charm. On top of that, the acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki directed this feature. If that's not enough for you, Bruce Timm borrowed a shot from this movie for 'Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.' People who are in the know love this movie, and with good reason.

12. 'Spider-Man' (2002)

Spider-Man is one of the best-designed and flexible characters in comics. He flips between real-life drama and acrobatics with the greatest of ease, and may well be the most interesting superhero, at least in terms of powers and potential. 'Spider-Man' realized that potential with a number of breathtaking sequences that took place far above the ground, rather than on it. For the first time, we could see what Spider-Man would REALLY be like in real life ... and it was exhilarating.

11. 'The Rocketeer' (1991)

This adaptation of Dave Stevens's 'The Rocketeer' has an interesting history. It floundered at the box office, raking in a mediocre amount of cash, but still managed to imprint itself on America's consciousness. The leather jacket, the distinctive helmet, and the rocket pack are indelible memories for people of a certain age, and positively iconic. This period piece can be a little hokey, but it's easy to see why it's such an attractive work.

10. 'Superman' (1978)

Richard Donner's 'Superman' did a great job of capturing the majesty of flight. One of the reasons why Superman is such an iconic hero is that he can do almost everything normal human beings want to do. Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder were fantastic as Clark Kent and Lois Lane, the right mix of movie star beautiful and believably down to Earth. 'Superman' proved to a generation that serious takes on comics can work, and what's more, they can be great films. 'Superman' is still the best live-action version of Superman we've seen, despite the massive leaps forward in visual effects in the years since 1978. What Donner and crew understood was that Superman needs to be grounded and human, so that we can relate to him, but not so grounded that you don't get to feel what it's like to be in flight.

9. 'American Splendor' (2003)

'American Splendor' wears a lot of hats. It's partially a biopic of Harvey Pekar, the legendary comics writer. At the same time, it's partially an adaptation of his autobiographical comics, whose publishing history stretches all the way back to 1976. Finally, Harvey Pekar himself provides a voice-over commentary about the movie itself, breaking the fourth wall. The result is compelling, and interesting from both an entertainment and analytical angle. It forces you to engage with the movie on several levels, rather than just passively observing the action on the screen. Comics can be weird in a very beautiful way, and 'American Splendor' does a great job of capturing that fact.

8. 'Men in Black' (1997)

You didn't know that this incredible blockbuster was based on a comic? It was! Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers created the original comic in 1990, and seven years later, 'Men in Black' hit the silver screen. The mix of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith was fantastic, updating the Nick Nolte/Eddie Murphy duo of '48 Hrs' or Danny Glover/Mel Gibson team of 'Lethal Weapon' for the '90s. Smith was smooth, brash, and more than a little cocky. Jones was experienced, severe, and more than a little tired. The result was alchemy, and the interactions between the two of them anchored this special effects-driven film. 'Men in Black' is funny and memorable, a genuine highlight of the '90s.

7. 'Batman' (1989)

Tim Burton's 'Batman' is legendary. Thanks to this film, the Batman oval is one of the most familiar symbols in our culture. The highlight of the film by far is Michael Keaton's role as Bruce Wayne, not Batman. He's playing the role of an absent-minded, empty-headed billionaire to the hilt, providing a blueprint for Robert Downey Jr to follow in 'Iron Man' nearly 20 years later. Keaton-as-Wayne is forgetful, casual, clumsy and a flawless secret identity. After all, who'd ever suspect this idiot to be the Batman? Jack Nicholson as the Joker and the stunning soundtrack by Prince deserve a nod, as well. While 'Batman' has some pretty glaring flaws, it's significant because it's such a great experience. This set a new standard for superhero movies, made its budget back several times over and burned itself into our memories.

6. 'Spider-Man II' (2004)

Sam Raimi's 'Spider-Man' was good, but 'Spider-Man II' was so much better. James Franco as Harry Osborn finally got some room to really show his stuff, which is still just a fraction of his range. Alfred Molina was endearing and relatable as Doctor Otto Octavius, and a genuine threat as Doc Ock. The stand-out star, by far, is J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. Simmons may well be the best casting in the entire history of comics movies. His JJJ is a true curmudgeon, dismissive of everything and everyone, brutally opinionated, curt, and more than ready to talk your ear off at high speed. Simmons is a highlight, digging into his role with relish and making you wish that 'J. Jonah Jameson: Crusading Journalist' was a real movie.

5. 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' (1990)

I know what you're thinking, but before you say it, go back and watch 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' again. The franchise that Eastman and Laird built has endured over the past few decades, and incredibly, the first movie still holds up really well. It's very '80s in some ways, and a little corny in others, but it's also incredibly entertaining. The plot never drags, the jokes still hold up, and Elias Koteas as Casey Jones is amazing. The sequence in the park where he meets Raphael for the first time is about as great of a scene as you'll see in a comics movie, and he's solid gold from there on out. The turtles were created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, and the level of quality shows. The turtles still look good 20 years later, and are weirdly expressive but still believable. 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' is an easy movie to just sit back and enjoy.

4. 'Ghost World' (2001)

Terry Zwigoff's version of Dan Clowes's 'Ghost World' proves that great comics movies don't have to be blockbusters. 'Ghost World' made a modest profit, but that isn't the point. The cast is shockingly good, with Thora Birch, Steve Buscemi, and Scarlett Johansson diving deep into their roles. Watching them move through the story is simultaneously funny and depressing. Birch isn't exactly the type of person you'd want to hang out with on a regular basis. She's caustic, cruel, and amazingly willing to take pleasure from someone else's pain. The movie reminds you of this regularly, but at the same time... some of the stuff she does is pretty funny. 'Ghost World' walks the line between tragedy and comedy, and does both equally well.

3. 'Akira' (1988)

Katsuhiro Otomo's 'Akira' is one of the greatest comics of all time. Its six volumes explore the meaning of power, control, friendship, and other heady concepts, aided and abetted by Otomo's incredibly detailed draftsmanship. He adapted his own epic to animation and the result is amazing. It doesn't capture every bit of nuance in the book, but what it does capture, it does very well. Its two hour running time is littered with absolutely incredible shots. From the cascade of falling glass early on, to the high-speed and beautiful motorcycle chases, and on through to Tetsuo's monstrous transformation at the end of the film, 'Akira' is a knockout. Pick this one up on Blu-ray and watch it on the biggest TV you can find, and we guarantee you'll be impressed. It's over twenty years old and still insanely detailed.

2. 'The Dark Knight' (2008)

'The Dark Knight' made roughly a gajillion dollars, guaranteeing Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale a place in Superhero Comics Movie Valhalla. 'The Dark Knight' is a sprawling, imperfect epic, but you can't argue with the results. Heath Ledger was the perfect choice to play the Joker, bringing a hardcore mix of nihilism and cruelty to the character without descending into cartoonish brutality. The Joker was never anything less than a threat, and malice lurked behind his every chuckle and smile. Aaron Eckhart played Harvey Dent and Two-Face so well that you probably wished he had a movie of his own to go wild in. Bale's Batman growl got goofier, but as the Joker and Two-Face ran wild over Gotham and sent the city spiraling off into chaos, Batman's gritty, macho confidence provided the perfect center. We wanted Batman to win, we wanted the Joker to chew up the scenery, and we wanted Two-Face to find peace. 'The Dark Knight' delivered on almost every level.

1. 'Blade' (1998)

'The Dark Knight' is the crown prince of comics movies, but 'Blade' has to be the king. In 1998, if you wanted to go and see a comics movie, you were looking at 'Steel' or the late-era and unbelievably bad 'Batman' sequels. 'Blade' revived the genre in mid-stream, paving the way for the comics movies to come. The frenetic editing, leather costumes, gritty realism, grimy settings, and brutal violence gave birth to 'X-Men,' 'Daredevil,' 'Batman Begins,' and more. Deacon Frost remains Stephen Dorff's best role, with just the right mix of casual indifference and Machiavellian malice. Wesley Snipes brought all his martial arts training, if not his acting training, to bear as Blade. 'Blade' is infinitely quotable, hilarious, and earns its R-rating. David Goyer wrote (or co-wrote) both 'The Dark Knight' and 'Blade,' and it's easy to see why both films are high watermarks for comics films. 'The Dark Knight' may be an avalanche, but 'Blade' is the snowball that first started rolling down the mountain. Some comics movies are always trying to ice-skate uphill, but 'Blade' did it better than most.

What are your picks for the greatest comic book movies of all time?

Read more David Brothers at ComicsAlliance.

The New Rules for Comic Book Movies

David Brothers — 2011-05-02T15:45:00+00:00

How do you make movies based on comics better? "Write better scripts" is the easy and obvious answer, but once you get that down, then what?

You look at the past 10 (or more!) years of comics movies to see exactly what worked and what didn't. There have been both amazing and awful comic-based movies in recent memory. What's more, there are half a dozen new comics movies due soon, be they reboots like 'Spider-Man' and 'Superman' or all-new entries like 'Thor' and 'Priest.'

Now that we've gotten past the growing-pains stage of comic book movies (hopefully), we can get into creating works that stand the test of time. We've come up with a few rules for the production teams to keep in mind.

RULE 1: The Big Names Are Not Always the Best Names
Do you know what kicked off Marvel's highly successful string of movie adaptations? It wasn't 'X-Men' or 'Spider-Man'; it was 'Blade,' featuring Wesley Snipes. Before he was a movie star, Blade was a marginal comics character. He was featured in a hit series in the '70s, but floundered after that. Thanks to the character's relative obscurity, screenwriter David Goyer could get away with updating the character for a new generation.

Take a look at the second or third tier of heroes -- characters like She-Hulk, Batgirl, Night Thrasher or Luke Cage. With these characters, you can create some very entertaining films without being held back by having to maintain the integrity of a trademark. Shang-Chi is all about a sublime mix of kung fu and silky smooth espionage action. Dazzler could be the star of a great commentary on celebrity and mutant powers in the 21st century. The Atom could make for a great sci-fi/fantasy tale. You can go as wild or as lowbrow as you want without worrying about ruining someone's lucrative toy deal.

Got It Right: 'Blade' got it right. Take someone without all the baggage of a major character and you can do wonderful things.

Got It Wrong: 'Man-Thing' got upgraded from straight-to-video to a theatrical release, and then bumped back down to "Straight to Sci-Fi Channel." All the freedom in the world won't save you from painfully bad writing, acting, and direction.

RULE 2: Don't Be Afraid to Be Unfaithful
Don't be afraid to break from tradition. 'Blade' is another good example of a movie that was unfaithful to the source material, but faithful to its spirit. It jettisoned the stuffy, old-fashioned vampires of the comics, removed Blade from his British roots, and created a fresh take on a dusty old character. If you have something that might work and makes for interesting viewing, go for it!

At the same time, don't go too far. When you start messing around with the DNA of these characters, sometimes things turn out extraordinarily poorly. Remember 'Catwoman'? It borrowed the name and part of the gimmick of the DC Comics character before spinning off into another direction entirely. If you come up with what you think is a hit script that features a comics character, but the only thing it shares with the source material is a name, then just change the name to something new. There's no point in it being based on a comic if it's completely different. If you're going to adapt a work, adapt it. Don't just change it to something else and stamp a name on it.

Got It Right: 'Iron Man' did a good job of updating the origin and finally pulling Tony Stark into the 21st century. It was done in the spirit of the comic, if not exactly to the letter.

Got It Wrong: 'Watchmen' is the dictionary definition of faithful, and it is nearly unwatchable. If you're going to be that faithful, just give us the soundtrack to listen to, while we read the book.

RULE 3: Enough With the Origin Stories
Origin stories are, nine times out of ten, the most boring part of a superhero career. We get the appeal, and it's easy to structure the first movie in a trilogy after a hero's origin story, but honestly -- just get to the point. Show us a hero who already knows what he can do and is established and ready to have adventures.

'The Incredible Hulk' got the origin story across during the opening credits. The team behind that film knew that people wanted to see the Hulk smashing things, so they got the origin out of the way as quickly as possible in favor of getting down to business. Audiences aren't dumb. They're willing to accept outlandish things, as long as it fits the movie. Trust your audience, especially if you're working with a character who is either mildly popular or who has had several movies that grossed hundreds of millions of dollars.

Got It Right: 'The Spirit,' for all its flaws, got right down to business. We want to see these heroes knocking heads, not figuring out who they are.

Got It Wrong: Raise your hand if you don't know Batman's origin. Parents died, Bruce cried, and now he's a Bat, right? While it was well done, 'Batman Begins' spends entirely too much time recapping things that we already know. You really, really don't have to do that much explaining.

RULE 4: Don't Cram Too Much Stuff Into One Movie
The downside of working with comics is that everyone has their favorites, whether they're just fans or screenwriters and directors. As a result, everyone has ideas of what should go into a movie. Rather than stacking your film with dozens of fan-pleasing in-jokes and references, focus on making a good movie first. 'Spider-Man 3' made the mistake of having three villains -- four, if you include Evil Peter Parker. That's entirely too many, and made for a disjointed viewing experience.

Even the almighty 'The Dark Knight' went a little overboard, smashing two movies worth of material into one long feature. Be a little more conservative and focus on showing us why your main villain is a threat or why your plot is a big deal, rather than splitting your attention between several villains or a lot of little subplots.

Got It Right: 'X2: X-Men United' mixed a bunch of classic X-Men tales into one big stew and it turned out pretty well. It was exciting, well-balanced, and left you wanting more. Sadly, "more" turned out to be 'X-Men 3.'

Got It Wrong: 'The Dark Knight' is great, but it's also two and a half hours long. That's a bit much, particularly when it has two villains that could carry a movie on their own. It makes for an intense movie, but also a draining one.

RULE 5: Take the Heroes on Their Terms
If you're going to adapt a work, adapt it. That means approaching the work on its own terms. You can't really do a day-glo bright 'Batman' movie or a depressing and dark 'Superman' film. They fit in certain lanes in the comics, and when you break out of that lane, the characters don't ring true. Brandon Routh was excellent casting for Superman, but 'Superman Returns' saddled him with a very un-Superman-like role (Not to mention the incredibly low number of fights in that film). As a Superman movie, 'Superman Returns' was incredibly unsatisfying. It didn't treat Superman like Superman.

We don't need a dark or gritty Superman on the silver screen. We need one that's the greatest hero of all time, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, and more powerful than a locomotive. We want that same feeling of inspiration that 'All-Star Superman' gave us, and failing that, we want to see Superman punch a giant robot in the chin. If at all possible, I'm pretty sure that we'd all prefer to see both.

Got It Right: 'Batman Begins' took the Batman we know and love back to the gutter, with dark themes, darker costumes, and brutal fight scenes.

Got It Wrong: Remember 'Batman & Robin' and, to a lesser extent, 'Batman Forever'? That's how you do it wrong.

RULE 6. Branch Out!
There's more than Marvel and DC out there! One of the best comics movies is Terry Zwigoff's adaptation of Daniel Clowes's 'Ghost World.' It took a single book and transferred it to cinema very well. 2010's 'Scott Pilgrim vs the World' took an indie comic published by Oni Press and created by Bryan Lee O'Malley and put it in front of millions of people. Start looking at other comics companies. Image Comics, Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly and IDW, for example, all publish some fantastic books. Sure, they aren't superheroes, but not everything needs to have capes! Branch out and show some diversity of content.

There are all kinds of comics, and while the capes might make you five hundred million dollars, the ones about real people will let you build up an evergreen catalog that doesn't depend on fads. Think of the long game. Use those big blockbusters to make fat bundles of cash, and then use that cash to create one or two smaller, more intimate comics movies.

Got It Right: 'Ghost World'! It was a comic that was published by Fantagraphics, a company that pushes forward the idea of "comics as art," and it became a pretty great movie. Not a blockbuster, mind you--but a great movie.

Got It Wrong: 'Whiteout' took a great comic by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber and turned it into... a bad movie. Try harder, folks, especially when working with strong source material.

What rules do you have for the upcoming slate of comic book movies?

Who's Who in the 'X-Men: First Class' Cast

David Brothers — 2011-02-11T12:00:00+00:00

On Friday, June 3, the highly-anticpated prequel 'X-Men: First Class,' finally hits theaters, and we know what you're thinking: Who in the world are all of these people? In this 1960s-set prequel, a lot of things are different. No Wolverine! No Storm! Professor X has hair?!

Well, we've got everything you need to know about the main cast (from familiar faces to brand new mutants!), and more after the jump!

(Click through to find out who's who in 'X-Men: First Class')

From left to right: Magneto, Moira McTaggert, Emma Frost, Azazel, Beast, Havok, Angel, Mystique, Professor X

Magneto (Michael Fassbender)
Erik Magnus Lensherr is a Holocaust survivor and the self-styled "Master of Magnetism." While fans of the 'X-Men' movies know him as a supervillain bent on world domination, he was once simply a man driven to protect his people. 'First Class' starts with Magneto and Charles Xavier when both were much younger. Together, they work to figure out a way to protect mutants and peacefully introduce them to humanity. But where Xavier believes in peaceful assimilation, Magneto believes that mutants are superior to humans, and should be rewarded accordingly.

Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne)
While having the ability to shoot lasers out of your eyes or read minds is great, sometimes just being really smart pays off. This is true of Moira MacTaggert, an extremely talented geneticist and friend to Charles Xavier. She blazed trails in the field of mutant genetics, providing valuable data for Xavier and the world at large. She also pushed Xavier to form his School for Gifted Youngsters and even helped design Cerebro, Xavier's mutant-tracking device.

Emma Frost (January Jones)
Emma Frost was born to old money in Boston, and is the kind of sneering, arrogant, cruel rich girl you thought only existed in movies. She's richer than you, she thinks she's smarter than you, and she'll use her telepathic powers to convince you that everything she says is true. She's provocative, extremely powerful, willing to break a few laws to get her way, and did we mention arrogant?

Azazel (Jason Flemyng)
Azazel is the star of a story that almost every X-Men fan pretends didn't happen, due to its sheer awfulness. In the interest of keeping a long story short, Azazel is the father of Nightcrawler, the super-cool blue teleporter from 'X-Men 2' and is the actual, Biblical devil. You see, demons were just ancient mutants, and angels were mutants, too. The angel mutants and devil mutants fought, and the devil mutants were banished to another dimension. You might call it "hell." Regardless, we've got our fingers crossed in hopes of Azazel's story being entirely different in the movie.

Beast (Nicholas Hoult)
Imagine being incredibly smart. You can do complex mathematics in your head, look at a chemical formula and figure out exactly what it does, and cobble together incredible machines to serve whatever purpose you need. On top of that, you have a very dry, witty sense of humor. Now, imagine if you had all of that, and your mutant power was to be blue, furry and as agile as a monkey, so everyone assumes that you're a big, dumb bruiser. That's the plight of Hank McCoy, better known as the Beast, but he's no stranger to making lemons out of lemonade. He's one of the founding members of the X-Men and highly respected as both a scientist and a brawler.

Havok (Lucas Till)
Alex "Havok" Summers is the little brother of Scott "Cyclops" Summers. His older sibling left tremendous shoes for him to fill, and Havok has never quite managed to measure up, at least in his own mind. Despite having something of an inferiority complex, Havok is more than capable of taking care of himself. He can fire solar-powered energy blasts at will, and, due to trying to outgrow his brother's shadow, he's both an effective leader and more outgoing than Scott.

Angel (Zoe Kravitz)
While a character known as Angel was a founding member of the X-Men (the super-rich Warren Worthington III), this Angel is a little different. Angel Salvadore, rather than the feathered wings and sunny disposition you might expect a character named "Angel" to have, has insect wings and a bit of an attitude. She didn't ask to be a mutant, and she didn't ask to live with a father who hates her. She didn't fit in well at Xavier's school, but she eventually came around to his way of thinking. She'd still rather spend time with her boyfriend than fight evil mutants, though.

Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence)
Mystique, aka Raven Darkholme, has been alive for decades. Her true age is unknown, but she's at least 100 years old. Over the past century, she's made a living playing both sides against each other. Mystique lives and breathes deception, and her shape-shifting powers allow her to infiltrate any organization and throw off any suspicion. The phrases "good guy" or "bad guy" don't truly apply to Mystique; she's on her own side, which leads to both good deeds and horrible ones.

Charles Xavier (James McAvoy)
Before he was the secret leader of the foremost paramilitary mutant strike force and headmaster of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Charles Xavier was just a young man with telepathic powers and a dream of inter-species harmony. He was driven to begin recruiting other mutants for his cause when he realized that there were mutants and humans who had no interest in such harmony.

Read our exclusive interview with 'X-Men: First Class' bad guy Kevin Bacon

Check out the 'X-Men: First Class' Trailer

What mutants are you most excited to see on the big screen?

The Comics Stand: Comic Books for Movie Buffs

David Brothers — 2010-12-30T14:00:00+00:00

Welcome to the Comics Stand, Moviefone's look at comic books and their big screen adventures.

You've gotten a Christmas gift card to a book store, but you don't know what to buy. Maybe you made a New Year's resolution to "read more." Or perhaps you're aware of the ensuing glut of comic book movies coming next summer and you still don't know why it's such a big deal. With the new year approaching, it's the perfect time to pick up a comic book and broaden your horizons.

But how do you know which comics are right for you -- especially if you've never read them before? That's simple: ask yourself what kind of movies you like. We all consider ourselves some kind of "movie buff" in one way or another. Your taste in film is the crucial clue for what comics you might like. After the jump, we've got comic picks for the war, action, crime, samurai and "quirky" indie movie buff.

For the War Movie Buff ...

'IT WAS THE WAR OF THE TRENCHES'
Writer/Artist: Jacques Tardi
Fantagraphics Books

This classic French comic has finally been fully translated into English, and it was well worth the wait. Rather than following a group of soldiers on one mission, or having a motley crew of goofball personalities, 'It Was the War of the Trenches' eschews a traditional cast and is better for it.

By presenting a series of stories about soldiers taking part in World War I, with the point of view character changing when his story is done, 'It Was The War of the Trenches' shows how war simultaneously dehumanizes and strengthens our connection to life. The dehumanization derives from the fact that soldiers who die in this book tend to do so alone, or by surprise, and life just goes on. The strengthening point, however, is due to how the soldiers eagerly grasp what life they have left, despite their situation. 'It Was the War of the Trenches' is heartbreaking and maybe a little funny, but more than anything, it's fulfilling.

Recommended if You Like: 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Band of Brothers,' 'All Quiet on the Western Front'

For the Action Movie Buff ...

'THUNDERBOLTS'
Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Kev Walker
Marvel Comics

Sometimes, to get a little bit of action, you need to stop looking at the heroes and start looking at the villains. Marvel's 'Thunderbolts' series focuses on imprisoned super-villains forced to go good and do missions for the government. The series originally began in the '90s, but writer Jeff Parker and artist Kev Walker (sometimes assisted by Declan Shalvey), have breathed new life into the franchise.

Rather than indulging in boring punch-ups every issue to stay in line with other superhero comics, Parker and Walker have created a world where the fights not only matter, but are approached inventively. Every fight has a purpose, whether that purpose is to show that someone is completely in control of the team or to demonstrate the sheer glee that comes from battling. The mix of deft dialogue and meaningful action makes "Thunderbolts" one of the best mainstream books on the stands.

Recommended if You Like: The 'Bourne' Trilogy, 'Four Brothers'

For the Samurai Movie Buff ...

'USAGI YOJIMBO'
Writer/Artist: Stan Sakai
Fantagraphics Books/Dark Horse Entertainment

Feudal Japan has not been very well represented in comics. Ninjas have been turned into punchlines and turned into generic goons for stereotypical mob bosses, and the concept of samurai and ronin have been sensationalized into something that's just a knight in different clothing. If your local Akira Kurosawa buff is eager to get into comics, but has a short temper for Ninja Turtles and fake samurai, the book to go to is Stan Sakai's 'Usagi Yojimbo.'

On the surface, 'Usagi Yojimbo' looks like another joke. Miyamoto Musashi, one of the greatest swordsmen of all time, has been recast as a rabbit named Miyamoto Usagi. The rest of feudal Japan has been similarly altered. Despite its looks, however, 'Usagi Yojimbo' is not only deadly serious, but a fantastic read. Sakai clearly knows the era he's writing stories about very well, and his research shows. If not for the funny talking animals, this series would be fantastically realistic. With them, though, it's a series that hits many of the same high points as classic Kurosawa, but often from a fresh angle.

Recommended if You Like: 'Seven Samurai,' 'Yojimbo'

For the Crime Movie Buff ...

'PARKER: THE OUTFIT'
Writer/Artist: Darwyn Cooke
IDW Publishing

The crime movie buff has only seen a few bright spots in the sea of mediocrity that's been released recently. The stylish crime picture -- where pretty people steal pretty things -- has slowly faded out of the public eye. In comics, though, there has been something of a renaissance.

Darwyn Cooke's 'Parker: The Outfit' is an adaptation of a classic Richard Stark novel. The original book was made into a movie in 1973, featuring Robert Duvall in the title role, but Cooke's book blows it out of the water. The book is intensely stylish, showing us the cool side of crime in the '60s; the central portion of 'The Outfit' is a collection of heists that would make for cool viewing in a movie, but are fantastic in comics form. With 'The Outfit,' you've got an inventive marriage of great story, fantastic art.

Recommended if You Like: 'Ocean's 11,' 'Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang'

For the "Quirky" Indie Movie Buff ...

'ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY #20'
Writer/Artist: Chris Ware
Drawn & Quarterly

Sometimes you just can't get into action, horror, crime or slapstick comedy. All you want to see are movies about normal non-super people, perhaps with a little bit of love, and just eat up stories about how people live. You usually have to go to an indie cinema to find them, and the word that gets thrown around all the time to describe them is "quirky."

In that case, Chris Ware and Drawn & Quarterly just released the silver bullet for the "quirky" indie fan. 'Acme Novelty Library #20' is about the life of Jordan Wellington Lint. Each page is a day, or experience, in one year of his life. We see Lint go from pre-verbal childhood up through the sullen teenager years and on, until he's finally past his prime. We get the barest of glimpses into his life, but those glimpses reveal a shocking amount of information. By the end of the book, we've gotten to know Lint, for better or for worse. We can see ourselves, or people we know, in his actions, and seeing his choices laid bare with Ware's careful work can be harrowing. If you're a movie buff that likes stories about life, 'Acme Novelty Library #20 is the book to beat.

Recommended if You Like: 'Being John Malkovich,' 'Juno'

Get more comic book news and reviews from David Brothers at ComicsAlliance.

The Comics Stand: Comic Books That 'Harry Potter' Fans Will Love

David Brothers — 2010-11-18T09:00:00+00:00

Welcome to the Comics Stand, Moviefone's look at comic books and their big screen adventures.

Okay, you've read the entire 'Harry Potter' series. Twice. You've lined up to see the all of the movies. You've listened to the audiobooks. You have all the posters. You have notebooks of quotes, and homemade charts of everyone's relationship. Where do you go to get your next hit of 'Potter'? Easy. You look to comic books. There are no official 'Harry Potter' comics (so far), but there are a few series that may wet your whistle.

Here are 5 comic books that die-hard fans of 'Harry Potter' will love.

'DR. STRANGE: THE OATH'
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Marcos Martin
Marvel Comics

Dr. Stephen Strange is Marvel's foremost magician, thanks in part to Steve Ditko's creepy and fascinating art. He's battled an array of other-dimensional monsters, wizards, witches, warlocks, barons, demons, spirits, gods and supervillains since he became Master of the Mystic Arts. Dr. Strange is a former surgeon turned magician, and he's fully embraced his new position as Sorcerer Supreme.

Why Will 'Potter' Fans Love It?
'Dr. Strange: The Oath' is the perfect Dr. Strange story for newcomers to the series, owing in large part to Brian K. Vaughan's back-to-basics script and Marcos Martin's Ditko-inspired take on the character. Wong -- Dr. Strange's assistant -- is close to dying, and the good doctor must travel to other dimensions and battle new foes to save his life. The series is a great introduction and almost perfect for a movie adaptation. Martin's artwork is clean and attractive, and Vaughan gives Dr. Strange and his supporting cast plenty of personality and life.

'HELLBLAZER: SCAB'
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artists: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Landini, and Simon Bisley
Vertigo

Maybe after reading the compete 'Harry Potter' series and marathon-ing all the films, you need something a little more grown-up. In that case, you want to start picking up 'Hellblazer.' John Constantine, the titular Hellblazer, is a British magician who isn't much of a hero at all. Sure, he does the occasional good deed, and he's saved the world a few times, but he's generally out for himself. The problem is that various magicians, criminals, demons and angels are all after him, too. No matter how much good he tries to do, the sins of his past often come back to haunt him. As a result, the trickster mage often finds himself in tight spots.

Why Will 'Potter' Fans Love It?
The series has had several fantastic runs from great writers and artists (and one not-so-great movie), and you can pick up nearly any volume and get a great story. So start with the latest creative collaboration: 'Hellblazer: Scab,' a team-up between British writer Peter Milligan and artists Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Landini, and Simon Bisley. At this point, Constantine is creeping up on old age and finding himself a bit out of place in modern-day London. This brings new challenges, scary new enemies, and maybe even a little love into his life.

'HELLBOY: THE WILD HUNT'
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Duncan Fergredo
Dark Horse Comics

Mike Mignola's 'Hellboy' series is best described as "folklore tourism." Hellboy, who is a literal demon from Hell, traipses across the world, solving paranormal mysteries, battling ghosts, getting kidnapped by mermaids and punching demons on the nose. Despite his looks, Hellboy is a pretty good guy. He was raised by agents of the U.S. government and grew up to be a little bit of Indiana Jones and a little bit of John McClane.

Why Will 'Potter' Fans Love It?
'Hellboy: The Wild Hunt' brings Hellboy to the British Isles. Giants are running wild in the countryside, the fairy folk are up to no good, and a group of aristocrats want Hellboy's help figuring out what's going on. What follows is a story about betrayal that mines British folklore and the Hellboy mythos in equal portions. There are surprises for Hellboy and readers alike, and if you've ever wanted an off-kilter crash course in myths, 'Hellboy' graphic novels may be the most fun way to go about it.

'THE UNWRITTEN VOLUME 1: TOMMY TAYLOR AND THE BOGUS INDENTITY'
Writer: Mike Carey
Artist: Peter Gross
Vertigo

'The Unwritten' takes its primary inspiration from Christopher Milne, the real-life Christopher Robin of the 'Winnie the Pooh' series. It borrows a little from 'Harry Potter,' too, but not from the contents of the books -- instead, 'The Unwritten' posits a world where a 'Harry Potter'-like book series is a little more real than it should be.

Why Will 'Potter' Fans Love It?
The first volume, 'The Unwritten Vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity,' sets up the story: Tom Taylor, like Milne, was the basis for a character in a children's novel. That novel became mega-popular, similar to 'Harry Potter''s meteoric rise to success, and Taylor makes his money touring conventions and meeting with fans.

The twist comes when Tom keeps encountering things that should be fictional. Not only that, some people believe that he may be the incarnation of the Tommy Taylor character, rather than an actual human being. Soon, he's wrapped up in massacres, assassination attempts, magic and tales about the relationship between fiction and reality. It's weird, layered, and interesting.

'VIMANARAMA'
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Phillips Bond
Vertigo

Grant Morrison and Philip Bond's 'Vimanarama' follows Ali, a young man living in modern-day England, his fiancee Sofia, and his family as they fall into the midst of a worldwide crisis. A young baby gets lost, and Ali and Sofia find the kid just after he accidentally awakens an ancient race of god-like heroes and villains. On top of that, the greatest of the heroes recognizes Sofia as the reincarnation of his ancient ladylove.

Why Will 'Potter' Fans Love It?
'Vimanarama' is fun, funny, and exciting. It takes the normal world and turns it on its ear with the introduction of gods and demons. The villains are running rampant over the planet, determined to convert it into something hospitable for their devilish plans, while the heroes are trying to turn the tide. Stuck in the middle are Ali and Sofia, who have to figure out how they feel about each other, their future and what they are going to do about the incredibly handsome hero who thinks that Sofia should be with him instead of Ali. It's short and sweet, and one of the best.

Get more comic book news and reviews from David Brothers at ComicsAlliance.

The Comics Stand: 5 Non-Superhero Comic Book Movies We'd Like to See

David Brothers — 2010-10-12T18:20:00+00:00

Welcome to the Comics Stand, Moviefone's new column about comic books as they relate to the big screen.

In 'Red' -- opening this Friday, October 15 -- Bruce Willis stars as Frank Moses, a retired black-ops CIA agent whose identity is compromised, forcing him to fight for his life. If the trailers have been any indication, it's going to be an over-the-top action comedy about unstoppable killing machines. But what makes 'Red' different from other action flicks is that it's adapted from the sleeper comic book hit by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner.

'Red' -- the comic book -- is a much more serious tale of the price of freedom, government foreign policy and how training unstoppable killing machines tends to be a deadly mistake. Throw in some comedy and fill it up with co-stars like Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich, and you have a brand-new Hollywood action blockbuster.

For a medium dominated by capes, comic books have had a surprisingly big year for non-superhero movie adaptations. 'Red' was preceded by the great ('Scott Pilgrim'), the just all right ('The Losers') and the awful ('Jonah Hex'). Now that studios are wiling to mine non-superhero comics for new movies, it might be time to give them a few pointers. After the jump, check out the five best bets for non-superhero movies.

'BONE'
Writer/Artist: Jeff Smith
Cartoon Books

Jeff Smith's award-winning children's epic lends itself surprisingly well to adaptation for the big screen. The story is similar enough to 'Lord of the Rings' in structure that you can break the action up into easy, bite-size pieces and not lose any of the action during translation. The 'Harry Potter' franchise is wrapping up, leaving a huge gap to be filled by another children's adventure series.

Of course, this one would have to be animated, or some unholy amalgamation of animation and real life, but it definitely has legs. Warner Bros. clearly agrees, having optioned 'Bone' in 2008, but we've heard very little news about it since. 'Bone' has a strong moral message, a diverse cast, and plenty of comedy to keep things moving along.

'CHILDREN OF THE SEA'
Writer/Artist: Daisuke Igarashi
Viz Media

Daisuke Igarashi's 'Children of the Sea' seems like a strange choice -- being a very cerebral work -- but it would work. Two children, Sora and Umi, were raised by dugongs and have to spend at least part of their lives in the ocean. Their bodies are adapted to deep-sea diving, and they have an otherworldly feel about them; meanwhile, a young girl named Ruka can't help being drawn to them. When fish in the ocean begin disappearing in blasts of light, Ruka, Sora, and Umi must figure out what's going on, and their place in the world.

Are the two boys human or not? How does Ruka fit into the mystery? There's just enough meat to keep adults interested, but the story is still kid-friendly.

'GENIUS'
Writers: Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman
Artist: Afua Richardson
Top Cow Comics

'Genius' has a high concept that instantly clicks. The greatest military mind of our time has just come to maturity in South Central Los Angeles, and the first thing she does is unify the gangs and kick the police out. She's using superior tactics, organizing a previously ragtag group of thugs, and making sure that the 'hood can police itself. If that means she has to provoke an armed uprising on the streets of Los Angeles to get a little bit of justice ... so be it.

This series is violent, fresh and the kind of edgy thriller that raises as many questions about society as it has explosions. It's reminiscent of the better blaxploitation films of the '70s, but with a distinctly modern spin.

'SGT. ROCK'
Original Writer: Robert Kanigher
Original Artist: Joe Kubert
DC Comics

When's the last time you saw a straight-up war movie? Movies like 'The Dirty Dozen' and 'Where Eagles Dare' have fallen by the wayside over the past few years, replaced with high-impact, jump-cut action films. It's fair to say that the genre is ripe for a revival. Sgt. Rock is an old comics character just begging for a new chance at life. He's perfect for the kind of explosive World War II-based straightforward action movie that we didn't even know we'd been missing, and Easy Company, his comrades, are varied enough in personality and gimmick keep the action interesting.

There'd be no grand trick with Sgt. Rock, no clever winks at the audience. There's no message or big moral at the end. Just one man in a ripped shirt battling Nazis alongside his friends until WWII ends. It's simple and pure.

'SPECIAL FORCES'
Writer/Artist: Kyle Baker
Image Comics

On the other hand, Kyle Baker's 'Special Forces' would be a war movie with a twist. Comics are great for doing comedy, and 'Special Forces' is a mean war comic with strong dose of sarcasm. If movie audiences are open to an off-kilter take on the War on Terror and Bush-era America, then 'Special Forces' is the book to go for. Everything that was said during the war, especially the false bits, is true in 'Special Forces.' Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, which were hidden in oil processing plants. Since Iraq wasn't invaded for oil, no American investigator ever managed to find them. 'Special Forces' specializes in a biting and mean kind of funny, but it's full of genuine laugh-worthy moments.

'Special Forces' stars a high school delinquent who suddenly finds herself in the midst of the War on Terror, and it doesn't take long for her action hero side to come out. It's part 'Team America' and part 'Green Zone,' but the bottom line is that it could be an incredibly funny action movie with a sarcastic edge.

Get more comic book news and reviews from David Brothers at ComicsAlliance.

The Comics Stand: 5 Marvel Franchises That Pixar Needs to Animate

David Brothers — 2010-09-14T19:30:00+00:00

After an off-handed tease from Brendan McCarthy, the biggest topic in comics movie-land right now is that Pixar may be working on a Dr. Strange movie with Marvel.

One look at McCarthy's work on "Dr. Strange" or the art of the character's co-creator Steve Ditko shows exactly why Pixar is the best company to bring the franchise to the silver screen. McCarthy's comments got us thinking about what other Marvel comics deserve to be animated by Pixar. We narrowed it down to five series -- mainstream and otherwise -- that would shine in a Pixar feature.

'The Silver Surfer'
'Wall-E' proved that Pixar knows how to render outer space. But Wall-E's trip through the heavens was too short, and it made us wonder what the studio would do over an entire movie. Enter the Silver Surfer, Marvel's foremost cosmic character. While surfing isn't as big of a cultural touchstone as it once was, and that last 'Fantastic Four' film was pretty terrible, an animated feature starring the servant of Galactus could result in the most wondrous Marvel movie yet. Since his role as herald of Galactus requires him to find planets for his boss to devour, the Surfer himself is constantly trying to figure out the difference between right and wrong -- which could lead to a tidy moral at the end of the movie.

'X-Men: X-Babies'
While the X-Men have had several movies at this point, some more successful than the others, we haven't gotten into the really, really weird section of the mythos. The X-Babies are perhaps the weirdest part of the mutant band's history, with ties to reality TV, cheap merchandising, and alternate universes. They began life as a critique of cheap tricks to increase popularity, but in a shocking turn of events, they proved to be pretty popular on their own. An 'X-Babies' movie would let Pixar put the funny side of the X-Men on display. An adult Wolverine meeting up with his toddler twin, or Jean Grey being forced to contend with a terrible two-year-old with world destroying power, is the kind of thing that makes for an amusing geekfest.

'Patsy Walker'
While Patsy Walker's code name and past aren't necessarily Pixar-appropriate (she's known as Hellcat and once married Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan), the recent take on the character masterminded by Kathryn Immonen is Pixar-perfect. Patsy is talkative, clever, and has entirely too much fun beating up supervillains. Patsy has the potential to be the most fun superhero movie since 'Iron Man,' and it could introduce a Bugs Bunny-ish flair into the deadly serious Marvel movies.

'Power Pack'
Everyone knows that kids like seeing other kids do fun things, right? 'Power Pack' stars Marvel's strongest child characters. It's a group of four siblings -- Alex, Julie, Jack, and Katie -- who are gifted with powers thanks to a race of space aliens. The powers lend themselves to Pixar's cartoony action very well. Alex can control gravity, Julie is super fast and has a rainbow energy trail, Jack can control density, and Katie can shoot energy blasts. Power Pack have kept their powers secret from their parents, but have still managed to go on a ton of exciting adventures, save the world, and even make friends with Franklin Richards, son of Reed and Sue Richards from the Fantastic Four.

'Lila Cheney & Cat's Laughing'
Remember 'Josie and the Pussycats'? Lila Cheney and her band, Cat's Laughing, would give Pixar a chance to dip their toe into a classic, Disney-esque musical. Of course, the twist is that Lila doesn't just tour small nightclubs and practice in her garage. No, Lila operates on an intergalactic scale, since she has the power to teleport over vast distances. She and her band travel around the galaxy, or galaxies, rocking out and having adventures (not unlike the short-lived Saturday morning cartoon 'Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space'). She has run into space pirates, dated a member of the X-Men, rescued alien empresses, and faced off against rude fans. Imagine Pixar doing a movie with an almost entirely alien cast and an awesome soundtrack.

The Comics Stand: 5 Reasons Comics Fans Are Psyched About 'Scott Pilgrim'

David Brothers — 2010-08-13T12:00:00+00:00

This weekend's big buzz movie is 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,' based on a comic book series by Bryan Lee O'Malley and starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Chris Evans, among others. The 'Scott Pilgrim' series has been burning up the best-seller lists and best-of charts since 2004, winning the hearts and minds of comics fans despite being completely lacking in superheroes (save for a brief conversation late in the series). Thousands of loving fans propelled 'Scott Pilgrim' to comic book smash hit status, and the movie looks to be a faithful translation of its source material.

To outsiders, 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' may look like yet another goofy teen movie, with the added bonus of being a comic book tie-in, too. Except, 'Scott Pilgrim' doesn't have the immediately apparent appeal of 'Iron Man' or 'The Dark Knight.' It just looks like a goofy love story, right? Well, there are actually quite a few reasons why 'Scott Pilgrim' will end up being a good movie, and they happen to be the same reasons why comics fans are so psyched to see the movie. Just to keep it short and sweet, here are five of them to clue you in before you hit your local multiplex this weekend.
This weekend's big buzz movie is 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,' based on a comic book series by Bryan Lee O'Malley and starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Chris Evans, among others. The 'Scott Pilgrim' series has been burning up the best-seller lists and best-of charts since 2004, winning the hearts and minds of comics fans despite being completely lacking in superheroes (save for a brief conversation late in the series). Thousands of loving fans propelled 'Scott Pilgrim' to comic book smash hit status, and the movie looks to be a faithful translation of its source material.

To outsiders, 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' may look like yet another goofy teen movie, with the added bonus of being a comic book tie-in, too. Except, 'Scott Pilgrim' doesn't have the immediately apparent appeal of 'Iron Man' or 'The Dark Knight.' It just looks like a goofy love story, right? Well, there are actually quite a few reasons why 'Scott Pilgrim' will end up being a good movie, and they happen to be the same reasons why comics fans are so psyched to see the movie. Just to keep it short and sweet, here are five of them to clue you in before you hit your local multiplex this weekend.

Scott Pilgrim is a little socially awkward, a little dopey, quick to fall in love, and eager to please. The coolest cat and the smoothest player have all had those moments where they flub their pickup line or find themselves completely at a loss when meeting someone new. While Pilgrim is a little goofier than most, he's very easy to relate to. Cera is in serious danger of typecasting himself at this point, but Scott Pilgrim is the role he was born to play. If you've paid the slightest bit of attention to Cera's career, you know that he has been practicing for this role forever. You can draw a direct line to Scott Pilgrim from George Michael Bluth in 'Arrested Development,' Paulie in 'Juno' and Evan in 'Superbad.'

Through those roles, Cera managed to slide right into the slightly hipster-y everyman role that Shia LeBouf vacated years ago. He's cool, but not so cool that you hate him on sight. He's dorky, but not so dorky that you just roll your eyes when he does something goofy. He's right there in that sweet spot, in the middle of the cool/dork spectrum, and that's the perfect placement for a character like Pilgrim. Cera has had a lot of practice to get this right, and with the fact that 'Scott Pilgrim' is an action/adventure movie starring a character who is pretty much every Cera role combined, there's almost no doubt that he'll knock it out of the park. What's more, Pilgrim and Cera are both Canadian. With this many coincidences lining up all at once, it's only fair to consider this some kind of a miracle.

'Scott Pilgrim' is funny. Action movies, in the wake of the perfectly good 'Bourne' trilogy and Daniel Craig's recent run as James Bond, have been very po-faced, deathly serious affairs. The funny, one-liner heavy action movies that Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger made popular have been left behind in favor of movies that want to convince you that the world is at stake and there's no time for jokes. The 'Scott Pilgrim' comics placed the funny alongside the violence, with a plethora of dopey hipster jokes and funny fighting scenes.

The thing that keeps 'Scott Pilgrim' chugging along is the fact that aside from its absolutely absurd premise, the book is filled with jokes. Pilgrim is dopey, his friends are sarcastic, and the seven evil exes of his girlfriend Ramona are wonderfully out there. The movie looks to maintain the same level of humor, from Evans's pneumatic eyebrows to the "lesbians" joke in the trailer. 'Scott Pilgrim' should have a sublime mix of cheap laughs, pun-ishing one-liners, and some wonderfully cartoony visual humor. People getting beaten up and cracking jokes: isn't that what movies are for?

'Scott Pilgrim's' plot sounds pretty goofy, but is actually pretty reasonable. It's said that there's a lot of truth in jest, and having to defeat your new girlfriend's seven evil exes definitely sounds like a joke. But, if you look at it from another angle, it's a pretty clear metaphor for getting to know someone, and coming to terms with their past. It's easy to wonder if you're better than your new boyfriend or girlfriend's exes, or if they are going to pop up at some point and ruin your happy relationship. Look at Pilgrim's battle against Ramona's evil exes as an entertaining representation of the thought processes we all go through when learning to love someone new. Pilgrim has to conquer Ramona's exes before he can truly settle down with her. Everyone's had to work through issues like this when dating someone new, and the 'Scott Pilgrim' series did a great job of hiding this intensely relatable metaphor inside an action-packed, funny, and exciting plot.

(You can also look at it as a funny way to go about dating someone, but the metaphor works, too.)

'Scott Pilgrim' director Edgar Wright has a pretty great track record in creating funny films that are a little more deep than the usual gross-out comedies that litter the cinema these days. 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz' were two hilarious films with deeper messages about friendship, grief and responsibility couched inside gory zombie fighting and references to 'Bad Boys II.' If any director was created specifically to guide 'Scott Pilgrim' from the page to the screen, Wright is the one. A faithful translation is something every comics fan likes to see, particularly when the source material is this good.

Video games have traditionally done poorly when being turned into movies, but 'Scott Pilgrim' might just be the first good video game movie. Granted, it's based on a graphic novel, not a video game, but hear me out. 'Scott Pilgrim' the comic book is positively infused with video game references and logic. Pilgrim picks up extra lives, he gains new abilities after beating up Ramona's exes, and after people get beaten up, they leave behind coins.

The reason the movie counts as a video game movie is because they left all of that stuff in. In fact, it's in the movie's very DNA. You can't have 'Scott Pilgrim' without one-up jokes,'Street Fighter' references (the voice shouting "KO!" in the first trailer was directly from Capcom's 'Street Fighter Alpha 3'), and 'River City Ransom' logic. Rather than being a cheap licensing maneuver or something to be ignored in favor of an all-new story, all of the video game stuff is actually integral.

Comics fans and video game fans have both suffered a ton of bad movies based on beloved games or books. Whether due to simple inaccuracy, cheap production values, bad acting or just being purely inept, movies based on comics or games have a pretty poor track record. For probably the first time ever, there's a movie coming out that manages to blend both battered genres and look good doing it. We're long overdue for a video game-themed movie that we can recommend to friends and family, and 'Scott Pilgrim' is it.

If 'Scott Pilgrim' is a hit, Bryan Lee O'Malley will officially become your good old-fashioned independent success story. O'Malley is one of us. He's a guy who just wanted to make a few comics and tell a story. 'Scott Pilgrim' began life as a humble little graphic novel put out by Oni Press in 2004. It was a weird little mash-up of video game minutiae, goofy romance, manga-inspired action, and really good jokes. It blew everyone's minds back when it came out, impressing both critics and fans alike, and quickly became the talk of the comics world. Every new entry in the series was fulfilling in completely different ways, and the comic industry suddenly had a brand new smash hit on its hands.

Six years later and O'Malley is looking at a first print run of 100,000 copies for 'Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour,' an absolutely insane print run for a graphic novel these days, and a major motion picture based on his work hitting big screens all over the world. The success of 'Scott Pilgrim,' whether the movie or the comics, is something awesome and shows that with a little hard work (and a whole lot of skill), anyone can make it. (Read Moviefone's interview with Bryan Lee O'Malley)

'Scott Pilgrim' Trailer

Get 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' showtimes & tickets
ComicsAlliance: 10 Thoughts on 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'

The Comics Stand: What Do Comics Fans Think of 'Jonah Hex'?

David Brothers — 2010-06-17T14:00:00+00:00

Jimmy Hayward's 'Jonah Hex,' starring Josh Brolin and Megan Fox, finally makes its way to the big screen this weekend, though you wouldn't know it from asking comics fans. The major comics news sites have done articles about the film, but the comment sections and forums are filled with unenthusiastic responses, to say the least. 'Jonah Hex' doesn't have the optimistic buzz that 'Iron Man 2' had, and not even the grudging acceptance that came before 'The Losers.' No, the advance buzz on 'Jonah Hex' from comics fans is more "That looks awful!" than "That looks awesome!" Jimmy Hayward's 'Jonah Hex,' starring Josh Brolin and Megan Fox, finally makes its way to the big screen this weekend, though you wouldn't know it from asking comics fans. The major comics news sites have done articles about the film, but the comment sections and forums are filled with unenthusiastic responses, to say the least. 'Jonah Hex' doesn't have the optimistic buzz that 'Iron Man 2' had, and not even the grudging acceptance that came before 'The Losers.' No, the advance buzz on 'Jonah Hex' from comics fans is more "That looks awful!" than "That looks awesome!"

Back when writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga created Jonah Hex for DC Comics, the character was a classic Western hero. He was a little mean, a little cynical and a whole lot of ugly. As time went on, he went through the usual twists and turns that comic characters go through, even going so far as traveling into the future for a brief period of time. When Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray relaunched the character and series in 2005, they took him back to his roots. No more superheroic trappings, no rogue's gallery of interestingly deformed villains and definitely no time travel. Jonah Hex was returned to being a mean man in a mean world.

'Jonah Hex' Trailer

'Jonah Hex,' the comic, is pure. When you pick it up, you're going to get a solid dose of the Old West featuring a character who is a meaner, uglier version of Clint Eastwood's The Man With No Name. He embodies the best and worst aspects of the Western hero, from the insanely accurate aim and physical prowess to the willingness to kill a whole mess of people to make some cash. He isn't all bad, but if you get on his bad side? Well, you tend to end up dead.

Gray and Palmiotti have spent the last five years telling a series of stories about Hex in the Old West that have covered everything from standard revenge tales to attempted eugenics experiments. He's made enemies of men and women alike, and even found friendship, or at least a grudging tolerance for certain people at very specific points in time, over the course of his adventures. They've been ably assisted by a murderer's row of artists, people who can make the Old West look just as gritty and beautiful as the movies tell us it is. Month-in, month-out, they've given us stories that, at their worst, have been just okay, and at their best, and worth rereading over and over again.

In today's market, where new comics are canceled after five issues or revamped into oblivion after a year, 'Jonah Hex' is impressive. Gray and Palmiotti have quietly carved out a niche where there once was nothing at all. 'Jonah Hex' isn't the only Western comic these days, but when it launched, Westerns were a dead genre in America. Deader than funny talking-animal comics. Somehow, someway, 'Jonah Hex' ended up being a book that secured a dedicated fanbase and revitalized a genre.

'Jonah Hex,' the movie, isn't the book that people have been reading since late 2005. Where the book was subdued, and maybe even a little subtle, the movie screams at you. Where Hex as a comic character was simply a man who was good at his job and uglier than sin, the movie Hex has some connection to the supernatural. Where Hex's female companion was Tallulah Black, a cowgirl who was more than his equal, in the movie she's an entirely unconvincing Megan Fox.

From the first trailer onward, it was clear that the movie jettisoned a lot of what makes the comic good. The simplicity, the economy of storytelling and, most of all, the way it was grounded in something like reality are all gone. They've been replaced with an ultra-dramatic past, magic crows, one-liners, dynamite-launching crossbows and horse-mounted twin gatling guns.

Josh Brolin is fantastic casting and is extraordinarily talented, but that's about where the compliments stop. The changes the movie makes from the source material feel like a vote of no confidence. Rather than enhancing or explaining things that comics fans might accept but moviegoers wouldn't, the changes in 'Jonah Hex' are cynical. They are calculated to make Hex more of a modern action star, a better fit into the Bruce Willis mold.

The silly additions turn what should have been a classic Western in the Sergio Leone mode into a CG-enhanced, loud and unforgivably bland action movie. Everything about the movie screams, "If you like Jonah Hex, stay away! We have a carefully-crafted movie here that is designed to please everyone, not just fans of Westerns!" The problem, of course, is that attempts to please everyone tend to come out so generic, they please no one.

More on 'Jonah Hex' from ComicsAlliance