Comics Movies
Comics and movies both blossomed in the cultural landscape of the 20th Century. And as they flowered they cross-pollinated one another with their brightest blooms and their most effective arrangements. The digital revolution has opened many doors to the previously unfilmable, leading to an explosion in the number of comic book adaptations.
For many people 'comics movies' mean gaudy titans in tights pounding the snot out of one another. However, if you remove the properties of the two big American companies (DC and Marvel), a broader spectrum of the fantastic and mundane is revealed.
Presenting for your selection, a cornucopia of pocket universes born of ink, transformed into light. For Superheroes peruse the DC and Marvel sub-headings under Comics Movies, stage left.
Pictured: Marv (Mickey Rourke) takes a moment to collect his thoughts in 2005's "Sin City" - cinema's most faithful comic book adaptation to date.
The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (1976)
7.7/10
Director: Henri Gruel, Pierre Watrin
Starring: Asterix, Obelix, Vitalstatistix
Caesar is bemused when Roman soldiers claim the indomitable Gauls must be gods because they are so powerful. To defeat the Gauls once and for all, he... Read more
Dennis the Menace (1993)
5.5/10
Director: Nick Castle
Starring: Walter Matthau, Mason Gamble, Christopher Lloyd, Joan Plowright, Lea Thompson, P...
Based on the famous comic strip, this centres on the relationship between 6 year old Dennis Mitchell and his grouchy neighbour, Mr Wilson. Walter Matt... Read more
Always - Sunset On Third Street (2005)
7.8/10
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Starring: Maki Horikita, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Koyuki , Hiroko Yakushimaru...
Beautifully recreating the post-war Tokyo landscape of the 1950s, this ensemble story is based on a popular manga and is an intimate look into the liv... Read more
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
7/10
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, John Alexander, Luke Goss,...
An evil elf breaks an ancient truce between humanity and the mythical realm, planning to unleash the Golden Army on an unsuspecting world. The only th... Read more
Flash Gordon (1980)
6.5/10
Director: Mike Hodges
Starring: Brian Blessed, Mariangela Melato, Max von Sydow, Melody Anderson, Ornella Muti,...
Flash, Dale Arden and Dr Hans Zarkov journey through the cosmos to do battle with Ming the Merciless who is terrorising the earth. This up-dated versi... Read more
Modesty Blaise (1966)
5.2/10
Director: Joseph Losey
Starring: Monica Vitti, Dirk Bogarde, Terence Stamp
Of the many '60s cinema spies who arrived in the wake of James Bond, none cut a finer figure than Italian siren Monica Vitti as jewel thief-turned-sec... Read more
Art School Confidential (2006)
6.3/10
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Starring: Jim Broadbent, Anjelica Huston, Matt Keeslar, John Malkovich, Max Minghella, Sop...
Terry Zwigoff reunites with comics writer Daniel Clowes ('Ghost World') for this punishing satire of the Art School universe where Jerome (Max Minghel... Read more
Thor: Ragnarok (Blu-Ray) (2017)
7.9/10
Director: Taika Waititi
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Cate Blanchett, Clancy Brown, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Karl...
Imprisoned on the other side of the universe, the mighty Thor finds himself in a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against the Hulk, his forme... Read more
30 Days of Night (2007)
6.6/10
Director: David Slade
Starring: Mark Boone Junior, Ben Foster, Melissa George, Josh Hartnett, Danny Huston, Joel...
For 30 days every winter the isolated town of Barrow, Alaska is plunged into complete darkness. It's a bitter time when most of the inhabitants head s... Read more
Black Panther (Blu-Ray) (2018)
7.4/10
Director: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis, Martin Freeman, Danai Jekesai Guri...
After the death of his father, T'Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. When a powerful enemy sudden... Read more