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.
Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997)
4.5/10
Director: Sean McNamara
Starring: Brendon Ryan Barret
Re-join your favourites from the box office hit and meet some new friends too! This time Casper's on the run from the evil Kibosh, his assistant Snive... Read more
Men In Black (1997)
7.3/10
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio, Rip Torn, Tony...
Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith are the nattily-dressed government agents whose top secret job is to track down any extraterrestrials landing on Earth... Read more
Spawn (1997)
5.2/10
Director: Mark A Z Dippe
Starring: John Leguizamo, Michael Jai White, Martin Sheen, Theresa Randle, Nicol Williamso...
Five years after being murdered by corrupt colleagues in a covert government agency, Al Simmons (Michael Jai White) makes a Faustian pact with the dev... Read more
Popeye: All New Cartoons (1996)
5.2/10
Starring: Popeye
All new Popeye features a whole boatload of action adventures. With all your favourite characters. Includes the cartoons: 'Popeye's Roots', 'Come Back... Read more
Eko Eko Azarak II: Birth of the Wizard (1996)
Director: Shimako Sato
Starring: Kimika Yoshino, Wataru Shihodo, Chieko Shiratori, Akira Otani, Eisei Amamoto, Ak...
In this prequel to the first film an evil spirit has massacred a village of witches and wizards in ancient Japan. Skip to present day and an archaeol... Read more
The Crow: City of Angels (1996)
4.6/10
Director: Tim Pope
Starring: Ian Dury, Iggy Pop, Mia Kirshner, Thomas Jane, Vincent Perez
French actor Vincent Perez steps into the late Brandon Lee's shoes in this stylish sequel that finds the undead hero returning for revenge in a decayi... Read more
The Phantom (1996)
4.9/10
Director: Simon Wincer
Starring: Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Treat Williams
That masked, purple-clad defender of the jungle leaps from the comic's pages to the screen with this adventure saga. Billy Zane stars as 'The Ghost Wh... Read more
Crying Freeman (1995)
6.5/10
Director: Christophe Gans
Starring: Mark Dacascos, Julie Condra, Rae Dawn Chong
A lethal samurai assassin for a secret Chinese organisation, who sheds tears to regret each time he kills, is seen swiftly and mercilessly executing t... Read more
Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness (1995)
6/10
Director: Shimako Sato
Starring: Kimika Yoshino, Miho Kanno, Naozumi Takahashi, Mio Takaki
Misa has just transferred to a new school, unfortunately for her it's in the process of being taken over by evil supernatural forces. Fortunately for... Read more
Crumb (1995)
8/10
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Starring: Robert Crumb, Aline Kominsky, Charles Crumb
Robert Crumb, the multi-talented underground comic book artist, is profiled in this unique, in-depth documentary portrait. Emerging from a dysfunction... Read more