A few years ago it seemed like every single comic book movie coming out was great. The X-Men movies, the Spider-Man movies, hell I even really liked The Hulk. Then, DareDevil came out… a film which I personally liked, but even I admit it was the first sign of Comic Book to movie weakness. Then the horrible Catwoman… then Electra. Now it seems like a comic book movie is just as hit or miss as any other genre.
So what is it that separates the good comic movies from the bad ones? Well, there’s obviously no perfect formula, but the good folks over at ComicBookMovie.Com have posted up a pretty decent list of keys ingredients to a good adaptation. Here’s an excerpt:
3) Cast characters, not actors:
Again, another common mistake made in producing comic book movies. An existing character in the comic book universe shouldn’t be compromised and tailored to fit a movie star, no matter how big they might be. Compare Sam Raimi’s masterful casting of Alfred Molina as Doc Ock in “Spider-Man 2” to Joel Schumacher’s horrid misstep of making Mr. Freeze out of Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Batman and Robin,” and you’ll see the importance of putting a character in front of casting a big star.
An excellent point that is well made. The other keys to success that they list are:
1) Respect the source material
2) Play it straightforward
4) Hire passionate and established filmmakers, not flashy music video directors
5) Make the alter-ego just as important as the superhero
6) Ground the film in some sort of reality
7) Don’t forget about the fun of the comics
It’s a great little article that is well worth your time to head over and read. Then come back here and tell us what you would add or take away from that list.
