Comic Book Movies

There is now a multiverse of movies out there based on Comics and Comics Characters. There are probably quite a few that you didn't even realise are Comic Book Movies.
My ambition is to watch ALL of these movies (yes - even the BAD ones!) and review them using my own GALACTUS SCALE - named after the Planet Eating Cosmic Creation of Comics Legend Jack Kirby:

5G's = WORLD DOMINATION - Supercool! 'Nuff Said!
4G's = COSMIC AWARENESS - With Cosmic Power comes Cosmic Responsibility
3G's = KINGDOM COME - High as the Blue Area of the Moon
2G's = SECRET WAR - A Holiday in the Negative Zone
1G = MINIMUM CLONAGE - Possessed by an Alien Symbiote
ZERO G's = ABOMINATION - Deserves Ultimate Nullification

So keep checking in . . . This may take a while!

2 GUNS - 2013

Despite the title there are way more than 2 Guns on display in this action flick, based on a Graphic Novel by Steven Grant. This is an entertaining Buddy Movie starring Denzil Washington and Mark Wahlberg as undercover agents on the trail of a Mexican drug cartel. It's fun with a few twists and plenty of action ... not the most original of films, but the leads are engaging with plenty of banter. It really wants to be a 21st Century Lethal Weapon and, I suppose, there are worse things to aspire to.

30 DAYS OF NIGHT - 2007

Not your Twinkly-Twilighty Vampires - these blood-suckers are horrifically feral as they terrorise an isolated town in North Alaska during a month without daylight. It’s a strong premise and the snowbound location brings to mind John Carpenter’s The Thing,
however the casting and characterisation are by-the-numbers. Danny Houston looks good as the Head Vamp but is given very little to do apart from growl and snarl.
Based on the graphic novel by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, it spawned a couple of straight-to-DVD sequels.

300 - 2007

An ultra-faithful, ultra-stylised and ultra-violent adaptation of Frank Miller’s historical graphic novel. The King of Sparta (by way of Scotland!) takes a 300-strong band of buff warriors to defeat thousands of Persian invaders. A solid British cast, featuring Gerard Butler, Dominic West, Lena Headey and Michael Fassbender, help to add some gravitas to the sillier aspects of the sword-&-sandal nonsense. Drenched in slo-mo blood and guts, it may not be to everyone’s taste but is a solid companion to Miller’s take on Ancient Greece.

300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE - 2014

Sequel, prequel and side-quel to 300 which suffers from the lack of Gerard Butler’s visceral performance. Leading man Sullivan Stapleton looks good in a loincloth but
has zero screen presence. Eva Green injects a bit of vitality as an evil warrior princess but might as well be in a different movie altogether. This adds nothing to the original
film and can be easily ignored.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY - 1991

Director Barry Sonnenfeld shows off his visual flair and wry sense of humour in this excellent big screen adaptation of Charles Addams’ ghoulish comic strip and classic 60’s TV series. Raul Julia, Angelica Huston and Christopher Lloyd head the cast, with the young Christina Ricci absolutely perfect as Wednesday. Darkly-hued comedy for the whole family.

ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES - 1993

Barry Sonnenfeld delivers a superior sequel with the same cracking cast. There's the added bonus of a psychotic Joan Cusack and a Summer Camp Massacre that would have Jason of Friday The 13th fame quaking in his blood-stained hockey mask!

AKIRA - 1988

The anime that undoubtedly launched the genre for western audiences, Akira is packed with futuristic cyber-punk visuals, adrenaline-pumped gang violence and weird mutant goings-on. Based on the epic Manga series by Katsuhiro Otomo, this is justifiably THE benchmark for Japanese Animation that all others are measured against.

ALIEN VS PREDATOR - 2004

Although there were 6 previous cinematic outings for these OTT ET's, Dark Horse Comics were the first to venture such a mash-up, which has gone from comics to video games to movies, with varying levels of success. If you can distance yourself from the classic originals there’s a lot of fun to be had here. The humans are little more than cyphers waiting to be bumped off by one or other of the extra-terrestrial menaces but Lance Henrickson is always a welcome sight. Of course, it can’t hold a candle to Alien or Aliens (or even Predator!) but is enjoyable enough on its own level.

AVP2: ALIEN VS PREDATOR REQUIEM - 2007

Aliens, Predators and an Alien/Predator Hybrid are unleashed on a modern-day American town. Poorly done and immensely forgettable. 1G purely for the interesting Alien/Predator Hybrid design, which is nowhere near as badly considered as the Human/Alien Hybrid from Alien Resurrection.

ALITA BATTLE ANGEL - 2019

The classic manga gets the big screen treatment courtesy of James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez. Coming on like a Cyberpunk Astro Boy, there’s a blazing central performance by Rosa Salazar, if you can look beyond the initially off-putting “anime
eyes”. Before long you’ll be swept up by Salazar’s openness, warmth and innocence, completely forgetting that you’re watching a CG character at all. The plot is fairly by
the numbers, the bland love interest seems stapled on and the sequel-baiting climax stops a touch too short, but go with the flow and you’ll discover a cracking live action manga with plenty of bang for your buck.

AMERICAN SPLENDOR - 2004

Based on the autobiographical comics of professional misanthrope Harvey Pekar, this is part comedy, part bio-pic, part cartoon and part documentary. Paul Giamatti inhabits Pekar to a tee and even shares screen time with Harvey himself, as well as animated versions of him and other characters. Strange, funny and moving - well worth a look.

ANT-MAN - 2015

Light-hearted superhero shenanigans featuring the smallest Avenger yet. The hugely likeable Paul Rudd holds the film together, with support from Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lily and Michael Pena. A heist movie that’s played for laughs a lot of the time, it still has a (semi-)serious core like all the Marvel movies. Good fun and, after his Giant-sized appearance in Captain America Civil War, I think we can expect big things in the future.

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP - 2018

A light palette cleanser after the emotional wallop of Avengers Infinity War - we find Paul Rudd's Scott Lang under house arrest until he's swept up in a sub-atomic rescue mission by Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lily. Able support from Laurence Fishburne, with ghostly antagonist Hannah John-Kamen throwing a dimensional wrench in the works and another scene-stealing appearance from Michael Pena. Fun and frothy but with a devastating cliffhanger.

AQUAMAN - 2018

Jason Momoa’s portrayal of the Atlantean Hero was arguably one of the best parts of the disastrous Justice League. Equal portions of The Lion King and The Little Mermaid mix with an Indiana Jones-esque quest to find a golden trident and stop the imminent underwater civil war. And it’s Momoa’s charm that helps to pull off this enjoyably silly movie that could easily have landed as a damp squid. A further move away from the Dark Corridors of DC’s previous cinematic outings.

ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL - 2006

Directed by Terry Zwigoff and loosely based on the works of Dan Clowes, this has a quirky indie spin on the typical coming-of-age story. Nice performances from Max Minghella, Sophia Myles and John Malkovich and a smart script from Clowes give this a similar feel to Clowes and Zwigoff’s earlier colaboration Ghost World.

ASTRO BOY - 2009

Action-packed CGI version of Osamu Tezuka’s classic Manga/Anime character. Fun for the kids, with smatterings of A.I. and Pinnocchio. Excellent voice cast including Nicolas Cage, Bill Nighy and Donald Sutherland. The strategic placement of Astro's machine guns should raise a wry smile or fits of giggles depending on your actual and/or mental age.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE - 2012

Marvel's mostly successful and mostly excellent solo outings for Iron Man, Captain America and Thor effectively (retro-actively?) became a raft of prequels for this blockbuster. Marvel's Mightiest Heroes unite to take down a Horde of Alien Baddies,
led by Loki (God of Evil and/or Mischief and/or Sly One-Liners!). Joss Whedon
masterfully juggles the different characters and mythologies, managing to pull off the nigh-impossible feat of a cracking action movie that broke box office records across
the globe - As well as finally getting a cinematic Hulk to work after two so-so attempts. Highly recommended!

AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON - 2015

More muddled than Avengers Assemble, with many more characters to introduce and multiple future movie plotlines to set up, Joss Whedon barely manages to keep his head above water in this second outing for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Among the new faces are sulky psychic Emo Witch, hunky speedster Quicksilver and ultimate bad robot Ultron. The film suffers from the Marvel Movie tropes of Evil Faceless Villain Army and Urban Death From Above Syndrome but entertaining characterisation helps to smooth over the lumpiest bumps in the plot and script. Despite having to squeeze in nods to three separate threequels (Captain America Civil War, Thor Ragnarok and Avengers Infinity War) it was great to see The Vision make his big screen debut.

AVENGERS INFINITY WAR - 2018

Grab your popcorn and make sure you've caught up with the 18 previous Marvel Movies, because the Russo Brothers dump you right in the middle of the action from the word go. Thanos, the big purple bad-ass who's been teased as far back as Avengers Assemble, makes an instant impression by racking up a huge body count of Asgardians before heading off to Earth. This is the big one that reunites The Avengers after the polarising split of Captain America Civil War and includes Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Spider-man and The Guardians Of The Galaxy. Our heroes desperately need to stop Thanos from collecting all of the Infinity Stones and make good on his promise to wipe out half of the universe... with devastating consequences that will leave you in shock or tears or both. A table-turning cliffhanger that's right up there with The Empire Strikes Back for sheer WTFability!!!

AVENGERS ENDGAME - 2019

Another tour de force from the Russo Bros, juggling an astonishing amount of characters in an amazing climax that has been 22 separate films in the making. Following the devastating events of Infinity War, our heroes come up with one chance in 17 billion to fix everything. Cue plenty of time-twisting shenanigans before the cataclysmic showdown with Thanos and his dark forces. Despite the truly epic stakes, the Russos still manage to hit all the right beats, juxtaposing smaller character moments with galactic battles and utter tragedy with laugh-out-loud comedy. Overlooking a slightly clunky “Girl Power” moment, the dazzling denouement concentrated on our core Assembled Avengers, perfectly capping the first 3 Phases of the MCU.

BARB WIRE - 1996

This Dark Horse adaptation reimagines Casablanca as an extended 80’s Hair Metal music video with plot and character development to match. Pamela Anderson can
only add surgically-enhanced gratuitous nudity to the B movie action as she’s clearly
no Bogart. Some fun to had from Xander Berkley’s jaded cop, but probably one for
die-hard Baywatchers only.

BARBARELLA - 1968

French Science Fiction meets Pop Art in this Swinging Sixties Eurotrash Classic. Jane Fonda’s intergalactic peace agent lands on an alien world searching for a lost scientist. Her mission leads her into a series of erotic adventures (everything from blind angels to orgasmic torture devices!) and outre costume changes before it all explodes in lava lamp special effects. Kitsch and campy with Fonda’s “Sex Kitten Dial” turned all the way up to ELEVEN!

BATMAN THE MOVIE - 1966

This spin-off from the eternally popular 60’s TV show is probably the polar opposite
of Christopher Nolan’s brooding Dark Knight Trilogy. Adam West hams it up with his tongue firmly in his over-earnest cheek. There’s great support from the villains, as The Joker, Catwoman, The Riddler and The Penguin execute a frankly ridiculous evil plan to kidnap world leaders. Despite the “Biff! Bang! Pow!” sound effects and overall silliness firmly imprinting that “comics are just for kids” upon generations of the general public, there’s a lot to enjoy if you embrace the high camp absurdity of it all. Perhaps DC’s current cinematic universe could benefit from some of this sublime Sixties sunshine.

BATMAN - 1989

Tim Burton's rich gothic take on the Dark Knight was a massive box office success with a totally invasive marketing campaign that saw the Bat Logo plastered everywhere. Behind the hype, Michael Keaton is excellent as brooding playboy Bruce Wayne, but doesn’t inhabit the Bat Suit as commandingly as one might hope. Jack Nicholson's Joker literally steals the film (and most of the profits!), often at the expense of a sensible plot.

BATMAN RETURNS - 1992

The best of the gothic Burton-era movies with an amazing performance from Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and a genuinely chilling turn from Danny DeVito as The Penguin. Michael Keaton returns as Bats, but it's the villains who once more steal the show. As always with Tim Burton, the visuals are sumptuous but the plotting and scripting leave a lot to be desired.

BATMAN FOREVER - 1995

Former hairdresser Joel Schumacher takes over the directing reins from Tim Burton and delivers a solid, if slightly campier, Bat Movie. Val Kilmer seems a better fit both in and out of the Bat-suit but is, as usual, upstaged by his villains. This time it's Jim Carrey as The Riddler cackling uber-alles and even Tommy Lee Jones' day-glo Two Face can't keep up! Least said about Chris O'Donnell as Robin the better!

BATMAN AND ROBIN - 1997

After a promising Bat-debut, Schumacher goes so Full-Tilt Neon Camp that Adam West could have turned up as BatGrandpa and it would only have improved this mega-muddle. Amazingly awful casting choices are added to such an appalling script that the whole thing dissolves into a morass of bad one-liners and Rubber Bat-nipples, while you desperately wait for it all to be over. When Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr Freeze announces that he's going to freeze the whole of Gotham City you'll choke on your popcorn after realising that's bound to take another 30 minutes! While Uma Thurman and Alicia Silverstone are particularly dreadful (as Poison Ivy and Batgirl respectively), the casting lowlight has to be George Clooney slouching around Wayne Manor in a hoodie!

BATMAN BEGINS - 2005

The first of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy takes a more realistic approach to the idea of a masked vigilante. Christian Bale broods nicely as Bruce and Batman with veteran support from Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman, but Katie Holmes sticks out like a sore thumb. Although a valid re-imagining of The Caped Crusader (and more in keeping with the comics' darker tone), this is unrelentingly grim with barely a chuckle in sight.

BATMAN V SUPERMAN :
DAWN OF JUSTICE - 2016

Batman gets top billing in this sequel to the non-more-grim take on Superman,
Man of Steel. In a desperate attempt to hot-wire a full-on Marvel-style Avengers franchise, the best and brightest of the DC icons are shoehorned into an already
bloated mess of a movie, with only Wonder Woman making any sort of impression
(even if it's only eye candy!). Zack Snyder must have blown his lighting budget on
the ridiculous amount of Special Effects - everything is so dark it’s difficult to tell
the Good Guys from the Good Guys! A miserable failure ... with emphasis on the miserable!

BATTLE ROYALE - 2000

A good decade before The Hunger Games exploded onto the Young Adult scene
we had this blood-soaked Japanese entry into the “Teens Fight For Survival On TV” genre. Based on the manga and novel by Koushun Takami and featuring Takeshi Kitano, this is more visceral than a whole series of Celebrity Big Brother and without a flaming dress in sight!

BIG HERO 6 - 2014

Family friendly CGI fun, based on an obscure Marvel team book. The relationship between boy genius Hiro and his inflatable marshmallow of a robot Baymax is the heart of the movie - much stronger than the main mad scientist plot. Very funny in places with excellent Pixar-level computer animation from Disney.

BLACK PANTHER - 2018

The Lion King with superheroes.

BLADE - 1998

Arguably the film that launched Marvel upon the big screen - ultimately leading to the blockbusting success of their Avengers franchise - Blade is an above-average horror action flick. Wesley Snipes cooly displays his action movie credentials and pointy teeth as the titular half-vampire looking to get his stake into as many of his “full-blooded” brethren as he can. Unassuming fun, this does exactly what it says on the tin and,
with its foot lodged firmly in Hollywood’s doorway, allowed the X-Men to sneak in,
hotly followed by Spider-Man, then Iron Man and his avenging pals.

BLADE II - 2002

Ramped-up sequel to Marvel’s surprise hit, the return of Wesley Snipes' vampire
hunter is helmed by Master of Horror Guillermo Del Toro. If at times this comes across as a dry run for Del Toro’s next movie Hellboy it’s because, not only was HB creator Mike Mignola on the Production Design Team, but Ron Perlman (Big Red himself!) provides support along with a band of supernatural soldiers who might as well have
the initials B.P.R.D.! Snipes handles himself well, aided by Del Toro’s sumptuous
visual style.

BLADE TRINITY - 2004

A bit of a muddle as Wesley Snipes’ titular vamp-killer seems to end up a supporting character in his own film. Blade is lumbered with a couple of sidekicks - a wise-cracking turn from Ryan Reynolds and a touch of glamour from Jessica Biel - who then steal the show. Dracula is resurrected as a lumbering thug, putting up little resistance to Blade and his chums. Followed by a short-lived TV series, with a short actor in the title role.

BULLETPROOF MONK - 2003

Chow Yun Fat and Sean William Scott perform well in this good-natured chop-socky adaptation of Michael Avon Oeming's Image Comic series. Formulaic fun with plenty
of banter, wire-fu action and evil Nazis after the secret of immortality. They thoughtfully remembered to leave enough threads dangling for a possible sequel.

CAPTAIN AMERICA:
THE ORIGINAL AVENGER - 1990

Despite the subtitle, there's very little avenging going on here, just a crude cash in on Marvel's modern output. Although a rubber suit did wonders for Tim Burton’s Batman, but it’s much less effective here on Matt Salinger as the patriotic Cap. Done on the cheap and on the hop, ropey production values and odd narrative touches abound (the Red Skull is Italian rather than German?). Barely better than the two cheesy 70's TV movies that (thankfully!) never managed to blossom into a series.

CAPTAIN AMERICA:
THE FIRST AVENGER - 2011

Chris Evans' first stab at the Star-Spangled Avenger is a change of pace from the
usual superhero fare - A period romp through World War 2 against the Red Skull and
his Hydra shock troops. Early scenes of Evans CGI'ed into a 7 stone weakling are visually unnerving, but he displays the sincerity, courage and strength of character that will serve him well in future appearances. Hugo Weaving hams it up nicely as the Skull and there's a touch of old school glamour from Hayley Attwell as Peggy Carter.

CAPTAIN AMERICA:
THE WINTER SOLDIER - 2014

Evans returns as Cap, only to find SHIELD infiltrated by Hydra double agents and his
best buddy has returned from the grave as an amnesiac cyborg assassin. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo have crafted an excellent 70's spy thriller cunningly disguised as a superhero movie. It ramps up the action but not at the expense of character development, as well as introducing us to future Avenger The Falcon. Spoiler: There's a nice touch on Fury's tombstone that should get a knowing nod from any Pulp Fiction fans!

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR- 2016

Cap and Iron Man come to blows in the wake of a terrorist attack that implicates the Avengers as negligent. Before anyone can phone SuperLawyers4U, sides are picked, battle lines are drawn and the Marvel Titans Clash! This is effectively Avengers 2.5, playing heavily on Stark's guilt over the Ultron debacle and Rogers' increasing disillusionment with the politics of modern espionage. There are a few new faces in the mix - a BIG promotion for Ant Man, an introduction to the Black Panther and the 3rd debut of a certain wall-crawler - all pulled off with consummate ease and sufficient character beats. The Russo Brothers prove they have the chops to handle a large super ensemble and take on future Avengers installments.

CATWOMAN - 2004

Hopes were high for a solo Catwoman movie after Michelle Pfeiffer's portrayal of the feline fatale in 1992's Batman Returns ... Fast forward a dozen years and this monstrosity creeps out into cinemas only to use the earlier promise as a litter tray. Oscar-winner Halle Berry slums it in the title role, with an appalling script and even worse costume. She slinks about the nondescript cityscape like a tomcat with constipation and has to battle Sharon Stone's rock-hard cosmetic magnate. The laughable CGI is probably the most enjoyment you'll get out of this!

CONSTANTINE - 2005

Average supernatural thriller about an occult investigator and a psychic cop who
must stop the impending demonic apocalypse (now?). Unfortunately the title character, based on the streetwise British necromancer created by Comics Legend Alan Moore for Swamp Thing, is played by Keanu Reeves as ... well ... Keanu Reeves! Tilda Swinton and Peter Stormare impress as the rival forces of Heaven and Hell, while Rachel Weisz and the rest of the cast are swallowed by the infernal special effects. Changing Constantine's nationality is akin to changing his whole character... They might as well have called this mess Beverley Hills Ghostbuster!

THE CROW - 1994

Probably better known for the on-set death of its star, Brandon Lee impresses as the rock star turned zombie-spirit-of-vengeance in this enjoyable action horror flick. Gothic visuals and striking make-up help to bring James O’Barr’s comic anti-hero to life, with high calibre evil supplied by Michael Wincott and David Patrick Kelly. This underrated 90’s classic should be higher on your must-see list.

CRYING FREEMAN - 1995

A nice early live action manga with the requisite Yakuza/Ninja action. Fun on an uncomplicated level.

DANGER: DIABOLIK - 1968

The Italian Horror Maestro Mario Bava tries his hand at 60’s high-camp in what could easily be a companion piece to Roger Vadim’s Barbarella. John Phillip Law is the cooler-than-cool criminal mastermind, armed with hi-tech gadgetry and an underground lair. Lovely pop art visuals and tongue-in-cheek dubbing add to its period charm. An undiscovered swinging sixties masterpiece or dated pop culture curio? You decide!

DAREDEVIL - 2003

A poorly conceived attempt to adapt Frank Miller's seminal take on the character that fails at almost every hurdle. Ben Affleck's miscasting as the "Lawyer-by-Day/Vigilante-by-Night" is just one of the bad decisions that Writer/Director Mark Steven Johnson must take the blame for. The main issue is the mask... almost everyone - from DD's priest to DD's arch-enemy - manages to take it off and discover his true identity! Why bother at all? Michael Clark Duncan turns in a nice performance as The Kingpin, while Colin Farrell hams it up so much as Bullseye you'd think he was in Carry On Daredevil, but Jennifer Garner is given nothing to do but pose with cutlery as Elektra. Even the Director's Cut fails to iron out many of the problems - a major clunker!

THE DARK KNIGHT - 2008

Bale, Caine, Oldman and Freeman return for the second instalment of Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. But, much like Nicholson in Tim Burton's 1989 movie, Heath Ledger's posthumous Oscar-winning portrayal of psychotic anarchist The Joker swamps the rest of the film. It's an entertaining watch that has struck a nerve with many people and is certainly the best of Nolan's Bat Trio.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES - 2012

What should have been the crowning achievement of Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy offers instead a slow muddled plod with very little screen time for the eponymous Dark Knight himself. Bale spends much of the film sans Bat-suit while we focus on Tom Hardy's gas-masked villain Bane and Anne Hathaway's lithe Catwoman. There's precious little levity to be found here ... As Heath Ledger's Joker would say "Why so serious?"

DEADPOOL - 2016

After a disastrous appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, star Ryan Reynolds and director Tim Miller pull Marvel’s Merc with a Mouth back from the brink in this irreverent, expletive-not-deleted tour-de-force. The minimalistic plot could fit on the back of a fag packet, but is shuffled with such highly amusing ultra-violence and fast-shooting quips that you’ll barely notice. Constantly breaking the fourth wall, extracting the urine and shooting the shizz, it’s an antidote to every po-faced supermovie you’ve seen... Not even the X-Men get off lightly. Not one for the kids, but certainly a foul-mouthed change-of-pace for the immature adults.

DOCTOR STRANGE - 2016

The BBC’s loss is Marvel’s gain as Sherlock himself (Benedict Cumberbatch) wraps himself in a Cloak of Levitation and a dodgy American accent to become their
Sorcerer Supreme. A standard origin story, has arrogant surgeon Stephen Strange come a cropper in a car accident and travel the globe looking for a mystical cure.
The occult battles are swathed in M. C. Escher inspired special effects and there’s
solid support from Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen and Rachel McAdams. A strong first entry for the good doctor, who is set up to play a major role in future Marvel entries.

DREDD - 2012

Karl Urban gives a pitch perfect performance as the futuristic Mega City One lawman in this raw adaptation of 2000AD’s star attraction, Judge Dredd. With strong support from Olivia Thirlby as rookie Psi-Judge and a menacing turn by Lena Headey as vicious gang leader Ma-Ma, this is head and shoulders above the 90’s Stallone adaptation. Displaying some powerful slow motion special effects, the only thing that lets the film down is a lack of scale and scope: what you see of the Big Meg isn’t that impressive and the action is predominantly confined to a single tower block. Urban provides a masterclass in superior chin acting and is confident enough in the characterisation to keep the helmet on throughout.

DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF NIGHT - 2011

Based on the best-selling Italian fumetti by Sciavelli, this is spooky fun with Brandon Routh as a paranormal private eye who specialises in undead clients. A large dose of Joss Whedon's TV Buffy and a pinch of Constantine serve up an enjoyable mixture of vampires, werewolves, ghouls and zombies. The setting is transposed from the comic’s London locale to the more exotic New Orleans. Routh is likeable in the lead and this easy-going supernatural romp could have been a TV pilot.

ELEKTRA - 2005

A sequel of sorts to the dreadful Ben Affleck-starring Daredevil movie of 2003 and just as disappointing. Elektra is raised from the dead by "ninja magic" but no such luck for the film itself. Despite having a whole movie Jennifer Garner is still given practically nothing to do. Sometimes dead ninjas, like movies, are better left in their celluloid graves. 1G for the slighty more comic accurate red costume.

FANTASTIC FOUR - 2005

A bargain basement version of “The World’s Greatest Comic Characters” that's not all bad but far from "fantastic". A pre-Captain America Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis spark quite nicely off each other as the Human Torch and The Thing, but everything else rings hollow. Ioann Gruffydd and Jessica Alba have absolutely no chemistry as Reed and Sue and are given no personalities either. Julian McMahon makes a promising start as Victor Von Doom but that all goes out the window once he develops metal skin and electric powers. Not without a modicum of charm but Marvel’s “First Family” deserved much, much better than ropey CGI... The Average Four doesn't have the same ring to it.

FANTASTIC four:
RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER - 2007

Mediocre sequel to the previous mediocre outing with nothing to recommend it apart from a nicely realised Silver Surfer. Motion captured by Doug Jones and voiced by Laurence Fishburne, it’s great to see the Surfer on screen... but unfortunately Galactus turns up as ***Spoiler Alert!!!*** A GIANT F###ING SPACE CLOUD!!! So, that’s 1G for the Surfer... and minus 10 for The Big G himself!

FANT4STIC - 2015

Why is it SO difficult to make a decent Fantastic 4 movie? Where the earlier versions (and this abortion!) went wrong is in missing out the family dynamic that makes the
team unique. Here, in a scenario based on Marvel’s Ultimate FF, they are far too
young - barely friends, never mind a family... Sue and Johnny Storm aren’t even properly related! Director Josh Trank made a far superior low budget alt/superhero movie called Chronicle - Better yet, why not watch The Incredibles instead? It’s the
best FF movie never made! This is drab, dreary and ABSOLUTELY NO FUN!!!
Avoid.

FAUST LOVE OF THE DAMNED - 2000

A sordid cult comic dripping with gore and nudity translates into a sordid cult movie dripping with nudity and gore. A psychotic hero with foot long metal claws battles an immortal demon (played by someone probably slumming it from a heavy metal band) and a slutty succubus who’s all boobs and bottom (quite literally in one scene!) for the soul of a bland psychiatrist with a dark (and dull) secret. Brian Yunza, the brain behind sublime body-morphing horror satire Society, calls the shots, slashes and gashes. In undeniably poor taste but entertaining on its own (admittedly low) level.

GHOST WORLD - 2001

Terry Zwigoff’s Oscar-nominated feature debut is based on Dan Clowes’ graphic novel about a couple of teenage girls adjusting to life after high school. Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson are pitch perfect as the directionless Gen-Xers - It’s great to see Johansson play a gawky teen before becoming the Hollywood sex symbol we know today. As is de rigeur for any US Indy movie there’s a (great) appearance from Steve Buscemi.

GREEN LANTERN - 2011

Why has it been so difficult for DC to realise their iconic characters on the big screen? Ryan Reynolds is perfect superhero material (as evidenced by his sterling turn in 2016’s Deadpool!) and Director Martin Campbell successfully relaunched James Bond twice (helming both Pierce Brosnan AND Daniel Craig’s debuts), as well as reinventing Zorro for modern audiences. But something here fell flat. A confusing script, awful (really, REALLY awful!!!) CGI costumes and lame CGI villain overwhelm Reynold’s charisma and Campbell’s professionalism.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY - 2014

THE WHO? One of Marvel’s biggest blockbusters featured a Celestial’s head worth of heroes that you’d never heard of... Starlord (a displaced Earthman), Drax (a humourless tattooed killing machine), Gamorra (a green-skinned assassin), Rocket (a fast-talking, gun-toting raccoon) and Groot (a walking tree!). Employing the light-hearted, quick-quipping style of Joss Whedon’s Avengers Assemble and a universe-destroying macguffin, James Gunn delivers a rollicking space romp to a winningly eclectic 70’s/80’s soundtrack.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2 - 2017

Marvel’s bickering astro-nuts return in a high profile sequel that, while still a lot of fun, fails to match up to the nigh-impossible standards of their first outing. The heavy- handed theme of this one is “FAMILY!” Star Lord’s daddy issues, more sibling rivalry for Gamora and Nebula and some heart-warming moments with Drax and Rocket. And, in amongst the supernova-sized action sequences, it’s Baby Groot who steals the show! Surprisingly, the big let down this time is the soundtrack... Guardians Vol. 1 was peppered with catchy obscurities for extra off-the-wall ambience. Unfortunately, Vol. 2 might as well be "Now That's What I Call 80’s Soft Rock Nightmare". The movie opens with an amazing action sequence choreographed to Mr. Blue Sky... and that’s as inspired as the music gets. It feels like they’re coasting on their feelgood rep from last time round, but that'll only get you so far. Still, it's always nice to see Kurt Russell turn up as a deranged celestial!

HEAVY METAL - 1981

Heavy Metal was the American magazine that reinterpreted the arty French sci-fi mag Metal Hurlant with smutty schoolboy humour. Fans of Comics Legends such as Moebius, Richard Corben and Berni Wrightson might be enthralled by these animated takes on their classic works - but it’s more likely they’d be appalled! However, if cartoons of lusty aliens and busty babes are your thing...
I can’t bring myself to finish that sentence.

HELLBOY - 2004

The Beast of the Apocalypse, summoned to Earth by Rogue Nazi Occultists to usher in the destructive reign of Lovecraftian Elder Gods . . . It hardly sounds like your regular comic hero romp. And it’s certainly not! Hellboy is a bright red demon and paranormal investigator, partnered with psychic amphibian Abe Sapien and pyrokinetic love interest Liz Sherman. He combats his destiny and the supernatural forces commanded by Rah-Rah-Rasputin (Russia’s Famous Love Machine) with little more than a big gun, a few wise cracks and a large stone fist (the awesome Right Hand of Doom!). Guillermo Del Toro shows a lightness of touch that belies the dark overtones, focussing on the characters and a tongue-in-cheek script. Ron Perlman is the perfect embodiment of the working stiff whose day job is punching out the strangest creatures to emerge from the netherworld and beyond! Probably Del Toro's most commercial movie before the Oscar-winning Shape Of Water.

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY - 2008

Guillermo Del Toro followed the first Hellboy movie with Pan’s Labyrinth and this second outing plays as much like Pan as it does its eponymous character. Bursting at the seams with all manner of massive monsters, creepy creatures and eerie ephemera, Hellboy often feels like a supporting character in his own film. Del Toro’s theme is that, as much as “Big Red” considers himself human, he actually has more in common with the supernatural beasties that he’s whalloping. A less pure Hellboy film than the first one, but with such lush visuals you’ll be swept up in it anyway. And the Angel of Death has to be the best-designed movie monster since Giger’s Alien!

HELLBOY - 2019

The Big Red Demon with a Heart Of Gold and a Right Hand Of Doom is back for a third outing, but this time without Guardian Angel Guillermo Del Toro. David Harbour seems a good fit for Ron Pearlman’s big shoes in the lead role and Director Neil Marshall has a strong pedigree with cult horror flicks Dog Soldiers and The Descent. The producers’ intent to mine the rich source material of Mike Mignola’s comic universe for a darker take on the hell-spawned hero also showed a lot of promise. Unfortunately, what emerges is a total mess from beginning to end. The filmmakers have strip-mined the comics to such an extent that there’s too much content and not enough focus. So many characters and storylines are thrown at the audience that they’re too busy tripping over eachother to start making sense. The Hellboy character make-up is awful and the script calls for him to act like a moody teenager throughout, with no sign of an arc or development. The whole enterprise only leaves you pining for the oft-delayed and now completely moribund conclusion to Del Toro and Perlman’s cinematic trilogy.

HOWARD THE DUCK - 1986

Marvel Comics’ Howard was a misanthropic mouthpiece for his creator Steve Gerber to rail against the absurdities of 70’s America and was a welcome change from the “punch-up of the month” superhero comics of the time. This film is a terrible misfire on all counts - poorly conceived, woefully miscast and totally misjudged from the word go. Not enough action, too few laughs and, for a family friendly movie, it raises some disturbing issues about the "Love That Dare Not Quack Its Name"! Howard is played by a dwarf in a duck suit and voiced straight out of a kiddie cartoon ... A sharper script and a decent voice actor may have lent some character to the central performance. Howard's 30 second cameo at the tail-end of Guardians of the Galaxy is way better than this feathered omni-shambles... rightfully known as "Howard The Turkey"!

ICHI THE KILLER - 2001

Blood-soaked ultra-violence and twisted deviancy vie for dominance in Issi Miyake’s OTT adaptation of the popular manga from Hideo Yamamoto. Crazier than a barrel full of monkeys on hallucinogenic mushrooms ... Not for the faint-hearted or narrow-minded!

JONAH HEX - 2010

The comic version of Jonah Hex, a badly scarred “Man-With-No-Name” traversing the weirdest outposts of the Wild West, is obviously not quirky enough for the modern comic-hungry cinema audience. Instead we have Josh Brolin (doing his best Eastwood impression) raising the dead in his quest for vengeance against John Malkovich as the steampunk villain who killed his family. It’s an incoherent mess that brings to mind Will Smith’s disasterous Wild Wild West, with all the nonsense and none of the fun.

JUDGE DREDD - 1995

2000AD’s signature character and the futuristic Mega City 1 look great, but it only takes about 20 minutes for Sylvester Stallone to shoot the whole enterprise in its collective foot. By removing Dredd’s iconic helmet, Stallone throws the character’s mystique and raison d’etre out with the bath water. The set design and special effects are impressive and Armand Assante hams it up nicely as Dredd’s scenery-chewing evil twin. However, daft plotting and heavy-handed light relief leave the film stranded in the radioactive wasteland of poor comic book movies.

KICK-ASS - 2010

Comic writer Mark Millar's tale of self-made vigilantes, Millar asks the question “Why does everybody want to be Paris Hilton and not Spider-Man?”. Probably because you’ll wind up the local mob boss and have to be rescued by a scene-stealing, C-bomb dropping, ninja school girl. Vaughan draws excellent performances from his leads Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Christopher Mintz-Platz as teen nerds turned arch-rivals Kick-Ass and Red Mist, but they are consistently trumped by Chloe Grace Moretz as Hit Girl! There’s able support from Mark Strong and Nicolas Cage, plus a completely over the top Matrix-style shoot out at the big finale. Surprisingly sweet despite the rum language and ultra-violence.

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE - 2014

Having crafted celluloid gold with Kick-Ass, Director Matthew Vaughan and Screenwriter Jane Goldman turn their attention to another Mark Millar creation. Riffing on old-school Bond and 60’s spy movies, we see the streetwise Eggsy inducted into a world of smart suits, hi-tech gadgets and idiosyncratic evil villains. Taryn Edgerton manages to pull off the Council Estate Yoof’s transformation into the silky-smooth superspy, with thinking-woman’s crumpet Colin Firth and the always dependable Mark Strong in support but an annoying turn from Samuel L. Jackson as the would-be world conqueror. Once again, Vaughan and Goldman add enough heart to make this rise above the harder-edged source material.

THE LEAGUE OF
EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN - 2003

It seemed as though no-one involved in this omni-shambles could agree on how best to adapt Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill’s wonderful graphic novel series featuring the greatest characters of Victorian literature: Allan Quartermain, Mina Harker, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Director fell out with the Star; the Screenwriter ran afoul of the Studio adding superfluous characters and unnecessarily complicated plot twists; Moore and O’Neill fell out with the Producer and even the marketing department didn’t know what to do with it! Despite a cool steampunk aesthetic and promising but minimal development of Hyde and Nemo, most of the characters are unrecognisable from both the original source material AND the graphic novel!
Sean Connery plays Quartermain as geriatric James Bond rather than over-the-hill adventurer and the plot is incomprehensible, with incompetently handled major twists. Confused? You will be... If you manage to stay awake. Extraordinarily dull!

POPEYE - 1980

Perhaps auteur Robert Altman wasn’t the best person to helm this live action musical version of E. C. Segar’s spinach-chomping cartoon sailor. Shelly Duvall was born to play Olive Oyl and Robin Williams tries his best in the title role, but most of his mutterings get lost in the muddled sound mix. It lacks the deftness of touch needed for most musicals and commits the cardinal sin of not having a single memorable song on the soundtrack.

THE PUNISHER - 1989

Direct-To-Video Superstar Dolph Lundgren gets all moody and broody as a
widowed-cop-turned-vengeful-vigilante on a mobster hunt. There’s not a skull motif in
sight to please hard-core comic enthusiasts and Dolph’s monosyllabic dialogue does
little to raise it above a standard 80’s D-grade action flick. Throw in some gangsters, ninjas, kidnapping, murder, fighting and explosions, then mix lethargically for 89 minutes to regurgitate some mindlessly generic violence.

THE ROCKETEER - 1991

Dave Stevens’ love letter to the Classic Hollywood and Cliffhanger Serials is nicely realised, with Bill Campbell strapping on the dodgy rocket pack and Art Deco helmet, plus Jennifer Connelly almost as glamourous as her inspiration (Bettie Page). Throw in a Nazi-sympathising spy ring, run by a dastardly Timothy Dalton, and you’ve got a fun, family friendly action thriller. Not a massive hit on release but well worth another look.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD - 2010

Surely the best Manga/Gaming/Rock Band movie mash-up ever! The plot has 20-something slacker Scott Pilgrim battling his new girlfriend’s Seven Evil Exes to win her heart. Michael Cera is probably miscast in a title role that calls for a dumb pretty boy, but everyone else looks as though they’ve stepped right out of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s 6 volume graphic novel series! Excellent cameos from ex-superheroes Brandon Routh and Chris Evans plus an evil turn from Jason Schwarztman, coupled with a poundingly-punkish Beck soundtrack, add up to a tremendously entertaining movie. The disappointing box office only adds to its growing cult classic status.

SHAZAM - 2019

Formerly known as Captain Marvel, DC’s Shazam was released, ironically, at the same time as the MCU Captain Marvel. But instead of Grrrl Power Superheroics we get a body swap comedy with an average teen in a super-strong body. Zachary Levy provides a lot of fun as the titular “Big Red Cheese”, but never quite convinces as the same character as his younger alter ego. A fresh take on the superhero movie with a positive family message, even if it turns a bit “Power Rangery” at the end.

SIN CITY - 2005

Definitely the most faithful comics adaptation you’ll ever see as the pages of Frank Miller’s comic book noir literally come to life under one-man-film-studio Robert Rodriguez. There's a strong cast including Bruce Willis, Benicio Del Toro, Clive Owen and Jessica Alba, but it’s Miller’s jet black humour and graphic visual style that dominates. Just like the comics, stark black and white is penetrated by vivid splashes of colour: red lipstick here, blue eyes there, a yellow bastard right in front of you! And yet, for all the hard-boiled action and fetishisation of the female characters, you can see that Rodriguez’ tongue is firmly in his cheek. It may not be to everyone’s taste but, for those who can see past some of the (admittedly questionable) genre trappings, there’s a rollicking good time to be had.

SIN CITY 2: A DAME TO KILL FOR - 2014

Everything looks a bit tired and no wonder - there’s been a 10 year gap between this and the first Sin City movie. Many of the returning characters and actors look a bit long in the tooth to still be doing this and most of the rest seem like they’d rather be somewhere else. Eva Green adds some vim and va-va-voom as a particulatly fatale femme, but otherwise we’ve seen it all before.

SPIDER-MAN - 2002

A strong movie debut for Marvel's Friendly Neighbourhood Wall-Crawler. Sam Raimi’s kinetic direction and Toby Maguire’s spot-on casting are a good match and Wilem Dafoe is a maniac’s maniac as the raving Norman Osborn/Green Goblin. However, Kirsten Dunst fails to capture the essence of Spidey’s sweetheart Mary-Jane Watson and the CGI is pretty clunky in places but the overall energy carries it through. There are some stand-out action sequences but the essence of Spider-Man has always been Peter Parker and the Raimi/Maguire team capture it perfectly. Plus a special shout-out to J.K. Simmons who shamelessly steals every scene as grizzled newspaper boss J. Jonah Jameson!

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING - 2017

Following his barnstorming debut in Captain America Civil War, Tom Holland dons the webs once more to play the Friendly Neighbourhood Wall-Crawler in his first solo outing. And it doesn’t disappoint! While not an origin story as such, does an “amazing” job of establishing Peter Parker as probably the most grounded hero in the MCU. With sterling support from RDJ’s Tony Stark and Marisa Tomei as a younger (and hotter!) Aunt May, plus a villainous turn from Michael Keaton as The Vulture, who’s SO MUCH scarier in his civilian identity! Although no-one actually says it, the adage of “With great power comes great responsibility” still rings true. Holland convinces as both a High Schooler and a local superhero, more at home crouching on a window ledge rather than posing dynamically atop a skyscraper. A pleasant surprise that this over-familiar character with 5 (FIVE!!!) previous cinematic outings should feel so fresh and fit so well into the already crowded MCU.

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME - 2019

Acting as an epilogue to Avengers Endgame, this second solo outing for Tom Holland’s Wall-Crawler sees our Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man further afield on a school trip across Europe. Of course, this coincides with a mission for SHIELD and an elemental incursion from another dimension. Peter is unwilling to take on the burden of Tony Stark’s legacy and is happy to pass the torch to new hero Mysterio. With an understandably smaller focus and lighter touch than the last two Avengers movies, the story concentrates on Peter’s awkward attempts to woo MJ as much as the slam bang action. Featuring engaging performances from the two young leads, a Spectacular Spider-Twist that turns the movie on its head and a post-credits cameo shocker that’ll have long-term Spider-Fans beaming and screaming in equal measure.

SUPERGIRL - 1984

Superman’s cousin arrives on Earth in search of a magical unicorn horn or something equally stupid! She has to fight Mystic Meg and Basil Fawlty! Then Peter O’Toole turns up wearing the worst 80's jumper ever seen in a superhero film! Helen Slater tries her best, but even Superman IV was better than this!!!

SUPERMAN THE MOVIE -1978

“You’ll Believe A Man Can Fly!” ran this classic’s advertising campaign. What’s more, you believed that Christopher Reeves’ Superman stood for “Truth, Justice and The American Way!” But it’s not just Supes himself - Richard Donner doesn’t skimp on the human element, making you believe in bumbling alter-ego Clark Kent, plucky reporter Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and evil genius Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman). Certainly the (Great?) Grandaddy of the current crop of Super Hero Movies, getting the casting right and treating the characters with respect. I'm not a big Superman fan, but this is close to perfection.

SUPERMAN II - 1980

Much of this was filmed by Richard Donner back-to-back with Superman’s debut outing and incoming director Richard Lester goes for a heightened comedic style, often at odds with Donner’s approach. We do, however, get to see a full scale super-powered smackdown on the streets of Metropolis, a good three decades before CGI allowed such spectacle to become commonplace, if not downright ubiquitous. Strong performances from returning leads Christopher Reeves and Margot Kidder, while Terrence Stamp is terrific as General Zod, leader of the Evil Kryptonians. Not as classic as the first but still has some iconic moments.
NB - There also exists a "Donner Cut" with some deleted scenes and test footage edited in. It gives a flavour of Donner's vision for the Man of Steel's sophomore outing but is more of a curio than a finished film.

SUPERMAN III - 1983

Richard Lester lapses into full-on slapstick in this third installment, roping in Richard Pryor to gurn and whoop his way through a dull tale of an evil supercomputer. Christopher Reeves does his best with the subpar material and it’s far from Pryor’s finest cinematic hour.

SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE

Ouch! Filmed on the cheap with Milton Keynes (YES THAT MILTON KEYNES!!!) standing in for Metropolis and a bargain basement supervillain in Atomic Man. Stupid rather than silly and a sad exit for Christopher Reeves’ as yet untouched portrayal of the first superhero.

TANK GIRL - 1995

Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett’s anarchic Riot Grrl icon receives a far-too-serious cinematic adaptation that tries to answer ALL the questions that NOBODY ever cared about: What is Tank Girl’s real name? How did she get her tank? Why is the desert a desert? How come there are talking kangaroos? Lori Petty is perfect in the lead role, with support from a young Naomi Watts as Jet Girl and Malcolm McDowell as (quelle suprise!) a scenery-chomping baddie. However, the script trips over itself trying to make sense of the inherent nonsense of the source material. The high point has to be the big Busby Berkley song and dance number in a Sci-Fi brothel. Perhaps the whole movie should have been done as a campy Rocky Horror-style musical - It certainly couldn’t have made it any worse!

THOR: RAGNAROK - 2017

A very different tone for the God of Thunder, slipping into Guardians of the Galaxy buffoonery rather than the Shakespearean angst of Thor’s previous outings. Our Asgardian hero finds himself exiled on an alien planet and forced into gladitorial combat against a certain green-skinned former team mate. Chris Hemsworth shows impressive comedic chops and Cate Blanchett’s evil Hela makes for a visually stunning adversary. Director Taika Watiti ramps up the gags and quirky characters for an extremely enjoyable space romp but with Star Lord and Co. covering much the same cosmic and comedic ground, where does Thor go from here?

V FOR VENDETTA - 2005

Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s seminal graphic novel becomes a fairly standard action flick with some “contemporary” anti-establishment murmurings. Despite a good cast including Hugo Weaving, John Hurt and Natalie Portman, this falls far short of the emotional impact of the source material. It also changes the basic premise from the intriguing “V could be anyone” to the much more confusing “V is everyone!”

WATCHMEN - 2009

Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons’ “unfilmable” graphic novel gets a pretty faithful adaptation from Zack Snyder. None of the cast were household names, thus avoiding the “Hollywood Star Syndrome” of many comic-related movies. Snyder doesn’t shy away from the adult themes - there’s plenty of sex and violence on show, along with the strong anti-heroic mood and we even get a big blue full frontal from Dr. Manhattan! In fact, many of the more successful sequences involve the good doctor (clothed or otherwise!) and his unique view of the Watchmen universe. Unfortunately, much of the symmetry, synchronicity and serendipity of the book itself is lost, but Snyder has captured part of the multi-layered narrative approach with a separate animated version of The Black Freighter comic-within-a-comic and mockumentary Under The Hood.

WE ARE THE BEST - 2013

Lukas Moodysson’s enchanting tween-punk movie is based on his wife Coco’s graphic novel Never Goodnight. We follow a trio of 12 year old girls in early 80's Stockholm as they form a punk band to rage against the injustices of school, parents and modern life. The three leads are charmingly naturalistic and it's played out with an authentically low-key feel. Much like a Coen Brothers movie, not a great deal happens, but you probably won’t notice. Funny, heartfelt and well worth a look.

WHITEOUT - 2009

Strong overtones of John Carpenter’s The Thing in the desolate snowbound location evoke instant claustrophobia. Kate Beckinsdale uncovers a standard murder “mystery” but takes an hour longer than you will to solve it. Becks manages to raise the temperature a couple of degrees, despite the sub-zero plot.

WONDER WOMAN - 2017

The fourth entry in DC’s attempt to fast-track an Avengers-style movie universe for their characters and, somewhat astoundingly, it’s not awful! Gal Gadot, fresh from stealing the thunder from both Batman and Superman in their own film, successfully essays the power and naïveté of the immortal Amazon Warrior thrust into the war-torn world of men. Although Wonder Woman has a rich comic history set in World War II, for some reason here we’re plunged into the trench warfare of the First World War. Perhaps it’s because Captain America already did WW2 in his debut film. With only a brief nod to Batman, this is very much a standalone story and benefits from not linking too closely to the dimly-lit CGI-fests favoured by Zack Snyder.

X-MEN - 2000

Marvel’s Merry Mutants have been at the top of the comics pile for decades but were a tough sell on the big screen... At least until SFX technology caught up with the printed page. Bryan Singer’s debut outing is THE film that started the current trend for big budget superhero blockbusters. Juggling serious themes along with the basic Good vs Evil plot, Singer relies on his strong cast to deliver. Although ostensibly an ensemble piece, the movie is held together by Hugh Jackman’s career-making turn as Wolverine, supported by renowned thesps Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan as Professor X and arch-nemesis Magneto. The secret to its success is casting proper actors who take the material seriously, rather than action stars or models who look the part but can’t string a convincing sentence together.

X-MEN 2 - 2003

Bryan Singer returns for a bigger, bolder and BLUER sequel as new arrival Nightcrawler threatens to steal Wolverine’s thunder. Alan Cumming makes an impressive entrance in an attack on the White House and redeems himself later with an audacious mid-air rescue. Hugh Jackman gets to dig a little deeper into Wolvie’s origins and there’s some nice interaction between Rogue and some of the other students. The increase in Singer’s budget and confidence enables some amazing action and special effects sequences with the tragic climax setting up a promising third instalment.

X-MEN: THE LAST STRAW - 2006

Franchise mastermind Bryan Singer jumps ship and leaves things in the incapable hands of Brett Ratner with dire consequences. The classic Dark Phoenix storyline is butchered and almost every character and subplot is mishandled. They don’t even bother to get Wolverine and Storm’s hair right, never mind the special effects! A shambolic mess that did more to damage mutantkind on screen than the Sentinels ever did in the comics.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE - 2009

A promising idea to delve into the early history of Marvel’s most muddled mutant is ruined by a legion of mutants... Gambit, The Blob, Sabretooth, Deadpool and more jostle for screentime in the confusion. Many of the characters’ appearances here are later completely ignored in subsequent movies, not least Deadpool. Hugh Jackman manages to hold his own... barely!

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS - 2011

Things looked pretty bleak for our merry mutants after the double-whammy of The Last Stand and Wolverine, but Matthew Vaughan stepped into the breach with a 1960’s reboot that revitalised the franchise. Dynamic casting helps to breathe new life into the premise: James McAvoy as Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Magneto lead a group of young mutants to form the first team of X-Men to battle their evil counterparts at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique and Nicholas Hoult as The Beast ably bring up the rear, while the ever-reliable Kevin Bacon villainously chews the scenery as only he can.

X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX - 2019

The Last Straw Take Two: Writer Simon Kinberg slips into the Director’s chair for a second crack at the classic X-Men tale of darkness, redemption and loss. Unfortunately he drops the whole thing off a cliff early on, taking a couple of fan favourites out of action far too soon and failing to regain momentum. Sophie Turner’s limp performance cannot hold the film together and the regulars seem to be going through the motions. Once again, the intrinsic cosmic elements are downplayed and instead of a spacebound finale we have a literal trainwreck... A fitting metaphor for this disappointing final entry in Fox’s X-Men franchise.

Please note: All movie images © respective companies and only used for review purposes.
All other images and text © Andy Williams 2020.