HI CBM,
This article will be one for the comment section, wars will rise, but before you go and fill in the hate section up to the roof READ FIRST.
Now by now there must be more than 100 movies or more based on comicbooks or graphic novels. I am including them all from the 60s Batman to GOTG. Some of them are very good, some of them not so good, even terrible. Usually i wouldn't even think of writing such an article but the last 3 days i wrote 4 articles about Batman, DC, Marvel movies etc. and i read every comments that i got and this subject caught my eye. To be honest every article that i read on CBM i always read the comment section as well and most of the time there are good comments, but there is this DC vs Marvel battle going on as well. People always bring out the SOURCE MATERIAL like its the holly grail.
Now the issue that i want to bring out is the notion of "they should stick with the source material" catch phrase or "it was way more different" that the comics. As you suspect 98 % of the world have never read a comicbook in their life i can assure you, the ones that have read one act like the character's lawyer and need to defend him in all times. Now i love Batman, but am i the man who knows everything about him and has the approval stamp in my hands - NO!
What bugs me is that people think that if they have read the comics, they have the ultimate final word on what the movie should be about. Its like a hypster waiting for a new band to blow up so he can they say "Who Drake, i've know him since day one, he aint cool no more, he is too mainstream now". OK guys seriously, with the exception of the best storylines in each superhero's history, their best graphic novels i really do not see such great stories in the week to week issues of the comics. The writers are pushed and they need a story fast and they need to wing it, always have a story of any kind ready, be always on time, never miss a print and deliver this over and over again. Do you really think this is the best situation for a writer to give a genius idea or an above average story - NO!
Do movies give us the best storylines, NO! But when i read a comment that is directed to movies like TDK "I did not remind me of the comics at all" or "this is so not like in the comics" etc. OK then. Everyone hates Batman and Robin, but was it far from the comics, was it?
Not in my head, we have the sidekick Robin, we have Batgirl, so far very true to the source material, Gotham was pretty muched copy pasted from a comicbook, we had the neon lights, some of the dialogue really reminded me of a few Batman comics and the way he spoke there, The Batmobile again very much in a comicbook tone, so was the performance of Poison Ivy and the Bat Family, the story arc of Mr Freeze freezing Gotham has been done in the comics as well.
Thats because there are thing that can only work in the comicbooks and not in movies, this should have been clear by now to most people tnat enjoy bought.
I'll give examples thing that we love in comics that just suck on the big screen.
1) Reed Richards Mr Fantastic
I mean come on, like who in the world want to see this guy stretch on screen for real!!
Both movies were bad, but his involvment made it much worse for me. The costume was terrible, the FX were terrible just comic not comicbook.
2) Howard the DUCK
Comics, Hell yeah, Movies Hell NOOO!
3) Captain America's outfit
YES so much win!
What is this Nike? Come on
Lets stay true to the source material, please lets!!
Another visual example of something that will never work on screen simply because he looks like a morron dressed like this.
What is he a sexy scubba diver? And here is the result from this >
Some heroes were created on the go and as much as i want to defend some of the choices made in the comicbooks, i can't they are just to bad.
Thats why Aquaman is the butt of all jokes and thats why the FF will never make a good movie, thats why Electro was black and blue, and the reason for Batman and Robin floping sooo bad.
Now everyone is in my ear about how great Marvel are doing , ok check it out below.
And the movie counter part of one of the worst movies i have ever seen Hulk >
My favourite from Iron Man 2 >
who turned into this
One of the more colourful representations
That they simply did like it has nothing to do with the original
And my number one pick....
Mr Kingsley .......
So my point is it's not always the source material that we need to stick to, there are directors out there that have a much better sense and ideas than the guys drawing this back in the 40s about stories and visuals. Lets be more broad and trust people to make those awesome movies for us. Trolling on the Internet is not going to help us a lot.
Have a great Weekend@home!