Ever since the 1940s, comic books have inspired Hollywood movies, from Batman and Superman to Sin City and The Fantastic Four. Since the 1990s, even stories fans wouldn’t typically associate with comics have been adapted to the big screen, finding far more success at the box office than in print. Unfortunately, that success often comes at the expense of moviegoers being aware of the original comics.
While the superhero genre is closely tied to comics, other corners of cinema are typically more dissociated from the medium. When it comes to thrillers and dramas in particular, it’s easy to watch an Oscar-worthy crime film and have no idea it’s based on a comic. For some movies, they’re practically perfect, and audiences around the world have no clue they’re based on comics from companies like DC and IDW.
Edge of Tomorrow Revived Tom Cruise’s Career
Edge of Tomorrow brings viewers to a near future where aliens dubbed “Mimics” have invaded Earth, driving humanity’s defense force to Great Britain. There, an American officer named Bill Cage is conscripted into front-line combat for his cowardice and is deployed to battle. When he kills an “alpha” Mimic, its blood gives him the power to relive the same day, turning him into a hardened warrior and allowing him to gain the advantage.
While many know Edge of Tomorrow as the action flick that revived Tom Cruise’s career, they often forget that it was actually based on the graphic novel All You Need Is Kill. After eleven years, it still stands out as one of the greatest time loop films of all time, and a perfect alien invasion science fiction epic. Boasting a great character arc, a strong sense of humor, and brilliant effects, it’s a movie every sci-fi fan needs to see.
The Mask Gave Jim Carrey a Slapstick Gangster Comedy
The Mask casts Jim Carrey in the role of Stanley Ipkiss, a quirky bank clerk in Edge City who comes into possession of a mask that transforms him into a cartoon character. With almost absolute invulnerability, his eccentric alter ego takes the fight to the city’s criminal underworld. A classic Jekyll and Hyde-type story, it follows the two sides of Stanley, showing how the Mask changes his life for better and worse.
The Mask fits in well alongside other cartoony comedy thrillers of its time, sitting next to hits like Who Framed Roger Rabbit in style. As a result, it’s easy to dismiss it as just another quirky Jim Carrey movie and forget it’s actually based on the comic book by John Arcudi, Doug Mahnke, and Mike Richardson. A story that explores “cartoon physics” as both slapstick comedy and light parody, it’s one of the most underrated films of the ’90s, which helped kick off the modern obsession with comic book cinema.
30 Days of Night Is a Terrifying Vampire Masterpiece
30 Days of Night brings viewers to the small Alaskan town of Barrow, which is invaded by a clan of vampires just as it enters a month-long night period. Tearing through the residents, the bloodsuckers all but wipe it out, forcing a small group of survivors to seek shelter. Initially hoping to survive thirty days until dawn, they soon realize they’ll have to take the fight to the monsters.
Created by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, 30 Days of Night set a roadmap for small-press indie creators to get their ideas into Hollywood. However, where the Josh Hartnett movie became a cult classic, not every fan was aware that it started out as a comic. In an era where vampire movies were commonplace, from Underworld and Van Helsing to Twilight, there was no reason for average viewers to think of it as a comic book movie.
Snowpiercer Is a Genre-Defining Dystopian Thriller
Snowpiercer takes place in a future where an effort to combat climate change resulted in environmental disaster, plunging Earth into an endless winter. With the last surviving humans huddled aboard a giant train, the impoverished lower classes stage a rebellion, fighting their way through the train. It falls to a man named Curtis to lead the fight, hoping to seize power from the train’s designer, Wilford.
The perfect project for Bong Joon Ho, Snowpiercer doubles as a piece of social commentary and dystopian thriller. What many fans forget is that the story is lifted from a French graphic novel of the same name, created by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette. Where the film is a relatively grounded rebellion story, the comic leans harder into science fiction, telling a far more epic story told over several years.
V For Vendetta Is the Ultimate Anti-Fascist Movie
V for Vendetta takes place in a dystopic United Kingdom, where the nation lives under the boot of a fascistic government headed by Chancellor Adam Sutler. One night, a young woman named Evey Hammond is accosted by secret police, spurring a masked vigilante named V to rescue her. When he announces his plans to bring down the state, he draws in Evey and the nation itself to his cause, and begins taking revenge upon the state’s leaders.
Having since become the face of anti-fascist cinema, V for Vendetta transcended its source material, capturing the hearts of rebels around the world. To this day, the famous Guy Fawkes mask serves as a symbol of the film’s message. While many comic book readers know its origins, most are completely unaware that it’s the creation of comic book legend Alan Moore, along with artist David Lloyd.
300 Blended a Historic Underdog Story With Dark Fantasy
300 takes viewers back to Ancient Greece, where Spartan King Leonidas learns of the impending invasion of his homeland by the Persian Empire. When his government refuses to send a full army, he gathers three hundred of his best warriors to defend a narrow mountain pass from the invaders. Despite seemingly insurmountable odds, the small force holds the line against the Persians in what remains one of the most epic action spectacles ever filmed.
For many, 300 is Zack Snyder’s stylized take on the Battle of Thermopylae, combining his distinct gritty cinematography with one of history’s best underdog tales. In reality, his film is actually an adaptation of Frank Miller and Lynn Varley’s 300 miniseries, which the iconic Batman creator made under Dark Horse. The story was never meant to serve as a historically accurate tale, but rather a comic book blend of history and dark fantasy, and it works brilliantly.
A History of Violence Is Viggo Mortensen’s Best Thriller
A History of Violence takes place in the small town of Millbrook, Indiana, and begins when a mild-mannered diner owner, Tom Stall, kills a pair of criminals in self-defense. Having saved the lives of his customers, he becomes a national sensation, with reporters swarming to interview him. However, when his fame spreads, a gangster shows up in town insisting he’s an old associate, prompting suspicion from Tom’s family.
Based on the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke, A History of Violence keeps viewers hooked to find out whether Tom is a gangster or caught in a case of mistaken identity. As an exceptionally well-written drama-thriller, the Oscar-nominated picture doesn’t feel like a comic book movie at all. Instead, fans would understandably view in the same vein as the likes of The Departed.
Road to Perdition Is a Brilliant Gangster Revenge Thriller
Road to Perdition takes place in 1931, and focuses on Michael Sullivan Sr, the adopted son of Irish-American mob boss John Rooney. When Rooney’s son Connor murders Sullivan’s wife and youngest son after a job gone wrong, he takes his oldest boy, Michael Jr, on the road. With no other choice and vengeance on his mind, he targets the mob’s finances, robbing their banks to force them to hand over Connor for justice. However, things turn deadly when John is forced to hire a psychopathic hitman to kill them before they can cause more disruption.
Arguably the greatest gangster movie of the 2000s, the adaptation of Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner’s graphic novel is the ultimate father-son story. When it was released, it was only a modest success, and most people who saw it have no clue it’s based on a comic book. After twenty-three years, Road to Perdition stands out as both an exceptional gangster revenge flick and a brilliant graphic novel adaptation.
Source link