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Let's discuss the ACTUAL best comic-book film.

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Here is a comic-book whose adaptation to the screen has been done extremely well and yet never seems to get its due when it comes to discussions about these sorts of films, especially since it's perhaps the most thematically interesting and potent.

Moore's graphic novel and the film are entirely different beasts, both great, but both completely different. The change to Evey's character was one of the most fundamental changes that would work for the screen much more than staying true to the comic would have. The story was distilled and re-imagined in a way that was executed perfectly in The Wachowskis' script.

It contains an absolutely gorgeous photography, a resonant and memorable score by Dario Marianelli, while also featuring a great performances by Hugo Weaving, Stephen Fry, John Hurt and Natalie Portman.

It's also the only good film James McTiegue has directed - somehow following it up with the shit that is Ninja Assasin and The Raven.

Valerie's Letter
God is in the Rain
The Dominoes Fall

Let's talk about V for Vendetta.
vdominoesm8o9n.gif
 

sn00zer

Member
Good, but not representative of the book, both the book and movie are great in their own right, but the book V isnt some sort of weapons badass....he spends all of his time setting up a domino effect of events (domino scene is much more applicable in the book)...outside of the few people he poisons he doesnt kill anyone directly
 

JdFoX187

Banned
Eh, the movie is alright. I think it misses a lot of the points of the graphic novel and I'm not a fan of how they changed the characters around. There's no ambiguity in V's actions in the movie, as there are in the book. Plus Natalie Portman was woefully miscast, and quite annoying throughout the whole film.
 

PantherLotus

Professional Schmuck
1. V
2. TDK
3. Iron Man
4. Batman Begins
5. Superman
6. Watchmen
7. Scott Pilgrim
8. X-Men

Those are the ones that pop in my head when asked. Sometimes I include Blade because it's so much fun, but the level of camp feels slightly unintentional. Spiderman should be up there too but I never really loved the character. Whatever. Enjoy your listicle thread.
 
The best DC comics film alongside Watchmen

I think where this has the edge on Watchmen is that Snyder's film was slavish to the source material to a fault. I was happy that Snyder kept so many of the important scenes from the comic that could have been easily lost, but he also included stuff that felt rather unnecessary in an adaptation. Also, the one thing he didn't keep was the one thing that was sorely lacking in the film - the consequences of Veidt's action - which were explicitly witnessed in Moore's comic and brushed over by a crater in the film. Out of all the needless devotion to the source material and the adult content, that was where Snyder pussed out. That's something that V never did.
 

PaulloDEC

Member
I'm on-board with the OP, love me some V for Vendetta. Looks great, amazing cast, thought-provoking script.

Only negative word I'll say against it is that it initiated the whole Guy Fawkes mask fad.
 

Ninjimbo

Member
V is certainly up there in terms of straight-up comic book adaptations. I've always been mesmerized by Weaving's performance in that movie. You never see his face and yet he's able to squeeze out so many complicated emotions using only his voice. I could watch him act all day.

Even after all that though, I don't think V holds a candle to the real-best comic book movie: Ghostworld.
 

JdFoX187

Banned
I think where this has the edge on Watchmen is that Snyder's film was slavish to the source material to a fault. I was happy that Snyder kept so many of the important scenes from the comic that could have been easily lost, but he also included stuff that felt rather unnecessary in an adaptation. Also, the one thing he didn't keep was the one thing that was sorely lacking in the film - the consequences of Veidt's action - which were explicitly witnessed in Moore's comic and brushed over by a crater in the film. Out of all the needless devotion to the source material and the adult content, that was where Snyder pussed out. That's something that V never did.

Probably my only fault with Watchmen. The devastation of the grand plan was so sterile. When Manhattan is literally exploding people and Snyder makes it a point to show bones, blood and pieces of flesh hanging off a ceiling, the LEAST he could have done was show that sort of power on a wide scale to really hammer home the consequences, as you say.
 

jadedm17

Member
I love this discussion for two special reason :
-GAF <3 TMNT
-The love people have for random to forgettable movies (to me) as "The Best (anything)".

No, really, to each their own, its awesome.
Really I just need to watch the Blade trilogy again, I loved those movies when I first saw them.
 

kinoki

Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey.
I haven't seen The Watchmen mentioned yet despite this thread being about that movie.
 

PantherLotus

Professional Schmuck
I think where this has the edge on Watchmen is that Snyder's film was slavish to the source material to a fault. I was happy that Snyder kept so many of the important scenes from the comic that could have been easily lost, but he also included stuff that felt rather unnecessary in an adaptation. Also, the one thing he didn't keep was the one thing that was sorely lacking in the film - the consequences of Veidt's action - which were explicitly witnessed in Moore's comic and brushed over by a crater in the film. Out of all the needless devotion to the source material and the adult content, that was where Snyder pussed out. That's something that V never did.

The music choice for the love scene in Watchmen was the only moment in the entire film that wasn't perfect IMO.
 

Hazmat

Member
I love the movie, but it's so different from the comic that it's almost weird to think of it as a comic-book movie.

And the segment with Valerie's letter is indeed awesome.
 

DrSlek

Member
The movie portrayed V as too much of a hero. The original comic balanced the portrayals of the totalitarian fascist state and the ruthless anarchist V evenly.
 
The music choice for the love scene in Watchmen was the only moment in the entire film that wasn't perfect IMO.

Nah. The decision to have Laurie says Manhattan's 'Nothing ever ends' as a throw-away to Dan was pretty silly too. Really robbed that line of its power. Out of all the shit he inserted into the film, he left out Manhattan's haunting last line to Veidt - furthering Veidt as exactly a typical comic book villain since we don't get that subte remorse and pleading for vindication in his actions that he can't have. Instead it's used as a throwaway line by Laurie.
 

Mr. F

Banned
Probably my only fault with Watchmen. The devastation of the grand plan was so sterile. When Manhattan is literally exploding people and Snyder makes it a point to show bones, blood and pieces of flesh hanging off a ceiling, the LEAST he could have done was show that sort of power on a wide scale to really hammer home the consequences, as you say.

That, and I still feel like the film's version of the ending doesn't make sense for the intent of the graphic novel's.
Manhattan was America's weapon, even if it backfired I think the rest of the world would be holding the US accountable for the international damage. The novel's version being an exterior threat was key.
 
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