It is not always that you see comic book inspired action movies in Hollywood. Here are a few comic book inspired action movies that deserve more love.
Push
Despite having an ensemble cast, Push failed to make a big enough splash to rival the X-Men movies back in 2009. With stars like Dakota Fanning and Chis Evans, Push could have been one of the greatest action superhero movies to be ever made. sadly the lack of originality in the script pushed it into the realms of obscurity. Before the movie was released, a graphic novel miniseries that served as a prequel to the 2009 film was released a year earlier. Push happens after the events of the 2008 comic book story arc.
Cowboys & Aliens
When Jon Favreau made the movie in 2011, he came up with probably the most unoriginal title ever. The prospect of Indiana Jones and James Bond teaming up for a movie about cowboys fighting alien invaders sounds bizarrely cool. The wild west-sci fi tale draws inspiration from a 2006 comic book arc of the same name. The movie may have bombed but there are still loyal fans of the film that are hell-bent on making it a cult-classic.
Bulletproof Monk
The original comic book series came way back in the year 1999. The movie came 4 years later in 2003. Featuring Sean William Scott of American Pie fame and Chow Yun-Fat, a legendary martial artist/actor, the film did have potential. Bulletproof Monk was banking on the recent trend of martial arts themed blockbusters like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and The Matrix. It was a bomb both commercially and critically. Perhaps the movie’s greatest flaw was introducing humor into a largely serious arc.
2 Guns
In 2007, Boom! Studios released a comic book arc about two officers from rival agencies who band together to bring down a huge drug cartel. The comic book was later adapted into a movie featuring Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington. Unlike the comic book arc, the movie features way too much swearing and lacks the signature humor of the source material. The comic book storyline was a fast-paced thriller while the movie turned the plot into a slow-burning masterpiece.
Timecop
Comic book inspired action movies generally tend to use more established sources. b\But Timecop is different. The sci-fi comic book arc was published in 1992, created by Mark Verheiden. Despite running for just 3 issues, Timecop inspired a cult-classic Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, a TV show, and even a game. Then in 2003, we got a sequel – Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision. While the first was a success of epic proportions, the second was a huge letdown.
Surrogates
Jonathan Mostow’s 2009 movie Surrogates could have been one of the greatest comic book inspired action movies. Instead, the film just added to the growing list of Bruce Willis bombs. Surrogates is based on the 2005 comic book series The Surrogates. Humanity has taken to living life remotely, cooped up in their homes as they control androids to do their jobs for them. In the comic books, a murder disrupts the newly established social order. The movie introduced a new concept – an unknown assailant finds a way to kill not only the surrogate but also its human handler via unknown technology.
Bullet To The Head
The movie came in 2012 and had stars like Sylvester Stallone, Jason Momoa, and Sung Kang in major roles. The story was about an assassin and a detective teaming up to take down the person who killed their respective partners. The film is based on a French graphic novel Du Plomb Dans La Tête that was released in 2010. The movie tried hard to capture the campy ’80s tone that graphic novel had nailed to showcase the essence of two years ago. It was a hit and a miss but fans still like it over other comic book inspired action movies.
