From Funny Book to Big Screen

Superman Returns flies into theaters today. Usually only a few summer blockbusters excite me and this is one of them. I know I sound nerdy, but Superman is an interesting character because he’s portrayed as everything humans should be: truthful, compassionate, tolerate, and strong, but there’s one problem, he’s not a human. The irony is beautiful, he carries the ideals of humankind but he’s not one of us. So, should we consider him a champion of righteousness, or overlook his accomplishment because he’s not one of us? I’m glad Superman’s only fictional character, or I’d have to think about that.

:0)

The hype for Superman Returns has been at a fever pitch for about a week. I only hope the movie lives up to all the hype. As a comic book and movie fan, there’s nothing worst than seeing one of your favorite character fall victim to a terrible movie script. We only know the list of movie underachievers: Daredevil, Star Wars Episode I, and most recently, X-Men: The Last Stand. Hopefully, Superman Returns will follow in the mold of the following five comic book to movie blockbusters, who lived up to and surpassed their hype:

S. Dash’s Top Four Comic Book Superhero Movies:

1. Batman Begins: This movie does a great job of telling viewers why Bruce Wayne dons the cowl and cape, and it does an exceptional job of explaining how Batman gets all his cool toys.
2. Spider Man: Spidy is a hard character to pull off because of his powers. This could’ve been really campy, but Toby McGuire makes a believable Peter Parker and this movie captures the essence of Spider Man books – the interactions between the characters. Spider Man 2 was equally as good, so hopefully Spider Man 3 will keep the tradition going.
3. V for Vendetta: I’ve never read the comic book this movie is based on, but the movie made me want to. It deals with something that hits close to home, the lost of personal liberties as a means of increasing domestic safety. It wasn’t a good idea in the movie, it’s not a good idea in real life.
4. X-Men United: It’s a rare thing when the sequel is better than the original, but this was the case. The movie does a great job of highlighting the various mutants, especially Wolverine, Cyclops, Professor X, Jean Gray, and Storm using their powers. It could’ve been campy, but the director revamped the customers and kept the use of powers under control.