Comic Book Journal

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Movie Apaptation #2 from IDW press by Simon Furman and Jon Davis-Hunt is a typical adaptation o any blockbuster, short, action-packed, yet not heavy on plot, nor sense. The artwork fell flat, and as far as characters from the movie originally went, they are pretty unrecognizable. I couldn’t tell the difference in nearly any panel in Sam from his friend. The transformers are loosely rendered, and as far as their shape shifting action goes–I can’t say its anything impressive on page. Maybe the bots are destined for big screen magic only as the adaptation falls far short of any prestigous mark. Overall I’d give this book a four out of ten. It’s a weak movie marketing tie-in at best and would not serve to replicate seeing the film in person. I’d say wait for the dvd rental and watch the bonus features instead of seeing the film in theatres, then buying the adaptation. I’ve seen far better come from IDW, hopefully this is the not the sign of things to come from the new house of ideas. For more new reviews see http://www.comicbookjournal.net/category/reviews/

I went last night to see Wolverine and here’s the skinny. Be wary of the critics, the bottom line is the movie is not as bad as some might say. The fact is it was a good adaptation of Logan’s origin story with Jackman clearly running the show. Albeit the “romance” is a little overdone and the acting is over-the-top here, it is a solid story with lots of action and the story keeps moving continuously. Without revealing any spoilers, the ending promises to keep more origin stories coming, possibly the original X-Men. I for one, would like to see a Beast origin. Oh my stars and garters! What makes this movie work, aside from the great stunts and special effects, is the actors and actresses. The acting is not top notch for sure, but the cheesiness one expects from a comic book adaptation is not there. The downside is, unfortunately, the plot as there really isn’t much meat the to story, but I actually commend the writer on some level for this. Wolverine, even throughout his comic book career, never has had stories heavy in plot, just action. And the action is well done, so I think it achieves it’s goal. On a scale of one to ten I’d have to give this movie a six out of ten. It’s not just for Wolverine fans, but other action fans too. As far as comic book movies go it’s pretty middle ground, not as awful as Superman Returns, but not as great as Iron Man.

I will be out and about today celebrating free comic book day. See my finds later, and if you’re still not ready, go here for the details–http://www.comicbookjournal.net/its-like-christmas-in-may-how-to-gear-up-for-free-comic-book-day/

I finally went to go see Watchmen and the end is nigh because the movie is better than the graphic novel. Now, don’t get me wrong the graphic novel was groundbreaking in numerous ways, but I never thought it would be the be-all-end-all of narrative storytelling in the industry. Yes, it was long and I think probably about twenty minutes could have been cut out without giving up any essential story, but it was almost three solid hours of pure engagement. What I liked most about the film, is even though it was a wonderful retelling Zach Snyder’s scene selection. He found a way to incorporate all the irony and emotion from Moore’s story into film and keep me engaged throughout. Sure, some purists will hate the flick because of the altered ending, but come on, do we really have to see the monster to get the point? Snyder trusts his audience will make the leap and form their own conclusions concerning the “monster” that society itself has become.

Let’s be clear, the film would not have worked it bigger A-listers had been cast as any of the characters. These actors and actresses did an excellent job and their performances could be oscar fodder. They did not overact and did a solid job interpreting the material. That’s what makes Watchmen as a film work. They do not just play men and women in capes and suits, they really internalize the written word and each did a fantastic job bringing life to these ‘everyman’ heroes.

Bear in mind, though this is not a movie to take the children too. Just because there are costumed heroes, does not mean this is an all-ages film. This movie, as well as the graphic novel, is intended for an adult audience only.

Here’s the bottom line: Watchmen is an extraordinary film of substance, but die hard purists and Moore followers might not enjoy it as much. On a scale of one to ten I’d give this one a solid nine and a half of ten. Go see this movie not because it’s comic book related, but because the story is still culturally important. For more comments on the movie see the prequel to this post at http://www.comicbookjournal.net/who-watches-the-watchmen-2/

Let the debate begin. Let me clarify I have not watched The Watchmen yet. Why? Fear. Nothing but unabashed fear that it will be nearly three hours of my life wasted. From the trailers I believe I might be right. I have, however, taken some time to look at a different type of adaptation: The Watchmen motion comic. At first I was intrigued. I thought why this is genius why haven’t more companies authorized this type of media onslaught yet. Then as the story progressed, I realized why. Comic books are not meant to be animated, especially in this narrative story. Maybe it would have been better for DC just to bite the bullet and let some anime company buy the rights and make a feature-length movie. I’m not saying the motion comic was entirely bad, it was an original twist on an old concept but it will never, I repeat, never replace the tried and true method of actually reading a comic book, or if you prefer, graphic novel. The voice acting was just ok, but the music was predictable and somewhat of a distraction. I like to create my own soundtrack in my head when reading a comic book. In short, if you’re really bored and have few hours to kill go ahead and watch it, otherwise just pretend you did. I’d give the motion comic a five out of ten. To read the official movie review see http://www.popculturebuzz.com/movie-review-watchmen/

This makes Superman Returns look like Citizen Kane!

I went to go see the Spirit on Christmas day. I was in a rather cheerful mood, because not only was it Christmas, but I got to spend the day at my leisure as I finally got the day off. My cheerfulness ended there, however. Cheer was replaced with anger as I exited the theatre disappointed and outraged. Yes, I will repeat genuine outrage. Frank Miller can hold his own in the comics industry, and Eisner as we all know is a legend and has created a remarkable character in the Spirit, so what happened? From the beginning the movie did not even attempt to acknowledge the audience. No effort was made to establish any sort of plot. The visuals, while interesting did nothing to revive the lackluster story. No wait– there was no story. The origin story of Denny Colt becoming the Spirit was the only saving grace, but therein lies the problem, there was not anything to get me involved in the film. And don’t get me started on the appeal to the highbrow class of movie-goer, who would attempt to draw meaning on the various imagery throughout the film. If someone was deciphered the meaning behind the ethos, pathos, logos clones, or the significance of the blood of Heracles, please…get back to me because I don’t get it. I don’t think I want to. This film could have been legendary like its creator, but as the director has said, he did not make this film for the fans. If Miller had focused on the fans, we might have had a fitting tribute to a man who devoted most of his life to this industry, instead of an over-the-top, look-at-me ego trip which is nothing more than a waste of film. I give this flick a two out of ten. The actor playing the Spirit was good in a few scenes, but that’s about it. For more reviews of (hopefully) better movies check out http://www.moviereviewreport.com/

In my previous post I anticipated the comic book event the release of The Dark Knight, see my post at http://www.comicbookjournal.net/death-of-the-joker/ for the prequel to this post. I finally viewed the film and it far surpassed my expectations of not just a comic book movie, but a movie in general. I was relieved to see that Legendary Films did apparently little to edit Heath Ledger’s final finished performance, and it was a masterpiece for a finale. Ledger steals the show so to speak as his Joker far surpasses even that of Jack Nicholson. Go see this movie! It will change the way you see comic book movies, and even Batman as well. My only complaint with the film is it is a tad long, but I think Chris Nolan intentionally left action sequences linger to display the new technology he had to work with, especially the introduction into an imax camera for some extended scenes. July was an exciting month in the comics world with the release of the Dark Knight, an expanded trailer for Watchmen in 2009, Comic Con, and of course, some exciting solicitations for August and September. I’ll have part two of my July wrap up tomorrow posted and hopefully some in-depth convention announcement coverage and even perhaps some reviews. Who has time to read anymore? Smile, Why so serious?!