"Comic Book Movies" That Weren't Adapted from Comic Books
There are some movies that feel like a comic book adventure, even when they aren't adaptations of a comic book. In other words, these are films that would have made for great comic books, with few changes. There are some tv shows here, too.
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- DirectorRobert ClouseStarsBruce LeeJohn SaxonJim KellyA Shaolin martial artist travels to an island fortress to spy on an opium lord - who is also a former monk from his temple - under the guise of attending a fighting tournament.Bruce Lee ended up as a comic character, at Malibu Comics (in the 90s); but, he wasn't this Mr. Lee. To paraphrase Jim Kelly, "Everything sounds like it came from a comic book." You have an evil turncoat villain, with little motivation, other than greed and power, and a virtuous former associate, out for revenge and justice. Though the film was never directly turned into a comic, it was a major inspiration for the classic Marvel Comics Master of Kung Fu series, particularly the Doug Moench/Paul Gulacy run.
- DirectorRobert ClouseStarsJim KellyGloria HendryScatman CrothersA Mafia buy out of Papa Byrd's karate school downtown ends in his death. Byrd's daughter, Sydney, refuses to sell, and wants revenge. Byrd's students call the Black Belt Jones for help. Jones reluctantly teams with Sydney in many battles.Jim Kelly is pure comic book hero here, fighting gangsters who are trying to run off a martial arts studio, so they can grab the land. Jones battles thugs in the dark ("Batman, mother@#$%^&), infiltrates the villain's home, with the help of girl acrobats, then beats the stuffing out of the gang at a car wash, dumping them into garbage trucks. Black belt Jones would have been an awesome comic hero, alongside Luke Cage and Iron Fist.
- DirectorCharles BailStarsRockne TarkingtonWilliam SmithConnie StricklandNoble nightclub owner Samson does his best to keep his neighborhood clean of crime and drugs. When vicious mobster Johnny Nappa tries to muscle in on Samson's territory, Samson takes a brave stand against Nappa and his flunkies.Rockne Tarkington stars as a pure urban hero, Samson. A group of crooks are selling drugs in his neighborhood and he won't stand for it. They try to scare him off, but a man who keeps a pet lion and carries a thick wooden staff doesn't scare easily. Samson rallies the residents to fight off the criminals when they try to move in force. Great film and a great hero of the people.
- DirectorGordon Parks Jr.StarsJim BrownFred WilliamsonJim KellyBlaxploitation film about three martial-arts specialists who prevent white supremacists from tainting the U.S. water supply with a toxin that's only harmful to black people.Kind of an urban Justice League. Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, and Jim Kelly team up to stop a white supremacist group from introducing a chemical into water supplies that kills only African Americans. How the drug can only target the one ethnic group is never really explained and not strictly vital. Jay Robinson is the icily cool leader of the nazis. The trio opens a world of hurt on the gang, and even employs a trio of motorcycle-riding dominatrices to interrogate one of the nazi soldiers.
- DirectorAl AdamsonStarsJim KellyBill RoyRoberto ContrerasRobert Sand, agent of D.R.A.G.O.N. (Defense Reserve Agency Guardian Of Nations), is playing tennis on his vacation with a beautiful black girl, when his commanding officers ask him to save a Chinese girl who happens to be Sand's girlfriend, and the daughter of a top Eastern Ambassador. The ransom for the abduction was the secret for a terrific new weapon - the freeze bomb - but the 'Warlock' behind the deed is also into the business of drug dealing and Voodoo ritual murders. The search takes him from Hong Kong to California through Miami, and plenty of action, against bad men, bad girl, and bad animals.Jim Kelly stars as a secret agent, out to stop the bad guy and his weird band of henchmen. Kelly gets to use a jetpack (not a real one, like in Thunderball, alas), and opens up a can of whoop-a$$ on the baddies.
- DirectorTed V. MikelsStarsMichael AnsaraFrancine YorkAnthony EisleySquad of beautiful government agents tries to catch saboteurs.Long before Charlie's Angels there was this group of feisty female agents, who are trying to stop a madman from launching a missile (which the budget never stretches to reveal). The dialogue is cheesy and the acting bad; but, the action is great and a lot of fun is had. This would have been an awesome series and shares some similarity with an obscure Gold Key comic, Jet Dream and her Stunt Girl Counter-spies.
- CreatorGwen BagniPaul DubovStarsAnne FrancisJohn EricsonBruceAfter her father's death, Honey West takes over his high-tech private-detective firm, assisted by rugged Sam Bolt--and her pet ocelot Bruce.Tv series about private detective Honey West and her partner Sam. Honey was a mixture of detective and spy, using all kinds of gadgets and sporting standard black action gear. It owed more than a little to Modesty Blaise and was adapted into a single issue comic, from Gold Key (who did many tv and movie adaptations); and, much later, a series from Moonstone Comics.
- DirectorDaniel MannStarsJames CoburnLee J. CobbGila GolanWhen scientists use eco-terrorism to impose their will on the world by affecting extremes in the weather, Intelligence Chief Cramden calls in top agent Derek Flint.Flint was a parody of James Bond; but, unlike Matt Helm, he didn't originate elsewhere. Flint is a polymath, with expertise covering a stunning array of disciplines. Essentially, he is an updated version of Doc Savage, complete with a trio of female assistants (though they aren't field agents, like Doc's Fabulous Five). Flint tries to stop the evil machinations of Galaxy, infiltrating their lair. He is unmasked by an anti-American eagle! Great stuff.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsJames CoburnLee J. CobbJean HaleSuper-spy Flint takes on a cabal of women plotting to rule the world.Flint returns to face a band of modern amazons, out to prove the superiority of women by replacing world leaders, to manipulate governments into moving more women into positions of authority. They are betrayed by a man, of course, and Flint ends up fighting alongside the ladies. Not as strong as the first film, but plenty of fun to be had.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellKim CattrallDennis DunA rough-and-tumble trucker and his side kick face off with an ancient sorcerer in a supernatural battle beneath Chinatown.Awesome film from John Carpenter, reunited with Kurt Russell. Kurt is tough-talking truck driver Jack Burton, who helps his friend Wang Chi rescue his fiance from the clutches of the evil villain Lo Pan. The film mixes is wuxia films, John Wayne, Fu Manchu, and liberal doses of comedy, delivering a delightful adventure. Unfortunately, itt was a bit ahead of its time, so we didn't get further adventures from Jack Burton.
- DirectorJohn CarpenterStarsKurt RussellLee Van CleefErnest BorgnineIn 1997, when the U.S. president crashes into Manhattan, now a giant maximum security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in to rescue him.Ex-Special Forces soldier-turned,nefarious criminal Snake Plissken is captured by the USPF and sent into the Manhattan Island prison to locate and rescue the President of the United States, who lands there after terrorists try to hijack Air Force One. Plissken must evade The Duke and find the President and bring him out within 24 hours, or tiny explosive charges in his bloodstream will rip open his arteries and kill him. Snake would return in Escape from LA, which essentially rehashed the plot of this film. He did turn up in a one-shot comic, at the turn of the millennium, and a newer series, more recently.
- DirectorRoger YoungStarsTom SelleckJane SeymourLauren HuttonA handsome jewel thief is arrested and in order to avoid prison, must break into the heavily guarded German Embassy to steal millions in gems.Tom Selleck stars as Nick Lassiter, a jewel thief, operating in London, in the pre-war 1930s. Lassiter is blackmailed by the FBI and Scotland Yard to steal diamonds from a Nazi courier, who will be using them to fund espionage activities. Lassiter must break into the embassy to steal the diamonds and get them out; but, he has his own plans in mind. Selleck is great as the hero, who is a mixture of pulp hero and gentleman thief, ala Raffles and Arsene Lupin. Bob Hoskins is the nasty British detective and Jane Seymour is the love interest. Great film.
- DirectorBrian G. HuttonStarsTom SelleckBess ArmstrongJack WestonDuring WW1, an alcoholic American biplane pilot is hired by the spoiled daughter of an industrialist to find her father who disappeared in Asia.Tom Selleck ets to have a pulp adventure, after missing out on Indiana Jones, as a mercenary pilot hired by bess Armstrong to help locate her father, somewhere in the provinces of China. The film steal liberally from things like Lost Horizon and Terry and the Pirates; but, it's a lot of fun.
- CreatorIvan GoffBen RobertsStarsKate JacksonFarrah FawcettJaclyn SmithA wealthy mystery man named Charlie runs a detective agency via a speakerphone and his personal assistant, John Bosley. His detectives are three beautiful women, who end up in a variety of difficult situations.TV series about a trio of lady detectives, who work for their unseen boss, helping to uncover crimes. The ladies often go undercover, where their beauty is used to disarm the crooks, while they use their brains to stop the crimes. The characters are thinly sketched and the plots repetitive; but, the series was charming, though cast turnover hurt the series in the long run.
- CreatorSam RolfeStarsRobert VaughnDavid McCallumLeo G. CarrollThe two top Agents of the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.) fight the enemies of peace, particularly the forces of T.H.R.U.S.H.Superspies Napoleon Solo and Ilya Kuriakin work to thwart the schemes of the evil THRUSH organization. They often find themselves working with civilians to stop the THRUSH plots. The series was a phenomenon and helped launch the spy-fi craze. It influenced Marvel Comics Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD (which is the basis for the tv series Agents of SHIELD) and was adapted into a comic series by Gold Key. It was also a one-shot from Millenium Comics, in the 90s.
- CreatorSam RolfeStarsStefanie PowersNoel HarrisonLeo G. CarrollThe missions of agent April Dancer of the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement.Companion series to the original UNCLE, featuring agents April Dancer and Mark Slate. Not nearly as good as the original series, though it had some moments. It lasted one season and then POOF! Like the original, Gold Key adapted it into a comic.
- CreatorBruce GellerStarsPeter GravesBarbara BainGreg MorrisAn elite covert operations unit carries out highly sensitive missions subject to official denial in the event of failure, death or capture.A team of specialists are employed for various missions, to stop enemy agents or criminals, often by employing elaborate cons or carrying out complex thefts. The series was adapted into a Gold Key comic; but, it inspired a much better comic in DC's The Secret Six. There, a group of people are forced to work for the mysterious Mockingbird, as each owes him something. The hook is that the Mockingbird is secretly one of the team. The series was great fun, but short lived. It had a brief revival in the late 80s, before the name was co-opted for a group of villains who operated as mercenaries, often opposing the schemes of much worse villains.
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsLee MarvinErnest BorgnineCharles BronsonDuring World War II, a rebellious U.S. Army Major is assigned a dozen convicted murderers to train and lead them into a mass assassination mission of German officers.A band of condemned criminals is given a chance at a reprieve, by carrying out a commando mission to assassinate a large group of German generals, at a relaxation center, prior to the D-Day landings. The film was based on a novel but it would have been right at home in comics, alongside such books as Sgt Rock and Sgt Fury and his Howling Commandos. As it stands, the premise was swiped multiple times, including the Marvel Comic Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen, the film Inglorious Bastards (the original) and the Italian film Battle of the Commandos.
- DirectorBrian G. HuttonStarsRichard BurtonClint EastwoodMary UreAllied agents stage a daring raid on a castle where the Nazis are holding American brigadier general George Carnaby prisoner, but that's not all that's really going on.Based on the Alistair MacLean novel, about an improbable commando mission to rescue an American general, who has knowledge of the D-Day plans. It turns out the actual mission is to uncover the names of German spies working in Britain. The action is straight out of the old Boys Own stories and would influence many a war comic. MacLean knew how to write pulp adventure, which shares many storytelling traits with comic books.
- DirectorJ. Lee ThompsonStarsDavid NivenGregory PeckAnthony QuinnA team of Allied saboteurs is assigned an impossible mission: infiltrate an impregnable Nazi-held Greek island and destroy the two enormous long-range field guns that prevent the rescue of 2,000 trapped British soldiers.Alistair MacLean delivers another thrilling adventure. A group of commandos are tasked to destroy a German radar-controlled gun emplacement, hidden withing the near-impregnable confines of rock caves and bunkers. The group must sneak ont the island of Navarone, link up with resistance fighters, travel to the guns, infiltrate the complex, and destroy them. However, they are betrayed at every turn. Highly influential and the plot turned up in many a war comic, especial things like DC Comics' The Losers and The Unknown Soldier.
- DirectorRichard BrooksStarsBurt LancasterLee MarvinRobert RyanAn arrogant Texas millionaire hires four adventurers to rescue his kidnapped wife from a notorious Mexican bandit.A group of soldiers for hire are recruited to rescue the wife of a railroad magnate from Mexican revolutionaries. This team of specialists includes weapons expert Lee Marvin, horse expert Robert Ryan, demolitions man Burt Lancaster, and tracker and hunter Woody Strode. However, they find that things are not what they seem. Great western adventure, with a liberal dose of commando action. It would have fit right in with western comics of the 60s and 70s.
- CreatorRoy HugginsStarsJack KellyJames GarnerRoger MooreBret and Bart Maverick are well-dressed gamblers who migrate from town to town always looking for a good game.Card sharp, raconteur, and adventurer Bret Maverick finds himself drawn into various troubles, as he moves about the west. The series was great fun and would have fit well with DC's western comics. In reality, it directly inspired DC's Bat Lash.
- DirectorTom LaughlinStarsTom LaughlinElizabeth JamesJeremy SlateBilly Jack battles a motorcycle gang in a small California beach town.First of the Billy Jack Films, though it is more of a biker film and is quite different from the later Billy Jack films. Billy Jack protects a young woman from a biker gang, using his military and martial arts skills. Not quite as interesting as the later films, philosophically; but better written and acted.
- DirectorTom LaughlinStarsTom LaughlinDelores TaylorClark HowatEx-Green Beret hapkido expert saves wild horses from being slaughtered for dog food and helps protect a desert "freedom school" for runaway.Tom Laughlin stars as the mixed race Native American ex-Green Beret, who is protecting wild horses from an unscrupulous rancher, as well as the Freedom School, a haven for young people, run by liberals and hippies. The film preaches a message of nonviolence, while presenting multiple examples of Billy Jack using violence to stop the rancher's men. It's schizophrenic, to say the least. Hapkido expert Bong Soo Han choreographed the fights and the character reads like one straight out of a 1970s comic. Apart from the action, the film hasn't aged well.
- DirectorTom LaughlinStarsTom LaughlinDelores TaylorVictor IzayAfter Billy Jack in sentenced to four years in prison for the "involuntary manslaughter" of the first film, the Freedom School expands and flourishes under the guidance of Jean Roberts. The utopian existence of the school is characterized by everything ranging from "yoga sports" to muckracking journalism. The diverse student population airs scathing political exposes on their privately owned television station. The narrow-minded townspeople have different ideas about their brand of liberalism. Billy Jack is released and things heat up for the school. Students are threatened and abused and the Native Americans in the neighboring village are taunted and mistreated. After Billy Jack undergoes a vision quest, the governor and the police plot to permanently put an end to their liberal shenanigans, leaving it up to Billy Jack to save the day.Billy Jack returns for more peace and violence, while also undergoing a vision quest. Not quite as good as the first, though there are some really well done fight scenes.
- DirectorTom LaughlinStarsTom LaughlinDelores TaylorE.G. MarshallAfter a Senator suddenly dies after completing (and sealing) an investigation into the nuclear power industry, the remaining Senator and the state Governor must decide on a person who will play along with their shady deals and not cause any problems. They decide on Billy Jack, currently sitting in prison after being sent to jail at the end of his previous film, as they don't expect him to be capable of much, and they think he will attract young voters to the party. Billy is pardoned, released, and nominated, after which he begins his duties. He soon notices that things aren't right, and starts trying to find out just what is going on.This one doesn't even have great action to elevate it. Pretty much the nadir of the series.
- DirectorPhil KarlsonStarsJoe Don BakerElizabeth HartmanLeif GarrettBased on the life of Tennessee sheriff Buford Pusser, who almost single-handily cleaned up his small town of crime and corruption, but at a personal cost of his family life and nearly his own life.Buford Pusser was like a redneck superhero, smashing the mobs running illegal moonshine, prostitution, gambling and other crime. Though based on a true story, the film jazzed it up quite a bit, though Pusser was shot several times and his wife murdered by the gangs. Joe Don Bake is probably at his best in the first film; but, Bo Svenson is no slouch in the later ones and the tv series. Pusser, as depicted in the movies, was perfect for a comic book.
- DirectorTed KotcheffStarsSylvester StalloneBrian DennehyRichard CrennaA veteran Green Beret is forced by a cruel Sheriff and his deputies to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.John Rambo was a super soldier, fighting to be left alone. The first film (and novel) sticks closer to more realistic situations; but, Rambo is a superman. By Rambo he has taken on pure comic book hero proportions, complete with gimmick arrows (shades of Green Arrow and Hawkeye).
- DirectorGeorge P. CosmatosStarsSylvester StalloneRichard CrennaCharles NapierRambo returns to the jungles of Vietnam on a mission to infiltrate an enemy base-camp and rescue the American POWs still held captive there.See above; this is where it truly became a comic book.
- DirectorAndrew V. McLaglenStarsRichard BurtonRoger MooreRichard HarrisA British banker hires a group of British mercenaries to rescue a deposed African President from the hands of a corrupt African dictator.This one is pretty much fantasy, making it perfect fodder for war comics. Actual mercenaries were rarely highly trained professionals and few had much combat experience before signing up. This film goes even further by having a small army of them, something not seen since the Congo (apart from Executive Outcomes, in Sierra Leone). They certainly aren't the best planners, since it makes no sense to do a risky airborne insertion, when they could just land the plane on a ruse and seize the airport by surprise, thereby keeping the plane under their control until the have Limbani in custody.
- DirectorFred ZinnemannStarsEdward FoxTerence AlexanderMichel AuclairIn the aftermath of France allowing Algeria's independence, a group of resentful military veterans hire a professional assassin codenamed "Jackal" to kill President Charles de Gaulle.Forsyth is another thriller writer whose work would make for great comics. Here, we have the ultimate assassin, a cypher who can cross borders and elude law enforcement, while plotting the assassination of a First World leader.
- DirectorJohn IrvinStarsChristopher WalkenTom BerengerColin BlakelyMercenary James Shannon, on a reconnaissance job to the African nation of Zangaro, is tortured and deported. He returns to lead a coup.More mercenary fantasy, though Forsyth worked with real mercenaries in Nigeria, and the book is more technically accurate than most. This might make for a good DC-style war story.
- DirectorJingle MaStarsMichelle YeohKôichi IwakiBrandon ChangLulu Wong lives a double life - part urban social butterfly, part vigilante superhero. Armed with ancient fighting techniques and high tech hardware, Lulu is a beautiful masked millionaire battling to defeat a greedy tyrant.HK action film, with Michelle Yeoh as a superhero. This would have been a great comic book!
- DirectorDaniel LeeStarsJet LiChing Wan LauKaren MokA survivor of a supersoldier project must fight his former comrades as a masked hero.Essentially, this is Kato as a supersoldier. However, it is a different enough world that it could sustain a comic series.
- DirectorJohnnie ToStarsMichelle YeohAnita MuiMaggie CheungWhile one tough woman with an invisible robe has stolen 18 babies for her powerful master, two other tough women and the cops try to stop her.An all-female HK Justice League battles demons. Good stuff here.
- DirectorWoo-Ping YuenStarsJackie ChanSiu-Tin YuenJeong-lee HwangWong Fei-Hung is a mischievous yet righteous young man, but after a series of incidents his frustrated father has him disciplined by a master of drunken martial arts.The beginning of a potential comic hero, with more than a bit of comedy. Think Plastic Man, with martial arts instead of the stretching and morphing.
- DirectorChia-Liang LiuJackie ChanStarsJackie ChanHo-Sung PakLung TiA young martial artist is caught between respecting his pacifist father's wishes or stopping a group of disrespectful foreigners from stealing precious artifacts.The hero has become stronger in his abilities; but needs alcohol to really release them. Kind of like Hourman's Miraculo pills.
- DirectorFederico CurielStarsAlejandro MorenoMil MáscarasEl Médico AsesinoFive luchadores (Blue Demon, Mil Mascaras, El Medico Asesino, La Sombra Vengadora, Tinieblas plus Black Shadow) face off against a mad scientist and his army of powerful wrestling midgets.Imagine a Justice League of (most of) the greatest performers in Lucha Libre! The masked heroes (and some who were actually rudos) each sponsor a contestant in a beauty pageant, who are nabbed by an evil doctor, because that's what they do (should have been Dr. Wagner; but alas, it wasn't). See our heroes battle thugs and midgets in an attempt to stop the evil-doers.
- DirectorShan HuaStarsDanny LeeTerry LiuHsieh WangPrincess Dragon Mom and her mutant army have risen, and only Infra-Man can stop them.Monsters are on the loose, controlled by a crazy woman in stripper couture. Our only chance is a band of motorcycle helmeted, silver-wearing martial artists and a scientist with a bad wig. One of the martial artists will undergo a vague surgical procedure to turn him into Kamen Rider, I mean Infra-Man. Essentially, the film is a Shaw Bros. ripoff of both Kamen Rider and Ultraman; but, an entertaining ripoff.
- DirectorChia-Liang LiuStarsChia-Hui LiuLieh LoYue WongA man studies kung fu at the Shaolin Temple to fight back against the oppressive Manchu government.Gordon Liu stars as a martial artist at the Shaolin temple, who progresses through various disciplines, until he has mastered them all. of course, there are lots of fights along the way.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsUma ThurmanDavid CarradineDaryl HannahAfter awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.Pretty much a comic book plot, with dialogue to match, with bands of assassins, revenge motifs, over-the-top action, and a cool soundtrack.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsUma ThurmanDavid CarradineMichael MadsenThe Bride continues her quest of vengeance against her former boss and lover Bill, the reclusive bouncer Budd, and the treacherous, one-eyed Elle.See above, and throw in spaghetti westerns to the concotion.
- DirectorRobert RodriguezStarsHarvey KeitelGeorge ClooneyJuliette LewisTwo criminals and their hostages unknowingly seek temporary refuge in a truck stop populated by vampires, with chaotic results.Two bank robbers, a doubting minister and his two kids battle aztec vampires and zombies, in a temple, disguised as a sleazy bar. It doesn't stand up to close scrutiny; but, it's basically an exploitation film with a better budget (until the sequels).
- DirectorHark TsuiStarsJet LiRosamund KwanBiao YuenLegendary martial arts hero Wong Fei-Hung fights against foreign forces' plundering of China. When Aunt Yee arrives back from America, Wong Fei-Hung assumes the role of her protector.Legendary Chinese hero Wong Fei Hung (subject of numerous films, including Drunken Master) battles corrupt colonial masters and brutal thugs, while protecting the people. Fei Hung is surrounded by a group of assistants, who each have their own specialty.
- DirectorHark TsuiStarsWenzhuo ZhaoRosamund KwanSiu Chung MokBrand new epic adventure set during a tumultuous time in China, when left without a leader, the cavalry is attacked by the powerful allies and pirate bands. A martial arts master, Wong Fei-Hong and Aunt Yee return to do battle against these evil forces.Wong fei Hung and his band of assistants are back, battling a band of pirates that plagues a seaside community. More martial arts fun, though no Jet Li, this time.
- DirectorZoran PerisicStarsScott McGinnisJeff OsterhageRonald LaceyThrough a series of circumstances, a pair of Old West gunfighters end up as fighter pilots in World War I.A pair of hapless cowboy outlaws go on the run and end up in the army, just in time for World War One. They end up as flyers, part of a squadron attempting to take out a German super-zeppelin. It's a little weak, at first, but gets better as it goes along.
- DirectorStewart RaffillStarsRobert UrichMary CrosbyMichael D. RobertsIn a distant future scarce of water, space pirates get caught after stealing ice from a spaceship. They are sold to a princess looking for her dad. He might have found a planet abundant with water.Robert Urich leads a band of space pirates and clunky robots, as they attempt to steal the galaxy's most precious resource, water. They end up helping a princess trying to locate her father and a mythical world of water. Mostly, it's an array of gags and silly scenes; but some decent action and a charming cast (except Bruce Villanch, who is plain awful).
- DirectorNick CastleStarsLance GuestRobert PrestonKay E. KuterHigh schooler Alex Rogan conquers the Starfighter video game, only to find out it was just a test, and is transported to another planet. He has been recruited to join a team of the best starfighters to defend their world from the attack.A teenager finds himself whisked off to the stars to aid in a battle against an invading armada, all because he is really good at a video game. It's one part King Arthur, one part Buck Rogers, and a whole lot of fun. It pretty much swipes liberally from EE Smith, as did George Lucas.
- DirectorNick NostroStarsGiovanni CianfrigliaGérard TichyLoredana NusciakA superhero battles a madman who is plotting to steal uranium in order to take over the world.Italian entry into the lucha hero genre. Superargo is a masked wrestler (who doesn't do much actual wrestling), who battles eveil scientists and thugs.
- DirectorGianfranco ParoliniStarsTony KendallBrad HarrisAldo CantiFBI agent Brad joins Tony and Nick, the self styled Supermen who battle crime wearing bullet-proof super-suits. They are on a case involving radioactive counterfeit money and people who can be broken down into precious jewels.Another Italian low budget actioner, with 3 superheroes battling evil. Fairly derivative; but exciting. There were several films with these guys.
- DirectorSpencer Gordon BennetStarsWilliam ForrestLouise CurrieJohnny ArthurA mysterious detective called The Masked Marvel battles Japanese saboteurs intent on blowing up America.There have been comic book Masked Marvels; but, not this one. An enemy agent is orchestrating a wave of sabotage. A group of insurance investigators are hot on his trail; and, one of the group is secretly the Masked Marvel. Great stunts, fast pace, and an inventive plot made this one of the greats.
- DirectorRichard PattersonStarsPeter BergmanPhil ProctorM.G. KellyUsing clips from old Republic Pictures serials, this spoof tells how an evil villain called The Lightning Bug attempts to take over the world by having rock music soundtracks played at a deafening level.Essentially a film built out of a string of clips from old Republic movie serials, with a new plot tacked on. Created by Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman, of the Firesign Theater, this hilarious filmfeatures an evil DJ, out to control the minds of the world via rock n roll. These guys would have fit right in with The Tick (Peter Bergman appeared in non-broadcast episode of the live-action Tick) and Ambush Bug.
- DirectorMark L. LesterStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerRae Dawn ChongDan HedayaA retired Special Forces colonel tries to save his daughter, who was abducted by his former subordinate.You don't get much more "comic book" than this. Arnie unleases all kinds of damage upon the worst shots )this side of the A-Team's enemies) in the world. Then, to top it off, he gets into a knife fight with (as Cracked magazine so perfectly dubbed him) Freddy Mercury-on-Steroids! It was also conceived (though greatly modified by others) by Jeph Loeb, who has written a comic book or two (though, after the fact).
- CreatorStephen J. CannellFrank LupoStarsGeorge PeppardMr. TDwight SchultzFour Vietnam vets, framed for a crime they didn't commit, help the innocent while on the run from the military.Never have so many people used automatic weapons without hitting anything in human history! Then, there are the improbable devices, and Mr T. IOt was a series that required you to put your brain on hold, much like the GI Joe cartoon, or more than a few comics I could name, but still enjoyed.
- CreatorLee David ZlotoffStarsRichard Dean AndersonDana ElcarBruce McGillThe adventures of a secret Agent armed with almost infinite scientific resourcefulness.If Prof. Roy Hinkley could take two coconuts and build a nuclear reactor, MacGyver could build a starship from bamboo for it to power, with only a Swiss Army Knife and a spool of thread.
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsLiam NeesonFrances McDormandColin FrielsA brilliant scientist left for dead returns to exact revenge on the people who burned him alive.Actually, this is more of a pulp movie that didn't originate as a pulp novel; but, since the comics grew out of the pulps (and newspaper comic strips), it counts. Sam raimi couldn't do the Shadow, so he created his own pulp hero; and, a darn good one, too!
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKaren AllenPaul FreemanIn 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.It's a movie serial that didn't originate as a serial, a pulp film that wasn't a pulp novel and a comic book movie that wasn't a comic book (well, there was an adaptation, and a later series; but, it didn't start that way). This film is pure adventure and daring-do.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKate CapshawKe Huy QuanIn 1935, Indiana Jones is tasked by Indian villagers with reclaiming a rock stolen from them by a secret cult beneath the catacombs of an ancient palace.More pulpy fun from Indy and friends. This one is pulpier than the first, right down to negative stereotypes.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordSean ConneryAlison DoodyIn 1938, after his father goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones finds himself up against the Nazis again to stop them from obtaining its powers.Little more comic book than pulp, though still tresading the world of the pulps. This one has secret orders which protect the Holy Grail, Nazis, two academic heroes, and a sexy love interest. Great stuff!
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordCate BlanchettShia LaBeoufIndiana Jones becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls.This one is a cross between bad 50s sci-fi movies and bad 50s comic books. EC it ain't. The plot would be at home in either, though.
- CreatorEd SpielmanHerman MillerStarsDavid CarradineRadames PeraKeye LukeThe adventures of Shaolin Monk Kwai Chang Caine as he wanders the American West armed only with his skill in Kung Fu.It inspired a few comics (especially Marvel's Iron Fist); but didn't start there. Great premise: a fugitive Shaolin monk travels the American West, aiding people in distress. One of the great Western superheroes.
- CreatorGeorge W. TrendleGeorge W. GeorgeStarsJay SilverheelsClayton MooreJohn HartThe adventures of the masked hero and his Native American partner.The Ranger came from radio and he spawned comic books and other adaptations, but he epitomizes everything great about both western comics and superheroes.
- DirectorWilliam A. FrakerStarsKlinton SpilsburyMichael HorseChristopher LloydThe sole surviving Texas Ranger (Klinton Spilsbury) of an ambush arranged by outlaw leader Major Bartholomew "Butch" Cavendish (Christopher Lloyd) returns to fight back as a great masked western hero, The Lone Ranger.Not so great adaptation of the Ranger.
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsJohnny DeppArmie HammerWilliam FichtnerNative American warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice.Not so great adaptation of the Ranger. Sense a pattern here?
- DirectorFord BeebeRay TaylorStarsGordon JonesWade BotelerKeye LukeA newspaper publisher and his Korean servant fight crime as vigilantes who pose as a notorious masked gangster and his aide.Awesome serial, based on the radio show. It was treading on the Shadow's coattails, and spawned some comic books (some good, many not). It's probably more pulp than comic, though it's bloodless action was more in the comic book tradition than the bloody pulps. Also features the always excellent Keye Luke, as Kato. Also, in a rarity, each episode is more of a contained story, with a different gang boss, who is taken down, leading to the big guy, at the end.
- DirectorFord BeebeJohn RawlinsStarsWarren HullWade BotelerAnne NagelA wealthy publisher uses a disguise and calls himself the Green Hornet to fight crime in his city.The Hornet and Kato are back for more, though the Hornet looks a bit different. More good stuff.
- CreatorGeorge W. TrendleStarsBruce LeeVan WilliamsWende WagnerA newspaper publisher and his Asian valet/martial arts expert battle crime as the feared Green Hornet and Kato.The Kato Show! (with the Green Hornet). Bruce Lee made this worth watching, though even his presence didn't elevate the scripts. Nice duel with Batman, though.
- DirectorMichel GondryStarsSeth RogenJay ChouChristoph WaltzFollowing the death of his father, Britt Reid, heir to his father's large company, teams up with his late dad's assistant Kato to become a masked crime fighting team.Very uneven film that fails to be funny or exciting. I really wish that they had done it as a period piece, with a more adventure-oriented script. The post-modern stuff just didn't work and the Hornet is a character that doesn't translate as well into the modern world.
- DirectorGianfranco ParoliniStarsRoger BrowneJosé GreciDan VadisRoccia and a band of fellow gladiators join forces with a patrician named Glaucus Valerius to replace Nero, (and his evil henchman, Tigelinus), with a new emperor: Servius Galba. During the course of this bloody struggle, the gladiators lose their mentor and trainer - Resius - and then must rescue Lidia, Resius' beautiful niece, from death on the cross.Kind of a gladiator Justice League, as a group of gladiators find themselves banned from the arena and having to strike out on their own. Lots of beefy, oily goodness here.
- DirectorNick NostroStarsDan VadisHelga LinéGiovanni Di BenedettoSpartacus And The 10 GladiatorsThe sword & sandal Justice League meet up with Spartacus and end up aiding his revolution. pretty decent villain and henchman elevates this above the other two Ten Gladiators films.
- DirectorNick NostroStarsDan VadisHelga LinéStelio CandelliThe ten gladiators are hired to travel to Arbela, a small country on the outskirts of the Roman Empire to learn if Parthia is planning to war with Rome. Upon arriving, the heroes decide to kidnap the beautiful Parthian queen and spirit her to Syria to serve as a hostage.Back for a third and last time. Not quite as fun as the first two.
- DirectorWalter HillStarsMichael BeckJames RemarDorsey WrightA street gang known as the Warriors must fight its way from the Bronx to its home turf on Coney Island when its members are falsely accused of assassinating a respected gang leader.A gang must cross rival turf, to return home, after being framed for the murder of a rival gang. The various gangs all have different themes and the end result is more comic-booky than just about anything. It was actually based on a 1965 novel, which was a more realistic depiction of the plot. It was director Walter Hill who turned it into a comic book, even adding comic transition panels for a dvd release.
- DirectorHal NeedhamStarsBarry BostwickMichael BeckPersis KhambattaStory about a rapid deployment defense unit that is called into action whenever freedom is threatened.Ridiculously over-the-top, but fun film about a secret organization of the world's best soldiers, with high tech vehicles and weapons, and a whole lot of spandex. Thing is, for a movie directed by a stunt man, the stunts aren't that spectacular. You have to shut down the logic centers of your brain to watch this; but, it's silly fun. It probably didn't do Barry Bostwick a whole lot of favors in Hollywood.