The latest Marvel Comic turned film?
No, not Elektra.
No, not Fantastic Four.
It's Man-Thing!
Man-Thing not only skipped the theatres, it also skipped DVD and released straight to the SCI-FI channel. Kind of makes you scared to watch it...
But it was recently released on DVD, and you know what? It wasn't all that bad.
The story starts off well enough, and the characters could all be considered stereotypical, or goofy, but the cast make them work (except for the fact that they have what seem to be weird ever changing accents, from bad southern at times, to nothing, to Australian). Even the special effects are okay (well, they aren't totally laughable). Where the movie really falls apart is the plot, it doesn't really have much to it. By mid point of the movie you stop having much fun, and that's before you even see Man-Thing, I suspect that was supposed to save the finish, but it didn't.
All that said, I still liked the movie over all. I'm really not sure why, that's a head scratcher, but I can't write it off as a complete waste.
Go ahead and put MAN-THING towards the bottom of your queue.
4 comments:
Whatever knows Fear Burns at the Touch of the MAN-THING!!!
Man, as a lil' kid plucking down my quarters for the couple of issues I bought back during that 70's decade, I used to be fascinated by Manny! Weird stories, freaky looking monster, baffling powers.. he was awesome.
When I first heard this comic was optioned I was like, "Cool! They're making a Man Thing flick before Captain A or Iron Man!". That just appealed to my sense of the wonderfully absurd.
Then I started seeing the film develop with it's 'cast', then I heard the 'plot' (No Ted Sallis shooting up Super Soldier Serum?!). Sometime ago I sadly wrote the film off..... It was time to say good bye to my childhood muck monster.
But now that the flick is out, warts (sorry!) and all, I GOTTA SEE THE Damned-Thing!!! I will look for this, and pluck down my bucks at Blockbuster, and shamble home and pop it in, and watch it.
Uh, I don't wana come off as a geek :) but are there any DVD specials? History fo the comic? Interview with artist Mike Ploog? I can hope, can't I...?
Javier
p.s.:betcha' it's better'n Elektra and Punisher!!!!
You can hope...
but sadly, be denied.
I too thought, "Hey, at least there'll be some comic book type extras", but no. There are zero extras on the disc. Just the movie.
It is better than Elektra, the movie was utter trash, just terrible. Man-Thing, well, it's got some really good swamp footage, and a couple other high points...
Oh yeah, as for honoring the properties past, how bout "Steve Gerber" being the name of a racitst night-watchmen, and "Mike Ploog" that of a tabloid photog? If only Stan had a cameo, poppin his head out of the muck in a scene...
I rented this...thing.
Man.... REALLY pointless I would say. And I have an answer as to why there are no DVD extras.
If you 'adapted' this comic with this screenplay, would you want to explain over and over again why you completely diregarded the comic book? If you were the producer, would you want to explain why you cheered on the screenwriter to NOT adapt the elelments of the comic book? (and as said producer also has a financial stake in the comic company, and presumably an appreciation for the charactrers, this is even more puzzling)
Also, to name villians after the talents, Gerber and Ploog, was a big mistake, and not funny. The names Arad, Leonard (director) and Rodionoff should have been placed on the bad guys!
Halfway through the film, I forwarded to the last chapter and saw a lime-green glowing tree, with red eyes, melt.
Ever feel like a world class sucker?
Just call me Lollipop.
Javier
Yeah, I only ever read one issue of ol Man-Thingee back in the late 70's, early 80's, so I really have no idea what the source material should be. I did surmise, the movie as it was, had little to absolutely nothing to do with the comic.
I alos agree regarding the name usage, it's insulting. Now Gerber has sued Marvel and is very publicly against them on a lot of levels, so perhaps that played into it. Doesn't excuse it.
I agree, Arad should have been one of the names used, that would have been fitting.
Sorry if I steered you into some "murky water" on this one...
Hopefully FF will not be as insulting...
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