what every comic book/graphic novel movie should be

Rating: 10/10 (30 July 2006)

Forget Spidey. Forget the Bat. Forget the Fantastic. Don't even think about the Hulk. The best film based on a comic book or graphic novel is this one right here, 2005's best action film, 'Sin City'. The most alluring thing about Sin City is that, unlike EVERY comic book movie out there, it has the guidance of its original creator in the driver's seat. The film also is different in that it has 3 directors. Most of the film is by Robert Rodriguez, who does a phenomenal job, making me forget that he did Spy Kids oh so long ago. Frank Miller is also a director of the film, and well, you know it's going to be good if the creator of the stories is also a director. The third director is Quentin Tarantino, who directs one of the coolest scenes in the film. There is no writing, mainly because the film is a TRANSLATION of the comic books, not an adaptation. Miller and Rodriguez actually filmed every scene of the books, scene for scene, then cut it down. The editing and cinematography are simply stunning. You would never know unless you read it that some of the actors, despite sharing scenes, never even met each other. Shot in mostly black and white with the occasional red, blue, or green here and there, Sin City gives you the true gritty feel of the stories. The thing that will attract the non-readers of Sin City to watch this are the incredible action sequences and gory violence that will have you gripped to your chair the whole 2 hours. The best thing about it is the stellar and HUGE cast of men and women you'll recognize right away. Here's the big names of Sin City: Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Rutger Hauer, Mickey Roarke, Michael Madsen, Nick Stahl, Elijah Wood, Rosario Dawson, Clive Owen, Alexis Bledel, Brittany Murphy, Benicio Del Toro, and Josh Hartnett. Also in there are actresses you may not recognize, Devon Aoki and Jaime King. The originality of the movie is awesome. Remember, this is not meant to be a film with intertwining stories, but in fact, each story is separate from the other. For example, despite being two of the more important characters, Clive Owen and Mickey Roarke never interact, and the same goes for Benicio Del Toro and Bruce Willis. Others, like Jessica Alba and Brittany Murphy, are in a few of the stories. The film is a stellar piece of film-making that is just breathtaking and amazing. It is definitely one of the top films of 2005, actually, it's in the top 5 for me. The DVD is PACKED with bonus features that will make any comic book nerd drool and praise the lord for this gift. It's amazing, so make sure you don't miss Sin City.
10/10 --spy