Hollywood has rarely been in the business of telling new stories. Over half of the movies made are based on source material from somewhere else, be it books or an old play. It's always easier to make a movie that already has a built-in fan base. That's why it's hard to believe that movies like Robocop were original ideas.
The movies feel comic book-y, particularly for that era when Frank Miller was getting big. Robocop is not the only movie that gets mislabeled as a comic book movie, especially in the current climate where superheroes are the king of the mountain. It's hard not to assume every superhero movie is based on a comic.
10 Robocop Had Plenty Of Comics Spin-Offs Of The First Film, But The Movie Came First
Robocop feels like it's ripped right from the pages of a comic book. A recently slain police officer gets rebuilt into a Robocop to guard the streets once again.
The premise and the high action throughout the movie fit in well with the comic format. It's why he ended up getting a comic run later with off-the-wall stories and even having him fight the Terminator on more than one occasion. It's what causes even more confusion, making people think the comics came first when it was the other way around.
9 The Incredibles Was More Of A Superhero Movie Than Many Of Those Based On Comics
When The Incredibles came out, things like the MCU didn't exist, and superheroes still hadn't come close to their height in popularity. Aside from X-Men and Spider-Man, none of the films were that good either.
Many failed to capture the essence of what it meant to be a superhero like The Incredibles did. It led people to think it was based on other source material when in reality, it was completely original and further proof that Pixar was king of creating animated films.
8 Darkman Was Born When Sam Raimi Couldn't Get The Rights To The Shadow Or Batman
When Sam Raimi couldn't get the rights to The Shadow or Batman, he decided to create his own superhero named Darkman. Darkman was a homage to Universal's horror films and was one of the first superhero films that didn't try to be uplifting in any way.
It followed Peyton Westlake, played by Liam Neeson, on his journey of revenge after being severely burned by a mobster named Durant. It was so well received that it spawned two sequels and became a cult classic.
7 Hancock Examines What Happens When Collateral Damage Actually Matters & When A City Doesn't Embrace A Hero
Hancock feels like two different movies. At first, it's taking a hard look at a hero who's been outcast by the city. It turns him into a bitter man who feels like anything but a hero. That bitterness is acted out very well by Will Smith, who captures the feeling of a hero who has given up caring.
By the second half of the movie, it becomes more of a typical hero film where he has a kryptonite and is revealed to be an immortal. The second half makes it feel very comic book-y, even if the character was an original.
6 Brightburn Is Heavily Inspired By Superman's Origins
No one can be blamed for thinking Brightburn was based on a comic book. The storyline follows the basics of Superman's origins, from his landing on a farm to the similarities of his powers. It's all set up to answer the question, what would happen if Superman wasn't good?
The results are a pretty good movie that does well mixing gore and horror into the film. It's a movie that deserves a chance to get a sequel and further expand on the character.
5 Super Felt Like Kickass Before Kickass Existed
Super was James Gunn's first foray into superheroes as a director and starred Rainn Wilson (of Dwight Schrute fame) and Ellen Page. The movie has a Kickass vibe to it in the sense that it's a normal guy running around trying to stop crime with a wrench.
It leans more into black comedy territory and has a few disturbing scenes that weren't all that necessary. One of which is a scene where Ellen Page's character takes advantage of Rainn Wilson's Frank Darbo.
4 Toxic Avenger May Have 'Avenger' In The Title, But It's Far From Kid-Friendly
Anyone who likes cheesy and over-the-top B-movies has likely heard of Toxic Avenger. It's a movie that follows Melvin Ferd, a janitor who gets constantly abused by patrons of the health club he works at. One day they chase him out of a second-story window, leading to him falling into a drum of toxic waste.
The chemicals help him gain superhuman strength and the size needed to be the superhero Toxic Avenger. The movies are tongue in cheek, for the most part, and even the violent moments are hard to take seriously.
3 Chronicle Managed To Blend Teenage Angst With Superhero Powers In A Way Reminiscent Of Runaways
Chronicle is the movie that helped launch Josh Trank's career as a director, giving him the chance to bungle Fantastic Four horrifically. The film follows three teenage boys who gain telekinetic powers from a glowing crystal.
While superpowers are present, the story focuses more on the characters and how they deal with the powers. It's reminiscent of Runaways which also focuses more on character development rather than large-scale superpowered battles.
2 Sky High Feels Like A Disney Version Of The Young Avengers
Ego wasn't Kurt Russell's first foray into superhero movies, as he starred in Sky High as The Commander, the lead character's father. Sky High is exactly what you'd expect from a Disney superhero movie pre-Marvel.
It's family-friendly to the max and is generally a good time for what it is. It also has Young Avengers vibes, as many of the parents are training their kids to take over for them, something that happens sporadically in comics with legacy characters.
1 Condorman Felt Like A Cheesy Silver Age Hero In Both Costume & Plot
If you've never heard of Condorman, you are in the majority. It's a little-known movie from 1981 that was surprisingly produced by Disney, of all companies. As the name suggests, the title character is Condorman, a superhero born from a comic book artist's need for realism.
He crafts the entire Condorman suit to see if it works in reality, and shenanigans with KGB and a glass-eyed villain's ensues. It has a Silver Age comic book feel to it but didn't have much in the way of heart. It was silly in a Pink Panther sort of way.