Forgetting Deadpool

We can all agree Deadpool was great, but let's not forget about other ultra violent, potty mouthed comic book movies designed for adults.

Whether you're a comic book geek like myself or not, I think it was pretty widely accepted that Deadpool was a fantastic film, and thus far it stands as one of the best films of this year. There was so much pressure for the director and the writers to get this film right because Deadpool is such a loved character among comic book geeks and he was completely ruined in a Gavin Hood film which shall go unnamed. He's so iconic to the comics as the funny, fourth wall breaking bad-ass and there were real concerns that they wouldn't be able to adequately translate this into cinema, and yet they completely smashed it out of the park and made one of the best comic book films of all time. So why would I want to forget this? Short answer: I don't. But I do want to shift the focus slightly and for us all to remember that this was not a unique film.

Here's the thing, everyone jumped on Deadpool and claimed it to be such a one of a kind film that's a completely new experience because it's a comic book film with an R rating (fifteen certificate for those of us in the UK). Everyone seemed to be so surprised and excited by the fact an R rated comic book film was a box office success, but how is this a new experience? Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that Deadpool was such a fantastic film and was received so well by cinema audiences, but we've already had quite a few R rated (or higher) comic book films that were just as good if not better. I understand that the box office figures were remarkable in this case, but I don't think Deadpool is quite the revolutionary film everyone is making it out to be. Casing point, I've taken the time to list a few popular R rated films in reverse order based on their release date.

Kingsman: The Secret Service - January 2015 (15 certificate) 

This was arguably one of the best surprises of last year. We all saw the trailers, and it didn't look like it was going to be anything particularly special, just a weird mix of James Bond and Kick-Ass. And yet, it turned out to be one the best action films of our time. Matthew Vaughn is an extremely talented director, and with Kingsman he showed us just what he can do when he's given the chance to make fast paced, gory action sequences, set amongst a hilarious screenplay with adult humour and excessive swearing. And the source material? A graphic novel brought to us by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons.

Kick-Ass - March 2010 (15 certificate)

Matthew Vaughn and Mark Millar once again featuring as they brought us a fantastic film that had achieved something of a cult status. I can remember when this film was first released it wasn't an immediate success, but gradually people have come to accept it as a fantastic comedy and action film, and one of the most enjoyable comic book films available. The second film isn't exactly great, but the absence of Matthew Vaughn as director is where I would place the film's fundamental flaws. 

V for Vendetta - March 2006 (15 certificate)

It's surprising that so few people referenced this film around the time of Deadpool's release because it is generally considered to be a good film at the very least. It doesn't necessarily stick to the source material as strictly as some people would have liked, but then we must remember that a filmmaker's job is to utilise their own vision, not simply to copy and paste a graphic novel onto the screen. Also, when the source material is written by one of the greatest humans of all time (Alan Moore) a direct transferal is damn near impossible. This was not a comedic choice by any rate because it dealt with extremely heavy topics, but it was still accompanied by strong language and the occasional bloody fight scene, making this a mature and sophisticated adaptation.

A History of Violence - September 2005 (18 certificate)

This is one that many people may not be aware is adapted from a graphic novel written by John Wagner, famed for his contributions to Judge Dredd over the years. It's not exactly about caped heroes or vigilantes, but it is a very mature story that as the title suggests features a heavy amount of violence, among other forms of adult material. While it may not be a flashy superhero film, it is a gritty and captivating drama that created a lot of buzz around the award season, not only for director David Cronenberg who is a legend of cinema, but also for actor Viggo Mortensen whose performance in this film secured his place as one of the greatest actors of our time. This is honestly one of the best films I've ever seen, and it stands as one of the most mature adaptations of a graphic novel, and should not be underestimated. 

Sin City - June 2005 (18 certificate)

I think out of all the films mentioned so far, this is my favourite. It took the brilliant work of Frank Miller and placed it on screen in its raw form as a gritty noir thriller. Every frame of this film looks like it was taken directly from the source material, the visual style is unparalleled. It is of course over the top and violent to the extreme, but it was put to the screen by people who genuinely care about the source material, which is an extremely well written series of graphic novels that are character driven pieces of art. It couldn't have been done without the 18 certificate rating, and anything less than that would have been an insult to the source material and the work of Frank Miller. This film inspired a generation of filmmakers, and truly, there is no film quite like it. 

Blade II - March 2002 (18 certificate)

I'm aware there are three films in this series, and the first film isn't necessarily bad, I just think the second film went in a completely different direction. It took one of the more obscure Marvel properties, and placed it in the hands of Guillermo Del Toro, one of the best and most inventive minds cinema has ever known, with a real flare of creativity and a passion for horror, and they let him roam as free as he needed to. They allowed him to deliver a violent and strange horror film that really was a one off. Some of the things seen in that film can never be recreated and will never be unseen. Personally, I quite like the character of Blade and I think he deserves more of a fair chance than most people will give him, but this second film is undoubtedly his best outing thus far. 

Now I already know by this point that people reading this will be annoyed at my decision to neglect certain films, but I do so with the best intentions. Already I can hear people asking "but what about Watchmen?" and "what about 300?" and the answers to those questions are both very simple. Both of those films are directed by Zack Snyder. And subsequently both films are not up to the mark, and it's a shame because he does have a passion for the source material and is a very visual director, but with both films he failed at his own trade and made some of the worst cinema I've ever witnessed. I'm not just saying this to insult Zack Snyder, I'm saying this because I genuinely care about the source material and I wanted both films to be good. While a film enthusiast such as myself does enjoy to rant about bad films from time to time, I enjoy nothing more than to sit and write about films that I enjoy and appreciate. I really wanted to like 300 and Watchmen, but with both films Snyder proved that he is at best a visual director, and he absolutely cannot handle substance. 

Apologies for the tangent there, but as we move forwards the next question that needs answering is what's next? Well it's interesting because after the success of Deadpool it would appear that there has been something of a call to arms, with more filmmakers wanting to make R rated comic book films, either in an attempt to jump on the financial success of Deadpool or because they genuinely want to make the films that fans want. Already we've seen Zack Snyder wanting to release an R rated extended edition of Batman v Superman which could be interesting to see, and of course they've already announced a Deadpool sequel which is guaranteed to have the same rating. What's more exciting is two films that are already confirmed to have an R rating. Firstly we have an R rated animation of The Killing Joke set for release over the next couple of weeks (more to follow on this blog on a later date!) and next year we're set to have the third and last Wolverine film released, which after recent news will be R rated too. 

In the case of Wolverine I think fans are generally excited that it's set to have a higher certificate rating, and why shouldn't they be? He's a character we all love but we've never seen him in as gritty a form as we see in the comics. We've never seen him in an all out bloody film where we see him go full rage mode as an animal. In the second X-Men film we started to see a glimpse of that with his rampage around the school, but that was just a mere taster of what's to come. And there's even more excitement now it's been confirmed that the film will be a loose adaptation of the famous Old Man Logan story line from the comics, which could work with a lower rating, but we wouldn't really be seeing the real Wolverine unless it had at least a 15 certificate. Either way, I think it's set to be a better film because they're allowing the right people to make mature comic book films, and when this means one of the most popular characters gets to go out with a bang, it gives us all something to look forward to.

It's interesting because there is already talk among fans of which character will be getting an R rated film next, because it's clear they're not going to stop after a couple. I think we've finally reached a stage where the studios know and accept that comic book films are not for just for children, every once in a while it is a relief to see a mature adaptation, because people seem to forget that comics deal with genuinely weighted themes and issues. I'm not trying to suggest all comic book films should have higher ratings because obviously I still want to have fun with the family friendly films that are released, and I'm certainly not about to criticise some of the comic book films I've seen in recent years because they have been very impressive. I certainly don't want to see Quentin Tarantino's take on the Avengers any time soon! I'm merely suggesting that every once in a while it would be good to see an adult rated, mature comic book adaptation, and it looks as though the success of R rated films over the years could very well have brought about a change that will make this a reality.

The ideal scenario from here is that the right characters get R rated adaptations. Already the internet is teeming with comments, hopefully clinging to the idea that Ben Affleck might just make his solo Batman film R rated, which would be interesting to see but personally I don't think Batman would necessarily be improved by the odd jugular slicing and spurt of blood. Christopher Nolan already created terrifying scenes in The Dark Knight, all without a single drop of blood, so I don't necessarily think we need to see that side of Batman just yet. Besides, if they were to make an R rated Batman film then it would absolutely require the right story for inspiration. Personally, I would eventually like to see an R rated Arkham Asylum film, I think the twisted and disturbing images in Grant Morrison's work would be really interesting to see on the big screen. However the R rating would not be appropriate to all stories, so they would need be careful that they're not making films graphic for the sake of it.

If the decision were up to me, the first character I would tackle would be Swamp Thing. After Alan Moore completely reinvented the character and created one of the best gothic romances literature has ever seen, I think it would be incredible to see an unabashed, creepy, and just generally fucked up adaptation of Swamp Thing that is designed for a mature audience. The imagery we see in the Alan Moore run of the Swamp Thing comics is so unique and genuinely haunting, I think it would be great to see this put to the big screen by someone who knows and appreciates practical effects. I know we already had a couple of campy films in the eighties, courtesy of Wes Craven, but now that we have the technology and we have filmmakers with a genuine creative flare for comic book adaptations, I think it's high time audiences received the Swamp Thing film they deserve. 

I think I could best summarise my argument by saying that Deadpool is somewhat of a revolutionary film because it has paved the way for more R rated comic book films to be released, but this is not a sole victory. Instead I would argue that it is the last in a long line of R rated comic book films that have all helped the movement for studios to trust higher rated films. Films such as Sin City and Kick-Ass have been working towards this goal for years now, all it took was one film to completely break the Box Office figures and show them, definitively, that the films comic book geeks want to see can be, and are successful. Honestly I don't want to forget Deadpool because I loved it when I saw it in the cinema. I was overjoyed when the film turned out to be as good as it was and I've watched it numerous times since its DVD release and it just gets better every time I watch it. I just think it's time we all started to look forwards with an open mind, because either way the game has been changed. So my only hope for the future after all of this fuss, is that filmmakers will be allowed to keep making more fantastic comic book films for a mature audience.