Worst live action adaptions of cartoons and comics

[Wussycat]

What are the worst live action adaptions of cartoons and comics ever made? I've never watched this one, but I'm still positive that it's awful just by looking at the cover.

 

[James]

Justice League Of America was probably the worst I've seen. Cheap and the worst idea to attempt on a small budget. I can't think of any adaptions that fared worse. Even the abortive Fantastic Four film had more accuracy.

 

[Terminatah]

GARFIELD was terrible, but only if you consider that it was once a charming, witty comic strip. If you take into account the vacuous drivel that passes for funny page humor running today, I suppose it wasn't so bad.

SCOOBY-DOO was kinda fun, although my purist brother was bothered by every detail that variated from the cartoon (the spoofy nature of the humor, the absense of laugh track, the pandering drug jokes, etc.). Didn't see the sequel.

THE FLINTSTONES was a pretty good homage to the cartoon with some astounding production design and talented cast. Although I have to say that casting Rosie O'Donnell as Betty Rubble was the worst idea in the history of celluloid. It made the Nicolas Cage Superman look like Christopher Reeve.

THE FLINTSTONES IN VIVA ROCK VEGAS was a prequel, so it sucked by its very nature.

-Terminatah

 

[Sharklady]

Three words:

'Howard The Duck'.

 

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Three words:

'Howard The Duck'.

That's in my "I know it's very bad but I still like it" pile.

Along with Happy Gilmore, Deuce Bigalow 1, and Commando.

 

[Terminatah]

Almost forgot. INSPECTOR GADGET was an insult. More painful than simultaneous root canals.

-Terminatah

 

[Noukon]

Justice League Of America was probably the worst I've seen. Cheap and the worst idea to attempt on a small budget. I can't think of any adaptions that fared worse. Even the abortive Fantastic Four film had more accuracy.

I'm going to have to agree. I've never seen a worse "adaptation."

 

[Burgundy Ranger]

The live-action Spider-Man TV show.

The effects capabilities of the 70's made it so they couldn't do anything close to truthful webbing, so they put those wrist-lets on and he shot rope.

Sure, they CALLED it web, but it was to cheesy to be "real" (in a Spider-Man sense).

 

[TheMecca]

Almost forgot. INSPECTOR GADGET was an insult. More painful than simultaneous root canals.

Inspector Gadget 2 was even worse.

Also, I didn't like the original Spider-Man movie (2002) that much. It was better than most comic adaptions (Garfield, Howard the Duck, both Fantastic Four movies, et cetera) but it was a bit of a disappointment compared to its sequel.
Plus Kirsten Dunst kills me on the inside.

 

[Space Chief]

Ron Howard's How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I swear, that movie places a disturbingly large amount of attention on the Grinch's crotch.

 

[Michael24]

I agree with INSPECTOR GADGET. Me and a bunch of friends actually saw that in the theater because we had all loved the cartoon. What a major disappointment.

And I know it's pretty unpopular to say it, but I didn't care for either of the X-MEN movies at all. I hated the original PUNISHER, too.

 

[James]

The live-action Spider-Man TV show.

The effects capabilities of the 70's made it so they couldn't do anything close to truthful webbing, so they put those wrist-lets on and he shot rope.

Sure, they CALLED it web, but it was to cheesy to be "real" (in a Spider-Man sense).

I loved it at the time, but it was dreadful. Not only because the Netwodk said they weren't allowed to use any supervillains, but it lacked charm. I could have put up with the one swinging from building to building shot (and it's reversed image they used to double their special effects footage) if Spidey had charm.

Hammond's Spider-Man was totally silent. Never really speaking, no smart alec quips. He also lacked the human edge to his life; there was no intergration of issues that really connected the two and the problems with duality (actually there was one weak episode where he suffered Clark Kent syndrome where Parker was accused of being a coward, running from the scene of action).

I hated Hellboy actually. Yes, old Ron was excellent, and the make up well used, but it lacked the depth, colour and charm of the comic; focusing on the conspiracy angle of the group rather than the deep mythological roots which made Hellboy so strong a comic. A bitter disappointment, as Hollywood claimed another to romantic and quip cliche.

 

[Sharklady]

I haven't seen it (and am not going to), but from what I've heard, the 'Cat in the Hat' movie is bloody awful.

 

[Toon Capone]

^
Yes it was. Do not let anyone talk you into watching the Cat in the Hat movie it was beyond bad.

I agree about Inspector Gadget and The Grinch. They were dreadful.

 

[JellicleCat1965]

Here's my list:

Fat Albert
Flintstones movie
Scooby-Doo 1 & 2
Inspector Gadget
The Grinch movie
Josie & the Pussycats

 

[Silly McGooses]

The Grinch
Flinstones: Viva Rock Vegas
Fat Albert

my favorite is probably Popeye

 

[Ultra Mike]

Batman and Robin, though decent the first time I watched it, didn't really hold up years later. I'll never understand the reasoning of having Ah-nuld play Mr. Freeze, nor will I ever support it. Not to mention how long it took for them to introduce Batgirl and there wasn't even another movie with her. (Thinking about it from what I heard, wasn't the Catwoman movie also really bad and just an excue to see Hallie Berry lick herself or something?).

 

[Michael24]

I may be the only one, but I actually didn't think CATWOMAN was all that bad. It certainly wasn't great, and I probably wouldn't buy it, but I've definitely seen worse movies.

 

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

I hated Hellboy actually. Yes, old Ron was excellent, and the make up well used, but it lacked the depth, colour and charm of the comic; focusing on the conspiracy angle of the group rather than the deep mythological roots which made Hellboy so strong a comic. A bitter disappointment, as Hollywood claimed another to romantic and quip cliche.

As a comic adaptation I agree. But as a movie on its own, I consider it upper-shelf blockbuster entertainment. It's good popcorn fun in the Indiana Jones tradition of blockbusters.

Also, I didn't like the original Spider-Man movie (2002) that much. It was better than most comic adaptions (Garfield, Howard the Duck, both Fantastic Four movies, et cetera) but it was a bit of a disappointment compared to its sequel.
Plus Kirsten Dunst kills me on the inside.

I have the opposite reaction to the two movies. I know critics preferred the sequel as well, but I felt it lacked that sense of wonder found in the original. One of the things I always like to see in superhero movies is the bewildered hero testing the boundaries of his powers in mundane settings for the first time. I LIKED those scenes of Peter spitting his web out in the cafeteria, the trouncing of Flash, etc. And I thought Spider-Man 1 did it to the most satisfying degree of any superhero movie out there.

 

[The Weed Of Cri]

So much to choose from:

Howard The Duck almost killed George Lucas' career. After the Star Wars Trilogy (at the time it was the most successful film trilogy ever), Lucas could have written his own ticket; he was practically movie-proof -- or at least that's what everyone thought until this trash surfaced. This is why Lucas cannot do anything but Star Wars product now.

Catwoman: This is what happens when you give a pretentiously one-named metrosexual French FX technician a hundred million dollars and Halle Berry to play with, and a stone-solid reason why you shouldn't. The worst single adaptation, with nothing in common with the comic character except the name, overuse of CGI (using CGI cats that were about as realistic as Garfield when it would have easier and cheaper to use trained cats that actually look like real cats shows the hammerheaded fanaticism for FX that can ruin a film.

The Punisher: The trouble with this choice is that I can't decide which Punisher film was worse. One had Dolph Lundgren trying to act; the other had Thomas Jane method acting his career into oblivion.

Josie and The Pussycats: This movie wasn't all that terrible. I'm just still ticked off that Dan DeCarlo's widow had to sue to get her husband credit for creating the characters after the studio took his name off the master print when he was just weeks away from death, so they could cheat him out of royalties.