Mystery Men (1999)

Based on a back up feature in The Flaming Carrot by Bob Burden, director Kinka Usher brings us the story of the “other guys” in the superhero business.  The ones with dubious superpowers and even more doubtful contribution to society.  But when the chips are down and all is lost, victory will come to ones that play the Smash Mouth song. 

If you love comics, this movie is packed with in jokes.  If you don’t like comics, look at this cast: Ben Stiller, Janeane Garafalo, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy, Geoffrey Rush, Greg Kinnear, Eddie Izzard, Wes Sudi, Kel Mitchell, Tom Waits, and Paul Ruebens.  It’s insane!  All this and the most bizarre color palette/distopian urban nightmare since Blade Runner and you’re in for a good time. 

Also, keep an eye out for cameos by Doug Jones, a young Dane Cook, Artie Lang, Ceelo Green, and Michael Bay!

Men In Black (1997)

Based on Lowell Cunningham’s comic book with the same name (published by Aircel, a company I had never heard of until I wrote this), Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are you best, last and only line of defense against the scum of the universe.  What?  It’s still a great tag line. 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve seen this movie.  With it, director Barry Sonnenfeld created the best sequel to Ghostbusters (1984) that did not actually feature Bill Murray or Dan Aykroyd. 

Tank Girl (1995)

Based on a comic book by Alan Martin and Jamie (Gorillaz) Hewlett, director Rachel Talalay’s post-apocalyptic piece of insanity is breathtaking.  Lori Petty plays our titular Tank Girl, fighting the always evil, always entertaining Malcolm McDowell, leader of the evil Water and Power Company.  But this is not a movie about plot.  This is a movie about looking awesome and kicking the shit out of anyone that stands in the way of you having a good time with your mutated kangaroo friends played by Ice-T and Reg E. (“Don’t Fuck with Querns”) Cathey.  And driving a sweet tank. 

Not going to lie, I’m not sure I’ve actually grown out of my “I want to be Tank Girl when I grow up” phase.

Hello, kiddies!  This week we’re going to take a look back at that halcyon time: the 90’s.  You see, back in the 90’s, we didn’t get at least 2 if not 5 comic book based movies a year. And the few that were made tended to be based on independent comics, not mainstream superheroes.  You can thank Joel Schumacher for that.  Stringy-haired fucker. 

Anyway.

So, movie producers even then being unable to create their own ideas still turned to comics.  However, they went for the more obscure comics so they could pass off their films as normal sci-fi/action films.  The fools…

Now, two-thirds of this list is made of what nice people call “cult classics” and mean people call “box office bombs.”  If you do not love all of the movies on this list, you may want to consider looking at a different blog.  And possibly move to Bomont because you have no joy in your soul.  Our films include:

Tank Girl (1995)

Men In Black (1997)

Mystery Men (1999)