Before I begin, I just want to preface this post by saying that I don’t judge a movie based on it’s MPAA rating alone. For those of you are not aware(unlikely, but hey), the MPAA sets the ratings for movies that are released here in the United States. I have my definition of the rating system in the Movie Terms page that you can click on above. A long story short, the ratings are as follows: G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17. Having seen and reviewed the latest Wolverine movie, Logan, I felt it was time to go over some of my favorite comic-book movies that have legitimately earned the R-rating. Any film that was initially released as a PG-13 film in theaters, but got an R-rated director’s cut for home video, will not be on the list. I’m only going to cover the comic-book films that got an R-rating straight out of the gate. So, with that in mind, let’s go over some of the best R-rated comic-book movies.
The Crow
Now, some may think this movie got popular because of Brandon Lee’s tragic death during the making of the film. It certainly had an effect, to be sure, but the movie is so much more than that. Based on the graphic novel by James O’Barr, The Crow sees musician Eric Draven and his girlfriend murdered on the night before Halloween. At it’s core is a simple revenge story that actually manages to transcend the medium. It’s Gothic visual style was unlike anything that anybody had ever seen before and the tone of the film was equally dark. But there is a strange beauty about the entire affair that’s absolutely captivating. It’s earned it’s R-rating. Draven takes out his killers in pretty horrific fashion. But that doesn’t bother you, because you connect with the characters, so you have a vested interest in what happens. There aren’t a whole lot of comic-book movies out there that do that. The Crow has become a massive cult-classic, and Brandon Lee’s performance was amazing. Even the villains were memorable. The soundtrack to the film is simply beautiful as well. This one is definitely a must-see.
The Punisher(2004)
Of the three films based on this character so far, the 2004 film with Thomas Jane is by far my favorite. While Jane may not have the body for the character, his performance is probably the best of the three films. While it’s not necessarily as graphic as War Zone, it doesn’t pull any punches. When Frank Castle decides to go to town on the mob that murdered his family, it’s epic. John Travolta also makes a pretty good bad guy, and some of the villains are some of the slimiest scumbags that you will ever see in a film. With an all-star cast and a rockin’ soundtrack, The Punisher is a surprisingly good movie.
Blade II
Some people may not know this, but Deadpool isn’t the first successful R-rated Marvel film. Oh, no. That would go to 1998’s Blade. It was a phenomenal action movie with an awesome performance from Wesley Snipes. However, I believe that Blade II is an infinitely better film. For one, the sequel is directed by Guillermo Del Toro, one of the most unique directors in the industry. Blade II definitely feels like a comic-book movie. It gets wonderfully ridiculous with some awesome fight choreography done by the legendary Donnie Yen, who also makes an appearance. You’ve also got actors like Ron Perlman and Norman Reedus rounding out an astounding cast for what is one of the best action movies of the decade. Definitely worth it.
Dredd
While I will fully admit to enjoying the original Judge Dredd film with Sylvester Stallone, it was a god-awful movie. While the action was decent and it did pull some stuff from the comics, the movie did the one thing that no one should ever do in a Judge Dredd film: They took off his helmet. While most comic-book characters have been seen without their masks and helmets, but the reason Dredd never took off his helm in the comics, is because the character was written to be the face of the law, which is supposed to be, well, faceless. In 2012, Karl Urban starred as the Judge known as Dredd in what is widely considered to be one of the best comic-book adaptations ever. It’s extremely stylized and violent with a unique use of slow-motion that’s just gorgeous. Plus, Dredd doesn’t have the widely irritating Rob Schneider as an annoying sidekick.
300
300 is more based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel than the actual Battle of Thermopylae. That doesn’t necessarily make it a bad movie, because it isn’t. It’s actually really, really good. The first thing you will notice about this film, is its unique visual aesthetic. The whole film is mostly filmed on green-screen sets, but with visual effects and the action, it’s a stunning film. One could make the argument that Gerard Butler’s performance as Leonidas is meme-worthy(no doubting that), it’s also known that Leonidas is one of Butler’s most iconic roles. Yeah, it’s got its problems, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t have any fun with it.
Watchmen
Here’s another one by Zack Snyder that I really enjoy. I’ve actually read the graphic novel that Watchmen was adapted from. Watchmen is what I would consider to be a superhero-noir film. There’s a lot of elements that make it feel like film-noir. It has that detective novel aspect about it that I really like, and it has absolutely astonishing visuals. The story itself is set in alternate 1980s, and is just an absolute blast to watch. The action is hard-hitting and bloody. The acting is phenomenal with Jackie Earle Haley stealing the entire show as Rorschach. It does seem to run a little too long, but as far as comic book adaptations go, this one is by far the most faithful. Almost to a fault actually, but it’s a very cool movie.
Deadpool
Honestly, if it wasn’t for Deadpool, we probably wouldn’t have gotten Logan. Deadpool is the culmination of years of pushing Fox Studios to make this movie by Ryan Reynolds and the fans. What we got was an absolutely amazing comic-book movie. It’s movie that is absolutely true to the character of Wade Wilson/Deadpool. Ryan Reynolds knocks it out of the park, with a surprising supporting cast that holds their own. This is definitely an X-Men film, for sure, because it’s in the same universe. But everything about Deadpool is intact: His trademark quips, constant fourth-wall breaking, and sheer bloody violence. I actually saw this film in theaters twice in one day, that’s how good it was/is. This film proved to Fox that its okay to have an R-rated Marvel movie. The fans went for it. The numbers speak for themselves. A 54 million dollar budget film brought in over 800 million bucks world-wide. It is right now, considered to be the highest-grossing R-rated film of ALL time.
Logan
I reviewed this film in my last post, but I feel that Logan deserves another mention. Unlike the violence in Deadpool, where it was mostly slapstick, the violence in Logan is sheer brutality. Limbs are slice off, heads roll and people are torn to shreds here. This was the movie that Wolverine fans, including myself, were waiting for. This isn’t your typical superhero movie. This is essentially a Western that’s set in 2029. It’s bleak, it’s grim, and it gets depressing at times. However, the performances from Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Dafne Keen are absolutely fantastic. Dafne Keen, in particular is a really welcome surprise as Laura or X-23. This girl’s got a future in the industry as well as the X-Men movies. For his final performance as Wolverine, Hugh Jackman pulls out ALL the stops and delivers what I would personally consider to be his finest performance yet. After seventeen years, we say goodbye to Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, as well as Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier. It’s a hell of a movie.
There were other R-rated comic book movies out there, but these are the ones that stand out the most for me and are the most successful.