Five Great Canadian Comic Book Movies

“They” don’t make all the comic book movies in Canada. And they certainly don’t often set them in our home and native land. But we’re is fortunate in laying claim to some of the biggest and best, critical milestones and popular favourites alike.

In advance of this month’s focus on comic books and animation, here are just five of the best movies we’ll lay claim to. Some were produced or directed by Canadians, many feature home-grown stars, and all were shot in-country.

One can even claim being set in Toronto, with runners-up in Hamilton and Winnipeg.

Nitpick all you like, but — if New Zealand gets The Lord of the Rings, England gets James Bond, Australia gets The Matrix series, and America most of the rest — surely there’s a little left for us.

Besides, as the month to come should illustrate, what follows are no random accidents…

Comic Book Confidential (1988)
by Hacker Renders on 2012/09/28

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“Local boy Ron Mann’s Comic Book Confidential is an amazing documentary. It won’t make a hater love funnybooks, but it reminds us aficionados why we care.”

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A History of Violence (2005)
by Hacker Renders on 2012/04/20
by Grushenka Geusebach on 2011/07/12

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“One of those rare experiences during which any criticism of craft fell away. I was so drawn in by the cast and the story, I barely registered anything else. Nothing much detracted from the overall affair. I consider it a great achievement, forming so clear a connection between our world and the one in the narrative.”

Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010)
by Grushenka Geusebach on 2010/11/21
by Hacker Renders on 2010/11/14

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“I’d like to take this opportunity to use the word ‘dazzling’ without irony. With an incredible cast, a great soundtrack, and psychedelic effects, it’s a great distillation of geek culture.”

As Grushenka noted, “I lesbians this movie.”

Superman (1978)
by Hacker Renders on 2011/01/17

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“A poster child for location work. While Smallville (Alberta) and Metropolis (New York City) are the obvious showpieces, even the Daily Planet offices put its Lois and Clark and Smallville counterparts to shame…

“Even beyond such grand aspirations, the movie doesn’t disappoint in its finer details.

“It’s rich with many interesting touches, and succeeds despite a ‘kitchen sink’ approach which might have scuttled a lesser film.”

X-Men (2000)
by Hacker Renders on 2011/01/03

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“While younger generations may take such efforts for granted, the elder geeks remember when . . . Superman was a rare and excellent exception. Certainly, X-Men benefits from its history, script, performances, and production but, perhaps even more importantly, others have in turn benefited since: superhero movies, comic book films and, obviously, the audience.”

Honourable Mentions:
Defendor (2009)
Whiteout (2009) by Hacker Renders on 2013/03/06