5 Fatal Errors for Comic Book Movies

Don't be too political, don't include a bunch of villains, and definitely don't let Zack Snyder direct

Warner Bros. Pictures

Outside of the surprisingly energetic X-Men: First Class, it’s been a disappointing year for the comic book adaptation. Green Hornet dithered between action and buddy comedy and achieved neither. Thor was loud and pretty but ultimately unmemorable. And the highlight of Priest, an adaptation of the wicked Korean series of the same name, was Karl Urban in a duster.

Green Lantern died a slow death at the hands of both critics and moviegoers, (so far having made less than a third of the $300 million Warner Bros. has spent so far), and the year’s other entries have failed to achieve stratospheric numbers. While Thor took in a respectable $177 million, Green Hornet was a flop, drawing only $98 million.

What's killing comic book movies? Studios wanting some good reviews along with their box office take should think about avoiding these common missteps: