Comic Books Unbound

A cheery, upbeat, uncritical history of comic books adapted for the movies, this original documentary for the Starz cable network details how early movie serials and the big-screen spinoff of the 1960s Batman TV series eventually led to modern Hollywood's rediscovery of caped heroes in the 1970s and 1980s (Superman and Batman), culminating in the present-day slew of “serious” comic-book films such as X-Men, Iron Man, Hellboy and The Dark Knight. Unfortunately, much of this comes across as promotional filler, with little analysis of why such movies are popular, no discussion of ways they could be better (the near absence of women is all but ignored), and no hint that the current cycle might, in fact, be nearing its end (apparently these types of questions would disrupt the documentary's rah-rah-comics-are-cool! approach). Although Comic Books Unbound boasts an impressive array of interviewees—Marvel Comics guru Stan Lee, Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro, Superman director Richard Donner, and superstar cast members from current hot comic book flicks—there's ultimately nothing here to surprise fans, and very little that will entice others. DVD extras include interview outtakes. Optional. Aud: P. (M. Johanson)