10 Best Movies Based On Dark Horse Comics

9. Barb Wire

Hellboy Ron Perlman
Gramercy Pictures

DC have Catwoman and Marvel have Elektra, but both pale alongside Barb Wire, which marks Pamela Anderson’s first (and last) lead role in a comic book movie.

Imagine Casablanca relocated to a post-apocalyptic wasteland with one of Playboy’s most popular models playing the Bogart role and you’ve got Barb Wire, surely the most delirious way of wasting 90 minutes ever conceived by Hollywood. Set in 2017 (sadly, we never learn who won the election), the movie throws in all the explosions, fetish outfits and gratuitous nudity that Casablanca left out.

While it’s easy to mock Anderson, her character is basically a dominatrix with a machine gun, in which respect she’s well cast and with her in the lead you know you’ll have to leave your grey matter at home. Taking its visual cues from previous comic book adaptation The Crow, Barb Wire knows it’s B-grade material and never attempts to take itself too seriously. It promises trash and delivers it. What’s not to like?

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Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'