Movies: Tank Girl

"Tank Girl" raises some interesting questions about the purpose of film adaptations. Is the point of a comic book movie to stay faithful to the comic? Or to still be a good movie for someone who knows nothing about the source material? Or maybe something else entirely?



There's some of the makings of a cult classic here, no doubt. You've got Malcolm McDowell chewing scenery as the movie's villain, you have Naomi Watts giving an appropriately mousy performance before she was a big star, and you have the kind of dogged absurdity that Lori Petty brings to the character of Tank Girl - equal parts Gwen Stefani and George S. Patton. Heck, there's even Ice T wearing a mutant kangaroo costume designed by Stan Winston.

But the movie as a whole really falls flat, especially when you compare it to genuine post-apocalyptic cult classics like "Cherry 2000." I think that plotless absurdity on screen is often just an excuse for really poor writing, so the last third or so of "Tank Girl" feels more like laziness than anything else. The movie bombed at the box office, only grossing $4 million on a $25 million (!!) budget, and it was widely panned by critics.

Apparently, though, the movie continues to draw new readers to the "Tank Girl" comic, which is at least a moral victory...I guess. And hey, the soundtrack (featuring the likes of Bjork and Portishead before they made it really big) is excellent. All's well that ends well.

Rating: 4/10