The lines between fact and fiction have never been more blurred than they are today, but it isn’t just so-called ‘fake news’ that is guilty of distorting what we know to be true. For years, movie producers have been making films based around historical figures, set in a very fictional universe.
After searching through our libraries, we present to you five must-see movies with historical figures. From Robin Hood portrayed by a talking fox to a vampire-hunting president, all movie buffs should have seen these titles at least once.
Pirates of the Caribbean – Blackbeard
We will start with arguably the most mainstream of our picks. Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-million dollar franchise that, despite the recent allegations surrounding Johnny Depp, continues to thrive as one of Disney’s main cash cows.
The fourth instalment of the series, On Stranger Tides, Captain Jack Sparrow searches for the Fountain of Youth. Amongst the fictional pirates that the film is based around, the very real Blackbeard, played by Ian McShane) is the movie’s main antagonist.
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight – Jack the Ripper
The most recent of our picks take place in DC Comics’ animated universe and presents a twist to the mystery that surrounds Jack the Ripper. Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is a 75-minute adaption of the comic book, which features a few changes in order to prolong the story into a movie in its own right.
Victorian-times Gotham is the setting for DC’s latest Batman flick. With one of history’s most notorious serial killers on the prowl in Batman’s city, there isn’t much time to lose. We won’t give any spoilers, but the movie does provide a fresh outtake on other films that have featured Jack the Ripper.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – Abraham Lincoln
This is probably the most outlandish of the bunch, but bear with us for this one. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America, is a vampire hunter. Yes, you read that right; politics meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
With Tim Burton as one of the producers, soon the idea for the plot begins to make sense. Rotten Tomatoes, however, doesn’t hold the film in high regard with a rating of just 35%. Nevertheless, it is one of those films that you have to see, if only to believe that they actually made it.
Robin Hood (Disney) – Robin Hood
Yes, yes, yes. There have been *many* film adaptions of Robin Hood, but for this piece we will be focusing on the most fictional of the bunch, which is of course Disney’s 1973 film. Why? BECAUSE ROBIN HOOD IS A TALKING FOX.
For many of a certain age, this animated children’s movie holds a place dear to our hearts and we won’t have anything bad said about it. Unlike other films on this list (sorry, Abe) you can sit down and watch this with your children.
Wayne’s World 2 – Jim Morrison
Now time for a true cult classic, Wayne’s World. Excellent. For this, we will be focusing on the sequel which, can you believe, was released by Paramount way back in 1993. If you don’t know what the film is about then repeat after me: “WE’RE NOT WORTHY! WE SUCK!”
Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) is persuaded by the ghost of rock star Jim Morrison and his naked Indian friend (trust me, it works) to put on a concert alongside best friend Garth Algar (Dana Carvey). If you haven’t seen either Wayne’s World film, I suggest you stop what you are doing and watch them both back to back immediately.
If you’ve nothing planned this evening, now you have one of the best/interesting movie marathons of a lifetime waiting for you. You’re welcome.
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