This may be an unpopular opinion, but I believe that most fans come up with some amazing ideas from their favorite movies, video games or comic books. Fans are creating extraordinary movies, or short stories, that introduce us to new versions of a certain character or world we have all grown to love. This is a list of some of our favorite fan made films on the internet that are just as good or perhaps even better than the source material.
- Power/Rangers
Adi Shankar is a name you may see a couple times on this list, as he has made some of the best fan films on YouTube. Shankar is probably known more for the Castlevania series on Netflix. Before that though, Shankar caught attention for his darker R Rated rendition of Power Rangers. In the film, we see that being a Ranger has taken a toll on the former Teens with attitude. A war lost against the Machine Empire, and being child soldiers, has left the surviving Rangers with PTSD. As adults, they lead many different lives but things have changed now; most of the original team is dead. They were murdered by a former enemy. The death of all the Rangers sends Tommy Oliver on a hunt for the killer of his former friends. A rumor has recently surfaced that Shankar is developing this story into an animated Netflix series. In my opinion, this film is better than the source material and it gives us a different outlook of the characters and how things should of probably went in this world.
2. Uncharted: Nathan Fillion Fan Film
Next up is a fan film made by a well known actor, Nathan Fillion. Known for his roles on the hit TV series Castle and Firefly, Nathan Fillion is also a video game fanatic and has even voiced a character or two in the Halo Series. Recently, Fillion has been vying for a chance to portray the character of Nathan Drake, the main protagonist of the Uncharted video game series. With a movie already announced starring Tom Holland (Spider Man) as a younger Nathan Drake, Fillion, grew impatient and created a film of his own starring himself as Nathan Drake. Fillion plays the character to a T. His portrayal and actions are spot on to the persona of the video game protagonist and he sticks true to that universe. I would say this movie is just as good as the source material and Fillion has my vote to portray Drake!
3. Punisher: Dirty Laundry
Don’t get me wrong, I love John Bernthal as the Punisher in the Netflix series. However, Thomas Jane sold the character for me and made me a fan. I was sad to see him go after only one movie, but we got another taste of the brutality of Thomas Jane’s Punisher in another Adi Shankar fan film, Punisher: Dirty Laundry. The film takes place after the original movie and we see Thomas Jane/ Frank Castle, venture into a laundry mat to wash his blood stained clothing. Across the street, a bunch of thugs are harassing a young boy. Frank ventures over to a gas station run by the wonderful Ron Pearlman and things escalate after a brief monologue by Pearlman. The Punisher immediately jumps into action and ferociously takes out the Thugs in old school Punisher fashion. He leaves the ring leader alive to be dealt with by one of the victims harassed earlier in the video.
4. Voldemort: Origins of the Heir
Harry Potter is one of the most popular series, whether it be Books or movies. We have seen the story of Harry play out in a most epic way. Now with Fantastic Beast, we see the origins of the duel between Albus Dumbledore and the original bad boy, Grindelwald. We have had our taste of how Voldemort came to be, but in this fan film, we get such an amazing story of a young Voldemort fresh out of Hogwarts being hunted down by the heir to Godric Gryffindor. A lot of magic dueling and an amazing original character, in Gryffindors heir, makes this fan film one of the greats!
5. Pokemon: The Resurgence
Another dark retelling of a light hearted story with more than innocent characters is Pokemon: The Resurgence; set twenty years after Ash Ketchum became a pokemon trainer. Team Rocket rules a dark, desolate world, without Pokemon after taking down Ash and his pals in a war five years ago. Armed with guns and their wits, the team of Ash, Brock and Misty go on a journey to find the Pokemon that vanished years ago to fight back against the evil Team Rocket and their cronies Jessie and James.
These are just five of hundreds of amazing fan films on the internet. Fans have some amazing minds and imaginations. I personally love to see all these films and the take on characters I grew up with created by a fellow fan. I implore that all who read this check out these movies I listed and find fan films of some of your favorite characters to watch. Who knows, maybe I will be watching one of your films inspired by some of these!
