Punisher: First Round

Much as I liked the Dolph Lundgren and Thomas Jane versions of The Punisher, there was always something missing, from the first film there was a lack of dark humour that was always present in the comic character, from the second there was attempting to stuff too much into the film from the comic, meaning it swung from gritty to funny and back again without warning, unbalancing the film.

Corey Sosner's film First Round manages to significantly show up both films in a short 12 minutes. The necessarily swift pace and brutal action mirrors the comic, the Punisher's route up the ladder of the underworld needing little explanation or dialogue - they're bad guys, he's big and mean with a skull on his chest - nuff said.

The addition of the character of Wolverine, a long time/some time combatant and some time ally of the comic character, will appeal to the comic fans who thought Hugh Jackman a little too clean, tall and slender to be the sideburned one.

Sosner's short seems to scream 'look what I can and could do'. The use of comic frames showing the Punisher's origins over the credits and the slightly 'video game' look to some of the special effects illustrate effective innovation, but also show the possibilities and potential of Sosner as an actor and director, given sufficient funding.

I will be looking forward to second round, third round etc, lets hope that this fight goes the distance!

This short fan film has high production value for a small independent project and brings to the screen a very interesting chapter in the mythology of The Punisher saga. The inventive digital effects add to the comic book feel and give an added layer of depth to the experience. Coming from the minds (and pens) of some of the independent comic world's more inventive minds sprung from the creative well of suburban New Jersey, "Punisher: First Round" brings to life a new variation on familiar characters from the comic underworld. Convincing casting choices combined with the appropriately comic book-cheesy dialogue, backed up with some great special effects by The Warped One, present an entertaining experience that promises more to come from this talented group of film makers.

Just watched the Tom Jane version last night and heard rumors of a Punisher 2. I was quite surprised by how decent the Tom Jane version was, yeah some things could have been different as we all complain about this or that, but overall pretty damn good.

While looking up Punisher 2 I came across this beauty. Seems their is a bit of people saying yeah and others saying nay, but for a picture that comes across as, more or less a fan film, this is actually well done. I think people that are arguing it's quality fail to notice a few things and try to look at it as if this was something in the movies or tries to beat out the Tom Jane version instead of a stand alone film for what it is.

It has a nice intro with the comic being used to give a nice set-up for those that have half a clue who Frank Castle is. Yes, the quality is pretty much porno-like with the acting and so on, but still it can be overlooked. One complaint is he talks to much, to which we really only hear his thoughts, very sin city like and not so bad to keep you involved with what is taking place. While the body suit he wears is another person's gripe it isn't exactly the worse in the sense of costume's in the media when you compare it to something like Daredevil's costume in the Trial of the Incredible Hulk to name at least one.

For what it is I give it thumbs up.

for a film short, I think this is fantastic. compare it to what the studio put out in 2004(The Punisher). From what I have read online, the filmmaker made it for a few thousand dollars. There budget was 10000 times what he spent. A note for the Studios the comic book is the story board that you should be following. This young filmmaker also followed the comic book line. I hate how the studio changed the kingpin character. He is a staple in a few of the marvel story lines and the studio's feel they can change anything they want. How could Stan Lee allow this. I would like to see what this young filmmaker could do with one of the marvel story lines and a budget!!!! Kudos to this up and coming Filmmaker.

First Round was the best comic book movie adaptation which was produced on a shoe-string budget that I have ever seen. The characters (Wolverine,Kingpin and of course Punisher) literally jumped off a comic book page.The casting was better than any big budget film that was recently made.The actors chosen to portray these characters' performance was true to the spirit of this genre.The story was right on to the origin of Frank Castle. The special effects were incredible. Kudos to the cast and crew of First Round for making an excellent and an enjoyable movie not just a trailer. I am looking forward to the next project from this talented group of individuals.