When you think of a fan made a film, what comes to mind is a tacky version of a great blockbuster made on a mediocre budget with, tacky plots and acting, horrendous visuals and audio. There are, however, a few fandoms in the fantasy and science-fiction genres, which fool you into thinking that it actually might be a big budget movie. With a little dedication and a lot of funding, fan films can be cinema quality, with costumes only seen in major studio productions.
Here’s looking at 15 fan-made films which have outdone themselves with impeccable attention to detail regarding the plot or costume designs which make you feel that there is still hope for the amateur film-maker fans.
15. DEATHSTROKE: ARKHAM ASSASSIN
The intense 8 minutes of this film shows Deathstroke showing up to the Black Mask’s lair when the latter put a bounty on Batman and does what he does best proving why he is worthy of the assignment.
Deathstroke: Arkham Assassin is a fan film by Chris and Larry White and GoingNowhereShow Productions. It’s violently artistic, and the choreographed fight scenes are excellent.
14. CROFT: A FAN FILM
Croft: A Fan Film features an experienced, young Lara Croft, in outfits seen in the popular video game, taking on the bad guys with fluid flexibility, choreographed fighting, and shooting abilities. Cassandra Ebner makes Lara come to life and kills two mercenaries every minute in the film.
13. BATMAN: DEAD END
The hunter becomes the hunted. Batman is hunted down by Xenomorph and the Predator in a dark alley while hunting for an escaped Joker. The costumes and incredible detailing regarding the makeup for the Joker, Predator, and Xenomorphs is top quality. Batman: Dead End, premiered at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2003
12. POWER/RANGERS
This Power Rangers film was so good; the original creators tried to remove any traces of it from the internet. However, it can be watched on YouTube. Adi Shankar produced this one.
This fan film has a lot of nudity, violent scenes, and sexual overtones and is set years after the Power Rangers have broken up. It follows the Pink Ranger Kimberly and the Red Ranger as they attempt to make sense of life in the aftermath.
11. SUPER POWER: BEAT DOWN
Super Power: Beat Down is a standoff of sorts featuring villains facing off against villains and heroes against heroes and so on in every episode. The web series allows viewers to cast votes on who they would like to see featured in the next match at every episode. The costumes are amazing especially Nightcrawler, Wolverine, and Xavier.
10. BATMAN: CITY OF SCARS
Batman: City of Scars, stars Kevin Porter as the Caped Crusader. The film explores the dilemma Batman faces on whether he should kill the Joker when he has the chance when Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum and begins to annihilate Gotham’s citizens. The costumes are impressive and very convincing especially Batmans’.
9. DARTH MAUL: APPRENTICE
Darth Maul: Apprentice is a 20-minute film showing Darth Maul beat Jedi padawans and masters.
Ben Schamma plays the Sith Lord, who grimaces and sneers exactly like in the original. The makeup is so realistic and close to the original Darth Maul. The Martial arts scenes are also well choreographed.
8. JUDGE MINTY
Judge Minty is the story of an aging Judge in Mega City, who is forced to take the “Long Walk,” because of his impaired reaction time during a shootout on patrol. He is supposed to bring justice to land without law. The costumes are almost identical to those used in the original Stallone movie.
7. STREET FIGHTER: ASSASSIN’S FIST
Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist, is a web-based series which shows the adventures of Ryu, Ken, and Akuma, it aired in 2014 with 12 mini-webisodes. The martial arts scenes are flawless, and the costuming is both exquisite and rich in detail.
6. NIGHTWING: THE SERIES
Nightwing’s origin story is told in this 5 episode series which concludes with him leaving Batman and making a new superhero life for himself. Other characters in the Batman universe like The Joker and Barbara Gordon also make an appearance. The costumes are some of the best seen of Nightwing yet and is a great addition to Gotham world.
5. TROOPS: A STAR WARS FAN FILM
Troops: A Star Wars Fan Film explores life as a stormtrooper. It premiered at the San Diego Comic-Con in 1997 and was made by Kevin Rubio, Shant Jordan, and Patrick Perez. With the costumes almost exactly as the original, it feels like the real thing.
4. THE PUNISHER: DIRTY LAUNDRY
The Punisher: Dirty Laundry, came out in 2012 and starred Thomas Jane. A trip to a laundromat results in a bloodbath where Castle tries punish those who do wrong. The costumes are awesome because as they’re the same ones, Jane wore in the original.
3. THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM
This movie involves Gandalf sending Aragorn on a quest to stop Gollum from revealing secrets about The Ring to Sauron before the Fellowship was created.
It debuted at the Sci-Fi London Film Festival in 2009 to rave reviews. Adrian Webster played Aragorn, and the costumes bear a close resemblance to the Fellowship of the Ring.
2. MORTAL KOMBAT: LEGACY
Mortal Kombat: Legacy is a web series where fans get a glimpse of the characters backstories, as they prepare for several tournaments. It has two seasons with a third on the way due to its popularity. It’s so popular that a movie edition is also being planned the costumes used are resplendent and the fight scenes well-choreographed.
1. PRELUDE TO AXANAR
Star Trek: Prelude to Axanar is a documentary style film which shows the Star Fleet officers telling the tale of the Battle of Axanar. This film premiered at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con. The costumes are the same as the original Star Trek series right from the Starfleet officers, to the Vulcans and the Klingon warriors