Re: Not to say I told you sotightpants4evaMarch 10 2007, 17:01:26 UTC
But even for a fantasy/comic book movie, there were many elements that were sub-par, which was jarring when contrasted with the amazing battle sequences. It's like seeing a stunning, beautiful woman from afar, and when you see her up close, she's even more beautiful than you thought possible. But then she starts talking, and you realize she has the intellectual depth of Ann Coulter. It detracts from an otherwise nice experience when people add unpleasant elements. I suppose for some people, images are enough. But I like substance, too.
It's not as though fantasy movies or comic book movies inherently HAVE to be bad. Though there are plenty of shitty fantasy movies (e.g., Eragon) and plenty of shitty comic book movies (e.g., Catwoman), we shouldn't have to settle for crap as fans. There have been great fantasy films, like LotR, and great comic book films, like Spider-Man. Just because a movie has a sword in it does not mean that the screenwriters have to have the limitations of a 5th grader in a creative writing class.
It's not that fantastic elements are bad in and of themselves; it's that they didn't work in this movie. I don't recall anyone laughing at Fellowship of the Ring when the first cave troll appeared. Quite the opposite; the audience held its breath in anticipation to see how the heroes would escape such peril. Why? Because it was a well-made film. Compare that with the laughter that spread throughout our audience when Blobbo-Lobster-Claw-Meat-Man appeared on the screen. I mean, seriously! There are ways to convincingly introduce fantastic elements into a movie, but the makers of this film are apparently unfamiliar with them.
I'm not saying the film isn't a thing of beauty. It absolutely is. But much like the analogy of the beautiful-but-Coulteresque woman, sometimes looks don't have anything worthwhile behind them.
It's not as though fantasy movies or comic book movies inherently HAVE to be bad. Though there are plenty of shitty fantasy movies (e.g., Eragon) and plenty of shitty comic book movies (e.g., Catwoman), we shouldn't have to settle for crap as fans. There have been great fantasy films, like LotR, and great comic book films, like Spider-Man. Just because a movie has a sword in it does not mean that the screenwriters have to have the limitations of a 5th grader in a creative writing class.
It's not that fantastic elements are bad in and of themselves; it's that they didn't work in this movie. I don't recall anyone laughing at Fellowship of the Ring when the first cave troll appeared. Quite the opposite; the audience held its breath in anticipation to see how the heroes would escape such peril. Why? Because it was a well-made film. Compare that with the laughter that spread throughout our audience when Blobbo-Lobster-Claw-Meat-Man appeared on the screen. I mean, seriously! There are ways to convincingly introduce fantastic elements into a movie, but the makers of this film are apparently unfamiliar with them.
I'm not saying the film isn't a thing of beauty. It absolutely is. But much like the analogy of the beautiful-but-Coulteresque woman, sometimes looks don't have anything worthwhile behind them.
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