Blockbuster Busts
One thing that really bugs me is a film with a big budget, big name, quality actors , and all the tools for success but are an outright failure. Now, I'm not talking about films like Transformers because those are made to be exactly what they are, to be flashy and generate big sales. I'm talking about films that aspire to be something more but just fail to deliver. A great example of a "blockbuster" failure would be Hancock. It had the actors, a huge budget, and good CG. I mean, what more could you ask for? And yet, it was a huge failure.
In general my feeling about just about every blockbuster film is that "we deserve better"; yes they were fun, yes they were enjoyable, but they would be even more so without gaping plot holes, horribly inaccurate depictions, and continuity errors.
One movie that really bugged me this summer was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Overall I thought it was a nice ending to the long series but there were problems in the final movie itself. The actors have been playing their roles for 10 years and I think that they couldn't have executed it any worse. They should have had their characters so amazingly well thought out, that it should of seemed to them like they're not even acting at all. Daniel Radcliffe is such a drab, boring, actor to watch and his delivery of lines just seemed poor.
Another part in the movie which was poorly done was the sudden deaths of such major sub-characters as Reamus, Fred, Tunks. I know the producers may not have wanted to drag out each detail, but when you have characters that have created a connection with the audience, you cannot simply kill them off without any reasoning what so ever. There was a fairly subtle yet good build-up between Belatrix and Neville (as she killed his parents), yet, they had Molly Weasly kill her, for what I suspect, a rather annoying reason. I don’t hate the Harry Potter franchise but I think this one was poorly done. One plot hole that I could find was when Luna Lovegood returned to Hogwarts before Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Then there were many continuity errors that confused people. For example, after McGonnagal fought off Snape, Potter is no longer wearing the student uniform even though there was no shot of him taking it off.
Even though there are a lot of films with big budgets that end up becoming a failure there are also many that are flawless. Such films as Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Fantastic Mr. Fox were filmed to perfection. They had big name actors who nailed their performances, They had great directors who couldn't have filmed it any better.
Scott Pilgrim vs the World featured the best martial arts scenes in years. Every fight was choreographed and executed in the most awesome way and the fact that it's not Jet Lee pulling off these moves makes it even more fun to watch. And you get the fights frequently which is really, really satisfying. The editing was incredibly skillful and probably the most crucial element that makes this movie work. It gives the movie an incredible rhythm, reaching new levels of dynamism and the use of CGI and the visual design is plain fantastic. Edgar Wright, the director has an uncanny sense of comic timing with edits and sound cues to make the picture tight and focused when it's looking for laughs. The amount of creativity put into this movie is mind- blowing, resulting genuine and most original style.
Then there is Fantastic Mr. Fox based off of the book written by Roald Dahl. From Frame 1 it takes no time for you to fall in love with this stop motion film. What amazes me is the effort on each frame that these top notch art designers bring everything to life. This movie would likely have been impossible without the work of the wonderful voice actors. George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, and Owen Wilson all provide voices in the movie, among other lesser known but still wonderfully talented actors. As a result, the voices blend beautifully into the animation. Instead of feeling like characters with a voice shoved in, the voices and the characters are one. Overall I think this is one of the most amazing well thought out movies that I have ever seen.
In my opinion movies that cost multiple millions of dollars should not have little errors, continuity, large plot holes, and inconsistencies. I believe that the only issue that should be involved is weather you liked the story and style in which it was told.
Anyone else have a similar experience lately (with any movie old or new)? Comment Below
Tree of Life Review ★ (Quick Movie Review)
Grading:Acting: 17/20
Direction: 11/15
Editing: 4/10
Costume design: 5/5
Makeup- 5/5
Set design: 4/5
Photography: 8/10
Storyline: 3/10
Sound (includes Background Music): 14/20
Direction: 11/15
Editing: 4/10
Costume design: 5/5
Makeup- 5/5
Set design: 4/5
Photography: 8/10
Storyline: 3/10
Sound (includes Background Music): 14/20
Run time: 139 min
Rated: PG-13
Director: Terrence Malick
Comments: One of the Most Disappointing Movies I have ever seen. People were walking out halfway though the movie. I think i speak for most that watching paint dry is better than watching this movie.
Cast:
 | Brad Pitt | ... | |
 | Sean Penn | ... | |
 | Jessica Chastain | ... |
Overall Grade: 71 D-
How many Stars? ★
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