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I just watched The Thing 2011; I found it to be a perfectly done prequel to John Carpenter's version e xp laining what happened in the Norwegian camp prior to.

Not great, typically rehashed stuff, but it followed beautifully.
A believable rendition right up to the end.

If Ridley does as well with Prometheus, it ought to be a real treat.

I e xp ect Ridley to do better of course.
"and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut stones, to work in wood, and engage in all kinds of craftsmanship"

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[quote=""Thranduil""]If Ridley does as well with Prometheus, it ought to be a real treat.

I e xp ect Ridley to do better of course.[/quote]

Lord, I hope so. Your positive words notwithstanding, The Thing 2011 was pretty well thrashed and trashed by the critics.

One could argue, with some merit, that Alien did not need a prequel. We may end up happier with how we imagined its backstory than with whatever story the new movie presents us. However, Prometheus is set some decades prior to Alien and does not dovetail into it (or so we're led to believe). There are no foregone conclusions (other than that there will eventually be a derelict ship with a very nasty cargo).

One the other hand, Carpenter's The Thing is a movie that definitely did not need a prequel. Carpenter's movie tells us all we need to know about what happened immediately before it. Norwegian team finds alien ship, Norwegian team sets the alien lose, Norwegian team ends up dead in particularly gruesome, disgusting ways. To me, in order to sell a movie where you know how it ends, the story between the opening and closing credits needs to be worth telling as a tale in its own right and it needs to be e xp ertly executed. Most of what I've heard about The Thing 2011 indicates it came up well short on both those counts.

I don't mean to rain on your parade, Thrand, and I'm glad you enjoyed the movie. There's probably better than a 50% chance I'll end up renting it myself at some point, if only out of morbid curiosity. I'm just amazed to hear you suggest it as a bar by which to measure Prometheus. I think for most people, it's a given that Ridley is going to turn out something that blows The Thing 2011 away.

I'll climb down off my soapbox now and invite everyone over to the Prometheus thread to see a new tidbit there.
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

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I certainly wasn't trying to make any comparison between Thing2011 to Prometheus, other than prequel.

Critics- already covered that IMO.

Thing2011 was fun to watch if you've seen Carpenter's. I agree it wasn't necessary & added nothing, but it was that very fact-not adding anything-that I enjoyed it. Lots of parts in the film that automatically gives precise detail to what Carpenter presented.

If someone hasn't seen Carpenter's version, I'd recommend they watch 2011 first and then watch Carpenter's immediately after. The two just flow, the story continues...and then you get to see the better of the two. The cast of Carpenter's made it a great show.
"and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut stones, to work in wood, and engage in all kinds of craftsmanship"

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I bought The Thing 2011 but have not watched it yet. I have heard that it is kind of a play by play of the Carpenter version, but also that it fits seamlessly as a prequel, and for what it is is supposed to do, it does it very well. Some would call it pointless, I call it entertainment. :huh:

Looking forward very much to Prometheus and a possible Blade Runner sequel by Scott. :thumbs_up
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[quote=""Valkrist""]I bought The Thing 2011 but have not watched it yet. I have heard that it is kind of a play by play of the Carpenter version, but also that it fits seamlessly as a prequel, and for what it is is supposed to do, it does it very well. Some would call it pointless, I call it entertainment. :huh:

Looking forward very much to Prometheus and a possible Blade Runner sequel by Scott. :thumbs_up [/quote]
And as such it is thoroughly entertaining.
"and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut stones, to work in wood, and engage in all kinds of craftsmanship"

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Any opinions on the upcoming John Carter [of Mars] movie?

"Eternity is an awful long time, especially towards the end."

"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.” -- CSL

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So what's people's take on The Hunger Games? I had no knowledge of it prior to the hype preceding the movie, so take this with a grain of salt, but based on the trailers, it just looked like a cross between Twilight and The Running Man (for those of you who remember the latter). Yet it seems to be e xp loding the box office. I'm guessing that's primarily due to its pre-teen/early teen fanbase, but my 48-year-old cousin got sucked into the hype and drove all the way to Indianapolis (300 mi round trip) today to see it in IMAX 3D.
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

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My fiance has currently just finished her second reading of this series. I had no knowledge of these books until she told me about them, and I trust her judgment enough (she read Twilight and despised it for the poorly written fluff that it is) to believe her when she says they are a great read. She's very excited for the movie, and all I've heard so far says that it stands head and shoulders above Twilight in terms of quality of the production, casting, acting, and relevance of the story. I will see it, and the books are now on my to-do list.
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[quote=""Deimos""]Any opinions on the upcoming John Carter [of Mars] movie?[/quote]

[quote=""Dark Shadow""]I have watched the movie John carter of mars together with my wife at the cinema on 3D and i must say the movie is awesome,if you guy's ask me to give a score on a scale to 10 a would love to say 9,5/10. :thumbs_up [/quote]

I liked the movie and am now re-reading the source book, A Princess of Mars, which I loved when I was a kid. I think the movie diverges fairly far from the book in some respects, although I won't fully form an opinion on that issue until I've finished rereading the book.

Unfortunately it's very doubtful there will be a sequel to the movie. Disney is losing its shirt on it. It cost $250 million US and there were estimates that with marketing costs and all those other tag-ons that I don't understand, that it would need to make $700 million just to break even. Currently, it's looking like it will be a struggle even to reach $250 million.

This is disappointing to me since I was crazy about the books when I was a kid, and in some way have been waiting for this movie now for decades. Literally decades—when I was actively going to Star Trek conventions 20 years ago, they were talking about it then. At that time, Disney was trying to get Tom Cruise to star in it. That version never got made, Disney let their rights lapse, someone else (Paramount, I think) obtained the rights and then let them lapse, and Disney ultimately got it back.

In some respects, it's better that it didn't get made until recently. It's only been in the past few years that CGI has been good enough to create the green Martians, and I think it's the only way they could have convincingly been done. I think Disney saw how successful Avatar was, said "hey, we have our own Avatar," and rushed out and spent $250M.
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

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[quote=""Valkrist""]My fiance has currently just finished her second reading of this series. I had no knowledge of these books until she told me about them, and I trust her judgment enough (she read Twilight and despised it for the poorly written fluff that it is) to believe her when she says they are a great read. She's very excited for the movie, and all I've heard so far says that it stands head and shoulders above Twilight in terms of quality of the production, casting, acting, and relevance of the story. I will see it, and the books are now on my to-do list.[/quote]

[quote=""BladeCollector""]I've heard the books (The Hunger Games that is) are great and this is coming from everyone, Twilight fans to Twilight haters.[/quote]

My cousin crash-read the first book before seeing the movie (something I'd never do—I consider it a distinct advantage to seen an adaptation without having first read the book to bias my e xp ectations). He thought the story was very good but the quality of the writing maybe wasn't that hot.

I think for me, I'll have to say something like what a friend once said about another franchise. Back in the 80s, there were these really popular books in a series called Earth's Children, by Jean M. Auel. The books were Clan of the Cave Bear, The Valley of Horses, etc. They were about prehistoric people during the Ice Age. They sold really well and people were raving about them. I asked a friend, who hadn't read them either, what her take on them was and she said she'd give it 20 years and if people were still raving about them, then she'd read them.
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

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Going to see it. I read the book and found it quite an enjoyable read. Every time I see the trailers on TV though I can tell it's going to be a fairly loose adaptation. Whatever. This isn't LOTR so I won't get too bent out of shape over the changes. ;)
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Just read on Wikipedia that Card, who had called the book unfilmable, served as producer and felt that the movie, while simplifying the story, was very good and thought fans would like it as long as they don't e xp ect 100% fidelity. Or words to that effect.

Card has also called the second book unfilmable and does not want it to be made. We'll see....
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

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Well, at least the authour is onboard with the film version, which is always encouraging, especially when he acknowledges there are significant changes.

I did read the second book also, and while I wouldn't say it is unfilmmable, it does present a lot of challenges, and I think a translation to screen would cause the story to lose too much. Probably best left alone, though if the first movie makes enough money, you can bet the studio hounds will be sniffing at the door.
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I'm not familiar with the book, tho I have heard of it. It looks like a pretty decent movie from the trailers.

I am looking forward to Thor. I might take my nephew to see it next Sunday. He is 9 and slightly autistic and was looking forward to the "new hulk movie" but I had to tell him Hulk wasn't in this one, and he said "Oh, just Thor?"

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Brief synopsis of the book: while e xp loring the galaxy in the near future, humanity encounters a space-faring race of insect-like aliens. Communication seems impossible and the aliens embark on a genocidal war against the humans, which we begin to lose quickly. Mankind is saved at the 11th hour by a single man commanding a small and outnumbered reserve fleet, though many years later no one seems to know how it was possible.

Decades later: the aliens are back and Earth is on the brink of losing a second and final war. Enter Ender (real name Andrew Wiggin,) who is selected as a small child to go to an orbital facility called the Battle School. There, kids go through a gruelling series of classes and exercises in order to become soldiers for the war. What Ender doesn't realize is that he is being groomed as humanity's last hope, but the process of turning him into whom he needs to be may very well destroy him before he can save us all.
Last edited by Valkrist on Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
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[quote=""Valkrist""]Brief synopsis of the book: while e xp loring the galaxy in the near future, humanity encounters a space-faring race of insect-like aliens. Communication seems impossible and the aliens embark on a genocidal war against the humans, which we begin to lose quickly. Mankind is saved at the 11th hour by a single man commanding a small and outnumbered reserve fleet, though many years later no one seems to know how it was possible.

Decades later: the aliens are back and Earth is on the brink of losing a second and final war. Enter Ender (real name Andrew Wiggin,) who is selected as a small child to go to an orbital facility called the Battle School. There, kids go through a gruelling series of classes and exercises in order to become soldiers for the war. What Ender doesn't realize is that he is being groomed as humanity's last hope, but the process of turning him into whom he needs to be may very well destroy him before he can save us all.[/quote]

Wow, you should write synopses for a living! (Or did you crib that from something else?)
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

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I definitely know what you mean. I'd also say you've obviously read the book enough times, or recently enough, to retain a good grasp of the plot and nuances.
Last edited by Olorin on Sun Nov 03, 2013 10:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

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Yep, right again. I've only read the book once but it was this Spring, based on a friend's recommendation. Liked it enough to buy the next three, though I've only finished the second book during the Summer. I think there about ten books in total (so far.)
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Talk of a sequel is buzzing already, though the movie needs to make more money before it will be possible. There is however, an interesting twist where the books are concerned. I kinda feel like Card is 'selling out' a bit, writing a new book specifically so that a second movie can get made, because the actual book sequel to Ender's Game presents so many challenges. Read below and you will see what I mean. I must confess, although I enjoyed Speaker for the Dead tremendously, I was left wanting to know more details about what happened immediately after the first book ended, since Speaker occurs 3000 years later, although Ender is still around (I won't tell you how.)

Director Talks "Ender's Game" Sequel Chances
By Garth Franklin Monday November 4th 2013 12:12PM
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It was a nearly three decade journey to get the film adaptation of Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" to the big screen.
The result was a $110 million film with mediocre reviews, and a respectable $28 million domestic opening. That's not enough to guarantee a sequel, especially as early international openings indicate the global market isn't likely to pick up any domestic box-office shortfall.
The other complication is that Card's sequel novel, "Speaker for the Dead," is a whole different beast and set 3,000 years after the events of 'Ender'. A workaround for that particular problem is in the works though as Card is said to be currently writing a novel that will serve as a more traditional sequel.
The first film's writer/director Gavin Hood tells Hero Complex that a sequel, if it were made, would more likely focus elsewhere:
"[Would I make a sequel is] a great question, but I think it’s such a difficult one to answer, because the sequel ‘Speaker for the Dead’ takes place 3,000 years after, so we’re in an interesting place.
I think we have to hope that audiences respond to the film… And Orson is apparently writing something that’s more of a direct follow called "Fleet School".
Obviously, from the studio’s point of view, they’d almost certainly want to move the characters from this film into the next journey. So it may be that ‘Speaker for the Dead’ is not the sequel now."
Card says that "Fleet School" deals directly with the fallout at the end of "Ender's Game":
"[The new book is] for a YA audience, but it’s about what happens to Battle School after the International Fleet loses its purpose of war.
It becomes what is called Fleet School and it prepares kids to be commanders [and] e xp lorers in the colonies that are forming.
[We] get to see as the school administrators repurpose the school. The Battle Room is still there, but it’s a whole different kind of education.
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I know why it's 3000 years later...I skimmed all the plot synopses on Wikipedia. I'll probably never read these books, and certainly won't in the near term, so I felt no aversion to reading the plot summaries.

It does sound like Card is trying to cash in, especially if it's aimed at the young adult audience as the piece suggests.
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

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I really like how the e xp lanation given for Ender and his sister still being alive 3000 years later is actually scientifically plausible. In fact, the seeds for that are sown in the first book with the appearance many decades later of Mazer Rackham (played by Ben Kingsley in the movie,) the original officer that ended the first alien war. I don't know how it's handled in the movie, but I hope they kept that little revelation in. My suspicion is that they greatly compressed the timeline in the movie, but maybe I'm wrong. In the book though, Ender starts as a six-year old, and by the end of the book, I think he's around eleven or twelve. I doubt he goes through all those phases in the movie since I've only seen one actor cast in the role.
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I'll put this in black as it's spoilery, so highlight to read.

Ender is the same apparent physical age throughout the movie. The length of time from when he is accepted to battle school until the final battle is not established but seems relatively short, a few weeks or months.

Mazer Rackham does indeed show up late in the movie, at which point it is supposed to be 50 or 60 years after his triumphant battle.
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

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Looks like they are aiming to make a very fast decision on this one. Rather surprising for Hollywood, where things get mired in development hell for so long, or just languish forever. By the time some projects get revived, they have faded from public consciousness and no one cares anymore:

"Ender's Game 2" Skips Cinemas, Comes To TV?
By Garth Franklin Friday November 8th 2013 10:58AM
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Speaking with analysts on Friday, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer says that the studio has decided to "wait another week or two" before it makes a decision about whether to continue with the "Ender's Game" franchise.
The film adaptation of the Orson Scott Card novel has taken in $32.5 million in five days so far, along with another $9 million overseas. That performance is said to be "virtually on base" with internal pre-estimates.
Financed largely by OddLot Entertainment, even if a sequel doesn't go ahead Feltheimer says an "Ender’s Game" TV spinoff was under consideration - something that would make more sense as it would be far less costly.
The company now turns its attention towards its other franchises, namely this month's "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" release, along with next year's "Divergent".
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I just bought Ender's Game on video because it looked decent to me.
I had remembered some of you had talked about it here but didn't read anything, avoiding spoilers.

I came back to this thread to read because I was wondering whether or not I want to read the book(s).

Before buying it (the film) I read two customer reviews. The negative review was by a reader of the book who said the film was like a bullet point presentation, I understood that after seeing it. I'm sure the book is much deeper as usual.

I liked the film generally speaking. It hit too close to home for me personally concerning the way they portrayed Ender's overall situation, (some common ground in my high school years).

Worth the watch :thumbs_up
"and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut stones, to work in wood, and engage in all kinds of craftsmanship"

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[quote=""Thranduil""]I just bought Ender's Game on video because it looked decent to me.
I had remembered some of you had talked about it here but didn't read anything, avoiding spoilers.

I came back to this thread to read because I was wondering whether or not I want to read the book(s)...... [/quote]

I've read it five times.... or maybe eight.... have lost track of the count.... ;)

"Eternity is an awful long time, especially towards the end."

"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.” -- CSL

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[quote=""Deimos""]I've read it five times.... or maybe eight.... have lost track of the count.... ;) [/quote]
So you're recommending I read it, yes?
"and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut stones, to work in wood, and engage in all kinds of craftsmanship"

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[quote=""Thranduil""]So you're recommending I read it, yes?[/quote]

I don't think anyone would fault you for drawing that conclusion.... :D

"Eternity is an awful long time, especially towards the end."

"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.” -- CSL

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I saw The Monuments Men last night and absolutely loved it! I don't think that the writing is going to win it any Academy Awards, but it was still an extremely enjoyable film with a really compelling story. The characters were all fantastic, even if it was hard to keep their names all straight. Bill Murray and George Clooney were awesome. :thumbs_up
"Remember, the force will be with you, always."

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Just watched Ender's Game. I thought it was a pretty good movie. Looked some stuff about it, looks like it didn't do too well financially, considering its budget, so a sequel is kind of uncertain that this point. Looks like I might have to read the series then.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.

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I think this was mostly meant to be a TV thread, but I saw Godzilla last night. Given the recent rave reviews for it, I had high hopes for it and decided to see it over Spidey 2 (I don't love the rebooted series anyway). I don't think I've said anything spoilery, these are just my thoughts on it.

Could just be me, but I did not love it. I should have known going into it, but it turned out to be one of those films you have to shut your brain off for [...but I couldn't shut my brain off enough]. And being a "scientist/researcher", I did not take kindly to Hollywood's "adaptation" of science (or scientists or even reality). Pacific Rim was the most recent egregious example of this - they made the "scientists' look like total nut jobs! Is that really how society sees us??? The crazies to be locked away in a lab somewhere??? :(

IMDB gives this brief synopsis for Godzilla: "The world's most famous monster is pitted against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence." Really? Should have read that before I went.

I don't think I'm being overly sensitive about it...? I know no one cares if they call Godzilla an "alpha predator" instead of the correct term "apex predator". No one but the pickiest of reviewers is going to notice that. Hollywood goofs like this all the time. Another example, I could overlook the absurdity of Tony Stark creating a new element in Iron Man 2 because I tried to tell myself, "well maybe he actually did manage to find a super-heavy element in the theoretical 'island of stability'! But science aside, I think it really was just an average film. And I know, I've lost all of you here since I've turned this into a vent session about Hollywood doesn't care about proper physics, chemistry, biology, etc. but you would think they'd try harder. And if not, at least get everything else right (acting, plot, writing, timing, ending, etc.) The Big Kahuna himself didn't even get that much screentime - that's why we all came, to see the giant digital beast! But all they care about is filling seats. Film 2 is already a go. I will not be going though.

Some of you know how this feels because you've seen what it's like when PJ gets Middle Earth wrong. :|

On related note, I did like the Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen pairing. I'm looking forward to seeing them in the Avengers 2, but as brother and sister this time and not husband and wife...

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Hmm, that's a little disheartening to hear, though I still plan on seeing it tonight with my roommate. I have one friend I refuse to watch movies with, because he has that exact problem where he refuses to turn off his brain. I know he can, he just won't; and he ruins it for everyone. I on the other hand, enjoy these movies for just that reason.

I loved Pacific Rim. Yes, it had some issues (why are they punching that monster for 5 min when they have a sword that will kill it in one hit?), but the basic theme of the movie was giant robots fighting giant monsters. If you went in there e xp ecting an award winning script or a strong basis in reality, then you were most likely disappointed and in the wrong theater. I consider movies like this to be eye candy; fun to watch but they'll rot your brain. Regarding the cooky scientists, I try not to read into that as generalizations. They want to make the core cast stand out, and what better way then giving them odd personalities. Now if ALL of the scientists in the movie were like that, then I'd def share your opinion, but I do see where you are coming from.

When dealing with pre-existing stories like Game of Thrones, LotR and The Hobbit and even Spiderman, it's harder to just enjoy the visuals (bad CGI aside), because we know and love the stories. However for me, at the end of the day, most movies all come down to one thing (enter Maximus Decimus Meridius):
"Are you not entertained!?" :horseback
"So many vows...they make you swear and swear. Defend the king. Obey the king. Keep his secrets. Do his bidding. Your life for his. But obey your father. Love your sister. Protect the innocent. Defend the weak. Respect the gods. Obey the laws.
It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or the other.”

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[quote=""RosereIII""]Hmm, that's a little disheartening to hear, though I still plan on seeing it tonight with my roommate. I have one friend I refuse to watch movies with, because he has that exact problem where he refuses to turn off his brain. I know he can, he just won't; and he ruins it for everyone. I on the other hand, enjoy these movies for just that reason.

I loved Pacific Rim. Yes, it had some issues (why are they punching that monster for 5 min when they have a sword that will kill it in one hit?), but the basic theme of the movie was giant robots fighting giant monsters. If you went in there e xp ecting an award winning script or a strong basis in reality, then you were most likely disappointed and in the wrong theater. I consider movies like this to be eye candy; fun to watch but they'll rot your brain. Regarding the cooky scientists, I try not to read into that as generalizations. They want to make the core cast stand out, and what better way then giving them odd personalities. Now if ALL of the scientists in the movie were like that, then I'd def share your opinion, but I do see where you are coming from.

When dealing with pre-existing stories like Game of Thrones, LotR and The Hobbit and even Spiderman, it's harder to just enjoy the visuals (bad CGI aside), because we know and love the stories. However for me, at the end of the day, most movies all come down to one thing (enter Maximus Decimus Meridius):
"Are you not entertained!?" :horseback [/quote]

:| Well, I don't mean to make it sound like it was rubbish because it wasn't. But it was no where near as good as people where making it out to be. I went in there e xp ecting to see something on par with the Winter Soldier based on the ratings, and I definitely didn't get that. If my e xp ectations would have been a bit lower, I think I would have enjoyed it more.

It didn't help that the previews just prior to the movie starting were terrible - the only thing that looked worth seeing was Edge of Tomorrow (first preview). Everything else was progressively worse (ending with the awful looking Into the Storm), and by the time I was 10 minutes into the film, I started noticing things. An hour in, I was like "come on"! By then, there was no shutting my brain off, and I hope I don't come across as a nuisance. I actually refuse to watch crime drama/cop shows around my dad because he ruins them for me all the time. So I don't mean to do that.

IMDB's rating was at an 8.2 with 14,000 voters when I saw it. It has since dropped to a more sensible 7.4 with 64,000 voters. I think it might drop a bit more. Doesn't seem like much, but that difference in ratings usually separates good movies from great ones.

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[quote=""Nerdanel""]Another example, I could overlook the absurdity of Tony Stark creating a new element in Iron Man 2 because I tried to tell myself, "well maybe he actually did manage to find a super-heavy element in the theoretical 'island of stability'! But science aside, I think it really was just an average film. And I know, I've lost all of you here since I've turned this into a vent session about Hollywood doesn't care about proper physics, chemistry, biology, etc. but you would think they'd try harder. And if not, at least get everything else right (acting, plot, writing, timing, ending, etc.) [/quote]

My two cents on "movie disbelief" stem mostly from my love of literature and my weekly struggle to try and get my students to appreciate the value of stories. I can easily suspend belief that Tony Stark had the ability to create a new element simply because his world isn't our world. And they make that clear. Marvel's world is not our world. So when I sit there and watch the movies, anything is believable. But, when movies present themselves as "Our World Facing Imminent Destruction" and we're led to believe it's OUR world this is happening to, that's when my ability to suspend belief takes place.

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[quote=""Striders_Heir""]My two cents on "movie disbelief" stem mostly from my love of literature and my weekly struggle to try and get my students to appreciate the value of stories. I can easily suspend belief that Tony Stark had the ability to create a new element simply because his world isn't our world. And they make that clear. Marvel's world is not our world. So when I sit there and watch the movies, anything is believable. But, when movies present themselves as "Our World Facing Imminent Destruction" and we're led to believe it's OUR world this is happening to, that's when my ability to suspend belief takes place.[/quote]

Exactly, the Marvel, DC, Middle Earth, Star Wars, Star Trek, Avatar, etc. worlds are definitely not our world but I love sci fi/fantasy/action just like any other junkie. I don't have a problem so much with suspending my disbelief because I like the escape from reality, but Godzilla was meant to seem like it could happen tomorrow. And when they have filming/story mistakes + terrible science, it didn't take long for these things to poke holes through my desire to enjoy the movie. Maybe I'd feel better if I watched it again, I actually liked Iron Man more the second viewing than the first. I hate the feeling of wanting my $30 back, I go to the theatre precisely because I want to enjoy my movie e xp erience on the big screen. :thumbs_up I just felt particularly letdown by this film, hence my attempt to vent my thoughts here. :|

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I just got back from seeing the new Godzilla. I have mixed feelings on this one, I must say. The first 2/3 didn't really go anywhere for me and it was extremely depressing. I honestly thought about walking out, just tragedy after tragedy. But when the whole thing finally e xp loded in the end...wow. Oh my god, some of the best monster fighting I've ever seen. I haven't seen Pacific Rim yet but this CGI was absolutely INSANE. In my own opinion, of course, but I loved the last 1/3 or so of the film. So I guess I'll come to terms with it. But let me say, Godzilla's nuclear fire breathe...I know the forum will censor this but I have no other words than Holy ****. Ho-ly-****. :O
"Remember, the force will be with you, always."

Re: New Movies

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I saw Godzilla and generally liked it. It did indeed have a very slow buildup, and I thought even in the action scenes, some tighter editing would have been good.

But yeah, the effects were great! It cheated a little by having a lot of the scenes at night or on cloudy days. Effects look better when they're not brightly lit. That's one thing that disappointed me in Pacific Rim...almost all of it was at night. On the whole, I think Godzilla was better than Pacific Rim. It was a more thoughtful monster movie (thoughtful in the sense that they put some thought into the writing, not that the monsters were considerate). Pacific Rim was just a bit too corny/campy for me.

X-Men starts tomorrow and I guess it's getting rave reviews.
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

Re: New Movies

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I consider Pacific Rim a great popcorn flick, so with that in mind, I enjoyed it for what it was. I e xp ect Godzilla to be along the same lines but a bit more elevated in terms of drama. I do worry about Nerdanel's comments about lack of scientific principles because I tend to nitpick such things, even if I do not have her background. Some things are just common sense and Hollywood tends to overlook even that when it's convenient. Still, I will see it and hope to be entertained.

As for X-Men, I can hardly wait. I do wish we could see more of the older team, and that great characters that got the shaft in the first trilogy, like Cyclops and Nightcrawler, could make a return, but hey, it's a crowded cast as it is, so I'll take what I can get. :thumbs_up
This Space for Rent

Re: New Movies

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I guess my issue with Pacific Rim is that my e xp ectations were too high, because it was coming from Guillermo del Toro. Bear in mind, my e xp erience with him is limited to the two HellBoy movies, but I thought they were great. I didn't think Pacific Rim hit that level and was, alas, only a popcorn movie.

And I don't eat theater popcorn.
"Olorin I was in the West that is forgotten...."

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