Grouch

[iainjclark]

I think I'm becoming a blockbuster-movie grouch.

We saw Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End tonight. Maybe I was in the wrong mood but it left me slightly bored: a self-indulgent hodge-podge with no real structure. It's hard to feel much engagement when you can't follow who is double-crossing whom, and on what ship, and why. The last third of the film does pick up a little and there are a few charming moments--including a couple that haven't already been done to death in the trailers--but they're not enough to stop the film from feeling leaden. For what it's worth there's an extra scene after the end credits (assuming that you can outlast the cinema staff in a tense battle of wills).

I also finally got around to watching Superman Returns on DVD last night. The opening credits leave the impression that the film will be a fetishistic recreation of the original Richard Donner film, stunningly beautiful, and interminably long. The opening credits do not lie. The plot is very straightforward but takes over two and half hours to langorously unfold, leaving the characters to carry the film. Unfortunately the direction and performances take their lead from the arch and slightly sappy tone of Superman: the Movie, leaving everything feeling unreal and reminding me why I don't particularly like the original Superman movies in the first place. (So why I bothered watching this one is anyone's guess). I still don't understand why I should care that Clark Kent is mooning over Lois Lane, and the very youthful Brandon Routh just isn't the Man of Steel. The real treat is to see Superman's powers rendered believably for the first time, particularly in the stunning plane rescue sequence. That nearly validated my decision to see the film. That, plus Kevin Spacey playing Gene Hackman playing Lex Luthor.

Comments

[majuran.livejournal.com]

Sorry, couldn't resist :$

[iainjclark.livejournal.com]

Yuk yuk. :-P

[abigail-n.livejournal.com]

I think I've gotten to the point where I automatically disengage my critical faculties when viewing a blockbuster. I saw Spiderman 3 in Brazil and haven't got a single thing to say about it. I didn't love it or hate it. It wasn't a horrible way to spend a few hours of my life, and that's about the only reaction I've got. POTC 3 got a bit more of a reaction from me, but that's mostly because I was annoyed by 1) Elizabeth's 'they may take our lives, but they will never take our right to pillage, rape and murder indiscriminately!' speech, and 2) the criminal under-utilization of Jack Davenport.

[iainjclark.livejournal.com]

'they may take our lives, but they will never take our right to pillage, rape and murder indiscriminately!'

LOL. Although if you dislike the glorification of piracy you may be watching the wrong series of films...

Spider-man 3 I probably wouldn't have felt compelled to talk about, had I not agreed to do a review for Strange Horizons. Then again when I saw 300 the words just came pouring out and that was hardly a work of art.

[abigail-n.livejournal.com]

if you dislike the glorification of piracy you may be watching the wrong series of films

The first film was at the very least ambivalent about pirates - Barbossa was the villain, and Will and Elizabeth started out very anti-piracy, although admittedly they didn't stay that way.

I guess what I object to is placing the glorification of piracy front and center. I was fine so long as I could ignore it, but POTC 3 didn't give me that option.

[fba.livejournal.com]

The really wierd thing about Superman Returns was that it appeared to be an 80s period piece. With cars from the 50s. Most odd...

HackmanSpacey chewing the scenery while Parker Posey looked on aghast was probably worth the price of the DVD. Admittedly it did only cost £4 in the Play.com sale, but yanno...

[iainjclark.livejournal.com]

an 80s period piece. With cars from the 50s.

Yes, I noticed that. Superman should really be set during the 1930s. I think I could enjoy it more in a Saturday Matinee / Rocketeer stylee.

[williamjm.livejournal.com]

It doesn't seem an uncommon reaction to be unenthusiastic about those films, so maybe it isn't just you. I did enjoy Pirates 3 but I wouldn't class it as a particularly brilliant blockbuster film and Superman Returns was very average. It's if you start disliking blockbusters that everyone else seems to like that might mean you're turning into a grouch.

[iainjclark.livejournal.com]

Well I did enjoy 28 Weeks Later (what little I saw while hiding behind my arm). It's the undisciplined sprawl of many current blockbusters that's beginning to get to me. It's perfectly possible to tell a taut, character based story with action and effects (Serenity) but half of them seem to be three drafts shy of a finished script.

[williamjm.livejournal.com]

Recent blockbusters do seem to be getting increasingly lengthy, often trying to squeeze in unnecessary numbers of plots into the running time with the result that none of them are really explored fully - such as X-men 3, Spiderman 3 and Pirates 3.