It’s that time again for TGITDNMAR, which (obviously) stands for Thank God It’s The Day New Movies Are Released.
A prequel and a threequel – woo!
Prometheus
I don’t know about you, but I’m trying my damnedest to go into this film as cold as possible (ahem, despite watching the trailers several times each). I don’t know if there’s anything spoilery in it, but if you’re braver than I, check out Simon Columb’s glowing review of the film, posted earlier today. If you follow any number of non-North American film fans/bloggers on Twitter or Facebook, you already know that the people are not generally being blown away by Prometheus, so I was all the more glad to see the heart rating that Simon graced upon the flick (that’s really all I could read of it at this time).
Will it live up to my expectations? Who’s to say – but based on the stunning trailers, it seems a difficult road. If anything, the overall attitude since its release last week has helped to soften the blow, if there is indeed a blow to dealt to me. As I’ve seen others say, though, those who went in expecting another Alien would be wise to consider the filmography of Ridley Scott post-Gladiator – there ain’t a lot of wine and roses to be found.
I’m unsure of how I could possibly be too disappointed – at the end of the day, it will still have a fantastic cast and, judging by the trailers alone, some stunning visuals. So long as it’s better than Alien³ (which itself is not terrible), I don’t suppose my heart will be broken. But it’d be pretty sweet if I was closer to Simon’s camp…
Dylan’s Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 100%
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
I try to separate in my mind what makes efforts like this - along with the Ice Age films or Over the Hedge or even something as high quality as How to Train Your Dragon – so different from the films made by Pixar.
The short answer – the ‘duh’ answer – is that Pixar’s films are just better. But why is that? What it is about them, are there any quantifiable reasons that we can point to? I mean, it’s not like they look all that much better, at first glance, and at second glance (or perhaps thanks to years of glances and a cultural need to knock down that which is upon high) there are chinks in the armor to be found, like Cars and its sequel, and maybe even like Monsters, Inc., depending on whom you ask.
The ultimate answer I’ve come up with is, “I don’t know.” But I do have one theory that goes a bit beyond that other surface level answer of “the scripts are just better:” the voice casts. Somehow, Pixar’s casts of actors that are compiled for their films feel natural, tailored to the characters, rather than reverse-engineered as so many other animation efforts do. It’s a chicken-and-egg scenario that I can’t quite put my finger on, but all I know is that when I look at Madagascar, I see big stars (Ben Stiller, Chris Rock) cast to voice avatars of themselves, and when I look at The Incredibles or Finding Nemo, I see Albert Brooks and Holly Hunter and Craig T. Nelson cast for their vocal talents and their ability to bring depth and life to their 3-D renderings.
Dylan’s Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 4%
Wayne (8)
Andrew (6)
Josh (6)
John (5)
Lauren (5)
Steve (5)
Dave Enkosky (4)
Jessica (4)
Justin (4)
Nick (3)
Twitter: agracru
June 6, 2012 5:35 pm
I won’t lie– Prometheus has some flaws. I won’t talk about them until after release, and then I’ll be using spoiler warnings, but they keep it from being quite as good as it could have been…
…and yet it’s still great. The amount of disappointed press being heaped on this thing is staggering to me; I get wanting to see Scott match Alien, but that’s unfair, and I think even expecting Prometheus to remotely resemble that film is even more so. It’s its own beast. Take it as such, and you’ll do well with it.
In between the questions about creation, it might be the best looking studio film I’ve seen all year. And Fassbender’s amazing.
Twitter: Top10Films
June 7, 2012 1:32 am
I think the sidestep Scott has taken with a film that is ultimately a entity on its own is bound to cause some dismay. It is the culmination of making a film (sequel/prequel/or otherwise) to one of the classics alongside such a brilliant and widespread marketing campaign. Inherently, there are expectations, more so with Prometheus than any other film this year by the looks of things. The final outcome is a film which demands a lot from its audience, many of whom are expecting the rollercoaster ride that was Alien. When it doesn’t deliver that it is disappointing but that doesn’t make it a bad film.
My full review is over on top10films.co.uk – but the discussion of the plot could highlight some spoilers so only read after watching.
Twitter: agracru
June 7, 2012 7:33 am
I’m with Dan on this. I doubt any film in 2012– even the big ones like The Master, Django Unchained, and The Dark Knight Rises– will suffer from the burden of expectations as much as Prometheus. On first viewing, I expect half the film’s fan-comprised audiences to be disappointed; it’s not Alien in as many ways as one can take that, and it connects to that film relatively loosely through imagery and shared ideas (which it explores differently).
But taken as its own film, Prometheus works really well.
Twitter: ptsnob
June 7, 2012 7:30 am
I saw that Roger Ebert gave 4 stars to Prometheus, which is pretty impressive. He does hand that rating out a lot more than he used to, though. I’m really trying to go into it cold too. I probably won’t get to it until sometime next week, so it’s going to be tricky.
I definitely want to check out Prometheus although it will have to wait Tuesday. Madagascar… not so much. I will try to sneak in Moonrise Kingdom on Wednesday as well
Can’t wait!
Twitter: manilovefilms
June 10, 2012 9:37 pm
Since this is essentially all about Prometheus thus far, I’ll just respond at once. Saw it and pretty much loved it. To anyone out there that has seen it, read this if you haven’t already: http://t.co/BzOmcuRf. Great analysis of the film’s events (read: obviously spoiler-heavy).
I went in one of those people who had tremendously high expectations (though I gotta admit, the few early naysayers lowered them ever so slightly and worried me despite Andrew’s insistence that we not lose our collective heads). Though I also went in NOT expecting it to BE Alien, though I’m not sure why anyone would. Considering the filmmakers’ coyness early one about the whole is-it-or-isn’t-it a prequel, I think I got out of it pretty much what I figured, story-wise (on a macro scale, that is).
I can’t wait to see it again.