More fantasy films, please
Since the whiny 90s ended, there have been two big movements in A-movies - fantasy and comic book movies. I did enjoy Superman I & II, Batman I & II, Spiderman I, and X-Men I. I enjoyed them, but none of them are really memorable enough to shell out bucks for the DVD.
As for the recent move towards fantasy, we now own Harry Potters 1-3, all three Lord of the Rings, and are really looking forward to the first Narnia movie. Excellent job, Hollywood. Loved Pirates of the Caribbean as well.
The 80s had fantasy A-movies. Most memorable were Ladyhawke and Legend. Legend could have been better if they used someone other than Tom Cruise, but luckily he didn't destroy that one. We also liked some of the others like Willow and Labyrinth.
Those types of movies aren't being made anymore. Besides the Harry Potter movies, all the fantasy they're making are based on old books. I'm trying to forget I saw the movie Dungeons and Dragons, so
no need to bring that up as an example.
So, if there are any Hollywood producers out there, let me give you a tip to make a quick buck. Make an original A-movie fantasy. You can base it off a Piers Anthony, Margaret Weis, Terry Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, or Mercedes Lackey novel. All those authors have enough of a following that
you'd at the very worst get your money back. Or you can even take one of the better trash fantasy/romance novels and make it into a movie. I'd see it, and so would millions of other folks.
There's no need to make a movie after every comic strip that has ever been made. It's already getting old. Batman III and IV, Daredevil and X-Men II all sucked and Spiderman II was mediocre at best. And even with Jessica Alba in Fantastic Four, I'm not going to rush out and see it. So go all out fantasy and millions of moviegoers will thank you for it with their wallets.
posted by The Zombieslayer @ 8:19 PM
18 Comments:
did my first wobbly job today, she went into hysterics, booked for tomorrow in the janiters room
I thought X2 was better than XMEN I.
just stick with horror and zombie movies...so says the honorable Mr. Bones
Thanks for visiting my blog.
As for fantasy movies that are spawned from books, I say let them be. Don't warp my imagination with your stupid Hollywood effects and bad acting. Reading the text is a hundred times better than some recent movie adaptations. (Take "The Hitchhiker's Guide" for instance. I don't care if it grossed more than was expected; the book was infinitely better.) Hopefully the first Narnia film won't disappoint.
You are so right about this, I'm tired of sequels too, fyi Pirates of the Caribbean II comes out sometime this year I think. The only problem is all the idiots in the country and world will go see all these crappy and ok at best movies
You are so right about this, I'm tired of sequels too, fyi Pirates of the Caribbean II comes out sometime this year I think. The only problem is all the idiots in the country and world will go see all these crappy and ok at best movies
That is so weird that this was on your mind. A bunch of us were just talking about this last night. Hollywood must be so hard up for movie ideas. Have you seen the onslaught of TV shows turned into movies or equally annoying--great old classics turned into new movies?
Herbie: Fully Loaded
Dukes of Hazard
The Honeymooners (Cedric the Entertainer?? Ew!)
Bewitched with Nichole Kidman??
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
it's a travesty. I might blog about it.
Legend! Is there a more beautiful fantasy movie? The Tangerine Dream soundtrack is awesome. Sure the plot is a little threadbare but I love that film. Have you seen the Director's Cut DVD? Oddly enough, I think I like the non-director's cut better.
I too wish Hollywood would go out on a limb and make a great original fantasy movie. Why not take the money that you were going to use to make another piece of crap like House of Wax that no one was going to watch anyway, and use it to make some creative guy's fantasy project.
The one time that a studio recently did this, the results were a blast: Sky Captain and the World of Tomrrow! They made that movie for Hollywood pocket change and it was great.
Just from the trailer, the first Narnia film looks pretty solid. The trouble with fantasy is it's hard to do cheaply, and to get crossover you tend to need big starts, adding more to the budget. I know the Pern books and others have loyal followings, but I'm not sure you'd get the $$$ needed for ROI. LOTR may help fantasy turn the corner, or it may be proverbial rule-proving exception. If we want to see more fantasy we should definitely be rooting for Narnia.
Wow. I come into work and there are 10 comments already. Too bad not all of you agree, but I'd stick
to my guns here. I truly believe fantasy could be done cheaply. I'd take scenery over special effects any day. Look at Ladyhawke for instance.
Sadie - of that set you mentioned, only will see Charlie and Choc Factory because I love Burton/Depp.
Levi - no, not yet. Yes, Tangerine Dream is fantastic (even though they're not heavy metal). I'll have to check out Sky Captain then.
I'm not a huge fan of the fantasy genre that includes flying and strange talking animals, kingdoms, etc. Unless you're talking about LOTR, which are some of the best movies, ever, in any category.
However, I do love movies where there is something un-natural, supernatural going on in the plot, not neccesarily horror, but Twilight Zon-ish, like the movie Harvey, or the Picture of Dorian Gray, or Unbreakable. The recent "The Forgotten" is what I'm talking about, but it was a stupid and lame movie. I was suckered in by the previews, because it had that errie premise, but it was a loser. Do these movies count as fantasy?
Levi--so true on Sky Captain...I wasn't madly in love with it and Gwenth bothered me, but I give it props for being ultra original and refreshing. Michele,
LOTR is indeed, Fantasy. So you do enjoy fantasy when it's well done. More times than not, fantasy movies are not well done and there hasn't been any good ones like there were in my youth:
Dark Crystal
Labyrinth
Neverending Story
Legend
I guess Harry Potter qualifies but I only like bits and pieces of those movies.
Neverending Story and Dark Crystal are great additions to the list. Our family has always enjoyed movies of this genre.
The books are always better, of course. Sometimes it's just cool to see someone else's interpretation of your favorite book. Hopefully these films will motivate more people to READ!
You just named four of my all-time favorite movies... Legend, Willow, LadyHawke and Labyrinth. Dusty hit on a fifth.. Neverending Story.
I also loved Pirates of the Caribbean, but then Johnny Depp does have wonderful talent and I am excited to see the new Tim Burton version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
I have to admit, I just saw Star Wars 3, it was excellent and I cried... yes I cried... now when I see Darth Vadar, I can't help but see the plight and evil of Anakin Skywalker... do you think there is any hope for me?
Yeah, forgot to mention Dark Crystal and Neverending Story. Both wonderful movies. Also loved Princess Bride.
Wish I were rich. I'd love to produce something along these lines.
As for Star Wars III, yeah, Mrs. Zombieslayer and I grabbed each other's hands when Obi Wan shed that last tear as he thought he was leaving behind a dead Annakin. What a sad moment.
What?! You mean you don't want to see Barbwire II ?!
ITS CALLED>>>BARBED WIRE
I adore all of these movies mentioned, but out of the book series you mentioned, the easiest to make would probably be Terry Pratchetts. They would almost have to get unknowns to play these characters, but I'd LOVE too see Nanny Ogg and Death up on the big screen. For that matter, the book "Good Omens" Pratchett & Gaimon did together would be an excellent movie.
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