I went in thinking, "Oh, it'll be like King of the Monsters combined with Robotech," which turned out to be wrong.
You know what it actually was? The closest thing to an AWESOME Voltron movie that we will ever get.
Any chance Guillermor del Toro can buy the rights to Voltron and just fold this into the origin story?
At the part where Mako finished off that fight by deploying Gipsy Danger's sword, I may have let out a slightly audible "F--- yeah" at the Voltron-icity of it all. \m/
I went in thinking, "Oh, it'll be like King of the Monsters combined with Robotech," which turned out to be wrong.
You know what it actually was? The closest thing to an AWESOME Voltron movie that we will ever get.
Any chance Guillermor del Toro can buy the rights to Voltron and just fold this into the origin story?
At the part where Mako finished off that fight by deploying Gipsy Danger's sword, I may have let out a slightly audible "F--- yeah" at the Voltron-icity of it all. \m/
And Pacific Rim is quickly fading away at the box office, dropping to #6 this weekend. Not a healthy sign at all.
The Conjuring claims #1; Despicable Me 2, still hanging strong, slips to #2; Turbo debuts at #3.
Other notable debuts aren't doing well at all: Reds 2 comes in at #5 and RIPD is dead on arrival at #7.
That's a bummer. Pacific Rim deserved better.
I haven't seen the actual numbers yet, just the standings, so I don't know what the total sales have totaled up to thus far, but I think that if there's going to be a sequel then the international sales are going to have to be spectacular from here on out.
And Pacific Rim is quickly fading away at the box office, dropping to #6 this weekend. Not a healthy sign at all.
The Conjuring claims #1; Despicable Me 2, still hanging strong, slips to #2; Turbo debuts at #3.
Other notable debuts aren't doing well at all: Reds 2 comes in at #5 and RIPD is dead on arrival at #7.
That's a bummer. Pacific Rim deserved better.
I haven't seen the actual numbers yet, just the standings, so I don't know what the total sales have totaled up to thus far, but I think that if there's going to be a sequel then the international sales are going to have to be spectacular from here on out.
$180 million around the world, $70 million in the US (or as I prefer to call it "at home") and $110 million overseas ("on the road").
Probably going to end up "OK", but I kinda doubt anyone will be rushing to make a sequel.
I've heard the number one complaint (at least in America) is that the humans are just kinda "bleh". Like, nothing special or interesting about any of them. Is this true?
I didn't notice. I don't watch a movie in which giant robots fight monsters because for the human element. The pilots could have been played by balloons with faces drawn on them and it wouldn't have mattered to me.
I've been listening to a couple of radio programs that have been addressing this year's box office bombs -- and, yes, they've been including Pacific Rim in that group -- and the consensus appears to be that, more than anything else, the thing that has turned off most of the potential audience is that all of the films are exactly alike. There's nothing new to catch the interest.
That is, regardless of whether the story is about masked cowboys or giant mecha, the stories all follow the same basic story beats to the point where, if you transferred the dialogue from one to the other, it would still make sense. It would sound a little weird, but the basic dialogue would still track to the situations.
That, and the general audience is getting 'shell-shocked' from all of the over-the-top levels of SFX and general destruction.
I didn't notice. I don't watch a movie in which giant robots fight monsters because for the human element. The pilots could have been played by balloons with faces drawn on them and it wouldn't have mattered to me.
Hmm... are you a fan of the Michael Bay Transformers films?
I've been listening to a couple of radio programs that have been addressing this year's box office bombs -- and, yes, they've been including Pacific Rim in that group -- and the consensus appears to be that, more than anything else, the thing that has turned off most of the potential audience is that all of the films are exactly alike. There's nothing new to catch the interest.
That is, regardless of whether the story is about masked cowboys or giant mecha, the stories all follow the same basic story beats to the point where, if you transferred the dialogue from one to the other, it would still make sense. It would sound a little weird, but the basic dialogue would still track to the situations.
That, and the general audience is getting 'shell-shocked' from all of the over-the-top levels of SFX and general destruction.
I would agree with that analysis. Remember about a decade ago when disaster movies were the big summer movie theme? After a while, they just seemed to merge plots (I'm looking at you, "Knowing") I think comic book type movies are quickly approaching that point of flooding the market (sounds like the Big 2's events!)
I also wonder if the domestic (US) audience may finally be pushing back against the sorts of movies that are made with a global market in mind. Which is to say, a lot of these movies don't prioritize nuance and dialogue when the majority of people they are actually aiming for don't have English as a first language anyway.
I think comic book type movies are quickly approaching that point of flooding the market (sounds like the Big 2's events!)
M
Movies imitating (comics) art. Find a movie list coming out of SDCC, it's almost depressing to look at. I enjoy seeing comic movies, but damn there are only so much of the same I want see.
I also wonder if the domestic (US) audience may finally be pushing back against the sorts of movies that are made with a global market in mind. Which is to say, a lot of these movies don't prioritize nuance and dialogue when the majority of people they are actually aiming for don't have English as a first language anyway.
I would think so. I don't think that particular problem would dawn upon or influence the Hollywood money in any significant way until it was way, way late in the game, but I do agree that this is a significant part of the problem.
...on the other hand, I prize the diverse casting that happens when a Global Audience is keyed in...
That's a good point- and I agree a positive part of it. Though I suppose, when it comes to the big global tentpole movies more and more humans in general, regardless of nationality, are taking a back seat to the computer generated cast.
My hope is that the eventual backlash against enormous spectacle will be that there will be increased success for the lower budget, lower spectacle movies that are more about people being people. That both can exist side-by-side, and more screens will be available for something other than the big superhero/robot/monster thing if people support it and show up.
I think comic book type movies are quickly approaching that point of flooding the market (sounds like the Big 2's events!)
M
Movies imitating (comics) art. Find a movie list coming out of SDCC, it's almost depressing to look at. I enjoy seeing comic movies, but damn there are only so much of the same I want see.
Looking down the line at the upcoming comic book movie line up, if I could only see 3 in the theatre from today until 2015, 2 of those would be X-Men & Avengers 2. They feel...better then the solo movies. I'd rather have a hand of (presumed) kickass movies then a plethora of really good movies.
I also wonder if the domestic (US) audience may finally be pushing back against the sorts of movies that are made with a global market in mind. Which is to say, a lot of these movies don't prioritize nuance and dialogue when the majority of people they are actually aiming for don't have English as a first language anyway.
You're not saying that Hollywood is dumbing down films for foreign audiences, are you?
I also wonder if the domestic (US) audience may finally be pushing back against the sorts of movies that are made with a global market in mind. Which is to say, a lot of these movies don't prioritize nuance and dialogue when the majority of people they are actually aiming for don't have English as a first language anyway.
You're not saying that Hollywood is dumbing down films for foreign audiences, are you?
Oh, they are definitely dumbing it down for the foreign audiences. The American films most popular with the foreign audiences are the action films. The less dialogue, the better. It's the LCD in action.
I also wonder if the domestic (US) audience may finally be pushing back against the sorts of movies that are made with a global market in mind. Which is to say, a lot of these movies don't prioritize nuance and dialogue when the majority of people they are actually aiming for don't have English as a first language anyway.
You're not saying that Hollywood is dumbing down films for foreign audiences, are you?
More specifically, I am saying that movies are relying on visual and technical excellence over language and acting, perhaps more than ever. As the potential market is more and more people who may not be native to the language of the film. To be clear, I am not saying that the domestic audience is smarter than the international audience. Rather it is a change in how the story is communicated. And therefore what is prioritized.
I also wonder if the domestic (US) audience may finally be pushing back against the sorts of movies that are made with a global market in mind. Which is to say, a lot of these movies don't prioritize nuance and dialogue when the majority of people they are actually aiming for don't have English as a first language anyway.
You're not saying that Hollywood is dumbing down films for foreign audiences, are you?
More specifically, I am saying that movies are relying on visual and technical excellence over language and acting, perhaps more than ever. As the potential market is more and more people who may not be native to the language of the film. To be clear, I am not saying that the domestic audience is smarter than the international audience. Rather it is a change in how the story is communicated. And therefore what is prioritized.
I didn't notice. I don't watch a movie in which giant robots fight monsters because for the human element. The pilots could have been played by balloons with faces drawn on them and it wouldn't have mattered to me.
Really? I mean sure, some movies look great, but upon second viewings don't you want to have some connection to the characters?
Comments
The Conjuring claims #1; Despicable Me 2, still hanging strong, slips to #2; Turbo debuts at #3.
Other notable debuts aren't doing well at all: Reds 2 comes in at #5 and RIPD is dead on arrival at #7.
Probably going to end up "OK", but I kinda doubt anyone will be rushing to make a sequel.
I've heard the number one complaint (at least in America) is that the humans are just kinda "bleh". Like, nothing special or interesting about any of them. Is this true?
That is, regardless of whether the story is about masked cowboys or giant mecha, the stories all follow the same basic story beats to the point where, if you transferred the dialogue from one to the other, it would still make sense. It would sound a little weird, but the basic dialogue would still track to the situations.
That, and the general audience is getting 'shell-shocked' from all of the over-the-top levels of SFX and general destruction.
M
I would think so. I don't think that particular problem would dawn upon or influence the Hollywood money in any significant way until it was way, way late in the game, but I do agree that this is a significant part of the problem.
My hope is that the eventual backlash against enormous spectacle will be that there will be increased success for the lower budget, lower spectacle movies that are more about people being people. That both can exist side-by-side, and more screens will be available for something other than the big superhero/robot/monster thing if people support it and show up.
It's the rare non-spectacle film I'll spend theater bucks for.*
The Way, Way Back for instance, went straight to my stream or rent list.
*And tickets are a heckuva lot cheaper here in the sticks.
M
I went to Much Ado.