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darkhawk
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 Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 11:26 am Post subject: Off the Cuff - #105 – Fantastic Four next Harry Potter? |
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Off the Cuff – Edition 105
By Eric Barrett
Comics, Cartoons, and all things related
*I haven’t seen the new Fantastic 4 movie, but from what I can tell people either loved it or hated it. Personally I can’t see how it is any good based on previews. Yes, I realize that I should watch the movie before I judge it. But I firmly believe that the more advertising tie-ins a movie has the worse it is. When the NBA runs “the Fantastic 4 to watch” during the NBA finals, you know you have something to be wary of.
On the one hand I’m thrilled that there are so many comic book movies out there. Comic books / cartoons are by far my favorite form of entertainment. I think it’s great that this has been translated onto the Big Screen.
But there are just some things you can’t do in movies that you can with these other mediums. Take displaying power or special skills for instance. The recent Superman movie nearly broke the bank for the studio. It was ridiculously expensive to film. But when you watched that movie did you ever get the feeling you were even glimpsing a fraction of the power he has in the comic books? How do you translate that level of ability to the Big Screen? I don’t believe you can, at least not yet.
Stories are another great example. Cartoon storylines (at least anime) and comic books tend to have more involved and drawn out plots. Often covering multiple issues or episodes. Movies, because they ask people to sit in one spot for two hours must be more limited in their approach. As someone who loves stories, I can’t but help be drawn towards mediums where “deeper” stories are told.
That’s not to say movies are inferior, they are just different.
So while I love to see new superhero movies come out, it is always with some trepidation. This is the “other hand” of this column: I worry that people will become burned out on superheroes. Lets face it, the American public does not have the longest attention span. Our entire society is geared around mass producing an idea until the consumer is burned out, and then moving on to the next “novelty”. Are superheroes going to become the next product to be thrown to the side?
And I am not immune to those effects.
If the new Fantastic 4 movie came out 5 years ago I would have seen it for sure. But now? There are just too many other “big” movies coming out. And I can’t see the Fantastic 4 being better than any of them in terms of entertainment value (although it might beat Spider-Man 3). So I doubt I’ll watch it anytime soon.
So what does this mean for the future of comic book movies? That’s an excellent question, I’m glad you asked. I suspect they will be thrown off the side of the Hollywood bridge at some point. My hope at that point will be that comic book characters have become “main stream” enough to appeal to the general public. Has the Fantastic Four done for superheroes what Harry Potter has done for wizards?
The opinions stated in here solely reflect the opinions of the author. If you would like to comment on some of the items in this article, please feel free to post in the forum or send an e-mail. All characters, titles, and etc. are owned and ©; their respective publishers and creators- the author and StillontheShelf.com makes no claim towards them. This column is intended as an opinion piece only. Off the Cuff is ©; Eric Barrett. Please report any broken links!
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BlakeMP
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| Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 11:12 am Post subject: |
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I actually very much liked FF:ROTSS. Doom still sucked (sadly), but other than that, it was a lot of fun.
And infinitely better than Spider-Man 3.
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darkhawk
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| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:57 pm Post subject: |
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I suppose that makes me more inclined to go see it. Although you are probably more sympathetic to the FF in general, than I am.
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BlakeMP
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| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:59 pm Post subject: |
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Quite the opposite, actually. I love the FF, and went in very much prepared to be snarky and critical. More the fool me when, for the most part, they got things just right.
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darkhawk
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 6:17 am Post subject: |
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Well that's good enough for me (man I hated to type that). But if you were prepared to be snarky and it turned out okay, that says I lot.
Now the problem becomes, when do I go see it between Die Hard, Harry Potter, and Transformers?
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crayfish
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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| darkhawk wrote: | | Now the problem becomes, when do I go see it between Die Hard, Harry Potter, and Transformers? |
The answer is very simple: Harry Potter will be in the theater the longest, so you can probably squeeze Fantastic Four in between Die Hard and Transformers. Transformers is going to be the most flammable of all the movies (it has the highest risk factor of stinking and not catching audience). Die Hard will probably be good although I am petrified that it will remind of the disaster that was Lethal Weapon 4. Harry Potter has a rabid and fanatical devotion (not unlike what Monty Pyhton would tell you) that will alone keep the movie in the theater no matter how bad it is. If Goblet of Fire can be a success then almost no Harry Potter movie can fail.
Personally I didn't mind either of the Fantastic Four movies, but I cannot possibly tell you that I was overwhelmed with either one of them. My reaction to both when leaving the theater was "meh."
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darkhawk
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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I agree about Transformers, it has a lot of positive buzz right now, but what will happen when it actually hits the theaters? There are a lot of already formed opinions on what a Transformers movie should look like.
Lethal Weapon 4 was a nightmare, I would trust Bruce Willis wouldn't be in such a bad movie.
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crayfish
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| Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 8:08 am Post subject: |
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| darkhawk wrote: | | ...I would trust Bruce Willis wouldn't be in such a bad movie. |
I am inclined to agree, but this is not a bulletproof assumption. You understand if you sat through The Whole Ten Yards.
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darkhawk
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| Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 8:42 am Post subject: |
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Yes, I hope you're right. But he seems to make a lot better choices with his movies than a lot of actors. Arnold's last few movies (Eraser) were pretty awful. So it can happen.
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Craig Reade
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| Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 11:23 am Post subject: |
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| BlakeMP wrote: | | Quite the opposite, actually. I love the FF, and went in very much prepared to be snarky and critical. More the fool me when, for the most part, they got things just right. |
I kind of felt this way about the first FF movie. I didn't even bother to see it in the theater. By the time I rented it, my expectations were so low that I found I actually enjoyed the first one.
Strange how that works...
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BlakeMP
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| Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 11:58 am Post subject: |
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Like I always say: ignore the hype. 
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darkhawk
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| Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 6:22 am Post subject: |
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Except hype is the leading indicator of failure for movies....
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