whos_thedaddy

Now, I know better than to judge a film by the teasing trailers that are set upon us months before, but this time I have. It will never happen again. Its been 24 hours since I saw it, and I am still astonished and slightly annoyed at just how completely different the eventual film turned out to be. I was expecting a dark/serious movie aimed at adults with real substance. I shouldn't have expected so much, as, after all this is a Michael Bay movie. Explosions, action, dumb comedy, silly camera angles, hard to follow action scenes centred around an over charismatic lead 'kid' who saves the day by somehow avoiding gun fire and crumbling buildings. But don't forget, he also picks up a bird along the way, who by the way is incredibly hot. It is so ridiculous and clichéd its almost a parody of an action movie. Its either that or Michael Bay is actually taking the p**s out of himself and his previous movie attempts. I sat there in dis-belief for the most part relentlessly asking myself why? Why on gods earth did the owners of the transformers franchise give the reigns to that unimaginative fool.

Now, don't get me entirely wrong, it is entertaining and the kids will love it, but thats the problem, its just completely and utterly devoid of any sort visual emotion or substance that it simply doesn't qualify as a proper film. Its just, well, a waste. But, in its defence, the special effects are truly unbelievable and the whole film is great to look at aesthetically. Oh yeah and the Chevy Camero has to get a mention.

Now, upon seeing this at the cinema, I came out of the theatre feeling a little underwhelmed by it, but enjoyed it nonetheless. However, it was only when I watched it again on DVD that I realise how much of a colossal wasted opportunity this really was.

George Lucas is the only person to blame for this, which may seem harsh, but given the resources and creative brains available within the movie industry, it is so utterly astounding that he managed to completely ruin the franchise through the latest two severely mediocre films (by this I mean episode 2 and 3, not including 1, for which I will explain later). But I know why, and it is so sad that these films were made to be examples of the latest 'technology' on offer to filmmakers. Yes, I am talking about the birth of the digital age, and it seems that George Lucas has been well and truly seduced, brainwashed into thinking that digital technology will enhance the movie experience. No it doesn't, and No it hasn't. He has made such an astronomical mess of episode 3 (even more so than 2), that he's rendered it almost unwatchable, and difficult to generate any of the visual emotion that was created with the original trilogy, and in Episode 1.

I felt that people unnecessarily gunned down the Phantom menace, but I urge you to watch it again, as it clearly the superior of the three latest offerings. Even in 1999, 16 years after ROTJ, George Lucas didn't have as much CGI manipulation as is available now, and as a result, had to almost make do as he did with the original trilogy to achieve the 'same' results. Therefore the film doesn't rely on the CGI as much as E2 AND E3 simply because there wasn't as much available, and as a result totally captured the essence of the original trilogy. It relied on acting, sets, costumes, props, puppets, and traditional film - all the ingredients necessary to create the fantastical and magical film that Star wars is all about. Instead we saw a complete barrage of CGI to the point where it looked like I was watching a video game. Literally everything was superimposed, and I mean EVERYTHING. Even the Jedi somersaults weren't real. Why bother with actors. You may as well turn it into a cartoon. I can just about put up with Jar Jar Bink's popping up every now and then , but I simply cannot forget or take my mind of the false environments created by CGI. There is no CGI available, and never will be, that can create or be a substitute for seeing something real, even if it is a £4.99 puppet head bought from the local supermarket. I thought Lucas would've learnt from his mistake with episode II, realised it was awful and gone back to traditional methods. Maybe he thought it was good? Filming on digital doesn't create the same look as traditional film and it is so glaringly obvious. Why George Lucas didn't notice this, or realise, is criminal. Yes using film costs more and is less resourceful, but this to me is an example of total and complete impatience on Lucas' part. Of course the movie will be made quicker and 'on time', but its at the expense of creative flair and quality of the movie, and ultimately, the franchise itself.

So the visual emotion and magic of 1,4,5 and 6 are well and truly gone, CGI has infiltrated Lucas' head and completely brainwashed him. But I don't just have an issue with the methods used to make the film. The whole thing was all a bit predictable. Yeah we knew what was going to happen but someone needed to get hold of the script and be a bit clever. I think with all the brainwashing of CGI George Lucas has forgotten the basic elements of film making altogether. Good Acting and Creative flair will always prevail. Its Just a shame Episode III is finished and now, .....well.... thats it.

George Lucas has stated that he will never make another movie using traditional film. God help us.

now I thought undercover brother was the worst film id ever seen. This has clinched it.

Scray movie 3 was a hell of an improvement over 2 (which by the way was probably in my top 5 of worst ever films), but this is absolutely awful and the worst of all of them. How many times can someone being smacked in the face be funny? I really cannot believe that someone has 1) bothered to wake up in the morning to make such rubbish, and 2) actually think that it is going to be funny. Yes its a spoof, but No it isn't funny. Whoever agreed to be in this film must've been bored.

Avoid. Its absolutely terrible in the worst sense of the word.

This is a very hard hitting film, and as a result contains very little in terms of joy and happiness. The majority of the film is extremely depressing and it seems that the director/writer has tried their best to upset the audience and provoke emotion right from the start.

Due to the title of the film, as well as the small summary I read in the newspaper, its quite upsetting from the start, as you know whats coming next. For the first 5-10 minutes your just waiting for Jimmy to kill himself, its obvious he has some psychological problems and possibly suffering from depression, but it seems such a drastic way of dealing with it.

However, depression is such a powerful mind state that I can understand how much it can overwhelm someone so much to cause them to do such a thing. But I think it highlights the fact that even someone that seemingly has everything going for them can get become severely depressed, despite what other people see.

But more significantly I think it highlight's the way teenagers are, such as the feeling of life bearing down on you, as well as the difficulty of making life decisions, which can be very daunting, and that growing up at this age isn't as much fun as you might think. Parents, for example, find difficult to take in, as to them , you are young and have yourwhole life ahead of you because their life has become so straightforward. But for younger people things aren't always so simple.

The film is quite hard to watch, but it does make you aware of how different people come to terms with death, and especially in the extreme case of this film. Its very well acted and draws you in due to its shocking circumstances, but you might find yourself switching it off, as I almost did, because I couldn't bear to see any more sadness. Like I said, there isn't much joy in this film, but definitely worth a watch.