Dark Knight "trailer" in front of I Am Legend IMAX

[Crafty_Pat]

I still think that reloaded could've been salvaged by a good Revolutions. Instead it got the nails hammered into its coffin. I mean, between the two sequels, I'd rather watch Reloaded

Whereas I feel exactly the opposite. I don't think Revolutions was a great film by any stretch, but it was, IMHO, leagues better than Reloaded, which had precisely zero human drama, an endless cavalcade of uninspired milksap characters, and only one or two semi-tolerable action sequences to keep the audience from slitting their own throats with makeshift slushee straw shivs. And the armchair philosophy butchering! Ye gods, it was atrocious! It was like someone took three or four hundred random, incomplete thoughts overheard in middle school, wrote them in black lipstick on toilet paper, and tossed them in a hat for a party game. Then someone else threw up in the hat before the first pull.

I hate Reloaded with the passion of at least seven or eight hundred fiery suns. Hate. I thought it was unforgivable tripe, and when Revolutions came along I thought, "Finally! The in- and out-of-Matrix war story I wanted the first time around!" Sure, they fumbled that ball, too, but at least they didn't spike it into my crotch.

/rant

[Gentry]

Will Smith has made some very shrewd career choices, in that he seems to try and pick a mediocre script and then give a performance that rises above it (Hitch, anyone?).  In practice, it's given him the appearance of a big-time leading man, the black Brad Pitt, if you will.  Unfortunately, it means most of his films are generally reviewed with language like "Smith is good, but he's not enough to save the film."

 

Also, he turned down the Matrix to do Wild Wild West, instead. Very shrewd.

Yeah, BUT. 

As has been stated, he probably wouldn't have done well in Matrix, whereas he was about the only watchable thing *in* Wild Wild West.  Reviews of the film tend to include phrasing like "Will Smith is better than this" or "Will Smith needs to stop appearing in crap than this" or "Will Smith was criminally misused/miscast in this film" or "Smith is ok, but he isn't enough to save the film, which is otherwise complete crap".  He got a total pass for Wild Wild West (as did most of the cast, but still).  And it made him a dump truck full of money.

Was it a turkey?  You betcha--a stinking pile of the highest magnitude.  Was it a shrewd career move?  Surprisingly, yes. 

[Bill Whitmore]

Huh, I liked Wild Wild West.  I never realized that it was such a harbinger of hatred before.

[Sletchman]

Huh, I liked Wild Wild West.  I never realized that it was such a harbinger of hatred before.

Same.

Also does anyoen know if the Dark Knight 7 mins in front of I Am Legend applies to the Aussie Imax?  If so I'll definately see it at the Imax down the road from my place.  Even if I Am Legend is only passable, the 6 buck admission is nearly worth the dark knight gear.

[Mister Andersen]

Huh, I liked Wild Wild West.  I never realized that it was such a harbinger of hatred before.

One of the main problems ironically was the casting of Smith - a blackman doing what he does in the film at that time in history was a big suspension of disblief a lot of people couldn't make. Another was the changing of Loveless from a dwarf into a spider-legged cripple, and a third was the complete rewriting of the friendship between the agents into bitter competetiveness.

[TheAuldGrump]

In other words, the more you liked and/or respected the original the more you hated the remake.

'Let's rewrite the main character to make him a black man! Then make his being black one of the major plotlines!'

Then they tried to turn it into MiB: the Wild West.

The Auld Grump

[Crafty_Pat]

Also does anyoen know if the Dark Knight 7 mins in front of I Am Legend applies to the Aussie Imax?  If so I'll definately see it at the Imax down the road from my place.  Even if I Am Legend is only passable, the 6 buck admission is nearly worth the dark knight gear.

Haven't heard. All the news reports I've read simply say "IMAX" without region distinction. If I see anything, I'll let you know though.

And on Wild West, I didn't hate the movie. I think it was silly, but I didn't hate it.

Makes for a great Kevin Smith story, though.

[Wolverine]

Haven't heard. All the news reports I've read simply say "IMAX" without region distinction. If I see anything, I'll let you know though.

The easy answer would be to go down to your local IMAX and ask them if they'll be showing the clip. The problem with that is, if your local IMAX staff are anything like mine, they'll stare at you blankly and not have a clue about what's going on.

For those who don't want to wait, you can read here what you'll see in during the clip. Sounds pretty bad-ass.

[Krensky]

In other words, the more you liked and/or respected the original the more you hated the remake.

'Let's rewrite the main character to make him a black man! Then make his being black one of the major plotlines!'

Then they tried to turn it into MiB: the Wild West.

The Auld Grump

I wouldn't necessarily say that, Gump. I truly liked the original series and watch it when ever I see it's on.  I also watch the movie when it's on.  They're both "Wild, Wild West", they're just different "Wild, Wild West"s.  The TV show is a great tv show, and the movie is a great movie.¹  Not really different then a Golden Age and Silver Age superhero.  You need to take both of them separately, since comparing them directly or complaining that the movie isn't the television series (or vice versa) is pointless.

¹ Please note, I said movie, not film or piece of cinema.  It's a creative endeavor and an entertaining piece of storytelling, but I would not call it art.  Like most movies it's intent is to be escapist entertainment that makes those involved money in the process.  It succeeded, not as well as the studio wanted, but it did make money and it is entertaining.

[Antilles]

Makes for a great Kevin Smith story, though.

Oh man, that was awesome. Kevin Smith is hilarious.

[Sletchman]

Haven't heard. All the news reports I've read simply say "IMAX" without region distinction. If I see anything, I'll let you know though.

The easy answer would be to go down to your local IMAX and ask them if they'll be showing the clip. The problem with that is, if your local IMAX staff are anything like mine, they'll stare at you blankly and not have a clue about what's going on.

For those who don't want to wait, you can read here what you'll see in during the clip. Sounds pretty bad-ass.

I tried that at my local Imax, and got the same blank looks, and the only bloke there who's relatively switched on just didn't know for sure.  If its not, I'll just download the cam like everyone else.

[Nepenthe]

As has been stated, he probably wouldn't have done well in Matrix, whereas he was about the only watchable thing *in* Wild Wild West.  Reviews of the film tend to include phrasing like "Will Smith is better than this" or "Will Smith needs to stop appearing in crap than this" or "Will Smith was criminally misused/miscast in this film" or "Smith is ok, but he isn't enough to save the film, which is otherwise complete crap".  He got a total pass for Wild Wild West (as did most of the cast, but still).  And it made him a dump truck full of money.

Considering Kevin Kline was in it as well, I wouldn't go that far. Maybe he's too "stage" to be considered a serious movie actor?

[Gentry]

Kevin Kline's a little different story, to me.    To my mind, he's the sort of actor that disappears into a film--he can help it triumph, but he'll never be the one that saves it.  He's had some standout roles (as in A Fish Called Wanda), but even then he's working as part of an ensemble.  Kline's not a leading man.  He's just not that guy.  Will Smith, on the other hand, *is* that guy, and has forged a very clear career path in that direction. 

[Crafty_Pat]

Makes for a great Kevin Smith story, though.

Oh man, that was awesome. Kevin Smith is hilarious.

I saw that story told live at Comic-Con and man, I still chuckle every time I think about it. That man can rock a room like no one else.

[Wolverine]

Watch it now while you still can

I REALLY want to see this movie. Now!