If you have ever talked with me about movies or TV shows, you know that I have very eclectic taste in what I do and do not like. Check out my listing of shows for the fall from my tv blog (http://bab5guy-tvreviews.blogspot.com; May, I think) and see what I mean. What always seems to amaze me is how I can enjoy movies when alot of other people I know don't enjoy them. For example, I loved the Star Wars prequels. I enjoyed watching the evolution of Anakin from innocent kid to Jedi to Dark Lord of the Sith as he was corrupted by the Emperor. I felt how his love of others and his compassion allowed him to be twisted by the Emperor. But alot of people say that they couldn't get anything from the performances of Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen. There are many other instances of similar experiences and I have tried to figure out why. Talking with someone Tuesday night while waiting in the lobby of the theatre for Spider-Man, I think I have an idea.
First off, I always try to go into a movie to enjoy it for what it is. It seems to me that too many people try to analyze every movie. Take each movie for what it is and enjoy it. Some movies are meant to be analyzed and dissected (see Inception), other movies are just fluffy fun and need to be taken as such (see G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra), and other movies lie somewhere in between. I think if everyone just let themselves get swept up in the magic of the movies and just enjoyed what they saw, people might appreciate the movies more.
Second, be careful with expectations. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I have expectations. For example, when I heard that X-Men: The Last Stand had the Phoenix in it, I was super excited. While I never read the comics, I loved the X-Men cartoon and the Phoenix and Dark Phoenix Sagas were my favorite episodes. So I was severely disappointed at how the Phoenix was treated in the movie. Likewise, with movies adapted from books, there are going to be expectations based on the content of the books. But also realize that when a book is adapted to a movie, there is going to be a certain amount of loss. Plots generally have to be changed, characters may have to be taken out or changed, etc. Now, I do want to say that not all changes are good. If a movie betrays the source material and changes too much, it ends up sucking big time (see The Firm for what I consider a classic example). Just go into the movie knowing that and ask yourself afterwards if the change was necessary. If it was and it either enhanced the plot or kept it status quo, then don't sweat it.
Third, everyone needs to stop being so damn cynical. I cannot say how many times I have heard people complain about a movie coming out in 3D only because they can make more money. Well, of course that is a big part of it! Companies exist to make money and provide goods and/or services that people will buy. If they can do something legitimately that will make them more money than do be it! If you don't want to pay the money, don't see the movie in 3D. Easy solution.
Just some thoughts I had. Do you have any?
No comments:
Post a Comment