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roeperdan
Reviews
Earthsea (2004)
Lack of character motivation mirrors lack of viewer motivation
One of the main problem is the massacre of most of the motivations that guided Ged & helped me relate to him as a character. In the original, Ged started out with a delight in control over other creatures; this delight was warped by his pride, which was the origin and core of the conflict. His desire to impress arises from his interactions with a witch's daughter, leading to his first summoning of the shadow (not to mention the fact that the daughter plays a key role later in the story). In an equal-and-opposite kind of way, Ged's pride and power unleashed his own potential destruction. The mini-series detaches the characters from almost any sense of motivation, turning them into pieces passionlessly moving about in something akin to a bad D & D adventure.
For the record, I voted with a rating of 2/10. Under ordinary circumstances, I need to black out from the pain before I rate something this low; unfortunately, the fact that the movie claims to somehow be related to Le Guin's series warrants a further deduction for misrepresentation.
Earthsea (2004)
Lack of character motivation mirrors lack of viewer motivation
One of the main problem is the massacre of most of the motivations that guided Ged & helped me relate to him as a character. In the original, Ged started out with a delight in control over other creatures; this delight was warped by his pride, which was the origin and core of the conflict. His desire to impress arises from his interactions with a witch's daughter, leading to his first summoning of the shadow (not to mention the fact that the daughter plays a key role later in the story). In an equal-and-opposite kind of way, Ged's pride and power unleashed his own potential destruction. The mini-series detaches the characters from almost any sense of motivation, turning them into pieces passionlessly moving about in something akin to a bad D & D adventure.
For the record, I voted with a rating of 2/10. Under ordinary circumstances, I need to black out from the pain before I rate something this low; unfortunately, the fact that the movie claims to somehow be related to Le Guin's series warrants a further deduction for misrepresentation.
Lost in Space (1998)
Made(poorly) for kids
With a pseudo-infant CGI Jar Jar Binks-ish creature and painful moments where even heroic suspension of disbelief won't do, this film will still be enjoyable for children 8-12 who are used to Saturday cartoons that are only slightly better.
The Time Machine (2002)
H.G. Wells had it right the first time
H.G. Wells' original story had an excellent set up, a good, eccentric main character, a suspenseful storyline, and a poignant and still applicable social commentary. This Planet of the Apes wannabe/ripoff took the original concept, removed anything of value, and replaced it with a cliched & predictable pseudo-love story, cheap CGI, and a dramatically repetitive soundtrack. On the positive side, it will serve as an inspiration for future generations to build a time machine and destroy the film before it can be distributed...
The Smokers (2000)
The photography on the cover of the box was the only good part of the film
This movie is an insult to film makers and movie watchers everywhere. The premise is offensive. To say the acting is "bad" is an insult to truly bad acting. The lighting, writing, sound, and camera work make my dad's Super 8 home movies look good. If you were to turn it on in the middle of the film, you would think you were watching a home video. Made by a child. In a coma.