They had almost all the right players, all three lead actors bringing what each of their characters needed, and Robert Kirkman, one of the best contemporary horror writers, to create a great darkly comic horror movie . But they hired the wrong director. Chris McKay was too broad and over the top in his approach to several of the film's elements. Like corruption. Make everybody bad. Why are they bad? Because corruption. Why are they corrupt? Because they're bad. And the violence. When people die, make theirs a death with more blood than a human body can possibly contain. Why? Because it's funny. To whom? Someone surely. Well, not me. If you're going to make violence funny, and I'm good with that, the violence needs to be somewhat believable. It wasn't here. So much of this movie was 'too much' for the sake of being 'too much.' This needed a precise approach with a director that understood the material. It needed a Del Toro at the helm or someone brand new, like a Tim Burton circa early -90s eye with a Gareth Edwards Raid: Redemption touch.
But, all that speculating on what it could have been means nothing because it didn't happen and it won't happen. This movie flopped at the box office. No one's going to say, Hey, I see where we went wrong? Let's remake it into something better. That isn't how it works. They remake good movies into bad movies.
But all that said, this isn't a bad movie. I wasn't bored. I enjoyed Cage as I always do. And I saw Hoult in a new light. Before this, he hadn't done anything to give me much of an opinion about him higher than "fine." All the talk about him putting on the cape for Gunn's Superman Legacy has brought me no excitement for that movie, but he imbued a tenderness to Renfield that Superman will need. If he pulls his shoulders back, packs on some muscle, and sheds the boyishness he brings to most of his roles, I think he'd make a great Superman. Also, Renfield did have some really funny lines. I won't spoil it, but the best is Awkwafina"s right after she sees some hardcore carnage. I could have done without the nonsensical happy ending though
I didn't see it in the theater. I almost went, but the middling mreviews kept me home and I'm glad for that. I would have been down on the movie had I spent 20+ bucks to see it. As a watch on Peacock from home on a Sunday morning, it's fine, a smidge shy of good and the reason it just missed "good" is because of that nonsensical Deus Ex Machina ending. It's just unfortunate because it could have sickly and disturbingly great in hands with the skills and nuance to take it on.
But, all that speculating on what it could have been means nothing because it didn't happen and it won't happen. This movie flopped at the box office. No one's going to say, Hey, I see where we went wrong? Let's remake it into something better. That isn't how it works. They remake good movies into bad movies.
But all that said, this isn't a bad movie. I wasn't bored. I enjoyed Cage as I always do. And I saw Hoult in a new light. Before this, he hadn't done anything to give me much of an opinion about him higher than "fine." All the talk about him putting on the cape for Gunn's Superman Legacy has brought me no excitement for that movie, but he imbued a tenderness to Renfield that Superman will need. If he pulls his shoulders back, packs on some muscle, and sheds the boyishness he brings to most of his roles, I think he'd make a great Superman. Also, Renfield did have some really funny lines. I won't spoil it, but the best is Awkwafina"s right after she sees some hardcore carnage. I could have done without the nonsensical happy ending though
I didn't see it in the theater. I almost went, but the middling mreviews kept me home and I'm glad for that. I would have been down on the movie had I spent 20+ bucks to see it. As a watch on Peacock from home on a Sunday morning, it's fine, a smidge shy of good and the reason it just missed "good" is because of that nonsensical Deus Ex Machina ending. It's just unfortunate because it could have sickly and disturbingly great in hands with the skills and nuance to take it on.