Monday, February 02, 2009

Dragons are NOT giant monsters

How Not to Make a Giant Monster vs. Vikings and Alien Movie

We've already seen how not to market one, but according to reviews so far, the filmmakers of Outlander could've used some help in creating it too.

The AMC blog (which I don't always agree with) says, "Tragically, the filmmakers had no idea what it is about the idea that set nerdy hearts aflutter. And so they deliver a bush-league, cable television-quality sword-and-dragon actioner -- one that's as goofy as you could imagine, but without the smarts to make the silliness endearing or cool."

Roger Ebert (whom I also don't always agree with, but blindly trust to be thoughtful about his opinions) also says that Outlander is mostly a medieval knight vs. dragon story transplanted into a Viking setting with some scifi decoration that you're not supposed to think too hard about. I don't expect to dislike the movie just because Ebert and AMC did, but they've succeeded in dramatically lowering my expectations for it.

And now for a cool giant monster (and some even cooler giant robots)



Not sure who it's by, but I found it here.



By Otis Frampton.



By Eric Chiang.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Luckily, I live in an area that DID get limited showings of Outlander (two within spitting distance, as a matter of fact). I say "luckily" because I really enjoyed the film, reviews be damned. And so did everyone in my particular showing (although there were only five or six others...on opening night). It was silly enough to be fun, and earnest enough to be badass. So the "dragon" effects were a little bush league...but so what? The heart of the film was the age old tale of a spaceman visiting Vikings, and that's what made the ticket price worthwhile. Well, that and Ron Perlman. It was an old-school action film. Part Predator, part Pathfinder. Even my lady friend enjoyed it. If the premise interests you, the film delivers on its promise.

Michael May said...

It's good to hear a dissenting view. I think I'll enjoy it more if I keep my expectations low, but I'm glad to hear that someone enjoyed it. That means that maybe I will too.

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