Prepare for Doomsday - 3.2.2008.1

So what do you do if you are in Hollywood, you don’t have a remake available, no ‘revisioned’ classic television shows on the table, and nary a comic book (even an unpopular one) in site? You make up a movie with bits of other films, no name actors, and a low budget.

That is how I would describe the previews of Doomsday. A bit of several good money-making clips with a pro-feminist twist for good measure. I mean the while thing reminds me of 5 sci-fi films (not counting low budget films). Those movies are Escape from New York, 28 Days Later, Mad Max, Transporter (ok, not a sci-fi but action), and Alien.

From what I can tell we start with 28 Days Later, because some virus is released killing a good part of the world, or threatens to. A last bastion of humanity is secluded in a walled off city (Day of the Dead/Aeon Flux/Waterworld/Resident Evil). Out in the badlands surrounding the city is a crazy chaotic new society of (probably) post-apocalyptic mutants/survivors. So an adventurer/loner that travels the wasteland (Mad Max) is given a mission because a cure was identified and lost or otherwise unattainable. The Loner/adventurer needs to get whatever it is and bring it back. The loner has a souped up vehicle (Transporter/Knight Rider/Ghost Rider) to help do this. Of course the Item is held in the stronghold of the mutant/survivors (Escape from New York) that have their own barbaric society based on brutality. I’m sure they throw a timeframe ticking away too.

Oh. Where does Alien come in? Like in that movie we have a heroine, because that sells really well these days.

Seriously, this all does not bode well for the film. Besides being formulaic, when was the last time you saw a film that blatantly stole ideas from better films well? Excluding, in fact, including spoofs. The low budget aspect virtually ensures that the below-the-line costs of the film were spent on the special effects. Probably a good bit of the above-the-line too.

So the net of it all is what? A less than entertaining mash-up of ideas done better previously. My suggestion is to skip spending the $20 or so per person to see this in the theater. Wait 6 months and get the DVD for $10 - 15 and watch it on a rainy/snowy night when the car is busted.

Could I be wrong? Sure, but the odds of this being good are about the same as television suddenly realizing the world is made up of more than just White people. I’d sooner bet on Britney Spears making a comeback and/or being named mother of the year than this movie being a hit. The only real positive for it is that the female lead is good looking, and there isn’t another action or sci-fi film out to compete with it. [Jumper is so bad as to not count.]

If you are masochistic enough to see this film in theaters, do let me know how close I’ve come.

Previews of 2008 films - 11.30.2007.1

Recently I was in the movies watching the Hitman movie and of course before the film there were several trailers. One of the trailers was for the new Will Smith film I Am Legend. I think that will be a good remake, this is the 4th reiteration of the film. I’ve spoken about this film before.

But there were 2 other trailers that also caught my attention. Both have A-list stars in them, and in each one of those stars is also African American. Both are Sci-fi films, and as longtime readers know I love comic books, video games and scifi. (Yes I’m a bit of a geek) But the big differences in the 2 films are the date they will be coming out and the quality of the films. One will bomb almost assuredly, the other should do well as long as it’s not up against Iron Man.

I’ll start with the worst and go to the best.

Jumper is trash. Not only did I get that impression from the trailer, but it is confirmed when the trailer states the movie will be out in mid-February. The worst of films almost always start off the year and appear between the middle of January thru February. It’s a dead time, with only a slight break for romance movies targeting the Valentine’s Day holiday. But romance movies don’t bring in the money.

This film has several fatal flaws. They are so big even Mr. Samuel Jackson can’t save the film with his presence. The big problem? They went for CGI heavy effects and forgot about the plot, and you can’t blame this on the writers strike. As you can see in the clip, the main character is a X-men-esque type with the power to jump from anyplace in the world to any other. Ok. Anything he holds onto goes with him. OK. So when he jumps to some other place in the world how can a rope catch him half a world away and pull him back? The rope was after the fact, and once it went through shouldn’t Mr. Jackson be pulled to the kid? Sci-fi films that rip off good ideas for quick bucks on a gimmick tend to fail. So will this I bet. See for yourself.



On the other end of the spectrum we have a more action based film with sci fi elements. WANTED looks to do quite well. It has Mr. Morgan Freeman (as a headmaster assassin – a bit different if he really is a bad guy), and the lovely Mrs. Angelina Jolie. It a movie about top assassins, so good that the laws of physics fail. [Yes a Matrix rip off, but it looks like they paid for a plot too] Our everyday guy, turned super killer looks plain vanilla enough. The chance for massive gunfights with really hi-tech guns seems excellent. And Mrs. Jolie looks great in those outfits.



Neither film will win an Oscar, granted. But my money says that WANTED is a winner, and Jumper will only look like a strong film when compared to Redacted or Lions for Lambs (the theme of both I hate, and happy to see them burning up in red tape).

Well you know what I think, what do you think of them. Which does better? And I still say Iron Man is the early leader for best blockbuster, and overall best film, of the year 2008.