Main Menu

Dredd (2012)

Started by Goaty, 06 September, 2011, 11:51:16 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Fuzzed

I'm just saying Urban has his own appeal, and yes, even with his face covered up they are going. Some are wailing and rending their clothes over it, but they are still going.

As for Trekkers, even those who hated nuTrek were mostly won over by his McCoy, and liked him over even Captain friggin' Kirk himself. Myself, I thought Chris Pine did a fantastic job. Very impressed.

No, I'm not saying he will draw the masses in and make Dredd a success, although good for him - and us -  if it does; I'm just saying Dredd will appeal to a wider audience than die-hard fanboys who haunt the net/comic fans/ sword and sorcery fans/ sci-fi fans. Dredd doesn't appear niche or cult - comic Dredd, yes, but not this film Dredd.

I actually liked Pathfinder and Doom and Riddick (which is getting a sequel and he will be back for it), all could be better but still, far from terrible fare. Priest, not so much, at all, which was a shame because the imagery was, as mentioned by others before, pretty good post apocalyptic Dreddesque. The scriptwriter needs a good spanking.

All in all, I'm saying we have a good cast, a good scriptwriter, a good director even if only hired for his technical skills, and a strong assurance that they care for Dredd - and a film that should appeal to a wide audience rather than niche. Frankly, optimism makes more sense than this pervading sense of doom that's colouring some opinions now.


CYCLOPZ

Quote from: GordonR on 12 October, 2011, 10:30:14 AM
You're kidding, surely? I don't think Karl Urban's starred in a hit film yet. (And that's starred - i.e. him as the lead actor playing the lead character, so no Star Trek, Red or Lord of the Rings.)  Doom, Pathfinder and Priest (although he was second fiddle in that) were all attempts to launch him as an action star, and all of them were flops.

On the basis of available evidence so far, he's pretty solid in second banana parts (his McCoy was good - although you could have taken that character out the film and it wouldn't have made the slightest difference to anything) and he makes a great villain (Red, Bourne Supremacy and maybe Chronicles of Riddick) but he's yet to prove he can open a film on his own, as lead actor.

The logic that Trekkers are going to go and see Dredd because he played McCoy doesn't hold up. They didn't go and see Chris Pine in the big budget flop Unstoppable - and he's only Captain friggin' Kirk,  - so why would this work for the guy who plays McCoy?

And all these women fans of his, who still couldn't make his other starring vehicles a success  - they're going to go and see him in a film where his face is covered up the entire time?

I like Karl Urban - I do - but it's a big jump to assume he's going to be an major audience draw.



Glass half full much?


The only real thing any of us can hope for in the way of the film doing well enough to deserve a sequel is for it to be entertaining. There are too many factors that make no rational sense when it comes to box office takings, so as long as it's good, it will find an audience somewhere. Remember Dredd is known and loved outside of America, and many films today are made hits by their performance in foreign territories. The beauty of it being so low budget is that it could easily do that.

At this point no one can  tell what will happen, but I find it pointless throwing in the towel and giving up at such an early stage, because a success definitely doesnt come from such defeatest talk. The more people like sc*j* do that without seeing the finished product, the more likely it is that lazy journalists will pick up on  a negative buzz.

Michaelvk

Speaking as Joe Bloggs movie goer here, I reckon with the impending 18 mark to the rating, it's got cult film written all over it.. You won't be taking your whole family to see it, unless you want the missus to throw up in her popcorn bucket (though, that said, women these days..).. So having a bloke like Karl won't really sway the box office much. He's reasonably well known enough to get the numbers, but not big enough to be too hurt by modest box office sales. Again, this one will find it's home in the dvd and bluray sales..
You have never felt pain until you've trodden barefoot on an upturned lego brick..

Fuzzed

Quote from: Anderson's Shame on 12 October, 2011, 11:24:48 AM
Quote from: GordonR on 12 October, 2011, 10:30:14 AM
You're kidding, surely? I don't think Karl Urban's starred in a hit film yet.

The only real thing any of us can hope for in the way of the film doing well enough to deserve a sequel is for it to be entertaining. There are too many factors that make no rational sense when it comes to box office takings, so as long as it's good, it will find an audience somewhere. Remember Dredd is known and loved outside of America, and many films today are made hits by their performance in foreign territories. The beauty of it being so low budget is that it could easily do that.

At this point no one can  tell what will happen, but I find it pointless throwing in the towel and giving up at such an early stage, because a success definitely doesnt come from such defeatest talk. The more people like sc*j* do that without seeing the finished product, the more likely it is that lazy journalists will pick up on  a negative buzz.

Well put. This is what I was trying to say and failing to do so.

Some big movies with big names and budgets have done badly, all expectations and net buzz and critics meaning sweet FA. It's in no way predictable. Smurfs and Cowboys and Aliens come to mind.


JOE SOAP

If you've nothing to say, don't say anything especially if you have to resort to quoting the likes of him.

Goaty

Okay, Dredd like this, wouldnt be blockbuster, but can be sleeper hit, if PR campaign would kept it good... as 2000Ad start it books out in USA last week?

Goaty

Quote from: Goaty on 12 October, 2011, 12:57:58 PM
Okay, Dredd like this, wouldnt be blockbuster, but can be sleeper hit, if PR campaign would kept it good... as 2000Ad start it books out in USA last week?

As wiki says; Typically the sleeper hit relies instead on positive "word of mouth" as well as the publicity generated by awards and good reviews.

Mudcrab

Quote from: Fuzzed on 12 October, 2011, 11:57:17 AM
Smurfs and Cowboys and Aliens...

:lol: Now there's a sequel I'd like to see.
NEGOTIATION'S OVER!

Fuzzed


weehawk

Quote from: JOE SOAP on 12 October, 2011, 08:49:49 AM
Quote from: weehawk on 12 October, 2011, 02:34:01 AMI just hope Dredd doesn't fall prey to the type misconception on the part of the media(and audience) that very much plagued Conan The Barbarian, by being percieved as a remake.


What plagued Conan was that it was a bad film. No one cared about misconceptions.

We can discuss several possible reasons why the film failed at the box office. Still, there have been other films that have gotten worse receptions by critics than Conan did, such as Underworld:Evolution, and were commercially successful. Just saying.

Cactus

Quote from: GordonR on 10 October, 2011, 12:51:53 PMThe LA Times Hollywood section seems to have been the first reputable source to run the story.

In journalistic terms, LA Times > Empire.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/10/director-drama-heats-up-on-dredd.html

I haven't caught up with the last ten pages yet but I just wanted to say that describing Dredd as a "remake" of the Stallone film (as the LA Times does) is probably more damaging, at least to the general public.
I'm a tucker hot seat trucker and I'm voking cheerio, ten-ten!

Hoagy

It shows how dubiously informed internet journalism is. LA Times peaking this example.
"bULLshit Mr Hand man!"
"Man, you come right out of a comic book. "
Previously Krombasher.

https://www.deviantart.com/fantasticabstract

Tiplodocus

Here's a question for you types that actually work on films.

You get the chance to work on a property that you know and love.

Do you read the whole script and get it spoilered for you or can you work in blinkered isolation just reading the bits that are relevant to what you work* on but not spoiling the whole thing for you?

*if it's anything like wehere I work, then this can be done but almost always leads to problems later on as people that work in silos miss out on contributing to the bigger picture?
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

Meathook

Working for the Yankee Dollar not the GBP!!
Each peach pear plum!