This conversation makes me think of an interview I saw with Ralph Macchio (Daniel Larusso) regarding the Cobra Kai Tv series. He had numerous, numerous people approach him about a Karate Kid reboot (even one with a Rocky Balboa Crossover), but he refused until someone gave him a script that he saw as high quality. He could have made a ton of cash, but he respected the story and the character too much until it was the right timing.

 

See, the thing is, I'm not actually all that much against reboots (If they're done right which admittedly they rarely are). A reboot usually offers a chance to add a fresh new take whereas a continuation or sequels seems like trying to resuscitate your 200 year old grampa. A reboot also gives a chance to modernise the story (Like how BBC's Sherlock did).

Doctor Who kind of does this right. You can consider each incarnation a reboot of the series as storylines from previous generations don't carry over and there are very few mentions of past events. The tone does also sometimes shift (I feel Matt Smith was a bit more child friendly than Tennant and Capaldi a lot less child friendly than Tennant). And companions, if they're around for the regeneration, usually don't stick around too long after a regeneration.

I was kind of hoping the same would happen with Endgame. I love Marvel, I really do. What they've done with their universe is nothing short of extraordinary. It's just that I was hoping that the equivalent of DC's Crisis/Flashpoint/Rebirth would happen and the entire universe would be unrecognisable and it would give new viewers a chance to hop in.

 

I finally saw Detective Pikachu.

I want one million Bulbasaurs.

Excellent/10.

 

Lol they were adorable

 

Saw detective pikachu. Was a fun movie and Ryan Reynolds is always funny, but it’s definitely for Pokémon fans. Never cared for it as a kid so there is no nolstagia factor for me.

6.5/10 for a fun popcorn flick.

 

I loved Pokémon as a kid. Was sceptical until I saw the trailer which absolutely sold me.

Movie disappointed the shit out of me though. The random suspension of disbelief that got me. The whole Torterra scene just made absolutely no sense. Or stuff like at the end when Pikachu drops to the ground from the top of the skyscraper, and the MC sees this from the top, but somehow comes running out of the skyscraper just as Pikachu was going to hit the ground.

Guess I just wasn’t the target audience.

 

The Detective Pikachu movie is effectively just random events happening until the last ten minutes when it remembers that it's supposed to have a plot. If you go in for the pokemon CGI and the Reynolds humour it functions well enough as a low tier C or B list family movie, I would put it at a 4.5/10 or 5/10. Just don't expect more than jokes that fall flat and disjointed action scenes that limp vaguely toward the conclusion.

 

That's really interesting.

I found it was quite formulaic, in that it pretty much followed save the cat to the minute. You could tell exactly when the mid point was, where the bad guys closed in, where the all is lost moment is. I remember thinking the exact opposite to you, that the plot was so by the rails for a mystery that you knew exactly how everything was going to go based on how many minutes has gone by.

 

I wasn't watching it like I would a mystery or a cop movie, but I can see what you mean. Every event was effectively checking something off of a list of things that had to happen for the movie to function as a story. Protagonist is introduced, event that starts the plot happens, Protagonist is given reason to do X and meets love interest. My reason for saying it's disjointed and random starts with the female lead. If you remove her, or change her involvement, the entire story falls apart. A good 3/4ths of the movie would have to be changed to give him a reason to be there. Things like her knowing about the doping going on in underground fights and where the protagonist father could have found a source for information make no sense in story, she's a nobody intern at pokemon CNN playing at investigative journalism. The main villian is shown to have no mercy for anyone getting in the way of his plan, and the resources to remove anyone making the slightest fuss.

I know it's a kids movie, but the villian doesn't actually show up or really do anything until the last ten minutes of the film, has a motivation that amounts to "I really want to be inside pokemon" and for the rest of the movie to work in the slightest the secondary protagonist has to be given the plot off screen to make the protagonist go somewhere.

I think I actually ranted and proved your point about it being formulaic almost beyond belief now that I read that again.

 

Random events happening with the protagonist being dragged along is practically the definition of detective noir so it sounds like they're being true to the source material.

 

Booksmart is going straight onto my films of the year list. Very impressive for a directorial debut, and funny as hell.

 

Yeah, reminds me of that one great quote by Eisner:
"Our only objective may be to make money, but in order to make money, we must always make entertaining movies. And if we make entertaining movies, at times we will make history, art, a statement, or all three.” — Michael Eisner

 

Really enjoyed Rocketman. In my humble opinion, it’s pretty much Taron Egerton’s best and most versatile performance yet. The songs, costumes and choreos are really good, and Taron delivers a believable Elton John. And for me, that’s all that matters for a movie like that.

 

Looks like it is Rambo vs Narcos

 

Godzilla was the least bad American Godzilla film. That's the only nice thing I can say about it

 

Really? The reviews all say it's fucking terrible.

 

Yes, that's my point. It's just not quite as godawful as '98 or '14, but that's really not saying anything at all.

 

I enjoyed it...but then, I enjoyed the last one, and the last Kong film. Not the most sophisticated film I've seen this week, but delivered on monster action pretty very well, and the human side of things seemed fine, contrary to a lot of comments I've seen.

 

I went in it for the monsters, mayhem and madness which the film delivered in spades. A little too much in my humble opinion. If they had shaved off fifteen minutes it would have been as good as it could have gotten.

Just don't go in expecting Citizen Kane and you will be fine.

 

There are really only two Godzilla films, American or otherwise, that stand on their own as high-quality cinema: the original 1954 movie (for being a pretty decent talky without much actual action) and Shin Godzilla (for being the only modern movie to succesfully recapture the feel of the older movies but still managing to look high-budget).

If King of Monsters manages to be an entertaining popcorn flick B movie like 30 of it's 32 predecessors, then it has succeeded as a Godzilla film.