Discuss and Rate the Last Film You Watched

[Johnny Novgorod]

So yeah, 8/10, it's not perfect, it's got some chunky bits around the edges, and the CGI could've used some more polish, but a solid adaptation of a meandering, drawn out story, condensed to a proper length. Much better than people give it credit for.

I thought it was one of the biggest pieces of shit of whenever it came out and a disgrace even by videogame adaptation standards.
Focusing on the sci-fi framing device instead of the period action/adventure was a mistake in the games and also the wrong approach here.
The "main" story is a nonsensical and convoluted dud. The period part with Aguilar is just GoPro parkour with crap CGI - Aguilar himself isn't even a character.
The Matrix did a better job at balancing and relating both worlds. Make them matter, make us care.
I'm reading your post and it looks like you projected what you like on the movie and got caught up more in what it was supposedly trying to do than what it actually achieved.

 

[Gordon_4]

Just watched Assassin's Creed for the first time in a while.

Yeah I really don't see why people shit on this film so much. I really loved it.

I give it a good 8/10, and as far as an adaptation of the AC story about the Apple, it's a really solid streamline of the events that Ubisoft draaaaaaagged out over like 10 freaking games, when it could have easily been told in one.

The CGI isn't great at times, but I've lost count of the number of films where "the CGI isn't great" is a criticism. We've become so used to it, it's easy to spot, so I don't really even count that personally.

The story focus is where it should be, on the present day prison break story, about trying to actually stop Abstergo from getting the Apple in the Final Hour. The history stuff is used as a proper flashback sequence should, a single event arc, to convey more information, and to slowly work the protagonist to the memory of the Apple itself.

The female antagonist was compelling, and believable to me as a True Believer of what the Templar were preaching, how she genuinely wanted to try and cure humanity of violence.

And something that I just realized as an interesting wrinkle in their plans. The whole crux of their dilemma is that they are trying to rid humanity of Free Will, because they feel that is seed of humanity's violence, and the root of all evil. People being able to choose whatever, leads people to choose self gratifying actions, that are ultimately harmful to the world long term. Ok fine, weird way to look at "peace", but they are an evil religious cult so you expect that. But, the interesting thing, the Animus is incredibly taxing on the minds of those who use it, and if you are resistant to the process, it burns you out fast. This very fact is why they have almost failed, with Cal being their last chance. For them to have the best chance of getting the Apple....they have to rely on Cal's free will, the very thing they are trying to tamp out of humanity, in order to get the Apple in the first place. Interesting little twist there I thought.

The music is really good, if a bit repetitive, but, it's powerful drums and string instruments, which are sort of my personal weakness, so I don't mind at all. I bought the soundtrack years ago in fact.

The final Animus sequence, when Cal is basically becoming like Leto from Dune, and Awakening to his ancestral memories as some kind of amalgamation of all of them, with the spectral images of all of his ancestral line, gathering around him, to give him his initiation ritual into the Creed, with the music drumming in the background, and the susurrus of voices as they appear, just gives me chills every time. I admit this is probably because I'm a huge Dune fan, and have always found the concept of ancestral memory fascinating, even though it's completely fictional. But that sequence, is just...damn good. The other inmates looking on, and smiling a bit, and you realize that they had something very similar as well happen to them, so they are glad to see him join their ranks.

I just, I love the idea of the new generation of Assassin's, being reborn through a ritual of their own past, the memories of the ones who came before them, unlocking the skills and abilities they would need to rebuild the Creed, and fight back against the Templar. The imagery and symbolism of it is just really fucking cool to me, and hits a lot of my buttons, especially the Legacy trope button, that I am a huge fan of.

So yeah, 8/10, it's not perfect, it's got some chunky bits around the edges, and the CGI could've used some more polish, but a solid adaptation of a meandering, drawn out story, condensed to a proper length. Much better than people give it credit for.

I took a dump on Assassin's Creed because somehow the managed to make the concept of the game, Michael Fassbender and the chosen setting, boring. I sincerely hope Fassbender was very, very well paid for being in this turd.

 

[happyninja42]

I thought it was one of the biggest pieces of shit of whenever it came out and a disgrace even by videogame adaptation standards.
Focusing on the sci-fi framing device instead of the period action/adventure was a mistake in the games and also the wrong approach here.
The "main" story is a nonsensical and convoluted dud. The period part with Aguilar is just GoPro parkour with crap CGI - Aguilar himself isn't even a character.
The Matrix did a better job at balancing and relating both worlds. Make them matter, make us care.
I'm reading your post and it looks like you projected what you like on the movie and got caught up more in what it was supposedly trying to do than what it actually achieved.

Good news! I don't actually give a shit what you think about what I think! So that's fine!

 

[BrawlMan]

Good news! I don't actually give a shit what you think about what I think! So that's fine!

I may not care for the AssCreed movie even more than the games, but respect.

I forgot to mention this, but I did see Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion two weeks ago. The movie is just regular good. Even though there is gore, I think the 1995 film is still the best. Now the best video game film; that title goes to Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie.

 

[happyninja42]

I may not care for the AssCreed movie even more than the games, but respect.

I forgot to mention this, but I did see Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion two weeks ago. The movie is just regular good. Even though there is gore, I think the 1995 film is still the best. Not to the best video game film, that title goes to Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie.

I've still never seen an actual consensus on what makes "a good" video game film. I mean, there are films that try and stay loyal as far as adaptation of the source material, but are terrible in structure and pacing and other factors, so people say they suck. There are films that don't bother to try and be source loyal, and just use the framework of the game to tell a story of their own making, with minor callbacks and easter eggs at best as connective tissue to the game, and people say they suck. There are ones like Street Fighter the live action one, that are crazy and goofy on purpose, but are fun as hell to watch everyone in it having fun doing it, and people say they suck (or at least that they aren't a "good video game" movie), which is independent of whether you like it or not.

So yeah, I frankly think the goal of being a "good video game" film, is such a nebulous target, and varies from gamer to gamer, and product to product, that it's essentially impossible to meet. I mean if someone did a movie of Sim City, and it's just a 2 hour, silent film of an overview of a city, time elapsed as it's being grown and expanded, with glimpses of problems here and there, and little ants of people moving around at high speed....did they make a "good video game film"? I mean it's capturing the core gameplay loop. It's probably a fucking boring ass film, but can you say it's a "bad video game film" based on the source material? *shrugs*

So I don't really ever worry too much about grading the film too closely as a "video game film" , whatever that tries to mean. If they try and actually recreate the plot of the game, like AC above, then I think comparing it to the game is fine. If they aren't, and are just using it as a framework, like the Street Fighter film, then the comparison doesn't really fit in my opinion.

 

[BrawlMan]

I've still never seen an actual consensus on what makes "a good" video game film. I mean, there are films that try and stay loyal as far as adaptation of the source material, but are terrible in structure and pacing and other factors, so people say they suck. There are films that don't bother to try and be source loyal, and just use the framework of the game to tell a story of their own making, with minor callbacks and easter eggs at best as connective tissue to the game, and people say they suck. There are ones like Street Fighter the live action one, that are crazy and goofy on purpose, but are fun as hell to watch everyone in it having fun doing it, and people say they suck (or at least that they aren't a "good video game" movie), which is independent of whether you like it or not.

So yeah, I frankly think the goal of being a "good video game" film, is such a nebulous target, and varies from gamer to gamer, and product to product, that it's essentially impossible to meet. I mean if someone did a movie of Sim City, and it's just a 2 hour, silent film of an overview of a city, time elapsed as it's being grown and expanded, with glimpses of problems here and there, and little ants of people moving around at high speed....did they make a "good video game film"? I mean it's capturing the core gameplay loop. It's probably a fucking boring ass film, but can you say it's a "bad video game film" based on the source material? *shrugs*

So I don't really ever worry too much about grading the film too closely as a "video game film" , whatever that tries to mean. If they try and actually recreate the plot of the game, like AC above, then I think comparing it to the game is fine. If they aren't, and are just using it as a framework, like the Street Fighter film, then the comparison doesn't really fit in my opinion.

I understand. The only video game movies I really dislike are almost anything by Uwe Bowle. Well that, and the Double Dragon movie. if you ever want to see a properDouble Dragon movie, just watch John Claude Van Damme double impact. Which came out in 91 mind you, while the Double Dragon film came out in 94. The Street Fighter movie from 94 I do consider it so bad it's entertaining, but even as a kid it bored me a little. I highly recommend Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist. It's a Street fighter movie that involves Ryu, Ken, and Akuma and it's done really well. My other favorites are Prince of Persia and Rampage. Both of those are pretty solid adaptions too that can stand on their own.

 

[happyninja42]

I understand. The only video game movies I really dislike are almost anything by Uwe Bowle. Well that, and the double dragon movie. if you ever want to see a proper double dragon movie, just watch John Claude Van Damme double impact. Which came out in 91 mine you, while the double dragon film came out in 94. the Street fighter movie from 94 I do consider it so bad it's entertaining, but even as a kid it bored me a little. I highly recommend Street fighter assassin's fist. It's a Street fighter movie that involves Ryu, Ken, and Akuma and it's done really well. My other favorites are Prince of Persia and Rampage. Both of those are pretty solid adaptions too that can stand on their own.

I don't really recall PoP, other than to think it was relatively average. I didn't hate it, didn't love it, nothing really stuck out, other than the actress who played the princess being incredibly stunning. And Ben Kingsley looking pretty cool with the Grand Vizier look going, with the eyeliner and stuff.

Rampage was fine, but again one of those films that I just sort of saw, without really retaining it. The biggest memory I have of that film, is seeing it with my god daughter in the theaters. she was...about 8 at the time I think? And it got to the end where Dwayne is looking at the rampaged city rubble and says "Man I need a drink after that one." And my gloriously deadpan, dry humor god daughter says, without missing a beat. "I think EVERYONE could use a drink after that one!" And I just lost it, complete giggle-fits.

I vaguely recall watching an animated Street Fighter movie, couldn't tell you which one. The only things I remember from it are Ryu was always just standing around, being all "Mystic Fighter"-y, while Ken is actually doing stuff. And the narrator kept saying something like "What do you see in front of your fist?" And Ken kept giving the wrong answer. And then Ryu shows up at the end like a Deus Ex Punchina to fight Bison, and Ken finally answers the question correctly. And they friendship punch Bison and win...and then Ryu wanders off to be Mystic Fightery again somewhere else.

 

[BrawlMan]

I vaguely recall watching an animated Street Fighter movie, couldn't tell you which one. The only things I remember from it are Ryu was always just standing around, being all "Mystic Fighter"-y, while Ken is actually doing stuff.

Accurate to the games. Ryu is a karate hobo.

And the narrator kept saying something like "What do you see in front of your fist?" And Ken kept giving the wrong answer. And then Ryu shows up at the end like a Deus Ex Punchina to fight Bison, and Ken finally answers the question correctly.

That was not the narrator. That was their master, Gouken.

and then Ryu wanders off to be Mystic Fightery again somewhere else.

Accurate to the games.

There was also the standout fight between Chun-Li and Vega. Top tier action scene in anime; one of the best.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

I've still never seen an actual consensus on what makes "a good" video game film. I mean, there are films that try and stay loyal as far as adaptation of the source material, but are terrible in structure and pacing and other factors, so people say they suck. There are films that don't bother to try and be source loyal, and just use the framework of the game to tell a story of their own making, with minor callbacks and easter eggs at best as connective tissue to the game, and people say they suck. There are ones like Street Fighter the live action one, that are crazy and goofy on purpose, but are fun as hell to watch everyone in it having fun doing it, and people say they suck (or at least that they aren't a "good video game" movie), which is independent of whether you like it or not.

So yeah, I frankly think the goal of being a "good video game" film, is such a nebulous target, and varies from gamer to gamer, and product to product, that it's essentially impossible to meet. I mean if someone did a movie of Sim City, and it's just a 2 hour, silent film of an overview of a city, time elapsed as it's being grown and expanded, with glimpses of problems here and there, and little ants of people moving around at high speed....did they make a "good video game film"? I mean it's capturing the core gameplay loop. It's probably a fucking boring ass film, but can you say it's a "bad video game film" based on the source material? *shrugs*

So I don't really ever worry too much about grading the film too closely as a "video game film" , whatever that tries to mean. If they try and actually recreate the plot of the game, like AC above, then I think comparing it to the game is fine. If they aren't, and are just using it as a framework, like the Street Fighter film, then the comparison doesn't really fit in my opinion.

I don't feel there's any "right" way to make a video game movie. I feel video game movies are in the same spot comic book movies were in for awhile when they just weren't taken seriously and didn't get good talent behind them. There isn't any "right" way to adapt a comic book either like how Nolan's Batman or Raimi's Spiderman are probably what most people would picture those characters like but the Legion TV show isn't based on any previous comic book or storyline. A movie is good because it's good, most video game movies just aren't good movies.

 

[SupahEwok]

I don't feel there's any "right" way to make a video game movie. I feel video game movies are in the same spot comic book movies were in for awhile when they just weren't taken seriously and didn't get good talent behind them. There isn't any "right" way to adapt a comic book either like how Nolan's Batman or Raimi's Spiderman are probably what most people would picture those characters like but the Legion TV show isn't based on any previous comic book or storyline. A movie is good because it's good, most video game movies just aren't good movies.

Nonsense. The perfect example of a good videogame movie is Last of Us.

 

[Gordon_4]

Accurate to the games. Ryu is a karate hobo.



That was not the narrator. That was there master, Gouken.




Accurate to the games.

There was also the standout fight between Chun-Li and Vega. Top tier action scene in anime; one of the best.

Man I remember the first time I saw that movie. Sure the preceding scene had the novelty of seeing Chun Li’s knockers but then holy fuck Vega appears from nowhere, the metal music starts and and shit gets fucking real.

 

[Ezekiel]

I've actually watched three movies since, but Thursday night I watched Mylène Farmer Live 2019. It was my first concert in 4K and Dolby Atmos, hopefully not my last. I wish I could show how impressive all these cell phones looked at that res with high dynamic range.

It seemed expensive. At one point, the stage becomes a group of hanging platforms.

I don't even speak French. Was just impressed when I started listening to her sound a few weeks ago. Wish I did understand the lyrics, because I've read she's a clever lyricist. Paid good money, but it was a pretty good show.

 

[McElroy]

Red Heat
6/10

One of the less memorable Arnold Schwarzenegger movies from his best days. He plays a Soviet cop who partners with Jim Belushi's jokey Chicago cop in order to capture a Soviet drug dealer making business in the States along with some personal vendettas here and there. I'm not the biggest fan of Jim Belushi so I don't know how much he acts like himself, but he definitely reminds me of Chandler Bing from Friends, constantly making light of every situation (maybe Matthew Perry drew inspiration from the Belushis). Arnie is a big man with a funny accent who gets a couple of hilarious moments. Action is serviceable.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Vamps and the City

Which is a trashy no-budget parody of Sex and the City, but with vampires. Which, ok, if you want to make that sort of film.

Surprisingly good at capturing the spirit of Sex and the City, and the actress playing the not!Samantha vampire did a legitimately good job. As soon as she opens her mouth, ok, I know who one of them is supposed to be, have to wait on the others. Notably, they didn't cast only white people. Given that the original series did, while being supposedly set in the real world in a diverse city, this makes the vampire parody more believable, I guess.

The vampire stuff was unimpressive, there's another 4 evil vampires that...are there? Should have been evil versions of the good 4, though you'd need to give them some personalities for that to work.

And, painfully unfunny vampire hunters that really didn't need to exist.

All in all, it's a trashy no-budget parody of Sex and the City, but with vampires. I watch some terrible movies.

 

[McElroy]

Sicario: Day of the Soldado
5/10

Black Ops go against Mexican cartels in false flag operations. Josh Brolin is ripped and does what the big shots tell him to do. At times it gets its naturalistic look down very well, but the conflict seems pulpy most of the time and so do Brolin's and Benicio del Toro's characters. The young characters keep the plot more relatable, but in the end what we get is a bunch of everything.

 

[Kae]

Get Out

I finally watched it, and I'm going to be honest, I was expecting disappointment due to all the hype especially considered that a lot of the surprises were already spoiled for me but I was seriously surprised, it genuinely lives up to the hype.

I mean seriously, the metaphors may be a bit obvious and on the nose, but it cannot be denied that they are masterfully executed, I don't know what else to say as the reason it took me so long to watch it was precisely that everything's pretty much been said but I'm just glad I watched it, there are many things that I'm sure fly over my head as a Mexican with not really fantastic knowledge of American & especially black culture, but there are also some aspects of it that I do grasp as I'm also descendant of servants, granted it was a feudal system rather than downright slavery but it still resonated, though granted there's also the fear of the monster I could have become since I'm also descendant of old land-owners who were killed during the time of the Mexican Revolution, but anyway it plays very well on both the fear of the past of society as well as the future, I'm just glad to say it deserves all the praise it got.

 

[BrawlMan]

Get Out

I finally watched it, and I'm going to be honest, I was expecting disappointment due to all the hype especially considered that a lot of the surprises were already spoiled for me but I was seriously surprised, it genuinely lives up to the hype.

Since you enjoyed that, you might like Peele's next film, Us. I loved the film, but I know there are people who hated the twist, or did not see it as a big deal. I liked Us, and see it as a 90 minute Twilight Zone episode, which can make the twist easier to deal with. I won't spoil anything, and let you see for yourself.

 

[Kae]

Since you enjoyed that, you might like Peele's next film, Us. I loved the film, but I know there are people who hated the twist, or did not see it as a big deal. I liked Us, and see it as a 90 minute Twilight Zone episode, which can make the twist easier to deal with. I won't spoil anything, and let you see for yourself.

Apparently he's also involved in The Twilight Zone reboot which people are claiming is pretty good, I guess I'll be checking out both the movie US and Twilight Zone reboot.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Malcolm X

Spike Lee's 200+ minute epic biopic starring Denzel Washington. I've always thought Do the Right Thing was his best movie, or at least the one that felt the most representative of his work before and since, but X is definitely his magnum opus. I think it tackles a controversial person with controversial ideas in a way that feels honest, empathetic and true to the man but without falling into hagiography or being above criticizing him. Denzel is brilliant in it, as is the sneaky editing (Barry Alexander Brown) and cinematography (Ernest Dickerson). Fantastic movie.

 

[gorfias]

Uncut Gems

I heard great things about it and was pretty excited to watch it when it came out on Netflix today.

I hated my entire viewing experience. It's like 2 and a half hours of people just yelling non stop. I was sick of it by the time the opening credits finished but it just kept going. It was like going to a family gathering. Everyone is yelling about nothing for no reason and you just want to leave.

2/10.

I thought it OK. 5/10. But your observation: Everyone is yelling. That was my wife's take. She despised it. And she's the one that dragged me screaming to go see it!