Escape to the Movies: Exodus: Gods and Kings - The 11th Plague

[Dalisclock]

The film looks kind of bland but that crocodile thing actually sounds kind of bad-ass.

Pfff, I'm still waiting for Hollywood to make an adaptation of the Epic of Sundiata, preferably one with no pretense of historical accuracy and completely embrace the Crippled Warlock King side of the story and display all the completely out-there chapters of the tale. (Crocodiles eating people? badass? put to film the Charge of the Hippopotamus Legions and we'll talk)

And while we're at it, an adaptation of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Why hasn't that been made yet?

 

[KiramidHead]

So I actually went to see this today. Oh my freaking God, that was a wretched experience. Pretty much any and all development is either cut out or glossed over, so it's really difficult to get involved with anything that's happening. And then certain parts just drag on like you wouldn't believe.

 

[Trishbot]

Any hope this movie just got butchered by the studios like Kingdom of Heaven did?

I saw Kingdom of Heaven's theatrical version. What a boring, confusing, characterless, aimless, biased drudge through nearly two and a half hours.

Then I heard about his Director's Cut... and I thought "even MORE of this awful film? How will adding an hour of footage make what's already a boring, dull, lifeless film better?"

... Best Director's Cut of all time. It totally transformed the film. It's like the studio looked at the original version and said "take out all the character development, plot motivation, balanced analysis of morals, and even pivotal, climactic action scenes and character resolutions and closure". Everything added into the film transforms it and gives it substance, context, and makes you understand and care for the people you initially passed off as irrational, stupid, and dull.

Watch the theatrical? "That girl is stupid and crazy and making stupid, crazy decisions." Watch the director's cut? "Oh, so that's WHY she was making those decisions and doing what was best for the son she loved... the son who didn't even EXIST in the theatrical version."

I wonder if Exodus will be the same case... or if this was just an outright misfire.

 

[Drake Barrow]

Reading this comment thread does make me glad I wasn't alone. Prince of Egypt was pretty enjoyable. I'm also jumping on the "crocodile feeding frenzy" thing as being the most badass depiction of crocodilians in cinema since Live & Let Die.

(we don't count anything that has Croc- in the title which was made by The Asylum for SyFy, as "croc" misses the 'k')

 

[cantthinkofaname1029]

And then there's Doctor Who, where the recent topics on the show have had the same "best actor for the job" thing, but outside of that comedy sketch in the 80s, when's the last time a woman actually auditioned for the role of The Doctor? It just seems so damn hollow when "the right person" might actually be precluded.
.

I'm pretty sure that's a choice of the writers; the doctor TECHNICALLY could be a female, but as far as the audience and writers seem to go, the man's a man. Sure, they could theoretically turn his gender around, but there's no real reason to; the established man can stay a man. The show is comfortable with the gender of its main, there's nothing wrong with that. Doctor who doesn't strike me as the best case for picking on

 

[Something Amyss]

I'm pretty sure that's a choice of the writers; the doctor TECHNICALLY could be a female, but as far as the audience and writers seem to go, the man's a man. Sure, they could theoretically turn his gender around, but there's no real reason to; the established man can stay a man. The show is comfortable with the gender of its main, there's nothing wrong with that. Doctor who doesn't strike me as the best case for picking on

I think you're both missing the point and the context here. There's a larger picture, but this came up specifically because of recent events where people have become butthurt that Steven Moffat has spoken to the possibility of a female Doctor and others (maybe the same people) have become butthurt that there was a female regeneration of The Master.

It was "the best person for the job" and "cast the character." Now it's "Social Justice Warriors" and "politically correct" and "pandering."

 

[happyninja42]

If Bollywood wants to make a movie about the signing of the declaration of independence and the Revolutionary War with an entirely Indian cast, and then release it worldwide, they can knock themselves out, no one is forcing me (or anyone else) to watch it.

Well, the historical accuracy won't matter anyway once the continental congress breaks into a huge musical number during the signing. At that point, the entire cast being Indian really is hardly going to be the most immersion breaking thing in the film.

Oddly enough, there is a movie about the signing of the declaration of independence, that breaks into musical numbers. One of the songs being about the sexual virility of one of the signers (I forget which). It was actually pretty interesting to watch, up to the point they started singing. The only actor I can recall from it, was the guy who played the voice for K.I.T. from Knight Rider.

I stopped watching it after that, because I hate musicals, but if you actually want to watch a musical about that subject, it already exists. xD