Escape to the Movies: The Grey

[Jegsimmons]

Neat to hear that a movie worth watching is coming out. That doesn't mean I'll watch it though cause it's a pretty iffy genre but it's nice to know it's good.

Of course Chuck Norris doesn't need swear words, he IS a swear word.

Its nice to hear a movie star is willing to make an action movie without the word fuck ion every other line.

 

[kyoodle]

Sounds interesting, but Liam Neeson is such a lumbering, boring actor I think I'll wait and rent it.

So Expendables 2 would only be higher than a PG-13 because of the swearing? No violence or anything? Kudos to Chuck Norris though, excessive swearing gets really annoying.

 

[Jonathan Bradford]

Hoping to see this tomorrow, looks great and the review only made me more excited for the film.

 

[CronoT]

I saw the movie today, and all I'm going to say about the post credits scene is that it's a callback to a scene at the beginning of the movie. If you miss the first 5 minutes of the movie, you won't get it.

Also, since it's so quick, it lends itself highly to speculation. I don't see this as being sequel bait.

 

[Keneth]

I'm okay with them portraying wolves as the bad guys in this movie, but I'm also glad people are pointing out that healthy wolves don't attack humans. I understand it's an action flick. I understand that it still works because the cultural image of the "Big Bad Wolf" gobbling up Grandma. But, truth be told, your crippled up old Grandma could scare off entire packs of wolves by waving her cane around and yelling real loud. Wolves just don't act like that, and as long as people understand that I'm okay with movies like this.

OT: This looks interesting. I may go see it eventually.

 

[Draconalis]

I've been watching the user reviews on yahoo for this one, and it amuses me how many people think it's a bad movie because it wasn't was they expected.

I've seen two major complaints come up over and over

Wasn't what they expected
Wolves aren't all bad, this movie isn't doing them justice.

My favorite one was the guy that thought the movie sucked because Liam curses god in it.

Edit:

Found another one that didn't like it because it was "anti-god".

 

[jecht35]

Bob thanks for the recommend to see this movie totally loved it and the end credits where well worth it to see. only thing that ruined some of the movie for me besides the some cgi wolves, was I cant believe someone was snoring in the audience and it was at the begining of the movie when things where quiet, and people talking, and that god damn phone light. but towards the middle people calmed down so I could enjoy the flick.

 

[Nouw]

The Expendables 2 might turn out to be another AVP >.>. I checked my cinemas but The Grey isn't going to be playing here any time soon. Damn.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

I live in Alaska, so I'm already ready to be laughing at whatever ridiculousness goes around because of that, but add in wolves when the subject is always touchy back and forth (and recently there was a pack driven into what counts as our suburban areas early last winter season thanks to, you guessed it, bad moose numbers) ensures that I won't be seeing it. :| The premise is okay, I guess, but whenever wolves and bears go up on the target list so there's more prey animals for the lucrative hunting licenses, or because their prey animals are down so they look for other prey (ie, pets and occasionally humans), and how hollywood seems to see them as some sort of monster over an animal trying to survive and then a movie comes out about them, showing them in a negative light and possibly warping voter input because people just can't seem to do their own damn research about how these animals really act. . .

Actually, the movie makes a specific point to note that the only reason the wolves are attacking them is because they might be close to the wolves' den.

Edit: That may or may not be a realistic reason, not a scholar on wolves, myself. Just noting that the movie at least makes a point to give the wolves a better reason than "they're evil" to be a threat through-out the movie. So whether or not it's applicable to how wolves actually act, it's at least believable. So the movie is hardly some "Kill All Wolves" propaganda machine.

 

[MovieBob]

Edit: That may or may not be a realistic reason, not a scholar on wolves, myself. Just noting that the movie at least makes a point to give the wolves a better reason than "they're evil" to be a threat through-out the movie. So whether or not it's applicable to how wolves actually act, it's at least believable. So the movie is hardly some "Kill All Wolves" propaganda machine.

It's also worth understanding there's A LOT of exceptions to the "rule" that wolves generally don't attack humans. Namely that, while it's true, wolves WILL scavenge meat from recently-killed animals they normally wouldn't attack outright (including humans); that almost all wild predators will grow more bold about what they will/won't attack if the prey in question is sensed to be wounded, bleeding or otherwise compromised; and that all bets are off if you enter a wolf pack's marked hunting territory or enroach on their den - ALL of which are circumstances present in the film.

 

[fozzy360]

What annoys me so far is how some people write the movie off (having seen or not seen it) because of its depiction of wolves. The story is more than just "wolves vs. humans." The wolves are a device that Carnahan uses very effectively to bring about this confrontation between the men in the movie and their survival. You can't just look at how utterly relentless the wolves are and take that as "Hollywood's" view on nature. The wolves are just an allegory to the constant threat of death that they face throughout the film.

But, Jesus, is this movie good. I just can't stop thinking about it. It'd be great to see Summit re-release this film in October for awards consideration for Neeson.

 

[kingmob]

Sounds like a must see and something I should take my dad to. Thx for the review!

 

[CynicalB]

This could have been a great movie but they f***ed up the atmosphere. Startling people is not scary when you do it over and over, it's just annoying.

 

[sms_117b]

Excellent film, outstanding even. Tension was built very well and the wolf attacks were stunning and vicious.

However, the clip after the credits, not worth it.

 

[TheDharmaFox]

Ah... To stay through the credits...

The thing that always seems to annoy the cinema staff around here.
They don't say so, but you can feel their presence as they get annoyed because they're not allowed to clean up until the last person has left...

Being that last person is always an awkward feeling.

Screw 'em, in fact as I left the theaters, the guy told me to go back and watch to the end, that there was more.
I left that theater bleary eyed and tear stained, no movie ever has made react like that. It was truly one of the best movies I have ever seen. there were brutal consequences and slim chances of survival. GO AND SEE IT!

 

[Quiet Stranger]

Yeah don't stay after the credits, it's all lies, all you'll see is 2 seconds worth of film and that's it, sucked ass.

Also saw the movie last night and I loved it.

 

[Rabidkitten]

Wolves don't attack humans btw. Like ever, I think there are almost no recorded incidents of wild wolves attacking a human. Dogs while actually just wolves, are prone to attacking humans but in reality they often feel cornered, mistreated, and scared. Something that doesn't often happen while your a big wolf out in the middle of the vast wilds. Wolves are terrified of humans, and will generally avoid them at all cost.

I'm surprised that's actually an issue to some people. It's like saying you don't like unicorns because horses aren't supposed to have horns. Or that you didn't like the Lion king because animals aren't supposed to talk. Sometimes you gotta play around a bit for the sake of suspense and personally i think wolves do it just fine, because as wild animals go wolves are pretty intimidating.

OT: You had me at "Liam Neeson".

It's all about willing suspension of disbelief. People let talking animals slide in Disney flicks, because they're Disney flicks. Likewise, anything with Unicorns or elves or blue superheroes who neglect pants is given a pass because they occur in a world distinctly different from our own, where such things exist.

The Grey is set up as a gritty action packed real world type movie. As such, people tend to expect it to follow the real world rules we all know and love/hate. For people familiar with animal behavior, seeing hyper-aggressive wolves is akin to seeing Liam Neeson up up and fly away halfway through the flick. It was cool when Christopher Reeve did it, cuz he's freaking Superman. But it would be awkward and jarring to see it happen here.

I really just pointed it out because I guess this misconception still exists? Before guns rabid wolves would attack a human like once every couple years. Then people started carrying guns and wolves that distanced themselves from humans were the only ones to survive the near extinction of wolves in the wild. And in the last 200 years wolf attacks are non existent.

Its just that this misconception almost lead to the species being annihilated. And though they have come back in large numbers, the biggest annoyance is that they pose a significant threat to live stock. I hear people shoot em like crazy in Wyoming.

I guess the premise of a guy who protects people from wild animals is just so far fetched, it's insulting to all the billions of wild animals in the world. We have people who do the opposite their called forest rangers.

 

[Rynozeros]

I will watch this movie just because it is a "cloud pleaser".

 

[DJShire]

I decided to put off seeing this review until after I saw The Grey so I would be without bias.

Bobs right, this is an amazing film. GO SEE IT!

 

[niceguy191]

Ended up seeing this one and we groaned our whole way through... Maybe it's because we're in a northern climate and we are familiar with how the oil industry/nature actually functions up here. I was under the impression the wolves wouldn't be as central and it would be more of a psychological struggle, or if they wanted the wolves to be that important they should have just gone full out and made them "special" genetically altered wolves or something (ala Deep Blue Sea) to explain it otherwise it just goes too far for the normal suspension of disbelief for a movie that supposedly takes place in the real world.

I don't see movies in the theatres very often, but I've followed Bob's advice for two movies I was unsure of now and regretted it both times. Guess his tastes are too different from my own. I would say this one is MAYBE a renter but otherwise completely forgettable.