how you would you have improved a movie

[CrustyOatmeal]

i have always been the kind of guy that analyzes a movie while watching it. i try and guess the plot twists, solve the mysteries, and (as the topic of this thread might suggest) come up with my own twist on the story on how i feel the movie should have gone

for example, i recently watched Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and i felt that the story had such huge potential because it had two "genius" individuals matching wits with the fate of multiple nations on the line. as i was watching this movie an idea struck me: this movie would have been much better if the villain had a more dastardly plan (world domination possibly?) and that Holmes was continually unsuccessful in his attempts to stop him. then Holmes would be forced to do the unimaginable in order to stop the villain, start WWI. i think the concept of doing an atrociously evil act (starting a war) in order to save the world for something worse (the hard part is coming up with something worse) would be an interesting twist and would have audiences talking on the morality and the reasoning of the plot and would have created much more buzz

so my question to you all is this: how would you change movie "X" to improve the story/ character/ narrative/ setting/ ...?

 

[Keoul]

I don't think you understood the plot of Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows at all...
Moriarty was indeed trying to start World War I, he had invested tonnes of money so he owned all the bandages and all the ammunition factories so when the war starts he'd be bloody rich.

As a genius he had a more reasonable goal in my opinion, loads of money, instead of world domination which is highly overrated and actually a huge pain since now you have to fix the world's problems.

I'd change the ending to Avengers, so that the aliens don't die as soon as their mother-ship blows up. Maybe have them imprisoned then interrogated and then lead onto a sequel, it'll make way more sense than just "oh no mother-ship gone I'm dead".

 

[Judgement101]

All the SAW movies and replace Jigsaw with T-Pain. I don't care how stupid it sounds but it would be terrifying to be tortured while being auto-tuned at.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

I would change the ending of Shawshank Redemption back to the original... and just finishing before you find out where Andy went... also not having Morgan Freeman let out! I would also align Morgan Freeman's Character with the one from the book more, and make him slightly edgier and with a darker background!

Yes... I want to change the best movie ever made... some people just want to watch the world burn!

 

[Tiamattt]

Sadly enough the only times I get the urge to do something like this for movies it's usually something like "scrap the whole thing and start over" because it would easier then trying to improve it. But off the top of my head, um..

The Dark Knight Rises(spoilers I guess is necessary)

Give Bane subtitles. Yes I know it was probably the movie theater's fault I couldn't understand half the things out of that stupid mask but I still would've added them in just to make sure everyone knew what he was saying.

Instead of the whole burning bat symbol on the bridge thing I would went with the much more classic and iconic Bat-Signal. Wouldn't be a major improvement I know but it certainly would've made that moment a lot cooler to me.

Ending scene with "Robin" showing off some kind of Nightwing costume, or something. Him just finding the cave just left a open question to what he was going to be which to me was kinda lame in a story finale.

There's more things like the writing could've been cleaner, less needless plot ideas that didn't really do anything or go anywhere, but those were 3 of the main things that popped into my head while I was watching it.

 

[Palademon]

I'd make Avatar an hour shorter so it ends when they destroy the tree.

 

[Rose and Thorn]

I would have improved the movie "Eragon" by unmaking it. That's all it really needs though.

 

[rob_simple]

I'd have improved Scott Pilgrim vs The World by removing Michael 'I can't speak above a whisper' Cera. Every other actor in that film nailed their part (especially whichever Culkin it was) and he just fucking ruined it with his bumbling shyness that I guess is cute to some women, maybe?

I don't know who I'd put in his place, though; whenever I try to think about it all I can come up with is 'anyone but Michael Cera.'

 

[Foxpack1]

I would have had Indiana Jones use a condom in Raiders of the Lost Ark so as to avoid having to sit through Shia Le Bouf in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

 

[CleverNickname]

The Last Airbender: I would have actually given a damn. I will never understand how you can take such a brilliant show and have NOTHING worthwile in its damn movie.

I can live with a crap story if at least you show off some cool bending moves/effects. That idea worked for The Matrix.
I can live with dumbed down bending if it's at least a good retelling of the important bits from Season 1's story. Think the almost-no-magic wizards from the LotR movies (not that there was that much to tone down, but you tell me a better example where it worked).
I can live with a so-so story and mediocre action if at least you get the characters right. How on Earth do you make Aang bland and boring? Within 5 minutes of his first appearance he was sledding on penguins!

And sure, fuck up the bending (what it's all about), fuck up the story (it's only good vs evil during a war with a Chosen One, SO difficult), fuck up the characters (because making a 12-year-old boy likeable is such a daunting task), fuck up all the little things you do actually include from the show (just randomly drown Aasiv Mandvi, it's just as good as a fight between him and the anti-hero), even fuck up everyone's name (who the hell is Oong?)

but then at least put goddam Kaizilla in your atrocious movie!. Because if after all that even the climax is just a wave from some glowy kid we don't care about, what was the entire point of making this movie?

None. At all.

 

[Shaved Apple]

Have Malphoy or however you spell his name cut the snake in half instead walking away. The other kid already turned into a badass when he stood up to Voltimore. He didn't need to kill the snake too. And I don't feel like googling what that kids name is or however you spell Malphoy.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Hancock

Have it be about a child superhero from the 60's or 70's who is now a washed up bum that no one gives a shit about anymore. Think the "childstar curse", but with a superhero. They could've made it a reference to Webster.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Transformers- I dare enough to make the Autobots and Decepticon more akin to their blocky G1 look. I read the reason why they made them the way they appear in the film is that apparently the blocky G1 look look unrealistic in 3D so I rather put their claim to the test.
Likewise it will be less stupid characters, actions without too many explosion and more screentime to the Autobot and Decepticon so that you get to know them properly.

 

[Raven's Nest]

Have anakin sky walker suspect obi wan of having an affair as well as the nightmares. Because turning your back on your moral principles, best friends,comrades and father figure to the point where you go out, slaughter children mercilessly and willingly aid a man so evil that he instigated a galactic war in attempt to seize ultimate power, condemning the entire galaxy to an enslaved, oppressed state... Because he had a bad dream... WAS FUCKING RETARDED!!!

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

Transformers- I dare enough to make the Autobots and Decepticon more akin to their blocky G1 look. I read the reason why they made them the way they appear in the film is that apparently the blocky G1 look look unrealistic in 3D so I rather put their claim to the test.
Likewise it will be less stupid characters, actions without too many explosion and more screentime to the Autobot and Decepticon so that you get to know them properly.

Spoiler: You can win if you Dare!

As for me, while I wouldn't go entirely blocky like G1 did I would atleast go for a mixture of detailed and blocks like War for Cybertron did. Plus I'd characters all have their recognizable traits (Does Starscream even betray Megatron ONCE in the movies?) and color schemes so it'd be a lot more easier for the audience to know which character is who. Now as for the humans? Changed completely. I'd use them as means to help give the audience a character to relate to while still giving ample screentime to the Autobots and Decepticons. After all, they are the reason people came in to see the movie, not for crappy human shenanigans, mugging at the camera and humor with such a low brow it reaches your knees.

Damn post. Don't upload until I'm done with you!

 

[SomeBrianDude]

I would have cut final few scenes from the Dark Knight Rises. For me, they ruined the movie. It was a decent end to the trilogy until then. Specifically -

Spoiler

Get rid of everything after Bruce Wayne's funeral. Him surviving, and passing the mantle to someone else, just really didn't work for me. It should have been left with him making the 'ultimate sacrifice' to truly return control of Gotham to it's citizens. Why pass on the mantle when the work is already done? It just seemed like an artificial way of opening the door for a spin-off.

 

[anthony87]

Well I just finished watching The Hurt Locker so I'm gonna go ahead and say that The Hurt Locker would be improved immensely by getting rid of the fucking shaky camera.

 

[Goofguy]

Have anakin sky walker suspect obi wan of having an affair as well as the nightmares. Because turning your back on your moral principles, best friends,comrades and father figure to the point where you go out, slaughter children mercilessly and willingly aid a man so evil that he instigated a galactic war in attempt to seize ultimate power, condemning the entire galaxy to an enslaved, oppressed state... Because he had a bad dream... WAS FUCKING RETARDED!!!

Thank you for this. Anakin's fall to the Dark Side seemed more like he was tricked in to it. Obi-Wan is his closest friend, pretty much a brother and Anakin doesn't bother to go talk to him first?

If someone was telling me some pretty evil things about my best friend, I'd probably want to confront him about it before you know, just getting furious and try to outright kill him.

Oh but not before murdering dozens of children at the academy that I belonged to an hour ago.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

I would have cut final few scenes from the Dark Knight Rises. For me, they ruined the movie. It was a decent end to the trilogy until then. Specifically -

Spoiler

Get rid of everything after Bruce Wayne's funeral. Him surviving, and passing the mantle to someone else, just really didn't work for me. It should have been left with him making the 'ultimate sacrifice' to truly return control of Gotham to it's citizens. Why pass on the mantle when the work is already done? It just seemed like an artificial way of opening the door for a spin-off.

I agree, but I probably wouldn't go so far...

Spoiler

just take the scene where Alfred smiles across the tables of the restaurant, and cut the reveal of Bruce and Catwoman, so whether he truely chose to live is still left slightly ambiguous, that would probably have been enough to sustain debates for ages about whether he is alive or not, and whether it's better if he survives or not.

Also make the bomb plot a bit less ambiguously mental, just by throwing in a line or two about "Oh, the fusion generator will release no radiation on detonation" and "Batman crashed it into the water, flooding the bomb so it didn't blow at full power" That would get rid of two major plotholes that really stood out to me.

Also put in an after credits scene of Nick Fury appearing and Batman bewildered by his presence asking "What are you doing here" with the reply: "I-I don't know?!?"