Cabin in the Woods

[elisi]

Finally saw it...

So, this was basically Angel S6, right? W&H allllll over everything, except they had a proper budget.


Shame about having no time for world building (OK, I brought my own, but...) - or a decent plot. Or characterisation. Or (as Darcy said) 'Where did Sigourney Weaver come from?'

Mostly then the Japanese school girls chanting a spell and turning the evil spirit into a frog was the highlight.

Comments

[silverusagi]

Mostly then the Japanese school girls chanting a spell and turning the evil spirit into a frog was the highlight.

Best scene, hands down, lol.

[elisi]

Totally.

And if schoolgirls could do that, was there really NO ONE IN THE WHOLE WORLD who could do something about those Old Ones?

(suspension of disbelief - it didn't happen...)

[silverusagi]

Nah, only Japan has Magical Girls. :)

But I found the movie a little thin, too.

[elisi]

Oh I'm sure we could dredge up a witch or two over here... Or even a Slayer! ;)

And yeah - there were so many cool monsters, but the surroundings were patchy. Shame. The concept was neat, however it wasn't enough to sustain everything.

[killiara.livejournal.com]

I want a full length movie on the adventures of those cute japanese kids saving the ghost. I want to know that story. :D

[elisi]

Same here. :)

[killiara.livejournal.com]

Actually, I want a whole series of movies. This is a world wide event, right? And the American branch just one of many? I wanna see a different movie for each branch. Or Hell, show us successful tributes in the past. Let us know the jerks who run the show, maybe from the eyes of a new recruit instead of the kids being our point of view.

There is so much story that COULD HAVE been told.

[elisi]

Actually, I want a whole series of movies.
Mmmm, this. They could have dipped into a thousand different things... *sigh*

[desdemonaspace]

I figured I could read your review because I won't remember it by the time I see the movie, and thus won't be spoiled anymore. **iz old**

But MAN, your tag says ex-member of the church of joss. I can't imagine me ever feeling that way. I love him!!

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

But MAN, your tag says ex-member of the church of joss. I can't imagine me ever feeling that way. I love him!!

Word. Even when he drives me crazy!

[elisi]

Yeah, I can't forgive him for the comics. And never will. So - ex-member.

[elisi]

I figured I could read your review because I won't remember it by the time I see the movie, and thus won't be spoiled anymore. **iz old**
Well I've revealed the best moment, but other than that not a lot. Oh and the ending is... stupid. IMHO. But it's a laugh if you're looking for some entertainment.

But MAN, your tag says ex-member of the church of joss. I can't imagine me ever feeling that way. I love him!!
I love some of the 'verses he created (Buffy, Angel, Firefly - never saw Doll house. Or the Avengers - yet). But [thanks to the comics] he fell off the pedestal I'd put him on a long time ago. Ironically because I loved Buffy so much...

[desdemonaspace]

Oh, I won't read the comics. Although I enjoy Speakr2customrs's scathing reviews of Georges Jeanty'd terrible drawing.

[elisi]

I read all of 's8' (they paid me!) and the damage was irreparable.

Not that I consider them canon (or ever did), but the fact that Joss did THAT to beloved characters was the steel girder that broke the camel's back...

(The snark is good though. Ooooh snarking about the comics was my favourite thing, before I stopped reading.)

[desdemonaspace]

That is a great essay! (Now I don't have to read the comics.) Actually, I started them, then stopped. Giant Dawn just didn't sit well with me.

I prefer fic. Good fic, that is. But meta, now... As I said, great essay!

[elisi]

That is a great essay!
Thank you! :) And it was written before the whole glowhypnol/space frakkin was published, which I wouldn't have been able to put a positive spin on no matter what...

(Now I don't have to read the comics.) Actually, I started them, then stopped. Giant Dawn just didn't sit well with me.
Ah yeah, that. It only got worse. (I stopped too, but then they waved money & Being Published under my nose...)

I prefer fic. Good fic, that is. But meta, now...
Same here! :)

[rahirah]

I thought it was okay, for a horror movie. Another expression of Joss's "Life sucks and then you die" existentialism, and not that revolutionary to anyone who's followed his work for awhile.

[elisi]

not that revolutionary to anyone who's followed his work for awhile.
*nods* I could recognise everything (W&H by any other name...), and I could totally see why he thought the ending was great. (sigh)

[makd.livejournal.com]

Haven't seen it yet; wondering if it's worth watching.....

[elisi]

It's fun. But VERY Joss. (Mind you, the characters are ciphers, and the world building... Well, if you've seen AtS you'll recognise it. *g*)

[geekslave.livejournal.com]

The movie, for me, may have suffered from overhype. I like parts of it; some of the dialogue was really good and it was inventive. But yeah, minimal character building and I didn't like the ending.

Stacey

[elisi]

The ending was awful. A total cop-out of examining anything seriously.

I had no real expectations, except I knew there was A TWIST, and... it wasn't exactly surprising when you know his other work.

It was fun, but I'm glad I never bothered to pay to see it.

[frenchani.livejournal.com]

I rather liked it, or at least the first half of the film. I didn't like the last part from the elevator stuff showing all the monsters to the end. It became a mess then. Still I liked it much more than The Avenger which bored me to death.

[elisi]

Haven't see the Avengers movie, so can't comment.

This one was fun enough, but they got carried away with the monsters. And some of the plot was so stupid that I wanted to smack the writers.

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

I've never seen it, soooo -

*Drive-by Squish*

[elisi]

Fun, but flimsy.

*squishes you back*

[eaweek.livejournal.com]

I'm an ex-member of the Church of Joss, too. I still like some of his stuff (The Avengers), but everything he does I judge on a case-by-case basis. He doesn't get the blanket pass from me that he did at one time.

[elisi]

This.

And - ironically - it's BECAUSE of the stuff I love of his that I am so critical...

[eaweek.livejournal.com]

I just got burned too badly in the back half of Buffy. I'd come to expect amazing things of Joss, and it was impossible not to feel terribly let down. Although I'm really not sure at this point how much of it was him and how much was his minions who were running the show when he was doing Angel and then Firefly.

He restored a lot of my faith with the Avengers, but if Avengers 2 comes out and is utter crap, I'm going to call it for what it is. I won't be an apologist for him (or anyone). That said, I've watched my Avengers DVD more times than is probably healthy. : D

[elisi]

I just got burned too badly in the back half of Buffy. I'd come to expect amazing things of Joss, and it was impossible not to feel terribly let down. Although I'm really not sure at this point how much of it was him and how much was his minions who were running the show when he was doing Angel and then Firefly.
Well I ADORED the last seasons of Buffy, so that was never my problem. However, I am now of the firm belief that he needs LOTS OF MINIONS and people to tell him 'No!' - the comics are what happen when he can do what he wants. *shudders*

That said, I've watched my Avengers DVD more times than is probably healthy. : D
I... have not seen Avengers, so can't comment. And know nothing about comics (the super hero variety), so I'll be going in blind.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Yeah I thought it was over-hyped. I felt like I was missing some irony lol, but I was just really bored by the thinly-drawn characters at the cabin dying in traditional horror movie ways. Whatever point Joss was making, it was still kind of boring to sit through for me when I wasn't attached to any of the characters. But then I didn't like The Avengers much either, maybe Joss is losing his touch for me :/

[elisi]

Yeah I thought it was over-hyped. I felt like I was missing some irony lol, but I was just really bored by the thinly-drawn characters at the cabin dying in traditional horror movie ways. Whatever point Joss was making, it was still kind of boring to sit through for me when I wasn't attached to any of the characters.
Plus, apparently they were acting OOC? So not only were they thin, they weren't even themselves.... Over-hyped is definitely the word. It thought it was cleverer than it was, but anyone who's seen AtS would be familiar. And the ending was stupid. *shrug*

GIP!

[yoshimi.livejournal.com]

there were a lot of awesome highlights, as i recall. but more to the point, did you see tennant in the remake of fright night? that was FUN too.

Re: GIP!

[elisi]

there were a lot of awesome highlights, as i recall.
Fun, great visuals, very flimsy, stupid ending.

but more to the point, did you see tennant in the remake of fright night? that was FUN too.
I have not, but I do plan to at some point. I think I'll probably enjoy it a lot more, as FUN seems to be the point... *g*

[bendingwind.livejournal.com]

Yesssssssss, someone besides me thinks this movie was a let-down \o/ I thought I was alone!

I spent right up until the last second convinced they were going to kill the girl and reveal that she was the fool and the dude was the virgin and I was really excited for that? And then it DIDN'T HAPPEN and all the suspension of disbelief I had been willfully forcing into existence the entire movie, instead of just slipping into, totally died a brutal quick death and I was over it.

It just... wasn't that great.

[elisi]

I spent right up until the last second convinced they were going to kill the girl and reveal that she was the fool and the dude was the virgin and I was really excited for that?
That... would have been GREAT! Didn't even occur to me, but wow, that would have been VERY neat. Didn't really have any expectations, but the fact that the world ended because two moronic/stoned teenagers decided that... why not? was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. Even dumber than the Big Red Button that with one push released all the monsters. or the One Guy With A Gun sent to kill them. This organisation is supposed to be smart how?

*stabs*

[yourlibrarian]

That moment was indeed great. And there were some other wonderfully humorous moments in it, largely because Joss is still a master of the unexpected moment. But I'm afraid the thing that stayed with me the most was the hilarity of that elevator ding. Thinking of it still makes me giggle.

[elisi]

You know, I'd completely forgotten that! And yes, lots of lovely little touches and moments - wish the overall effect had been better.