2015, Alan Taylor (Roadside Picnic) -- Netflix
Also, wait-what? They made an American adaptation of the Russian novel "Roadside Picnic" ?!?! Ohhh, it was an unreleased pilot from AMC. Damn. I wish there was still a way to see unreleased pilots like back in the VHS days. And the rogue YouTube channel has been taken down.
NOTE: "Roadside Picnic" is a parallel story to "Annihilation" in that its something alien come to earth, and its presence causes Earth-based normalities to change.
The first post.
So, why did I ReWatch? Because it was there, and I was in the mood for some dumb fun while washing dishes and making lunch. I also recall enjoying it much more than I wrote I did, and I am not sure that I have rewatched it since I saw it in the cinema.
Verdict? I probably enjoyed it more than I did the first time round. In isolation, it fills a lot of the cravings that the Terminator movies do for me, and I think its the odd-ducks of the franchise that I enjoy more now instead of the establishing flicks (the first three) that made the name. But I always enjoy fucking with the establishment.
Also, I am beginning to think I enjoy movies more with repeated rewatches, in that whatever inspires me to see it again, also inspires me to only really pay attention to the bits I like, and dismiss the other stuff.
Yeah, that ain't happening with "Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire - Director's Cut". I am picking the Snyderisms apart majorly.
A movie like this is best watched out of context, as part of the legacy that is The Terminator but without the baggage accompanying fandom. At least half the movie is fan-service, which equally annoys and delights the fandom. I would have counted myself in the fandom in the 90s, back when you could enjoy something without being smothered by toxic reaction.
I enjoyed all the little ways they played with the reflections of the previous movies: the return of a liquid metal terminator, the recreation of the "give me your clothes" scene, the "come with me if you want to live" flip-flop, even the quick scene of Kyle Reese checking his shoe size. I think it was the toxic reaction to this within the franchise whole that tanked it, which is a shame for it would have been nice to eventually find out who sent Pops back to save Sarah.
I could write more, probably an entire post, just about the drama around this whole franchise, especially the "failed movies", this as Terminator: Salvation, but something about peeling back the onion on troubled franchises always depresses me. What was lost? What could have become should the Purple Suits had just stayed the fuck out of it? What could have become if fans just let people enjoy things even if they didn't? At least, as time passes, I am fully able to enjoy something on its own, even with all my own baggage intact.
What? No comment about how you realllly like Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor? Yeah, probably best to let the creeping lie with that one comment.
Oh, Terminator as a franchise has a whole complicated history that goes well beyomd purple suit meddling.
ReplyDeleteBasically each of the false-start trilogies (Salvation, Genesys, Dark Fate) were done by a different production company and/or studio obtaining the rights to the franchise. So it's like like it's one studio controlling the property and purple suiting its rebirth each time, it's a frsh start each time trying to establish its own continuity and connection to the original two. It's wild.
I too seem to recall enjoying this, but I've tapped out on Terminator in total...since there's no continuous narrative to jump into, I haven't bothered jumping into it anymore. I never rewatch them and I haven't seen the last one. I would like to rewatch The Sarah Connor Chronicles as I recall really enjoying that but time being limited....
"...so it's *not* like it's one studio..."
DeleteI see the Purple Suits as a cross-company independent resource issue. did the rights with one company get dropped due to multiple issues? yes, and it happened with multiple companies. I still blame the Purple Suits for causing it to happen three times.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I am also entirely fine with watching stand-alone movies but nope, that is Not the Way.