Too Fantastic

Robh (Rob) · #1 24-04-2009, 06:42 PM

Hi to all.
With all the talk here about movies and TV series, I'd thought I'd throw in something to think about.

Firstly, let's look at some of our past and present heroes ...
Superman. Just exactly how does he fly?
The Hulk. How does he miraculously increase his mass when angry?
Spiderman. What is the mechanism by which he throws spider webs? Most spiders actually drift webs in the breeze.
The Matrix and sequels. The increasing use of "wire fu" to make our heroes perform ridiculous feats.
The Fantastic Four. Well what can I say?
The action movie Transporter and its sequels. Sequences are ridiculously over-choreographed and the hero's chance of survival is way beyond normal probabilities.

How is it we are so willing to suspend belief in the possible?
Is this a remnant of our fantasy-based childhood?
Do we just want our characters to be larger than real life?
Are we action junkies at any cost?
Are directors increasingly morphing action and/or sci-fi movies into pure fantasy with no scientific basis?
Are we in danger of breeding a society of the scientific clueless that don't know the possible from the impossible, the likely from the unlikely?

Name a realistic action or science flick based on real possibilities from the last dozen years or so.
Perhaps, the movie Deep Impact. Any others?

Are our movies becoming too fantastic and not believable?
Rob.

Omaroo (Chris Malikoff) · #2 24-04-2009, 07:05 PM

And Peter Pan was different how?

lacad01 (Adam) · #3 24-04-2009, 07:09 PM

Or going back even further what about Homer's 'Odysey'. Just goes to show the fantastic imagination we as humans have. I don't mind a bit escapism from time to time

Omaroo (Chris Malikoff) · #4 24-04-2009, 07:57 PM

Or Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream - fairies in the garden! Arghh!

GrahamL · #5 24-04-2009, 08:10 PM

Yeah ..."Thunderbirds are Go ... They go load up travel down all these
shutes and stuff down into this huge hanger then TB2 .. pops out under the front balcony.. not to mention some of acting was sometimes a bit wooden in its delivery ..AND they just couldn't walk properly for some reason..

FAB

Ric · #6 24-04-2009, 11:16 PM

Isn't that the idea of movies, a chance to escape from reality for an hour or two?

Cheers

Robh (Rob) · #7 25-04-2009, 11:20 AM

I think I've failed to put my point clearly.
I'm not against a good fantastic, tongue-in-cheek, escapist film.
What I am alarmed at is the trend towards increasing fantasy in too many serious action/science flicks, where directors are ignoring real scientific possibilities e.g. the movie The Core. Computer graphics and techniques like "wire fu" are making it too easy to churn out the improbable.
Where are movies the like of 2001: A Space Odyssey?
Regards, Rob.

Baddad (Marty) · #8 25-04-2009, 12:44 PM

Hey Robh,

Superman. Just exactly how does he fly?
The Hulk. How does he miraculously increase his mass when angry?
Spiderman. What is the mechanism by which he throws spider webs? Most spiders actually drift webs in the breeze.
The Matrix and sequels. The increasing use of "wire fu" to make our heroes perform ridiculous feats.

How are these feats achieved? Movie Magic, of-course.

I find myself watching these shows to see how realistic the feats can appear. More of a scientific curiosity than escapism.

The shows amaze me at times but I do become quite disgusted when they over step the boundaries too much. Insulting the intelligence of the viewers.

When I was a boy, yes, it had that wow factor. I think that is the kind of audience that those shows targeted.

Over all I'm with you Robh. I don't watch those "heroes" just for the entertainment. Too far fetched for my liking.

Cheers Marty

Jen · #9 25-04-2009, 01:32 PM

Maybe because Cinderella and the 7 dwarfs got too predictable and boring

Baddad (Marty) · #10 25-04-2009, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jen

Maybe because Cinderella and the 7 dwarfs got too predictable and boring

Hey Jen,

Jen · #11 25-04-2009, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baddad

Hey Jen,

evad2009 (David) · #12 25-04-2009, 02:17 PM

Hi Jen, love your complexion, do you get funny looks from people? I do.

TrevorW · #13 25-04-2009, 02:48 PM

Their has been one based on some science fact

"Red Planet"

Jen · #14 25-04-2009, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by evad2009

Hi Jen, love your complexion, do you get funny looks from people? I do.

Hi there my evil twin yep get lots of funny looks but then i just zap em

spikeface (Peter) · #15 25-04-2009, 06:19 PM

you know, i find myself instantly disinterested when i see a movie marketed as 'action movie.' i simply cannot stand poor writing, and unfortunently, action flicks are crap magnets... i realise it's not necessarily the point to watch transformers for the script, and i can brain dead my way through a movie if called for, but... you know? in regards to the actual topic, i reckon the priority for action movie makers is simply effects now... even over violence...