Overrated/Underrated Geek Media

[billd91]

Underrated: The Phantom Menace
Overrated: The other two prequels

Oh hell, yes. Totally on board. It has the best lightsaber duel and has 2 more interesting characters than any of the other prequels... in that it has 2 interesting characters.

 

[Bohandas]

Underrated: The Phantom Menace
Overrated: The other two prequels

This. Phantom Menace was fun. The other preqjels were forgettable

 

[MGibster]

Well, sure, but I'd lay much of the responsibility for that on major structural changes in media transmission that brought us SO MANY DIFFERENT options. I can assure you, my kids have seen much less Brady Bunch than I did at their ages, because they have so many better options to choose from.

That's kind of what I was getting at when I said I watched Gilligan's Island because I didn't have many other options. Fun fact: I've never seen a complete episode of The Brady Bunch. I saw the first movie, but never a whole episode of the original.

Underrated: Cats
Overrated: Dogs

I've reported your post. We just don't need this kind of negativity here. You're killing me, Gradine!

Underrated: Dungeons & Dragons
Overrated: Dungeons & Dragons

Okay. I forgive you.

 

[payn]

I cant handle the Jar Jar.

 

[Clint_L]

I want to be clear because you were quoting me, that I never said critics are snobs. I like reading film reviews, and I write them myself for genre movies. I wouldn't necessarily call critics experts, but I do think watching lots and lots of films all the time can give them insights. I do think some critics and some types of critics can be snobbish. But most critics I think just really like movies. There is sometimes a notable divide now between audience and critics on certain movies but that is more recent (and I think a lot of critics are coming back to where audiences are anyways)

I wasn't quoting you (I don't think I directly quoted anyone; if I did it was unintentional). I think you and I probably have similar thoughts on this issue.

 

[Clint_L]

In general, lowbrow" or genre entertainment tends to be more memorable, or at least have scenes that get etched into the collective psyche.

The shower scene from Psycho.
"Heeeere's Johnny!"
"You better get a bigger boat."

Etc.

Genre films, sure, but hard to square "lowbrow" with Hitchcock (at least, not in his mature phase), Kubrick, and Spielberg (well, maybe sometimes). Especially those movies!

 

[Clint_L]

Oh hell, yes. Totally on board. It has the best lightsaber duel and has 2 more interesting characters than any of the other prequels... in that it has 2 interesting characters.

Obi-wan and Qui-gon? And an admittedly great lightsaber duel - sure. But for me, the sins of the film are so egregious, in so many ways, that they completely overwhelm its few strengths.

 

[billd91]

Obi-wan and Qui-gon? And an admittedly great lightsaber duel - sure. But for me, the sins of the film are so egregious, in so many ways, that they completely overwhelm its few strengths.

Nope, Qui-Gon and Darth Maul. Obi-Wan isn't really interesting in any of the prequels. And from my perspective, the follow-up prequels lack even the bright spots of Phantom Menace.

 

[Clint_L]

Darth Maul has a great look and fight scene, but he's barely a character, IMO (what's he have, three lines?). I think Ewen Mcgregor's Obi Wan is easily the best character in that entire series - the best acted, with a believable arc. I might agree about the bright spots...I dunno...the battle between Anakin and Obi Wan is pretty great, too, but yeah, none of those film have a lot going on. However, Phantom Menace has more scenes that make me actively cringe rather than just kind of nod off:

• anything involving cute baby Darth Vader ("What does this button do? Oopsie, I just destroyed the mothership!")
• anything involving Jar Jar
• all the incidental racism
• the terrible acting from almost the entire cast, aside from McGregor and, well Neeson doing Neeson things.
• the nonsensical plot
• the nonsensical dialogue (real people don't talk like that...this is a standard Lucas issue)
• the CGI

It's a bad, bad film. I hate it pretty passionately.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I wasn't quoting you (I don't think I directly quoted anyone; if I did it was unintentional). I think you and I probably have similar thoughts on this issue.

I think you quoted my post on dances with wolves at the start of the post, but I could have been mistaken