World War Z: Announced

[Felon]

If you want to make a fantasy movie, make a fantasy movie. If you invoke actual, real world elements such as a virus, it should behave like an actual, real world virus.

How about it behave like a fantastic version of a virus? Elements of fantasy and realism can mingle. You're basically taking the same position as Bento did, conflating realism with believability.

 

[Tetsubo]

How about it behave like a fantastic version of a virus? Elements of fantasy and realism can mingle. You're basically taking the same position as Bento did, conflating realism with believability.

A fantasy version of a virus is magic. Just call it magic and avoid the confusion.

If you call something a dog, it shouldn't have wings and fly. A virus should behave like a virus.

Magic can do anything it darn well pleases.

 

[Felon]

Please refrain from making personal attacks.

- Xath

 

[Tetsubo]

Please refrain from making personal attacks.

- Xath

It isn't a rejection of SF. I used to love SF novels and I am still a fan of SF films.

A virus isn't an SF trope. It is a part and parcel of the real world.

As for my education on the topic. Nothing formal. But I have read a dozen or so books on the subject. On the structure of the virus, the history of their research, the effect on military and civilian history. I am not am expert. But I am about as well informed on the topic as a layperson can be.

But I didn't need to read any of those books to know Hollywood BS when I see it. You only need a passing familiarity with biology to see the gaping holes in scripts where a virus plays a part.

Dogs bark, firearms discharge rounds, knives cut string. These are elements of the real world. I expect them to function the same way in a script. If a writer and director fail to achieve this, they have failed at their craft. I don't think it is asking too much from a script writer or director to have a High School level of understanding on the central theme of their film.

I think that film goers ask too little of films. So we get poorly crafted films. I say hold script writers and directors to a higher standard. Don't settle.

 

[Felon]

Whatever. Your position is based on certain questionable presumptions (i.e. "a virus is not a SF trope"), but if a mod is feeling triggerhappy enough that challenging the inflexibility of a poster's attitude will be deemed a personal attack, then the only reasonable reaction at this point is to say the hell with it.

 

[Tetsubo]

Whatever. Your position is based on certain questionable presumptions (i.e. "a virus is not a SF trope"), but if a mod is feeling triggerhappy enough that challenging the inflexibility of a poster's attitude will be deemed a personal attack, then the only reasonable reaction at this point is to say the hell with it.

If it matters, I don't feel that I am under a personal attack.

I was however expressing my opinion. Which you are more than welcome to disagree with. Have two people ever agreed on a film?

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

If you call something a dog, it shouldn't have wings and fly.

What if, during the course of the plot, a dog grew wings and flew because of a slow-acting, real-world-like virus.

 

[Tetsubo]

What if, during the course of the plot, a dog grew wings and flew because of a slow-acting, real-world-like virus.

Make it an advanced nanite colony and I might just buy it...

Though the idea of a dog flying over my head makes pigeon poo seem a small deal...

 

[Rykion]

Not true. I am an avid movie fan. I just want movies that make sense.

If you want to make a fantasy movie, make a fantasy movie. If you invoke actual, real world elements such as a virus, it should behave like an actual, real world virus.

Like movie guns work like real world guns? They never seem to jam or run out of ammo unless it's dramatic, and their ability to knock people back is amazing. I seldom notice any recoil either. I guess it's movie cars that are like their real world equivalents. Cars do blow up when shot and everytime they go off a cliff right? Well there are always movie cops. They walk all over the law and obtain tons of evidence illegally, but they always get their man and it holds up in court. Movie court that is, where you can introduce new evidence whenever you want and don't have to worry about any inconvenient laws unless it's dramatic. Then there are movie soldiers. I doubt real soldiers always walk out in the open and silhouette themselves against pretty much every light source. No matter how much mud and rain those movie heroes go through they have pearly white teeth and dry, clean clothes. Movie pilots have to take off those silly masks so they can talk to each other through their radios, even though their mics are in those masks. Those radios always do a great job of communicating, even with the bad guys. Of course the planes always have the right mix of missiles and plenty of them. I could go on about every genre.

Every movie that isn't a documentary is a fantasy. Heck even a lot of documentaries are fantasies. Every movie requires suspension of disbelief at some level. It's just a little odd that in a movie about the walking dead, the rapid spread of a virus that is super effective, is the deal breaker.

 

[Tetsubo]

Like movie guns work like real world guns? They never seem to jam or run out of ammo unless it's dramatic, and their ability to knock people back is amazing. I seldom notice any recoil either. I guess it's movie cars that are like their real world equivalents. Cars do blow up when shot and everytime they go off a cliff right? Well there are always movie cops. They walk all over the law and obtain tons of evidence illegally, but they always get their man and it holds up in court. Movie court that is, where you can introduce new evidence whenever you want and don't have to worry about any inconvenient laws unless it's dramatic. Then there are movie soldiers. I doubt real soldiers always walk out in the open and silhouette themselves against pretty much every light source. No matter how much mud and rain those movie heroes go through they have pearly white teeth and dry, clean clothes. Movie pilots have to take off those silly masks so they can talk to each other through their radios, even though their mics are in those masks. Those radios always do a great job of communicating, even with the bad guys. Of course the planes always have the right mix of missiles and plenty of them. I could go on about every genre.

Every movie that isn't a documentary is a fantasy. Heck even a lot of documentaries are fantasies. Every movie requires suspension of disbelief at some level. It's just a little odd that in a movie about the walking dead, the rapid spread of a virus that is super effective, is the deal breaker.

I guess my willingness to disbelieve is a lot lower than most folks. The things you mention do in fact bug me to no end. I see it as sloppy craftsmanship. Your mileage may vary.