A remake of the 1947 classic starring Danny Kaye

Although not so much a remake but a totally new story with the same basic premise.

I’m not a big fan of American comedy, so it was nice to see something fresh and worthwhile. I have a large list of American comedians, who if I see listed for a movie I’ll avoid that movie like the plague. Ben Stiller has never been on that list, but he’s come close a few times. With Walter Mitty it looks as if he’s trying to break away from that sort of unfunny comedy.

I was also impressed to see that he directed the movie. Usually when you let the guy in the lead role direct, what you get is an unwatchable mess (Green Hornet anyone?)

Ben seems to have kept himself grounded and the result is a decent little movie. It looks nothing like the original, but the world has moved on since 1947

The Yardbirds added

Once again Hollywood has taken a story based in history and mucked around with it so much that it’s not recognisable. To be fair though, it’s clear from the outset that this is a fantasy movie with dragons and witches and the like

The addition of the halfbreed – as play by Keanu Reeves, is clearly just for the American audience. The rest of the actors are all played by Japanese including the main protagonist – Yep, although he seems to be a noteworthy character Keanu is not the main protagonist.

What didn’t I like?

Well there was very little. Keanu didn’t have the right accent, but that was about it. He really does seem to only be there so the movie can have a love interest with a woman who historically didn’t exist.

Overall the movie had a good story, the action scenes were a little on the weak side, but the lack of shakey cam helped to fix that and the story more than made up for it even if it was historically totally inaccurate (well okay not totally)

Note the movie didn’t claim (at least I didn’t see it claim) to be based on a true story and should perhaps be considered on it’s own merit.

Slade and Jona Lewie added

The last movie I saw Statham (Safe) in was good. While it was standard action hero stuff, the ideas were relatively fresh.

Homefront was stale. It’s the same sort of thing we’ve seen dozens of times before.

I remember this movie came out two weeks ago. I described it to my wife as a possible, with pretty much the same words I used for Out of the Furnace. In the end we went to see that and after seeing this, it looks as if we made the right choice.

In many ways this feels like a 1 star movie, but it did have a few redeeming features.

Although a bad guy, the baddie wasn’t a ‘kick the dog’ baddie. When I first saw the cat, I expected to see it hanging somewhere later as a warning to the hero, but the writers don’t slump to that old cliche. Secondly many of the secondary characters, although getting shot, survive. In other words they weren’t just there to increase the body count

Yep its that time of year.

Holst added to music

Warning spoilers.

So what did I think of the 3D?  – It was well done, since there was a lot of CGI though that isn’t really too surprising.

Overall it was an entertaining movie, I don’t feel it was on a par with the first, but worth adding to the collection nevertheless.

There were a few problems, the ears on the elves looked very fake for a multimillion dollar movie. Seriously they looked as if they were made of plastic. I think Spock’s ear in the old sixties Star Trek TV series looked more realistic, so it’s not as if the technology isn’t there.

Orlando Bloom playing the character of Legolas again, ten years after the Lord of the Rings and it show on him. This is meant to be a prequel, and he looks older. They’ve clearly tried to hide it with makeup, but not very successfully. While Orlando can’t help getting older, the writter could have used the same actor and given him a different character name – It’s not as if Legolas actually appears in the book. Likewise they could have got a younger Orlando Bloom look alike.

Then there was Thorin surfing along a river of molten gold – okay, maybe the thing he’s on is designed to carry molten gold without melting, maybe there was even no transference of heat through the item, who knows what the ancient dwarves might be capable of. Thorin should still have been broiled alive the moment he entered the tunnel to where he was going. Although admittedly there was surprisingly little steam coming off the gold.

The thing that irritated me the most the use of shakey cam. Perhaps it wasn’t too overpowering as it only occurred in the battle scenes and there weren’t a lot of those. Nevertheless, it had shakey cam.

Jake Thackray Added

At first look this appears to be another Death Wish style movie. In a way I’m glad it wasn’t, there are far too many of those around these days that they’ve gotten boring.

Instead what we have is more of a thriller. Christian Bale plays a man who is so mild tempered that virtually nothing upsets him.

Perhaps it spent a little too long setting up that aspect of the movie.

I’m going to keep this short. I liked the movie, I felt it was worth watching, but I can’t see myself ever coming back for a second helping.

Not one for the collection but definitely worth checking out the once.