07-12-2007, 06:15 AM
I think I understand what you're saying, at the same time the people that disagreed with your critique is not imo, exactly wrong.
While I agree with your views that just because it's a sci fi action flick that should not give it a free pass.
It -is- a Michael Bay film. He's practically a genre to himself. And it's obvious even from the 30 minute infomercial 'making of', the real stars and focus of the movie was the cgi robots, the stunts, and the new Camaro.
I've got a few acquaintances in the film biz, one guy is in a sfx studio, others are in the indie scene. The one thing they all agree on is at the end of the day, show business is still a business. The phrase they used was actually a cross between business and gambling.
The higher the budget is, the higher the chances those who are footing the capitol\investment\bet wants it to be a sure thing. A rare few exception do understand there's a creative aspect in it, but the majority at that high level don't get excited when you start talking about script writing, and whatever creative jazz you're pitching at them.
What they want to find out is will the investment in your project pan out for them? Story, character, and talks of that nature only perks up their ears if you can convince them it will have an impact on getting people buying tickets.
>So, paradoxically, the aspect of the movie which broke that social contract between moviemaker and moviegoer was not the colossal alien gun-toting morphable machines, but rather the portrayel of regular human beings.
>The fact that this wasn't picked up in any of the pre-shoot stages of production is frightening. Then again, special effects and big names have overshadowed the script in moviemaking for quite some time now. Thank God this trend will implode someday.
If you're judging it from the point of view of some sort of creative endevour, then you're absolutely right. If you're seeing it from a business point of view, all that matters is what the week(end) box office tally, and the sales of merchandising and DVDs compared to how much the movie costs to make. That's the only 'contract' that really matters in that sense.
And as long as movies like 'RV' can reach box office #1 in the not so distant past, I doubt this trend will implode.
ps. Hell, if I had movie mogul kind of money, I'd invest it in a summer blockbuster movie featuring Robin Williams as a transforming RV who must fight a zombified Hans Gruber on top of a giant meteor that's about to crash the Titanic. I'm betting it will do boffo business just from people buying tickets because of curiousity, and wanting to get out of the summer heat.