Going to see Oldboy tonight. Spike, don't let me down.

[phillycavsfan]

I'm doing my best to push the original out of my memory, because I know comparing the two will only end in disappointment. I just want Spike to prove he can still make good movies when he has a good screenplay and adequate budget. I'm not a fan of James McBride at all, and thought his screenplays for Miracle at St. Anna and Red Hook Summer were poor.

With all these talented new black directors showing up now (Daniels, McQueen, Coogler), it'd be good to see that Spike can still hang.

 

[x2y]

This has let down written all over it. Even if my expectations for it are low I think I will still be let down.

 

[The Jewnited States]

http://twitchfilm.com/2013/11/review-oldboy-a-failed-attempt-at-something-new.html


twitch shyt on it and it sounds exactly like i thought it would be


i wouldn't waste my money.

"
I wanted to love this film. I went in with appropriate levels of cautious expectation. I believe there's a space for a film like this, and don't abide the fact that some films, particularly genre films of this type, are sacrosanct and somehow should be free from being remade for an English-speaking audience. When done well, as Lee's mentor Martin Scorsese did with The Departed, you can in fact improve upon an excellent original, finding ways of expanding the narrative with grace and sophistication.

Alas, Lee's folly is that all of his visual and choreographic contributions seem to be lesser than the original. The script twists itself into contortions to make things surprising even for those familiar with the original, but it does so at the cost of some of the more subtle elements of character and morality that Park's film embodied."

 

[phillycavsfan]

http://twitchfilm.com/2013/11/review-oldboy-a-failed-attempt-at-something-new.html


twitch shyt on it and it sounds exactly like i thought it would be


i wouldn't waste my money.

"
I wanted to love this film. I went in with appropriate levels of cautious expectation. I believe there's a space for a film like this, and don't abide the fact that some films, particularly genre films of this type, are sacrosanct and somehow should be free from being remade for an English-speaking audience. When done well, as Lee's mentor Martin Scorsese did with The Departed, you can in fact improve upon an excellent original, finding ways of expanding the narrative with grace and sophistication.

Alas, Lee's folly is that all of his visual and choreographic contributions seem to be lesser than the original. The script twists itself into contortions to make things surprising even for those familiar with the original, but it does so at the cost of some of the more subtle elements of character and morality that Park's film embodied."

Meh. That's just one critic. Matt Zoller Seitz (he writes on RogerEbert.com) liked it, and I generally like his reviews.

 

[hex]

Let me know how it is man, write a detailed review if you get a chance.

Fred.

 

[The Jewnited States]

Meh. That's just one critic. Matt Zoller Seitz (he writes on RogerEbert.com) liked it, and I generally like his reviews.

drop a review once u see it. i'm just far too skeptical at this point

 

[TheGodling]

Most reviews seem to make the case that Lee's movie has its moments, but the legacy of the original is just too strong to be able to compete with. So it's not necessarily a bad remake, just one that never really stood a chance. I'm seeing it on saturday so I'll post my thoughts then, and it's been a while since I saw the original so hopefully I can judge it on its own merits.

 

[hex]

AICN gave it a positive review too.

Fred.

 

[Heretic]

I saw a screener for this last week. When i get back to my room later ill drop a non spoiler review for it.

 

[Mr.Black]

gotta finish the original, i keep trying to watch that shyt on netflix at like 11 at night and falling asleep right when dudes eating that squid

 

[phillycavsfan]

Before I review it, I'm just gonna warn you that I WON'T be spoiling the twist. I won't even spoiler tag it. So if that's the reason you're reading this you can stop right here.

Sadly I can't recommend this movie to anyone who's seen the original. It's a good movie, but it just pales to the Korean version in almost every way. It doesn't even feel like a Spike Lee film; he just seems like a substitute director. The worst part is that it's obvious the studios edited the movie down heavily. Sam Jackson and Sharlto Copley's sidekick seemed like they had scenes cut out of the movie because the fates of each character felt hollow. I won't say if the twist is same or different than the original, but I will say that it doesn't carry the BOOM of the original when (Korean version spoiler)

Spoiler

Dae-Su opens the book

Someone in my theater (which was about 30% full for a 8 PM showing, but the whole cinema was half empty) screamed OH SHIT when the twist went down, so maybe it'll still work on those who haven't seen the Korean flick.

Let me get to what I liked about it. Performances were strong, especially from Brolin and Copley. Spike's version of the hallway fight scene (through 3 floors of a warehouse in two separate tracking shots) was actually pretty awesome and almost as good as the original. I'd bet it'll be even better in the director's cut because the studios definitely cut it short towards the end. Spike's version of the teeth-pulling torture was pretty gnarly too. If you've seen the trailer, you've already seen part of it with Sam Jackson on the table with Brolin dotting his neck.

Overall I'd give it a passing grade of 6/10. If you still want to see this version I'd wait till a director's cut comes out on Blu-Ray/DVD. If you have no issues with subtitles and you haven't seen either version, for god's sake watch the original ASAP. It's on Netflix streaming.

 

[duncanthetall]

Sounds like a generous 6/10 breh

 

[phillycavsfan]

Sounds like a generous 6/10 breh

If I explain more what I liked about it I'd spoil the ending so I held off.

 

[marcuz]

ign shyt on it royally

dont know how much that has to do with it being spike lee, and how much it has to do with the film actually being disappointing

 

[Just like bruddas]

da fukk is a oldboy?