I am torn now....yikes. everything you said didnt seem like a B- film. Although we love the first so may be more harsh.Vader182 wrote:Oldboy-
As it turns out, while Lee’s Oldboy undeniably fails as a remake, as a pulpy genre piece, it works.
The main narrative thrust is a violent mystery story, and to that end it is a success. Joe goes from person to person and clue to clue to unravel his mystery, and genre hijinks ensue. For instance, sneaking around in occupied houses on all fours is silly, but it’s a silliness B movies get away with. Action sequences shy away from shaky cam, letting the dazzling fight choreography do the talking. It’s a compliment I’ve had the pleasure to pay more lately, hopefully signaling a decline in this obnoxious trend.
Oldboy may be the best advertisement for an Apple product you’ve ever seen: not only do both the good and bad guys use the iPhone 5S, but even with 20 years in total isolation and little to no knowledge of computers let alone the internet, Joe learns to use MAC OS X in mere minutes. It’s that easy, folks! I wish I could say such a funny oversight was the biggest logic gap in the movie, but it’s far from. Oldboy is chock full of awkward contrivances that mire the plot and characters into obscurity. My advice? Try not to think about them.
Protesvich and Lee made a mistake. 2013’s Oldboy is too literal. For the most part, the drama is played straight, and it doesn’t really work. A thematically rich premise becomes a ridiculous one, as do the bizarre friendships Joe forms once released. Drastic changes in the ending and overall story rip out the heart and soul of the movie, leaving nothing but a surface layer shell. It’s an insulting reminder of the original
There’s also a sense he intended to mimic the techniques of South Korean cinema, the country of the original. This is both in movement and in mood and if it was his goal, it was an effective one. Sharlto Copley’s vampiric performance caters to this idea, with him speaking in the same soft register as many of the villains of Asian cinema. Lee gives Oldboy a credence it wouldn’t have had otherwise, and even if Spielberg, ironically, may have provided a better adaptation, it probably would have been a worse movie.
Oldboy is an Oreo without the frosting. It may not match up to the original cookie, but it’s still pretty good.
B-
Full review:
-Vader
Oldboy (2013)
Cool
I can't believe that they cut the movie from 3 hours to 1 hour 40 min. No wonder some reviews like Vader's talk of logical gaps and how the fact that Joe has been in captivity for 20 y just doesn't feel right.
Please, Lee, release director's cut.
Please, Lee, release director's cut.
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Joined:
May 2010
I'll see it for Copley and Lizzie's juggs.
Don't forget her buns as wellm4st4 wrote:I'll see it for Copley and Lizzie's juggs.
Oldboy
After the wait for this anticipated remake, I could not be more disappointed. What Lee has created is something that lacks soul, and often verges on laughable. Although the film takes a different approach in certain plot points, when similarities do take place they fall flat in every aspect. The hallway scene feels dull, and is one of the many places that craves the mood that the first film offered. The soundtrack is good at times, but overall failed to create an atmosphere that could compliment the dark subject matter. It feels like they packed so much into a small run time, and leaves certain aspects underdeveloped. This is most visible when The performances aren't great, but good. I thought both Copley, and Brolin were really good in some scenes, and in others questionable. Olsen on the other hand carried her own from scene one, and even when i felt a disconnect in the direction she was on point. Obviously with this story the ending is key. Lee takes the subject matter, and tackles it with a more straight forward approach. The changes don't flow well, and their is no sympathy between the conflict of good, and bad. The film feels cold, and once everything is revealed doesn't reach the beauty of the first. Their is one aspect that Lee added in the ending that was quite emotional, and worked well in his version Overall, Park deserves all the praise, because he takes incredibly dark subject matter, and creates a mood that is not only beautiful, but can make the viewer sympathize with the wrong doing. Lee's film lacks exactly that.
Lee's Oldboy is like a box of chocolates, its often mysterious, but once you bite into it you wont always like what you get.
After the wait for this anticipated remake, I could not be more disappointed. What Lee has created is something that lacks soul, and often verges on laughable. Although the film takes a different approach in certain plot points, when similarities do take place they fall flat in every aspect. The hallway scene feels dull, and is one of the many places that craves the mood that the first film offered. The soundtrack is good at times, but overall failed to create an atmosphere that could compliment the dark subject matter. It feels like they packed so much into a small run time, and leaves certain aspects underdeveloped. This is most visible when
Lee's Oldboy is like a box of chocolates, its often mysterious, but once you bite into it you wont always like what you get.
Durden wrote:Lee's Oldboy is like a box of chocolates, its often mysterious, but once you bite into it you wont always like what you get.
I truly wonder if it's safe to really judge the movie considering that we know Lee is not happy with the cut (his comments on the fight scene being cut, etc), Brolin said he preferred the director's cut, and the movie has been cut by an hour and 20 min, which is basically one movie instead of two in length.
lmao 1.2mil
Just came back from a screening of this. What a meaningless remake.
It's not the worst film I'v ever seen - but it's worse in every aspect compared to the original.
It's a long time since Iv posted here, and I usually make longer reviews of new films, but I just don't have anything to say about this film, it's just an unpersonal mess. That totally lacks the vision and talent of the original.
If you consider watching this film, do as I wanted to do during the entire screening. Watch the original again instead.
2/5
It's not the worst film I'v ever seen - but it's worse in every aspect compared to the original.
It's a long time since Iv posted here, and I usually make longer reviews of new films, but I just don't have anything to say about this film, it's just an unpersonal mess. That totally lacks the vision and talent of the original.
If you consider watching this film, do as I wanted to do during the entire screening. Watch the original again instead.
2/5
