Ever since “Lord of the Rings” broke the bank in the box office, studios have been searching far and wide for books to adapt in to big films and eventually series. With “Harry Potter,” “The Chronicles of Nania,” and “Twlight” proving a humongous success, studios are not stopping their search for new series. There’s no limit to the kinds of books they’ll bank roll for a movie series, as we’ve seen with the upcoming “Fifty Shades of Grey.” With every successful film series launch, there have been some fantasy films that have fallen by the wayside, and these are five we consider vastly underrated.
Tag Archives: Adaptation
Cloud Atlas (2012) (Blu-ray/DVD + UltraViolet Digital Copy Combo Pack)
Re-incarnation links us to one another, there is no free will, we’re bound to one another in an endless stream of dilemmas we’re fated to live out. We can change it if we so choose, but it is incredibly difficult to defy fate. It takes almost three hours to spell out those very messages to the audience, and what a three hours it is. “Cloud Atlas” has a lot of ambition, with a hefty helping of self-importance to add to its genres, but it does very little to convince us why we should care. About anything in this movie. There are multiple storylines, but I never found myself empathizing with anyone really.
Superman: Unbound (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet) (2013)
I never really read the graphic novel upon which “Superman Unbound” is based on, but I thankfully know of it, and what the new Brainiac is supposed to look like in the mini-series. With the adaptation, there really isn’t a lot to “Superman Unbound.” Brainiac wants to go to Earth to collect a city, Superman and Supergirl have to stop him. Fighting ensues. As an adaptation, it’s an entertaining animated film with some great action sequences, but not too much substance. The focus of “Superman Unbound” is mainly on Superman trying to live the human life, now that he and Lois are a relationship. Lois wants Superman/Clark to become the boyfriend she needs, the supportive and loving man who can give her a life. But Clark is hesitant to press his luck. Especially when she’s always in peril.
They Live (Collector’s Edition) [Blu-ray]
Roddy Piper always seemed like an unusual choice for the role of Nada in John Carpenter’s “The Live” to me. Especially considering the film itself is less an action thriller, and more of a science fiction film that slowly elevates its horror when you consider how much this world reflects our own. The aliens themselves aren’t so much extra terrestrials, but are just us. They’re unrecognizable because they’ve submitted themselves to the decadence and subliminal commands of their overlords. The people that have chosen to act with them are akin to the Jews who chose to ally themselves with the Nazis. They’re slimy, but they’re acting on survival. The aliens have found a way to destroy society from the inside out, and we don’t actually realize it until we break the status quo and put on sunglasses.
Flash Gordon: The Complete Series (DVD)
Man, what the hell happened?
It seemed like such a good idea at the time. The Syfy Channel or The Sci Fi Channel has had a good track record for television series that excelled in epic space adventures with hit shows like “Stargate” and “Farscape.” Plus, they engineered one of the most critically acclaimed award winning reboots of all time, “BSG: Battlestar Galactica” which ended up being an important touchstone for science fiction in the twenty first century.
So what in the heck happened with “Flash Gordon”? Syfy and their executives not only seem to miss the point with these characters of the pulp era, but completely seek out to alter their personas rather than re-invent them.
Zombieland: The Series
“Zombieland” seeks to be the antidote for folks still clamoring for a zombie television series, but hate the drama and politics of “The Walking Dead.” Where as Robert Kirkman’s pop culture smash is more of an adult take, “Zombieland” takes all of the best road trip movies and adds some zombies for good measure. Folks claiming this is an attempt to market off of “The Walking Dead” are half right. Originally “Zombieland” was pitched to every studio as a weekly series, but when it was turned down left and right, it was transformed in to a horror comedy feature film that would hopefully transform in to a movie series. When Woody Harrelson pulled out of ever playing hero Tallahassee again while stars Emma Watson and Jessie Eisenberg’s careers took off, the hopes of having a “Zombieland” movie series collapses.
The Top Ten Most Shocking Moments of The Walking Dead Season Three
After breaking every record in the book and becoming a national craze, “The Walking Dead” has finally ended its third season with many a surprise in store, and an immense sense of urgency and carnage in the land of the dead. With the season finale finally airing in the US, we bring you the ten most shocking moments of “The Walking Dead” season three and look back fondly on a season filled with shocks, twists, and deaths. The countdown to season four begins and we anxiously await October 2013 for the return of Robert Kirkman’s epic. Spoilers Abound!