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whiskey tango foxtrot
Nov. 18th, 2006 01:32 amI've come to feel that my enjoyment of something cannot be killed by it being over-hyped. Or sure, that's the common feeling, "it was so hyped up, it was a letdown," I know that. And yet, I believe that if something is really, truly of quality, even if I don't want to like it, the excellence of the work will shine through and I will admit, however grudgingly if I were resistant, that "god damn it, it's good."
Then there are times that there's something I want to see, but others see it before me and hype it up like mad. Then I want to see it more than ever, even if I am cautious as, like, virtually everybody is praising the hell out of it. That's a good deal of pressure and hype to live up to.
But then, there are times when the movie isn't just a letdown. No, it's worse than mere disappointment. It's... how to describe this... it's... bafflement. Bafflement at a movie that astounded and thrilled pretty much everyone I know who has seen it, and yet has left me totally, completely cold.
Such a film is THE PRESTIGE.
And I wanted to like it, God I did. But I just... didn't... care. At no point in this movie did I care about ANY of these cold, selfish people. I swear, the only character for whom I had any sympathy and emotional investment was Andy Serkis' cat. That's it. And I kept hoping, "See where it's going, get to the end, to the big reveal," because I had just a few days ago finished ENDER'S GAME, a book I really, really didn't care for until the very end, an end which salvaged the whole thing for me and made it excellent, so I was still in that mindset. Nope. Not so.
( Spoilers for a bit here )
The worst part is how damn frustrated I am right now. I don't get it! I'm baffled. How could this movie so deeply connect with so many people when it left me totally, completely cold? Cold, cold is the word! There was nothing warm, nothing for me to hold on to or care about in this whole damn movie. And I hate this feeling, I really do.
This is worse than mere disappointment. Because I feel like the only person in the world who just... doesn't... get it.
Then there are times that there's something I want to see, but others see it before me and hype it up like mad. Then I want to see it more than ever, even if I am cautious as, like, virtually everybody is praising the hell out of it. That's a good deal of pressure and hype to live up to.
But then, there are times when the movie isn't just a letdown. No, it's worse than mere disappointment. It's... how to describe this... it's... bafflement. Bafflement at a movie that astounded and thrilled pretty much everyone I know who has seen it, and yet has left me totally, completely cold.
Such a film is THE PRESTIGE.
And I wanted to like it, God I did. But I just... didn't... care. At no point in this movie did I care about ANY of these cold, selfish people. I swear, the only character for whom I had any sympathy and emotional investment was Andy Serkis' cat. That's it. And I kept hoping, "See where it's going, get to the end, to the big reveal," because I had just a few days ago finished ENDER'S GAME, a book I really, really didn't care for until the very end, an end which salvaged the whole thing for me and made it excellent, so I was still in that mindset. Nope. Not so.
( Spoilers for a bit here )
The worst part is how damn frustrated I am right now. I don't get it! I'm baffled. How could this movie so deeply connect with so many people when it left me totally, completely cold? Cold, cold is the word! There was nothing warm, nothing for me to hold on to or care about in this whole damn movie. And I hate this feeling, I really do.
This is worse than mere disappointment. Because I feel like the only person in the world who just... doesn't... get it.
