In today’s FLOP or NOT, Jack dives into three of the most epic trailers of late, and of course dishes a FLOP or NOT rating.
1917 (December, 2019)
World War I deserves more movies. It only started to receive the recognition it deserves in media, art, and public knowledge in the face of its centennial (at least in the States, that is.) Massively grim, dramatic, and somewhat recent event in human history, the stories of World War I are waiting to be told on the big screen.
There are no red flags with this trailer. It’s appropriately dark. The plot seems a bit Saving Private Ryan (1998) meets Dunkirk (2017), but that’s okay. The cast has made some great films.
Initially I was a concerned about Sam Mendes as director. My immediate thought was that his last big film was a Bond movie that ranked somewhere between For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Quantum of Solace (2008) in the James Bond Cinema Memorability Index.
However, after looking into his background and refreshing myself on some of the highlights of his career, it was easy to see how his background could really lend itself to this type of film.
Mendes touts a diverse background from classical theatre to musicals to films like Road to Perdition (2002) and Jarhead (2005). He won an Academy Award for his directorial debut with American Beauty (1999). Besides his filmography, perhaps what bodes best for this film is Mendes’ clear personal investment. The plot is based off of an account told to him by his paternal grandfather. 1917 is his first credit as a director, producer, and writer in a major film. All around, the film is on track to have the care and craftsmanship a story about the Great War deserves.
The question remains whether Universal will know how to market a British story from a lesser-known war to American and global audiences, but I suspect that this movie will be received positively by those who see it.
NOT
Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (August, 2019)
Netflix’s Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a ten-part series capping off their summer season. It has an extensive, dynamite cast. It looks exactly as a 2019 reboot of this franchise should, combining puppets and CGI with the blessing and support of Jim Henson’s studio. I, like I assume many other Millennials, have never seen the original source material for Netflix’s relaunch of the Dark Crystal universe. However, because this series is a prequel taking place before the events of the 1982 film, I feel comfortable getting excited about the story as an outsider.
Ultimately, this movie would not have been made save for the coming together of craftsmen, financiers, and nostalgic lovers of the fantasy and 1980s genres. It’s a big budget passion project, and I hope that it delivers.
NOT
Rambo: Last Blood (September, 2019)
Sylvester Stallone represents so much of what can be great about America. He’s a creative entrepreneur who kept plugging away until he achieved his big break, which is perhaps even more American than Apollo Creed donning a red, white, and blue flag body suit while dancing to James Brown.
First Blood (1982), the Rambo film that started it all, blends memorable stunts and exciting sequences with a somber anti-war, pro-veteran message. In quality, it stands alone in the series. (The second film is a great watch too, but unfortunately begins the sequels on a downward spiral towards mindless action and ham-fisted morality.)
If it’s not clear at this point, given my appreciation for the iconic status of Stallone and the early Rambo movies, I want the “final” installment, Rambo: Last Blood (2019) to be a fun last hurrah. Any trailer that features “Old Town Road,” western motifs, and a weathered Stallone sharpening his Bowie knife should be cause for excitement. It’s fun. It’s wild… bananas even.
That being said, history would tell a different story. Based off of Stallone’s career, (Stop! Or My Mother Will Shoot, Judge Dredd) the basement is very, very low. Additionally, his latest installments in the Rocky and Rambo series were okay-to-good-at-best.
Where does this leave us? On one hand, the trailer seemed to be everything it should be. On the other… really, another Rambo movie with what looks to be the plot lifted from Skyfall (2012)?
I think it will flop. I hope I’m wrong. But remember: it’s 2019, anything can happen.
FLOP
-Jack
P.S. While writing this review, I realized that Dark Crystal and First Blood were in theaters at roughly the same time (fall and winter of 1982). Could you imagine going into the wrong theater? Ahhhh the 80’s, what a time to be alive.
Artless Troglodyte Media 