Looks like the old NRG is up to their usual bag of tricks, advertising one screening but delivering another, tricky huh? Well XPURGATION didn't take to it too well. FATHER GEEK will let him get on with it...
A few weeks ago a friend invited me to a sneak preview of The Matrix. It was screening at AMC Mercado 20 in Redwood City (Northern California). Well I jumped at the chance of seeing The Matrix one week before the release because I was really interested in seeing it. Well, when we got there pre-screening cards were handed out to all of us in line. These cards were a bit odd because in addition to asking about our interest in The Matrix, the card also asked if we would be interested in seeing Wild Wild West. Well, I marked the yes box because I have enjoyed Barry Sonnenfeld's past films and thought that maybe it would be a chance of getting an early peak at WWW. Little did I suspect that this Matrix screening was all a planned hoax, because less than five minutes later the people from the screening group begin to announce to the fidgety crowd of Matrix hungry 15-35 year olds that they would not be showing us The Matrix. No No No, they were going to show us The Wild Wild West instead (at least those that still wanted to stick around for it). Knowing that the film was not scheduled for release until the middle of the summer I knew that something was up.
To me this seemed to be a slight-of-hand, paranoia screening designed to elicit the opinions of that all important 15 -35 year old (Matrix) demographic. Is our film cool enough to fly with the "Kids"?
The answer to that question is, uh…no? Let me tell you that the film wasn't just bad, it was this side of GOD-AWFUL. And I am not just saying this because I was scammed out of The Matrix. Hell I paid to see that film twice. Or that it was an early print of the film, complete with low- res video placeholders in the areas (mostly effects such as Kenneth's missing legs, opening title sequence, background mattes, etc.) that weren't completed yet. It simply comes down to it being a badly conceived, multimillion-dollar mess that just doesn't gel together.
To insure that the summer blockbuster crowd will be willing to suspend disbelief with this awkwardly conceived attempt at stuffing show stopping (and mostly out of place for the time period) digital effects into a silly, low brow western comedy, the producers had better be prepared to pump nitrous into the theater's air conditioning system. Or pay careful attention to the reactions on those screening cards and schedule a month worth of emergency re-shoots…and pray.
Two weeks ago it was announced that they are indeed going to do extensive reshoots based at least in part to the reactions at a recent screening. Sonnenfield was quoted as saying he wanted the audience to "laugh more". He went on, adding, "I feel we need some more jokes. The action is great, we've got like 500 opticals that I know will turn out great, the pacing is fine, but what I'd like is three or four additional scenes that will add 10 laughs to the movie. I know exactly where the moments are, exactly how to achieve this."
Harry I have to say that I am a huge fan of jokes. If directors of action comedies were thoughtful enough to pack in an additional 10 laughs per film, the world would be a happier place to live in. So I take my hat off to Barry for wanting us all to laugh more. But the problems with the film run deeper.
The script is silly, awkward, and full of sweep 'em under the carpet holes that I suspect the filmmakers hope will be missed based on the film's fast-paced action style. I mean even the fifteen year old brother and sister next to me groaned at some of them.
Other concerns include:
· Kenneth's character is way over the top. With little believable backstory or motivation, it is difficult to buy into his character at all. (Though I have to admit that I will be one of the first to buy his toy if it comes with a motorized wheelchair and his S & M bedroom set!)
· Kevin's character. I mean how can anyone in the old west be expected to stand up to a gigantic hydraulic spider that can blow up entire towns and mountains of rock with fire balls of destruction? He is just way over-matched, especially when he's the bumbling Doc Holiday of Professor Gadgets.
· "It's a man's head." "It's a man's head?" "It's a man's head!"
· The use of women in the film. Yikes! In his past films Snowfield's female characters have for the most part been intelligent, industrious and enjoyable to watch. Reflect on that for a moment before you see WWW. You'll know what I mean.
· Adapting the old TV show into what it will be this summer. No one it seems was able to come up with a crafty character driven script built around Kevin & Will VS Kenneth. So they backed up the truck and loaded it with stuff that doesn't work.
· The handicap and racial barbs that Will and Kenneth fire off at each other during the film, especially during the film's climax. They are a bit on the ugly side.
Pros:
· Will Smith as West. He tries his best to enliven this film with credibility. The same brother and sister duo sitting next to me liked him too.
· The theme song. Even though it seems to be taken from what I think is a Stevie Wonder song, and it isn't exactly inspired from the music of the period, it works.
· The giant spider. Out of place and not exactly believable, it sure is well done. Maybe they can rent to the Spiderman movie. Or the next Bond film.
Once again, I wish the production all the luck in the world with their reshoots. I am more than willing to help them out with some more specific observations, if they want 'em.
