Director's cut
Well, not really, but I left out the explanation from my "annoyed with humanity" comment in the previous entry. First off, there were the comments in this Slashdot thread:
Didn't they use test audiences on this movie??? People laughed during moments that were obviously meant to be tragic. Some people did applaud during the ending credits, but they probably thought it was a comedy. I was very dissapointed. The best thing that could happen now would be for the Wachowski brothers to somehow forget this travesty and make a Matrix 4 that is the real conclusion to the triology, ignoring that Revolutions was ever made.
And then there were the pull quotes from some reviews at Rottentomatoes:
"I'm warning you: don't see this film--because whatever third movie you envisioned in your head, no matter how lame, has got to be better than this."
-- Widgett Walls, NEEDCOFFEE.COM"The Wachowski Brothers seem to have shot their wad on brain-bending FX ideas in the first two films, and their trademark mouthy cryptobabble has been consigned to a few Zen-lite confabs that even fans will snicker at."
-- Steve Schneider, ORLANDO WEEKLY
And more like that. Don't really care to read through the things again. It'll just increase the hate.
But come on, test audiences? I thought those were generally agreed to be tools of The Man/The Devil. And art ain't a democracy, last time I checked. . .
As for the movie in your head comment, like I said in the other post, no one's stopping you from making it. Except trademark law if you wanted to use the actual characters, unless it's a parody, if my layman's understanding of IP law is right. Which I truly doubt.
Other folks were given not-sure-how-much free reign to play in their sandbox, with short stories and comics up at the Matrix site, and the Animatrix shorts. Some of those I liked better than others, but none of them seemed compromised by test audiences.
Fuck test audiences.
Audience testing is the movie studios' way of hedging their bets. Although it's been around for a long time, it has never been a completely reliable process.In 1939, test audiences for "The Wizard of Oz" felt that the now-classic scene in which Judy Garland sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" slowed down the action. Somehow, the songwriters prevailed, and the song stayed put.
When "E.T." was tested, audiences hated it. But it went on to become the second-highest grossing film of all time.
Anyone got an example of such a group making a film anything other than more marketable/palatable to a lower common denominator?
Yes, I'm feeling elitist today, too. Deal with it.
Comments
Nothing much to add to that or previous, other than thumbs-up. I predict that in another decade or so (assuming, that is, that the overall average intelligence of the human race doesn't descend into some heinous downward spiral), the Matrix trilogy will probably get its proper due as actually being a not half bad bunch of films with interesting stuff to say. At least I hope so.
Just as I hope that similarly, in a decade or so, people will look back on nu-metal with deep how-could-we-have-liked-that? embarrassment.
Posted by: Karin | November 17, 2003 12:21 PM
Thanks, Karin. Um. Not so good with the replying to polite agreement. Could you swear some? Or say mean things about my spelling or grammar?
Very nice interview with Lea Hernandez, by the bye.
Posted by: Aaron | November 21, 2003 6:29 AM