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Published on Saturday, April 19, 2008 - 6:04pm |
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130 Ninjas Didn't Get SMART!!
Merrick here...
130 Ninjas sent in a review of the forthcoming GET SMART movie (how many Ninjas does it take to type a review?)
I've been anticipating this film since seeing its most recent trailer (HERE) - which I really liked.
Unfortunately, this review is less-than-enthusiastic...in a well-reasoned sorta way that's worrisome. Can 130 Ninjas be wrong? And, who would dare tell them if they were?
Here's 130 Ninjas...
Sorry about the length but I'm kinda verbose. Longtime listener, first time caller.
I love Steve Carrell. I think he's hilarious, I love his comedic style, I think he's awesome. So when I got an opportunity to see a free screening of "Get Smart", I was pretty excited. See a movie I had a small interest in seeing for free? With one of my favorite actors? Sure I'm going to miss "The Office", but free movie. Heck yes.
Now, I'm too young to remember Get Smart. In fact, I wasn't alive during Get Smart. I've never seen any episodes, although I recognize most of the pop culture references made in the Simpsons and other modern media. So maybe I wasn't the target audience. Of course, no one in the room would have been if that was the case. It had many funny moments. I laughed a few times. But as I drove home, I had a bitter taste in my mouth that got worse the more I thought about it. Yes, there were funny gags. Yes, there were lots of cameos, almost a "Where's Waldo" of comedians, Kevin Nealon, Bill Murray, the guy that plays Todd Packer. And yes, it was a spy movie, with the assorted gadgets and twists. But that's all it seemed to be. There was no cohesion to the story. Characters would appear for scenes then disappear for long periods of time. There were about 4 or 5 characters whose sole purpose was comic relief, and who could have been funny and built into an awesome subplot sort of situation, but never were and never did. And they had not one but two, possibly three "hanging props".
When there's a prop introduced into a scene, it has to payoff later in the movie. Not like a guy picks up a random pen, takes a drink, something like that. No, I'm talking when a gun is talked about and sits above the bar, it has to be fired. Or used. The rest of the movie you're basically waiting for it to go off. It's like an itch in the back of your mind. You want the gun to go off. You know it's going to go off. You hope it's awesome when it does. But the gun has to be fired. A hanging prop is when the gun isn't fired, isn't used. It is talked about in some form of detail and is never used after that. There were a few hanging props in this one, where a prop was talked about and not used, or it was but the payoff was so small and insignificant you wondered why they put it there in the first place.
I believe that a movie has to be greater than the sum of its parts. A comedy can't just be a series of jokes and gags, an action film can't be a series of fights and explosions, and a drama can't be a bunch of awkward and thought provoking situations. There has to be cohesion. There has to be themes. There has to be story. This is what separates the mediocre C level films from the good and the great. On this level is where I felt "Get Smart" failed. There were references to the original TV show, there were cameos, and there were funny moments and jokes, but the story wasn't there. People flipped sides without any explanation, characters changed emotion without any transition. Half the characters I didn't know what their "Holy Grail" was, that one thing that would complete their character. The actors simply moved through the scenes and I didn't know why they were even there.
So I didn't like the movie that much. One of the other audience members said he felt it was worth what he paid. I felt like I should have stayed home and watched "The Office".
Drive fast. Take chances,
130 Ninjas
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Reader Talkback
I can kick your ass(es) by kafka07 | Apr 19th, 2008 06:09:10 PM | Missed it by that much by beetlegeuse | Apr 19th, 2008 06:12:29 PM | Sorry about the length but I'm
kinda lexington steele by ironic_name | Apr 19th, 2008 06:19:19 PM | Ok... by pk68 | Apr 19th, 2008 06:19:59 PM | my 1 ronin kills everyone. by ironic_name | Apr 19th, 2008 06:22:18 PM | LOL.. I love his sumation of
comedies by LargoJr | Apr 19th, 2008 06:30:19 PM | Gee, what a surprise. by christian66 | Apr 19th, 2008 06:34:26 PM | Isn't that what a comedy is? by RhesusmonkeyDave | Apr 19th, 2008 06:43:25 PM | Johnny English by DangerMan | Apr 19th, 2008 06:49:29 PM | Remember this well-known
hanging prop: by BrandLoyalist | Apr 19th, 2008 06:59:23 PM | I'd be very keen to see by sean bean | Apr 19th, 2008 07:07:24 PM | I posted in the wrong talkback by sean bean | Apr 19th, 2008 07:09:06 PM | But if Anne Hathaway by sean bean | Apr 19th, 2008 07:09:37 PM | Not alive during Get Smart? by Teko | Apr 19th, 2008 07:12:00 PM | 130 ninjas apparently took a
screenwriting class by grfrog | Apr 19th, 2008 07:13:16 PM | my dick is a hanging prop by ironic_name | Apr 19th, 2008 07:17:43 PM | Ninjas? Ronin? Samurai?
Ironic_name by Neosamurai85 | Apr 19th, 2008 07:28:09 PM | Ninjas? Ronin? Samurai?
Ironic_name's penis? by Neosamurai85 | Apr 19th, 2008 07:29:04 PM | GET SMART by batman23 | Apr 19th, 2008 07:34:29 PM | GET SMART IS AWESOME! READ MY
POST ABOVE by batman23 | Apr 19th, 2008 07:35:25 PM | Speaking of...... by Herb West | Apr 19th, 2008 07:52:28 PM | Nice Try, Batman23 by DangerMan | Apr 19th, 2008 08:02:42 PM | Film Student by DocBosch | Apr 19th, 2008 08:09:23 PM | You know.... by Herb West | Apr 19th, 2008 08:20:34 PM | BTW... by Herb West | Apr 19th, 2008 08:27:19 PM | Bond parodies itself and the
genre died by Larry of Arabia | Apr 19th, 2008 08:42:11 PM | Larry of Arabia by Herb West | Apr 19th, 2008 08:48:05 PM | Larry of Arabia by Herb West | Apr 19th, 2008 08:55:37 PM | gotham_night by Herb West | Apr 19th, 2008 08:57:03 PM | This Reviewer by Rebeck2 | Apr 19th, 2008 09:02:18 PM | At least this movie.... by Herb West | Apr 19th, 2008 09:03:20 PM | Larry of Arabia by Herb West | Apr 19th, 2008 09:06:53 PM | Yippee another shit remake of
a terrific show by picardsucks | Apr 19th, 2008 09:08:09 PM | picardsucks by Herb West | Apr 19th, 2008 09:22:14 PM | Larry of Arabia by Herb West | Apr 19th, 2008 09:24:04 PM | Herb West by picardsucks | Apr 19th, 2008 09:29:21 PM | Miley Cyrus for the new
Genie!!! by picardsucks | Apr 19th, 2008 09:32:28 PM | picardsucks by Herb West | Apr 19th, 2008 09:39:52 PM | In fact.... by Herb West | Apr 19th, 2008 09:50:33 PM | I Spy aaaaahhhh what diahrea
!!! by picardsucks | Apr 19th, 2008 09:52:37 PM | Herb West by MC-909 | Apr 19th, 2008 10:26:52 PM | the old bash the movie that
you saw for free trick. by alice 13 | Apr 19th, 2008 10:40:55 PM | has there ever been a good
movie that was based on a TV
show? by the dolphins are in the
jacuzzi | Apr 19th, 2008 10:53:05 PM | has there ever been a good
movie that was based on a TV
show? by the dolphins are in the
jacuzzi | Apr 19th, 2008 10:55:08 PM | herb west by yourvillainbobby | Apr 19th, 2008 10:57:28 PM | steve carell = rowan atkinson? by pocketlint59 | Apr 19th, 2008 11:03:52 PM | The plural of "ninja:" by phool2056 | Apr 19th, 2008 11:10:10 PM | THIS REVIEWER by Happy Boy | Apr 20th, 2008 01:04:24 AM | WHAT by ragingdrunklove | Apr 20th, 2008 01:12:53 AM | ALSO by ragingdrunklove | Apr 20th, 2008 01:17:07 AM | The Fugitive by Dickless | Apr 20th, 2008 01:29:24 AM | The Saint by Uncapie | Apr 20th, 2008 02:52:42 AM | How many times you worked with
Val Kilmer Uncapie? by AngelinasOilBoy | Apr 20th, 2008 03:24:07 AM | Good review by fastcars | Apr 20th, 2008 03:32:28 AM | Anti-Plant? by Yeti | Apr 20th, 2008 06:30:39 AM | opossums!!!!!!!!!! by ironic_name | Apr 20th, 2008 06:41:59 AM | They should have just remade
THE NUDE BOMB by kingink123 | Apr 20th, 2008 07:31:01 AM | I loved that movie by ironic_name | Apr 20th, 2008 08:40:24 AM | YAY, A NONSENSICAL REVIEW!! by Robots In Das Guys | Apr 20th, 2008 08:53:53 AM | It takes 130 "ninjas"... by Robots In Das Guys | Apr 20th, 2008 08:54:45 AM | Plant! by WerePlatypus | Apr 20th, 2008 09:01:31 AM | No seriously by WerePlatypus | Apr 20th, 2008 09:02:04 AM | "Shivers" was on The Movie
Channel Last Night by tonagan | Apr 20th, 2008 09:57:03 AM | Anton Chekhov explained this by The Pusher | Apr 20th, 2008 10:19:57 AM | Angelianasoilboy, twice. Hi,
T. by Uncapie | Apr 20th, 2008 10:42:45 AM | The hanging prop that always
bugged me... by symphy | Apr 20th, 2008 11:00:49 AM | definitly sounds like a film
student, but i agree by BMacSmith | Apr 20th, 2008 11:10:47 AM | The Avengers by Sprout | Apr 20th, 2008 12:20:18 PM | mr muggufin's hanging props,
next to the red herring shop by ironic_name | Apr 20th, 2008 12:21:10 PM | Sounds like a somewhat
arrogant film student by SpencerTrilby | Apr 20th, 2008 12:31:12 PM | Universal Plant! by tmifune78 | Apr 20th, 2008 12:31:34 PM | I'm not surprised by Super Rabbi | Apr 20th, 2008 12:49:54 PM | "I've never seen any episodes,
although... " by freeagent24 | Apr 20th, 2008 02:11:39 PM | Of course this movie was shit,
Harry by Cruel_Kingdom | Apr 20th, 2008 03:57:35 PM | I saw this at the WB lot 2
months ago by polyh3dron | Apr 20th, 2008 05:45:04 PM | Steve Carrell by Series7 | Apr 21st, 2008 08:14:09 AM |
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