A Sound of Thunder

[rekrap]

Originally Posted by Vern Schillinger

I could see a 1 hour Outer Limits episode, but no way will a 90+ minute feature film work, assuming they wanted to preserve the original work. The short story does not cater to the masses and would not make nearly as much money as a big budget action film about time travel, dinosaurs, and guns. Most people aren't gonna want to pay to see an action/time travel film with one occurence of time travel, one bullet hitting one dinosaur and one bullet hitting one human as the only major events.

I thought the whole "Butterfly Effect" of the short story was too contrived in the first place, but it's effects were too subtle, too (affected the spelling and the election results, but not the fact that the company still existed?).

Besides, in Hollywood, they usually fix the problem (save humankind, like in any disaster movie), so that's how they are going to extend it:

Plot Summary for
Sound of Thunder, A (2004) "A Sound of Thunder" is about a game hunter (Burns) who goes on a time-traveling safari owned and operated by Kingsley's character to hunt dinosaurs in the prehistoric era. When he kills a butterfly, he unknowingly sets off a chain reaction that will erase humanity from existence. A team of experts must return back in time and replace the butterfly. McCormack is the inventor of the time-traveling computer.

[Lee Mellon]

And the saving is part of the hollywood problem, isn't it. No one can leave a mainstream movie without getting something to think about. Every gd story has to be sewn up neatly, all issues resolved and for the most part, happily. We fill the theaters with sheep.

[rekrap]

I thought American Beauty (a popular flick, but not the standard summertime blockbuster) made people think. Good Will Hunting and The Matrix (Revolutions) had endings that didn't really end....

But yes, everything has to be wrapped in a neat little package and tied up with a nice bow in order for Hollywood to feel they have a money-maker on their hands...

[rekrap]

Of course, if things aren't wrapped up (and humankind saved), then you know there will be a SEQUEL...

[Lee Mellon]

I thought there was quite a bit of resolution in American Beauty. And it was a hymn to middle-aged male foolishness and our wives enjoyed it too as the protagonist did not manage to bed the teeny-bopper. Maybe the story strayed a bit here.

And I thought Good Will Hunting was completely resolved. Will changes his life altogether, leaves southie to join his girlfriend. What further resolution is required?

[VernSchil]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318081/trailers

You can view a pretty revealing 2 minute trailer on IMDB. It looks friggan God-awful and it ticks me off that they're doing this to one of Bradbury's great stories. Just PLEASE never make a movie out of "Pillar of Fire" or "Frost and Fire"

[rekrap]

Originally Posted by Lee Mellon

I thought there was quite a bit of resolution in American Beauty. And it was a hymn to middle-aged male foolishness and our wives enjoyed it too as the protagonist did not manage to bed the teeny-bopper. Maybe the story strayed a bit here.

And I thought Good Will Hunting was completely resolved. Will changes his life altogether, leaves southie to join his girlfriend. What further resolution is required?

What I meant was that American Beauty didn't end 'pretty', it ended how the movie went: thought-provoking. Not typical Hollywood fare...

And as for Good Will Hunting, it was resolved, if the audience logically followed that through (required work on the part of the moviegoer). How do you know he actually makes it there and doesn't get sidetracked playing poker with his math skills in Las Vegas?

[3rookie]

Good Will Hunting left the end to the viewer. No guarantee that his broad would still be single, or take him back after that kind of treatment. Wasn't sure of the time lapsed between her flight and his last psych session. I prefer this ending to one that is neater.

[rekrap]

Originally Posted by Vern Schillinger

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318081/trailers

You can view a pretty revealing 2 minute trailer on IMDB. It looks friggan God-awful and it ticks me off that they're doing this to one of Bradbury's great stories. Just PLEASE never make a movie out of "Pillar of Fire" or "Frost and Fire"

Saw the trailer...

They are basically just using his premise as a starting point, and his original conclusion appears not even to be worth incorporating... obviously.

The CG looks terrible (you could tell the T-Rex was on a green/blue screen behind the actors) and it looks like they were just looking for a premise for another sci-fi action flick (to capitalize on all those 'geeks' who wait in line to watch these type films).

I'm not even tempted to see it now, having seen enough to tell me what happens in this twisted version...

[oedipus rex]

T-Rex's chasing humans, what's not to like?