Just a quick update: On Tuesday, September 11, I will be flying to England for a vacation as well as attending the Fighting Spirit Film Festival. I’ll provide more details on what you can expect me to cover on the festival. I won’t be back until the 20th, so I figure I’d just give everyone a heads up, on what’s coming. This is something that I’ve been looking forward to for a while, so I’m excited. It’s my first time over there, so I’ll be sure not to get into any trouble. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know.
For this post, I want to take a look at movies that ended up getting a rather….questionable reputation, despite the fact that they aren’t really that bad. At least, not in my opinion. These are the movies that I believe deserve a second chance and are not necessarily as awful as some audiences and critics seem to make them out to be. These can be anything from short films to big-budget blockbusters. I’m not really employing any particular set of rules for this list, so anything goes. If there are any movies that you feel deserve a second look, feel free to list them in the comments below. So…with that in mind, let’s get this show on the road.
The Black Cauldron
Believe it or not, there were a few times when Disney was not at the top of their game. The 80s was a particularly rough decade for the company. Disney took risks with films like Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Black Cauldron. The Black Cauldron caused a bit of a controversy back in 1985, because of it’s not-so-squeaky-clean story and visuals. This was a very dark animated feature that dealt with some pretty grim stuff including demon-like creatures and armies of the dead as well as black magic. The animation was amazing with some truly stunning visual sequences and unique character designs. However, those designs were terrifying to young children, so parents were not particularly happy with the film. The Horned King, voiced by the late John Hurt, was one of the most freaky villains in Disney’s line-up. Again, the visuals were terrific but very dark and Gothic. While it’s not one of the strongest films in the company’s repertoire, it does provide children with some real important lessons including responsibility, the value of friendship and sacrifice. It’s also a fantastic film for Halloween.
Dune(1984)
David Lynch’s Dune is a film that should have been much better than it was. Yet, what we ended up getting was still really good. The problem is that Universal Studios wanted to turn a 1000-page book into a two-and-a-half hour film. You really can’t do that and expect it to make any kind of sense, especially when the source material is packed to the hilt with various complex ideas and themes. Dune ended up being a victim of studio interference. It wasn’t the first time something like this happened, and it wouldn’t be the last. In spite of the film’s problems, it’s got a lot going for it. It has a unique visual style with amazing set, costume and creature designs. It’s also got one of the biggest ensemble casts at the time including Jurgen Prochnow, Patrick Steward, Kyle MacLachlan, Brad Dourif, Linda Hunt, and Francesca Annis. While the film had some pacing issues, it was still a very intriguing and intelligent film. It deserved a lot better than what Universal gave it.
Legend
The 80s were not kind to certain film directors like Ridley Scott. His science fiction film, Blade Runner, was not very well received by critics and audiences at the time and it bombed. It wasn’t until much later that the film gained a cult following. I think the same could be said for his fantasy film, Legend. This was a film, in spite of its glaring issues and obvious inspirations, didn’t connect with audiences. It certainly didn’t help that Tom Cruise’s performance was awful, but it felt like the film ripped elements from much better sources. That being said, the film does have its merits. One: The visual style is beautiful. The sets and designs were top-notch and the atmosphere was amazing. Now, the real star of the show was Tim Curry, who was unrecognizable as the Lord of Darkness. The design for Curry’s character was beyond anything we had seen up until that point. Darkness looked like the devil from biblical myth, and it was astounding. Now, depending on which version of the movie you saw, the soundtrack would have been very different. North American audiences got a soundtrack which featured Tangerine Dream. International copies of the film featured an equally strong soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith. International audiences also got a much different cut of the film, both of which have been included in various DVD and Blu-Ray releases. I would definitely say give this one another shot.
Highlander 2
Boy, the original release of this film was a real stinker. The original film is regarded as a huge cult classic and didn’t need a sequel. It got 4 sequels and three TV series, one of which was a spin-off and the other was an animated show. The second film in the Highlander film series had the Immortals come from a different planet called Zeist. ….And that’s where it lost people. It was absolutely ludicrous in terms of its execution and concept. Now, to be fair, there was a huge amount of studio interference which caused the film to go over budget and the commentary on pollution and the ozone layer was ham-fisted at best. That being said, I feel that the film is worth taking a look at again on Blu-Ray for a number of reasons. For one: The whole planet Zeist idea has been removed. Instead, Immortals are exiled centuries into the future. It’s still ridiculous, but it’s better than having them being aliens. Another change was the visual aesthetic. Instead of the shield being a red eye-sore, the film-makers opted for a blue motif, which made it less of a head-ache. There were also some CGI added to enhance some of the backgrounds and effects, which actually improved the quality of the film. They also eliminated a number of scenes which needed to go, so the pacing is much better. Don’t get me wrong: It’s still a bad movie, but on Blu-Ray, it’s a hell of a lot more watchable.
Darkman
Director Sam Raimi exploded on the scene with his first real movie called The Evil Dead. It was a dark, violent, yet humorous supernatural film that took the world by storm. It’s earned its place among the collections of many a film buff, myself included. Sam Raimi, is also a fan of comic books and superhero films. Believe it or not, Spider-Man was not his first foray into the genre. His first superhero film was actually Darkman. Released back in 1990, Darkman was a story that involved a scientist-turned-vigilante after being horribly disfigured when criminals attacked his laboratory. Using synthetic skin to infiltrate the gang and take his revenge the character of Darkman was unlike any that we had seen before. It was clearly influenced by movies like Batman, but instead of being based on an actual comic book, Darkman was an entirely original creation by Sam Raimi. While it wasn’t exactly the most well-received film, it definitely got a following. Whlie the film featured some pretty strong performances by Larry Drake, Colin Friels, and Frances McDormand, the film belonged to Liam Neeson. He is the core of the film, and the center of the tragedy that befell his character. His performance was as heartbreaking as it was over-the-top at times. It was an absolute blast, and it’s just a shame that Darkman didn’t get the recognition it deserved. The musical score by Danny Elfman made things a lot more interesting as well. Definitely check this one out.
While there are other films that people should take another look at, these are the ones that stand out to me the most, despite their problems. Sometimes, a second chance is needed and I think these ones are absolutely worth a second look.