Just saw the D&D movie despite
@Dunadain's lack of recommendation and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Fairly mindless fun, yeah, but that was never my issue with modern filmmaking.
I think superficially it seems like I'd dislike it because, despite apocalyptic-ish stakes, there's basically no consequences for anyone by the end, but the big difference between D&D versus all the things I complain about is an issue of tone. D&D had a very light tone, so there was no expectation that anything terribly dark, or even realistic, was going to happen. If they'd hyped up how Holga was going to die for several hours of television *cough shadow and bone cough*, only to revert it, it would have been lame. But it's given very little weight, appropriately, so when she's predictably resurrected it doesn't feel like a huge cheat.
Anyway. not best picture or anything, but if Magic ever gets a movie I'd be quite happy if it was at the same level. Unfortunately, though, at least to my reading of it, magic has a significantly darker tone, which means when they're total cowards about any significant consequences for their heroes it rings hollow and weak.
By the way, if I didn't already spell this out earlier about the whole death thing - it really all goes back to my eternal #1 pet peeve for all dramatic fiction - when the hand of the author is visible. Comedy, go nuts, but if you want to tell a dramatic story your job as the writer is to be as discreet as possible. I should forget you exist and just get lost in the story. When you've got characters with god-tier plot armor shrugging off the apocalypse, it reminds me that this isn't real, it's a story. Being written by a moron.
One last minor note while I'm rambling, there was a trailer for the latest fast and the furious movie, which (1) I can't believe they're still making those and (2) it had one line that really stuck in my head, uttered by Vin Diesel in VO over scenes of cars getting dropped out of planes or whatever: "one of us might not come back from this." %$#% are you for real? If any of this happened in real life it'd be a miracle if a single one of you dumbasses lived to see another day. We're treating the POSSIBILITY that ONE person MIGHT die as some huge threat? YOU ARE DROPPING CARS OUT OF PLANES. Yes, of course it's unlikely that more than 1 significant character will die in that movie, or any modern blockbuster, but you don't have to just come out and SAY it.
Anyway I'm pretty sure we're learning how to drop cars out of planes as part of my next certification. More useful than you'd think tbh.
but that's okay we still like you anyway.
