OT: "THE PUNISHER: WAR ZONE"
Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:04 pmFinally went to see it tonight with a friend, and there were a total of 3 of us in the theater. The deck was pretty much stacked against this film from the beginning for me. First, Thomas Jane pulls out of the project and says he has too much respect for the character and just can't do a film he doesn't believe in. Next, an early script review says it is HORRIBLE. The trailer eventually comes out and I'm not really impressed. The film itself, much delayed, finally debuts to generally bad reviews (bad acting, script, dialogue, poorly hidden accents, etc.), though some at least give it a left-handed compliment that it's the best of the 3 Punisher films.
So we went into it with lowered expectations -- I was a fan, and my friend wasn't really familiar with the character at all....
WE LOVED IT!!! That movie FREAKIN' ROCKED!!! First, RAY STEVENSON was PERFECT as The Punisher -- he actually looked and had the presence of the comic book character. I thought he was much better of a choice than Thomas Jane. Sure, the Irish accent peeked thru at times, but it was never to the point of being distracting to me -- hell, Mel Gibson's Australian accent is completely obvious in parts of Lethal Weapon II. He also really showed a vulnerable side that was very believable.
Second, the ACTION -- director Lexi Alexander was also a kickboxer, and she really proved herself with this one. The action sequences were always well thought out, shot, inventive and enjoyable. If you think you've seen it all, you haven't... Some of the kills catch you completely off guard and are laugh out loud hilarious... just the kind where you crack up, wince, and shake your head. Completely unapologetic and with little to no respect for boundaries.
Third, the STORY -- I expected something very paint-by-the-numbers and formulaic, but was quite surprised. No, of course there no deep plot here, but it was pretty unpredictable at times when you thought you knew what was coming next.
Now, I completely agree with the reviewers who were smart enough to realize that true fans of the comic book character would enjoy this film the most. The reason is that it perfectly captures the dark humor of the Garth Ennis books. This is exactly what the Thomas Jane version attempted but failed to do in my opinion. But not here -- it purposefully doesn't take itself too seriously and adds just enough camp to get the recipe right. It purposefully pays homage to a few well-known scenes from other movies, instead of lazily ripping them off. The supporting characters and dialogue are designed to be a tad cartoonish, so to me the reviewers who are scathing this on acting and dialog just don't get the point.
I know The Punisher: War Zone isn't going to be nominated for any Oscars, and I can only rate it on the scale of pure enjoyment -- the reason I go to the movies. 4 out of 4 stars from me on the enjoyment scale. Best time at the movies I've had since Iron Man!
So we went into it with lowered expectations -- I was a fan, and my friend wasn't really familiar with the character at all....
WE LOVED IT!!! That movie FREAKIN' ROCKED!!! First, RAY STEVENSON was PERFECT as The Punisher -- he actually looked and had the presence of the comic book character. I thought he was much better of a choice than Thomas Jane. Sure, the Irish accent peeked thru at times, but it was never to the point of being distracting to me -- hell, Mel Gibson's Australian accent is completely obvious in parts of Lethal Weapon II. He also really showed a vulnerable side that was very believable.
Second, the ACTION -- director Lexi Alexander was also a kickboxer, and she really proved herself with this one. The action sequences were always well thought out, shot, inventive and enjoyable. If you think you've seen it all, you haven't... Some of the kills catch you completely off guard and are laugh out loud hilarious... just the kind where you crack up, wince, and shake your head. Completely unapologetic and with little to no respect for boundaries.
Third, the STORY -- I expected something very paint-by-the-numbers and formulaic, but was quite surprised. No, of course there no deep plot here, but it was pretty unpredictable at times when you thought you knew what was coming next.
Now, I completely agree with the reviewers who were smart enough to realize that true fans of the comic book character would enjoy this film the most. The reason is that it perfectly captures the dark humor of the Garth Ennis books. This is exactly what the Thomas Jane version attempted but failed to do in my opinion. But not here -- it purposefully doesn't take itself too seriously and adds just enough camp to get the recipe right. It purposefully pays homage to a few well-known scenes from other movies, instead of lazily ripping them off. The supporting characters and dialogue are designed to be a tad cartoonish, so to me the reviewers who are scathing this on acting and dialog just don't get the point.
I know The Punisher: War Zone isn't going to be nominated for any Oscars, and I can only rate it on the scale of pure enjoyment -- the reason I go to the movies. 4 out of 4 stars from me on the enjoyment scale. Best time at the movies I've had since Iron Man!
