The Grey

Started by jaden1014 pages

I guess I'm going to have to elaborate on the huge amounts of mental retardation this film was filled with.

1st we have the whiney suicidal 50 year emo who we seem be to getting led to believe throughout the film that he got chucked by his wife for an unknown reason and so sulked off to the arse end of the world. we're then told at the end of the film that she didn't chuck him but in fact died. this facet of his almost non existent personality is only ever brought up when one of his unlucky cohorts asks where he went to when he left the bar. As if posing the question that if he is suicidal then why should he be trusted to be responsible for everyone else's lives if he doesn't care about his own. This plot point then goes unanswered because 1: it's brought up too late in the story and 2: It doesn't seem to matter what he does or doesn't do to save everyone cos they all end up dead anway.

What's more annoying is that the protagonist could've been a very interesting character but rather than spending time exploring his personality, we're instead fobbed off with pointless philosophising in the form of his letter to his wife and his bad poetry.

So moving on from the non existent characterization what else is wrong with the movie.

Well, the aforementioned PIS and CIS.

Lets take the fact that it's blatantly stated that they need to reach the woods before nightfall and then they all decide to stand around saying 'words' about the dead because the weakest member says so. No reiterating the point about having to get a move on or be eaten by ravenous beasts. And low and behold what happens? On the way to the woods one of them gets eaten by ravenous beasts.

Then on to the completely unexplained guy who simply decides he can't be arsed anymore so sits on a log and waits to die while the other 2 walk off. the explanation given? That his life is that bad back home that seeing a lovely view of some trees and mountains for 5 minutes before being gored to death by wolves is apparently a better option than being alive.

Then there's the laws of physics defying drowning. The man is floating down stream feet 1st yet somehow still manages to bend his foot backward enough to slide between 2 rocks that he can't get it out from again? I'm almost entirely certain that the foot would be a lot easier to pull out than it war to put in.

There was about 50 more chin scratching moments of sheer bewilderment that happened in movie, mostly borne out of exceptional stupidity by the characters. One being the 1st lookout to get chomped. 'I'll go over hear out of the safety of the light to take a piss cos I'm embarrassed by my tiny cock despite the fact that everyone else is asleep anyway' BANG. I mean, you can forgive that level of CIS in an 80's b-movie horror but in a supposedly serious modern adult thriller?

I could go on and on if this was the day after seeing the movie as i remember there being a million examples like the above but it's now a couple of weeks since I seen it and all that remains is the recollection that it was a massive steaming pile of dung. The only redeeming bit being the guy imagining his daughter's hair tickling him rather than what was actually happening, namely, a huge wolf eating his throat out. That shit war proper laugh out loud hilarious and reminds me of a sketch from Frankie Boyle's tramadol nights where the guy imagines he's in a high class men's club trying expensive cigars with his friend when he's actually down a dirty alleyway sucking on 2 black guys cocks for drug money.

which incidentally brings up another point. Were those the same wolves? did they have jet backpacks like Lex Luthor in Superman 3 to get down those sheer cliff faces? Did they run along the cliffs until they found a way down then made a bee line right to where the guys were? What was up with that? SUPER MAGIC WOLVES!

Anyway, shit film. offended yet? No? Well then you're a ****! Hope that does the trick.

One of the best movie
I love this movie.

This movie was excellent..

Originally posted by srankmissingnin
Wow, just wow. This is a great movie. I thought it was just going to be a fun popcorn film with Liam Neeson killing dozens of wolves - which I would have been happy with - but the film is SO much more. A very philosophical man vs nature story that is really about men coming to terms with how they lived, and ultimately choosing how they die. It's even more amazing that his is written and direct by the guy who did the A Team and Smoking Aces.

That said the movie has a real indie mentality, if you are going to movie to see Liam Neeson murder wolves, you might be disappointed. It's more Hemming Way than Predators. There were a lot of people in my theater who were very vocal with their dislike of the ending, but I thought it was perfect and largely assume those are the people who show up to see Fast and the Furious on opening night. When you watch the movie, watch the movie you are seeing, not the movie you were expecting.

Well put. It wasn't what I was expecting either, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Originally posted by jaden101
Lets take the fact that it's blatantly stated that they need to reach the woods before nightfall and then they all decide to stand around saying 'words' about the dead because the weakest member says so. No reiterating the point about having to get a move on or be eaten by ravenous beasts. And low and behold what happens? On the way to the woods one of them gets eaten by ravenous beasts.

You sound more than a little overly critical of an excellent film. Sounds like it went over your head. You must have dosed off when one of the guys was bitching about them needing to go while everyone was wasting time gathering wallets. Gathering wallets would take a lot more time than the few short sentences that the man said about the dead. It wasn't an element lost on the writers as you seem to suggest.

This film really sticks with you, long after it's over. Oh, and something else that makes this film way better than I was expecting is its surprisingly good sense of humor. I laughed pretty hard. And it was balanced very well with the tension. Quadruple thumbs up...

👆 👆 👆 👆

I enjoyed this woman's review...

...The Grey is at heart a simple moral fable about how true heroism consists in helping other human beings to live as long and die as well as they can...

Dana Stevens - Slate

Apparently Liam Neeson's wife died in a freak skiing accident, which makes his performance in this all the more moving.

(I may have to see Smokin' Aces now... this seems like a pretty competent director)

Originally posted by Patient_Leech

You sound more than a little overly critical of an excellent film. Sounds like it went over your head. You must have dosed off when one of the guys was bitching about them needing to go while everyone was wasting time gathering wallets. Gathering wallets would take a lot more time than the few short sentences that the man said about the dead. It wasn't an element lost on the writers as you seem to suggest.

No. it didn't go over my head because there's nothing TO go over my head. Thinking this was some deep and profound film is the same as thinking that people who put obscure song lyrics on their Facebook pages are genius philosophers. It was filled with poor acting, poor CGI, poor cinematography, poor plotting and poor pacing.

Originally posted by Patient_Leech
This movie was excellent..

Come on.

It's Leech. Immortals was a fantastic movie to him, remember?

Originally posted by jaden101
No. it didn't go over my head because there's nothing TO go over my head. Thinking this was some deep and profound film is the same as thinking that people who put obscure song lyrics on their Facebook pages are genius philosophers. It was filled with poor acting, poor CGI, poor cinematography, poor plotting and poor pacing.

I didn't find any of those things to be poorly done (shit, for bad CGI wolves see Twilight). And no, you clearly did not get it... you're apparently not into deeper meanings. I'm not much into poetry myself, but this movie was a beautifully illustrated portrayal of how one should die. When one should keep fighting and when one should go out with equanimity. That's a theme that I've not really seen too clearly in a movie before. And the scene with Liam Neeson crying to the heavens for "God" to do something and he'll believe in Him forever... "God" does nothing, but Liam Neeson realizes more profoundly that it's up to him to fix his circumstances. Pretty profound. So no, I would say you didn't get it. I think this movie was more about the characters' inner trials rather than what was literally going on, and that elevates it to a piece of literature rather than what would otherwise be an ordinary B-movie.

Originally posted by RE: Blaxican
It's Leech. Immortals was a fantastic movie to him, remember?

Good job. You proud of yourself? Anybody who admires Michael Bay films doesn't need to be hopping aboard their high horse. 🙄

Originally posted by Patient_Leech
Good job. You proud of yourself? Anybody who admires Michael Bay films doesn't need to be hopping aboard their high horse. 🙄

But you can see a difference between saying "Transformers was an enjoyable/fun popcorn flick" and saying "Transformers was excellent" and then going on to quantify that by trying to pass it off as some avant garde work in cinema.

Originally posted by Patient_Leech
I didn't find any of those things to be poorly done (shit, for bad CGI wolves see Twilight). And no, you clearly did not get it... you're apparently not into deeper meanings. I'm not much into poetry myself, but this movie was a beautifully illustrated portrayal of how one should die. When one should keep fighting and when one should go out with equanimity. That's a theme that I've not really seen too clearly in a movie before. And the scene with Liam Neeson crying to the heavens for "God" to do something and he'll believe in Him forever... "God" does nothing, but Liam Neeson realizes more profoundly that it's up to him to fix his circumstances. Pretty profound. So no, I would say you didn't get it. I think this movie was more about the characters' inner trials rather than what was literally going on, and that elevates it to a piece of literature rather than what would otherwise be an ordinary B-movie.

See Twilight? No thanks.

As for the rest. you're just simply wrong. this film is only deep to those who aren't. Funny you would argue that the film is more about characterization than surface action when it utterly fails in making you care about anyone except the guy near the beginning who is told to accept that he's going to die.

Originally posted by Robtard
But you can see a difference between saying "Transformers was an enjoyable/fun popcorn flick" and saying "Transformers was excellent" and then going on to quantify that by trying to pass it off as some avant garde work in cinema.

Neither Immortals nor The Grey are avant garde. I've said no such thing. I did however say that they are meaningful. And to me that is good. It matters more than superficial criticisms.

Originally posted by Patient_Leech
Neither Immortals nor The Grey are avant garde. I've said no such thing. I did however say that they are meaningful. And to me that is good. It matters more than superficial criticisms.

Your post 4 spaces or so up seemed like it.

We just seem to have very opposing views of what "excellent" films are.

Originally posted by Robtard
Your post 4 spaces or so up seemed like it.

Then quote it, smart one. I can't read your mind. But...

"Meaning" or "Significance" =/= "Avant Garde," "Unorthodox," or "Radical."

Two different concepts. To make an analogy to illustrate, I would say...

Tarsem Singh : meaning :: Lars Von Trier : avant garde

Originally posted by Patient_Leech
Then quote it, smart one. I can't read your mind. But...

"Meaning" or "Significance" =/= "Avant Garde," "Unorthodox," or "Radical."

Two different concepts. To make an analogy to illustrate, I would say...

Tarsem Singh : meaning :: Lars Von Trier : avant garde

I said avant garde not in the literal sense , but to be nice; instead of saying what I thought: "masturbating the film to something superb and deep, when it was neither."

Happy, guy?

Originally posted by Robtard
Happy, guy?

Yeah, this would be a much happier place if you'd learn to communicate effectively. I'm not gonna hold my breath, though.

Originally posted by Patient_Leech
Yeah, this would be a much happier place if you'd learn to communicate effectively. I'm not gonna hold my breath, though.

Someone's mad cos someone else doesn't think another shitty movie is "excellent". Same thing happened with Immortals, film sucked and you took it personal that I didn't go balls deep for it.

Keep tellin' yourself that. 😉

Originally posted by Patient_Leech
Keep tellin' yourself that. 😉

I don't have to, I can go to the Immortals' thread and relive your ranting lunacy cos I didn't like the film, if I need another laugh.

yes, i have already see that..
that's pretty movie..gray