I saw the Golden Compass over the weekend. As someone who has read the trilogy, I have to give the movie an A in its accuracy and authenticity in recreating this world as I visualized it in my mind. Having said that, I have to give it a C on my overall impression of it as a film. The special effects are top-notch. The set design was impecable. The gadgets and objects were stylish. But the one thing they weren't able to craft in CGI was pure movie magic. I'm not talking about the hokus-pokus that occurs in the story... I'm talking about good old-fashioned movie magic. That special ingredient a movie has that leaves a permanent mark in your heart.
It's easy to judge a movie and say that it did or didn't have "movie magic" and I can't tell you what they should have done, or shouldn't have done in order to deliver it. That's the job of the movie makers. We all know what movie magic is, in essence, and it means something different to each of us... and I guess if it came in a bottle, then it wouldn't mean as much when we actually get a glimpse of it and it captures our heart.
But if I had to break down, systematically, what I think movie magic is - I'd have to say it comes down to pure moments of discovery. Those precise instances in a film where a moment of discovery occurs (the lie is exposed, the truth is learned, the love has sparked, the sorrow overwhelms, the revenge surfaces, the malice overcomes). Think about any movie that you truly adore. I bet there are at least 3 significant moments of discovery that moved both you AND the character(s) in the movie. Why 3? Cuz I said so.
I think we want to be surprised. Maybe even fooled, a little bit. Is there anything worse than a movie that's predictable and obvious? Remember when he realized he was dead in "The Sixth Sense"? Remember when he realized that he was Tyler Derdon in "Fight Club"? Remember when the creature was with Ripley in the escape ship at the end of "Alien"? Those precise moments of discovery are what moves me as a moviewatcher - and what I truly believe is at the heart of movie magic.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I wish I weren't slightly retarded and quadriplegic to understand what you said.
There, THAT'S magic. You didn't know I was slightly retarded and quadriplegic.
Or could it be that you knew the story line already? So there wasn't too much in the movie other then seeing your imagination come to life that you weren't expecting?
I don't think so. I've seen plenty of movies where i'd read the book or already knew the story and still loved the movie and felt there was still magic. Harry Potter movies, Return of the King, Dreamgirls...
Post a Comment