29th December 2003, 8:55 PM
Yeah, but for me games are different, because you play them. Personally, it can have all the action and such in the world, but if the story sucks then I hate the movie. Action and catchy one-liners to me are like graphics and sound in games, that is to say fluff to add to the main point of movies, books, and TV. I can enjoy a good action scene, but if the movie is nothing but action like too many are, they should just drop the pretext of story they add in to defend themselves and show it like someone would show a circus act. I can enjoy those just fine. It's the pathetic attempt to defend themselves and claim it's a "cinematic event" that I take offense to. Likely it's just me. Perhaps most people do just see them as circus acts of sorts. I tend not to care too much about fighting unless there's story expressed via it, and that's tough. For instance, all that a fight scene like I see in Jackie Chan movies tells me is "that guy is strong, that guy isn't". But in a movie like Crouching Tiger, it can help to express the essence of fighting alone with no rest. Too often it's just blind fighting without any real expression of anything but skill. As I said, it's impressive for that reason, but not being that much of a spectator of sports, it's not enough to glue me to my seat. I need substance. In a game, I'm actually doing the fighting. Much more fun. It's the same reason I completely hate all survival horror movies, but find myself loving that same genre in the game world. I dunno, I guess it's down to personal opinion. I suppose lots of people do watch it for the individual details of the fights, analysing that part and the art of it on it's own merits, perhaps with statements like "Did you see that guy kick the other guy INTO the 3rd guy? That was awesome" (no, I don't mean to insult in this way, don't take it that way, I quoted for comedic affect is all). It's just not something I enjoy as anything other than a tool for getting on with more story. Of course, there is such a thing as too much story, or maybe more accuratly, too much cheesy story with way too many unnecesary and illogical plot twists. It's called a soap opera. They are watched by people who don't like fantasy and "unrealistic" stuff, ironically enough.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)