This movie sucks so bad - Punisher: War Zone (2008) Discussion

[–] Ajm57 14 years ago

They both suck. Get over it, and hope for a better future for good ol' Frank.

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[–] Thamauturge 14 years ago

No its the worst movie made in 2008 actually. A horrible movie. At least the others tried. And 2004 The Punisher was great.

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] Thamauturge 14 years ago

04 was based off of Year One. Where he was depressed and drank a lot

Also, I rewatched this movie and I feel a bit bad about saying this sucks so much. I still like the other a lot more but this definitely isnt as bad as I remembered it.

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] GreenGoblinsOckVenom86 14 years ago

What I didn't like about this movie was that they took the story line from 3 completly different comic books and it was a mess of a story. Neither Micro nor Soap should've been in this.

Kelloway: Doyle, get in the car.
Doyle: But I ordered Onion Rings.
Kelloway: Doyle!

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[–] simpleton161 14 years ago

The movie should have been named Punisher: MAX instead of War Zone. The characters of Maginty, Pittsy, Ink, Cristu and Tiberiou Balat are all from the MAX series. I even noticed the scene where Punisher jumps down on an impaled Maginty was taken from MAX, though it was Pittsy that was stuck on the fence.

Anyway, I enjoyed this Punisher more than the previous version.

The MAX series has some good story arcs that could be made into movies. Slavers, in particular, would be a good place to start.

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[–] micah417 11 years ago

I know I'm way behind the game and I haven't seen the movie yet but there are some great insights from the director herself on the "How Did This Get Made" podcast on the Earwolf site. Patton Oswalt is even in on the commentary its fantastic! Definitely worth a look whether you liked the movie or not.

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[–] GrantZilla 14 years ago

I understand that '04 is year one and I didnt have a problem with that, the drinking annoyed me though but I was expecting a mean killing machine Punisher like he was in War Zone.

You do realize that Castle doesn't fully become The Punisher until the end of the movie. He was just going to have his revenge than off himself, but realizes he now has a mission aka The Punisher

The Punisher 2004 was a set up movie, like Batman Begins. Most people have no idea about The Punisher. It did it perfectly because it made Castle a sympathetic character. That's important when he becomes a ruthless executioner in follow up that never happened.

He probably also missed the part on how the violence started off slow but progressed more and more as the movie went on.

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[–] mhenderson9214 13 years ago

this movie was *beep* sweet, the 2004 punisher was good but it was very hollywood story esqu. typical things happening and wasnt as hardcore but stevenson was bad as *beep*. he was how he is suppose to be a *beep* bad ass who is ruthless and it was filmed in a very comic book setting and most movies cant pull that off, cheers to lionsgate for not doing horrible and no cheers to all the gay boys saying this movie sucked. i shoulda never busted in all your mothers you *beep* soft bodies

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[–] where_is_my_mind09 12 years ago

the 2004 version was great? Are you serious? That whole stupid story of the gay partner being set up and travolta as a gangster was not believable.

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[–] Paul_Mall 10 years ago

Nothing beats "The Love Guru" for being worst feature film of 2008.

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[–] lafsfilm 14 years ago

Hell yeah it is. If you don't like Warzone you are clearly not a fan of the comic. The most accurate one to date. I hope they make another but I doubt that will happen. You never know.

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[–] Burklayton 8 years ago

War Zone is accurate in that Castle shoots a lot of bad guys and that is just about as far as the similarities go. This film is a juvenile mess that makes a mockery of half of his most memorable villains.

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[–] Slayer-Of-100 14 years ago

To all those mofos out there saying punisher 2004 is better than this, you suck, war zone is just ok

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[–] criticaldamage91 14 years ago

The 2004 Punisher is a guilty pleasure for me, War Zone just flat out sucked. Over use of CGI gore effects too.

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[–] Thamauturge 14 years ago

It is better. This movie is not nearly as accurate to the comics as people think. Jigsaw wasnt even really a character in the MAX series. They took things from so many different storylines, made the story worse, and ruined every character. The only one that acted like himself was thankfully The Punisher who acted like he did in MAX.

However I prefer Marvel Knights version of The Punisher which is why I prefer the 04 movie because it captured the dimension of the Punisher in Year One and combined it with the great premise of Welcome Back Frank to make what I think is the definitive Punisher movie.

Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum-If You Want Peace, Prepare For War

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[–] blackstone454 14 years ago

I think that all three Punisher movies failed so far.

What is frustrating is that in both the 2004 and 2008 versions, one can clearly see the storylines and characters that were used...But were relentlessly butchered and bastardized...

I have no great anticipation for any reboot...I would rather the movie makers leave PUNISHER in the comic books...

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Personal insults have no place in smart discussions.

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[–] Refrax5 14 years ago

Like most comic movies, including the Tom Jane Punisher, this was a mix of different storylines. And Jigsaw was in MAX eventually.

The truth is that all of the Punisher films are pretty bad movies. The Tom Jane one tried to be more realistic, but failed the second they had Castle in a wig talking in a German accent and really failed when they had the mob attack an entire family reunion and kill 30 members of Castle's extended family. THat just...doesn't happen. And I feel it takes something away from Castle's motives if his family is specifically targeted, rather than a victim of the random violence in our world.

And what follows is an entertaining but generic and lightweight action film with a weak villain and bad attempts at comic relief.

As for PWZ, in a lot of senses, it's more faithful to Castle's personality and motives...it's just a complete B movie. But I find it hilarious and nice to look at and it is more reminiscent of the comics than the previous efforts. It's a bad movie, but it's an entertainingly bad movie with a Punisher that acts and looks like he just stepped from one of the comics.

As for the Year One storyline in the Tom Jane movie, it was very, very loosely based on that. And Castle didn't drink very much in that story. He had scotch in one scene I think.

They're all bad movies. All three of them. But at least PWZ is more entertaining and less generic and while it gets more wrong that it does right, it's the only movie where the character really felt like Frank Castle to me.

"He is not Judge Judy and executioner!"

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[–] bn38416 14 years ago

dolph punisher was more like a "punisher comic" than the confused mess that followed. i cant believe so many fans of the character have no grasp on what he is or where he came from.

fffffflatheads.

---yet it is this child,who caught your master spy?---

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] Refrax5 14 years ago

I get that the Punisher was a set up film. And Castle has been made a sympathetic character many times in the comic, so I have no real issue with that. Jane played a pretty good young Castle, before he became the more remorseless, hardened guy we saw later.

None of that makes the film especially good. The new origin is utterly preposterous for a film that's trying to be serious and down to earth, the whole idea that his son bought him the skull shirt is just really cheesy and stupid, and they really could have made a more action-packed set-up film.

I liked the movie for what it was---as I like War Zone for what it was---but people arguing that this is somehow a good film or an accurate representation of the Punisher are barking up the wrong tree.

It's entertaining and I like Jane as Castle. By the same logic, the PWZ film has more action and, while not a very good movie, was more true to the comics than the Jane film.

I hope eventually we'll see a good Punisher film. But good vigilante films are hard to do---look at recent attempts like Death Sentence and The Brave One.

The Punisher comics were often quite over the top, pulpy and funny at times. I feel like the Jane film and the Stevenson film kept that sort of vibe.

"He is not Judge Judy and executioner!"

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[–] patkav6 12 years ago

It did suck, cheesy as all hell. I actually bought it though, kinda so bad its good. The lines in here are hilarious. The acting is is so campy. A guilty pleasure for me.

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[–] Kuato_and_George 14 years ago

I thought the 04 version was awesome. It was an entertaining, badass, action flick.

I fully admit to not having seen all of this one. But from what I saw (part of which was the finale), it's boring as hell. THe actions was matter-of-fact and not very beleivable. That fight with that (Looney Bin Jim is it?) was laughable. He's flying and dancing around like he's in a Matrix flick.

And Jigsaw's makeup? AWFUL!

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[–] Kuato_and_George 14 years ago

I don't give a damn if this movie is an exact replica of a specific story arc from an actual comic book. The very idea that this movie is better because it's true to the comic is a flawed premise (because that's assuming the comic is good).

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[–] Kuato_and_George 14 years ago

I'm sure they are good, but again - I don't care. If you want the comics, read the comics.

From what I saw of it, the action in this very was very matter-of-fact and anticlimactic. I wasn't engaged in it at all. It was very boring. I can't say that about the 04 film. The fight scenes were actually fun in that.

And Jigsaw, ugh, the makeup was simply awful.

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[–] Kuato_and_George 14 years ago

I found the action in 2004 was short and very generic

And the wire-fu like scene between Castle and "Looney Bin Jim" wasn't, for example?

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[–] Kuato_and_George 14 years ago

Ivan, you can like WZ more. I'm not really telling you you can't. But some of your logic about the action (when comes comparing the two).

You call fights in this movie "insane" and "not short". Did you even watch the 04 version? The fight with the Russian is about 10 times more realistic than the action in WZ.

If you like WZ more so be it, but admit you like it because its over the top. Don't try to pass it off as realistic or something.

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[–] Kuato_and_George 14 years ago

How is my logic that I find the action in War Zone better flawed?

This is why:

Some of the action in War Zone is more realistic

It's just a silly statement.

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[–] blackstone454 14 years ago

-THE HORSEMAN
-HARRY BROWN
-THE BRAVE ONE
-MAN ON FIRE
-LAW ABIDING CITIZEN...

All of them compelling thrillers about revenge.

Some are more action oriented than others. But there well written and well acted crime thrillers.

PUNISHER WAR ZONE was basically a throwback to 80s stuff like EXTERMINATOR 2 or DEATH WISH 4: THE CRACKDOWN. A loud, ridiculous, empty R-Rated gore drenched slapstick comedy.

The 2004 was long and boring and butchered the source material into oblivion.

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Personal insults have no place in smart discussions.

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[–] mindstamina3000 13 years ago

The 2004 was long and boring and butchered the source material into oblivion.

So what you are saying is that you have a real low attention span.

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[–] Refrax5 14 years ago

WZ was a different kind of movie. It was supposed to be dark and brutal but also over the top. I'll admit that it's totally a B movie. It's not a "good" movie. But the first one was hardly high art in and of itself.

I like them both, but I prefer PWZ because while it's over the top and ridiculous, it's at least unique and memorable in a way. Outside of Tom Jane's performance and one or two scenes, the '04 version is very dull and generic. I mean, it was trashed by fans and critics when it came out. I'm amazed how many people defend it nowadays.

"He is not Judge Judy and executioner!"

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[–] utahman1971 7 years ago

I will stick with movies and more entertaining than any comic, especially for normal men that do not want to actually be a man child.

Rated R Horror movies are better, no matter the argument.

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[–] BeachPirate1976-704-75740 14 years ago

I can't believe people are belly-aching about this film...it's a Punisher film. It wasn't made to win awards, but to entertain. Ray Stevenon made a great Punisher...some liked it, some don't...oh well.
<p>
I hope they do make a sequel w/Stevenson; he has my pick as the best Frank Castle. Lots of explosions, lots of bullets & lots of action. What else were people really expecting?

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[–] wingnut9 13 years ago

Best Review I've read abouit this mess...

It pains me to say it but this mess of a movie didn’t know what it wanted to be. It’s so poorly written that I’m not sure it would’ve mattered had they settled on a consistent tone. The villains are too cheesy to stomach and the extreme gore is simply unnecessary. I fully understand the grim and violent nature of the character. Blood spatter and excessive violence is one thing but the exploding heads grab bag of chaos on display serves no real purpose. It’s like taking the worst from torture horror flicks and mixing it with a heartless/mindless plot and adding just a dash of Dick Tracy level cheese. The mix simply doesn’t work. What’s worse, you don’t finish the film feeling satisfied for fulfilled at all. You’re left feeling dirty, insulted and, as a Marvel fan, frustrated. Frank Castle deserved so much better then this mess.

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[–] paintedwolf32 13 years ago

Don't know what movie you guys watched but the Movie was great and did a good job of doing "The Punisher" justice. Watch the movie in a dark room on a 42"+ Plasma with Ear Phones, the movie really comes alive then, gun shots, bones breaking etc. The acting in the movie was done very well also. As far as the gore goes, you must not know anything about guns because most of that is exactly what would happen if you were shot by some of those.

The Punisher does NOT have a pretty world that looks like Thomas Jane riding a motorcycle, with a big skull on his chest dragging John Travolta. Screw that version. Trust me this was The Punisher. Watch it Again!!

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[–] wingnut9 13 years ago

I love comic films but was completely embarassed by this movie. I actually saw it ahead of the crowd I was supoose to see it with and called off the viewing. Seriously, I was to meet friends and family to watch this thing at the cinema and I was forced to find something else to watch. Yeah, it was that BAD.

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[–] mhenderson9214 13 years ago

*beep* this movie was a great comic book movie thats how the punisher should be. i understand it was filmed kinda tacky and different kinda grindhouse style but whatever i think it worked find n ray stevenson was bad ass....................obama doesnt like white people

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[–] wingnut9 13 years ago

Put your comic books away and judge it as a film. As a movie, it's as bad as it gets, period.

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