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How does a film get 7% on RT and then its sequel gets 83%

posted 7 years ago by PrimeMinisterX (8291)
7 replies | jump to latest

I don't think I can even remember that happening before, where a film will come out and be almost universally criticized and then a sequel will come out and be almost universally praised. The first film in a series almost always scores better than the first, but even the second is better received there's usually not such a wide gulf in critical opinion.

In any case, I watched Ouija last night and it does not surprise me that the first film did not score well. The 7% RT score seems a little overly harsh, but it's not a good movie.

I do think it has some positives. It's shot fairly well and looks nice enough, the acting is mostly (though not entirely) okay, and there are a small handful of effectively creepy moments. Not many, but a few.

Just as importantly the subject of the Ouija board is interesting and one that I don't think has been explored by horror movies nearly as much as it should have been.

On the downside though, the movie is just kind of fucking dull. Those effectively creepy moments? Few and far between. And I didn't really give a shit about the characters. And the plot is typical haunted house fodder that, one twist aside, we have more or less seen a hundred times before.

At least it had a few hotties in it, which always helps, but hotties can't save a movie if the script came right off the assembly line of roteness.

I didn't absolutely hate it, so I'm not going to be as harsh as some other people have been, but I certainly can't claim it to be anything other than the derivative, unimaginative film that it is.

5/10

[–] AtomicReturns (1252) 7 years ago

They say this is the first Hasbro movie to finally get a Fresh rating. Transformers, GI Joe and their other films were all Rotten. Although I'm surprised the first Transformers didn't get a Fresh rating as I thought it was a solid popcorn film.

But anyways, this prequel did get very good reviews. I wasn't totally taken in by it. As you said, some good performances but the characters are still dull people to follow. I think it's because they don't really break free from the cliches of Creepy Young Girl and Weepy Rebellious Teen Daughter. We see that in every movie!

If they made them more interesting and intelligent, we'd be on the edge of our seats when the crap hits the fan, and bad things happen to good people we really like. But, instead, it just kind of goes through the same motions we've seen a hundred times. I haven't seen the original Ouija movie from 2014, but it must've been really bad if this mediocre Ouija: Origin of Evil was considered a vast improvement by most critics and fans.

[edit] lol, I just realized I posted this on the wrong board. I thought this was for the Ouija: Origin of Evil one. Anyways, what I typed was for that 2016 film, not the original 2014 one.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8291) 7 years ago

My only problem with the Origin of Evil was that it gets a little cartoonish at the end, which is my criticism of a lot of horror movies, like The Conjuring 2 for instance. I think one thing missing from a lot of horror is RESTRAINT. There's the old saying that the terror lies in what you DON'T see, rather than in what you do. That's why, for me at least, Origin of Evil was really solid for the first 2/3 of the film and then stumbles in the finale.

As for Hasbro movies that get a fresh rating, the original Clue movie from the 80s is fresh on RT (as it should be, since it's great). I also thought that Battleship was a fun enough time at the movies, even though the critics hated it.

[–] AtomicReturns (1252) 7 years ago

There's the old saying that the terror lies in what you DON'T see, rather than in what you do. That's why, for me at least, Origin of Evil was really solid for the first 2/3 of the film and then stumbles in the finale.

That is very true. I wish most filmmakers would rely less on the easy jump scares and more on terror/atmosphere. But at the same time, I can see why they do it. These lower budget movies need a profit to survive, and so much of it is aimed at the tastes of the younger crowd. Attractive young 20-somethings facing some evil force, with plenty of jump scares to keep them engaged.

I forgot about that Clue movie. That means the article that said Origin of Evil being the first was wrong! And I haven't seen Battleship. But I feel sorry for that Taylor Kitsch actor who seems to have disappeared after being groomed as the next big megastar.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8291) 7 years ago

That article is indeed wrong! Probably like yourself they simply forgot about Clue, being that it's now over 20 years old. Though with a 62% on RT, it almost didn't make the cut. That score really is much too low.

Regarding Taylor Kitsch, he has really walked a tough road. John Carter was supposed to be his big breakout role, but it failed famously. Then he did Battleship, which also bombed at the box office. Then True Detective should've been big for him, hot on the heels of the much loved Season 1, and it got almost nothing but criticism.

It's a shame too, because he is really talented. I like him as an actor. He is doing a TV project for Spike now based on the Waco incident from the 90s and I am looking forward to that.

[–] Terrygg (544) 7 years ago

Because they sequel is better than the first movie. I couldn't get passed the first 20 minutes of the first movie. The second movie wasn't all that great either, it had some scary moments and ripped off concepts from other movies about possession, but overall, a much improvement over the first movie. I actually felt pity for the child and family in Ouija 2 which I didn't feel sorry for the hero in the first movie.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8291) 7 years ago

My point was more along the lines of we only occasionally see sequels that are better than the original, and we also never see an original movie that is nearly universally loathed and then a sequel that is nearly universally acclaimed.

What's happened here is very unusual.

[–] Terrygg (544) 7 years ago

I agree. It is very unusual. Perhaps it was word of mouth? I decided to watch the sequel because I liked the looks of the trailer. I wouldn't recommend the sequel though because I didn't like the way the mystery developed.