WILD, WILD WEST

[Melvin Loh]

This is another movie I haven't seen myself (although I have read about it, including 1 MAD Magazine movie satire), but would anybody reckon that this Wild West sci-fi story constitutes AH ? 1 element which struck me was Will Smith's character being an officer in the Buffalo soldiers in 1869, flying totally in the face of OTL hist where the US Army's black regts had exclusively white officers.

[wkwillis]

Totally ahistorical, but funny. See it and laugh.

[NapoleonXIV]

Even sillier than the old TV series, funny but not outrageously so and definitely not enough T&A.

[David S Poepoe]

When I first heard that Will Smith was going to be playing the part of Jim West I thought it was a terrible idea. When I went to see the movie I thought is was one of the worst that I had ever seen. The only redeeming part I can think about is Kevin Klein playing President Grant. As a fan of the original tv series it was a complete disappointment. I believe that Robert Conrad was on hand to accept the Golden Razzy Award for Worst Picture that year.

I have been very bewildered lately by Hollywood first turning to old television shows for movie ideas, mostly since they think that people will feel nostalgic about them and go to them. On top of that they usually make them all comedies, and terrible ones at that, that aren't even remotely like the originals. Examples would be: Wild, Wild West, the Brady Bunch, Charlie's Angels, I Spy and the soon to be released Starsky & Hutch.

[NapoleonXIV]

True, how true. You have obviously neglected the worst blasphemy of the bunch out of misguided mercy for us. I, however, have never been noted for compassion.

The Avengers almost made me boycott anybody that had any part of this drunken revel, but Uma just looks too good and Sean Connery has been in too many other good movies. Ralph Fiennes, however, will never darken my VCR again. It took only a few minutes of watching to realize that the cast was totally inebriated while doing it, and scarcely more time before I totally understood why and wished I could join them. The worst part was what they did this to. Lost in Space and Charlie's Angels are hard not do better than, but The Avengers is still noted as possibly the best show ever put on television

Given whats happened to these others, I begin to see why the only one that really screamed to have a movie made, The Prisoner, still languishes in Portmeiron

[Scott Rosenthal]

Nappy: While I agree with you about the Avengers (the movie was an atrocity, the series truly Golden...), I believe that you are mistaken about The Prisoner being a good candidate for a movie. Patrick McG (sp? of his last name?) had total control over the series, it is unlikely that would be the case with a movie. This suggests to me that the wonderful, almost surreal atmosphere of the series would be utterly lost in a remake...

Some things dont need a remake....

By the way, have you seen ALL of the Avengers series? The early ones (with Honor Blackmun) were superb, but very, very different...

[David Howery]

uh, didn't Klein play West's partner (whose name I can't recall) and not Grant?
I thought the movie totally sucked... I heard so many bad things about the Avengers, I didn't bother to see it. In fact, I skip most of these "used to be a tv show, now a movie" movies... I did see Lost in Space and the Fugitive (boy, there's a huge difference in quality...)...

[David S Poepoe]

Kevin Kline played both Artemus Gordon and U.S. Grant.

I wasn't too impressed by Lost in Space, aside by Heather Graham. Come to think of it, while I have never seen it, The Fugitive may be the only tv series to successfully translate to the big screen, aside from Star Trek.

[NapoleonXIV]

Nappy: While I agree with you about the Avengers (the movie was an atrocity, the series truly Golden...), I believe that you are mistaken about The Prisoner being a good candidate for a movie. Patrick McG (sp? of his last name?) had total control over the series, it is unlikely that would be the case with a movie. This suggests to me that the wonderful, almost surreal atmosphere of the series would be utterly lost in a remake...

Some things dont need a remake....

By the way, have you seen ALL of the Avengers series? The early ones (with Honor Blackmun) were superb, but very, very different...

Well, I have heard rumors of the Movie since 1992. And there were the comic books (were there six, I think?), which were good enough to tantalize. But you do have a point, Philip Jose Farmer RUINED the Riverworld series by solving the mystery, IMAHO. I'll also admit its doubtful that even MacGoohan could improve on the ending, which answered all the questions perfectly with...more questions. ;)

[Mark Ford]

1 element which struck me was Will Smith's character being an officer in the Buffalo soldiers in 1869, flying totally in the face of OTL hist where the US Army's black regts had exclusively white officers.

In the 400 hour documentary by Ken Burns about the American Civil War, mention is made that when Richmond was captured a Negro Cavalry Captain was placed in charge of guarding/protecting the house of R.E.Lee's wife. She complained and a white officer was substituted. So I suppose that while black officers in the 1860s were rare, they weren't non-existant.

As for the other comments, if you look on the movie as a send up of the TV series it is possible to enjoy it. But everyone here is absolutely correct when they say it is a pale imitation of the original.

[Melvin Loh]

Thanks for that little bit of info, Mark, I never saw the last episode of Ken Burns' CIVIL WAR.

BTW, I think that re remakes of old TV shows, how about LAND OF THE GIANTS ? That was 1 of my favourite sci-fi series when I was young, esp that Valerie chick (the redhead). It so deserves to be remade by Hollywood as a new sci-fi movie. Any potential slots for who'd play the main characters ?

My nominations:
Joh Hartnett - Steve (the groups' de facto leader)
Mark or Donnie Wahlberg- Mark
Omar Epps- Dan
Kirsten Dunst- Valerie (she'd probably have to die her hair red again like for Mary-Jane in SPIDERMAN)
Frank John Hughes (Guarnere off BAND OF BROTHERS)- Fitzhugh (he'd probaly have to do a German accent too)
some child actor like Harvey Lee Osment- Barry

[Melvin Loh]

Actually, to play Fitzhugh in LAND OF THE GIANTS, a better choice is undoubtedly Georg Stadler, who played Steamboat Willie in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN- "Hmm...American, I like American...Steamboat Willie-toot ! toot!"