Comments on: Mel Returns As a Man on the ‘Edge’

By: xena

xena — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:49:51 +0000

I couldn’t agree more with your critique of the movie. Mel owes us a lot more than he gave in this film. Fans who stayed loyal through his ranting and alcoholic midlife crisis period deserved the mel of lethal weapon, the mel who could make us understand the angst of wallace. instead we got mel light. I was stunned in the knife scene when you could so obviously see the stunt double. at least make it believable. and I’m shallow enough to say I think he should have done more to make himself look less like an aging, hair thinning, flabby imitation of who he was.

By: yo

yo — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:53:59 +0000

Too me the movie was great but it could of been even a better movie if craven went all out with more killing and explosions and car chases, but you have to know that this is a drama action not action drama so i went to the movies knowing that this will be no lethal weapon but I support him coming back becuase I love his old action movies, so if i have to watch something that I know i might not enjoy that much just to help mels comback then why not, but i did end up enjoying the movie and think if you havent seen it then go now because its great.

By: Brystle Powell

Brystle Powell — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 03:50:14 +0000

I completely agree with your assessment of the movie. I expected so much more from this movie. And you are right, I couldn’t help think of Lethal Weapon….but this clearly was no Lethal Weapon movie.

Something was missing from this movie. The beginning was mediocre and the ending was HORRIBLE. The best parts of this film for me was the random freak accidents that I didn’t see coming that made me jump in my seat.

I thought I was the only one who thought the talking to his daughter’s spirit was unnecessary. Also, I too was wondering where Emma’s mother was. I assumed she was dead but it was never explicitly said so who really knows.

One thing I learned from this critique was the stunt double comment. I didn’t notice (maybe I’m blind) that Mel Gibson did not do his own stunts. That now makes the movie even worse in my eyes. What happened to the Mel Gibson I used to love???

All in all, I think the plot was good enough that the movie could have been so much better than it actually was. It just seemed so predictable – I knew why his daughter was murdered before it finally came to light in the film.

By: Jin Jan

Jin Jan — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:45:28 +0000

I would certainly agree with a lot that you’ve analyzed, and I’d stand by your pointing out the story’s elements of “the government dealings, political corruption and cover-ups—in.” However, I’m not as disappointed as you may be in having to witness again the standard conspiracy movie elements. I’m indeed familiar with Martin Campbell’s verp popular BBC TV mini-series which wrapped around those same elements… refreshingly new then and much welcomed in those times when Brits weren’t tolerant with Margaret Thatcher. And as this feature film is directed also by Campbell, I was expecting this remake to have the same themes and elements not too distantly from the TV series. And I was not disappointed. Besides, government being involved in secretive nuke development is never considered something of the past. And I did like this film’s choice in locating the corporation and its nuke plant on a hill, isolated away from busy traffic, and by the stretches of lake to allow easy dumping of nuclear wastes.

And I actually like the idea of the scenes of him talking to the ghostly visions. It created the idea that Craven’s love for Emma was truly intense to have driven him almost delusional and crazy. Just observe his rage when he deal with his opponents. There was that sense he had to be going insane with his vendetta! Just recall his glaring eyes! Besides, Brits do like ghost stories… ever since the Victorian Era! And there was also that supernatural appeal that I did associate with the finale.

Acually, I did enjoy this film… love its pace and actions, especially coming from a raging older Gibson. And I’m always happy when any film remake, or a film adapted from a book, does not venture too off track from its original.