Skipping Some 2017 Movie Releases

2017 is already almost a quarter of the way done, and we have had some pretty hyped up movies, while others are just... Eh... Regardless, we all have those movies that we choose to skip seeing despite the hype. Is it because of a fear of a poor adaptation? Not having much understanding of what the film will be about? No real interest in the film based on either content or premise? There are a number of reasons for some. Me? Well, let me list off a few of my skips for 2017 and you'll get the details there.

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

Let's start it off with this one. Based on the original Japanese animated film and anime franchise, Ghost in the Shell stars Scarlett Johansson as Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg, and a rather hot one too. From what I understand, this movie is looking to serve as an adaptation of the original movie.

Why am I skipping this one? Let's start off with the fact that none of my reasons have anything to do with the outrage over the "white washing" of the leading cyborg lady. My main reason for skipping this movie is a weak understanding of the lore of the Ghost in the Shell franchise. I had only seen the original movie once, and I had some difficulty understanding the lore. What is a "ghost" in this movie's case? How does one pull off "mind hacking"? This lore seems way deeper than I think even Leonardo Dicaprio is willing to go. Inception joke aside, without much understanding of the basic lore, I'd feel pretty lost while trying to watch Johannson kick butt and attempt to see how faithful the adaptation would be. Sorry folks, but this wannabe Otaku is skipping Ghost in the Shell's western live-action adaptation.

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Wait, Napoleon Jonamite is skipping a Disney movie? It's true. Disney is continuing its current trend of making their animated classics into live action films. Starring Emma Watson as Belle, Disney is hoping to bring that same magic we got in animated form when we were kids to the big screen in a live action musical.

Why am I skipping this one? Let's face it, we've all grown up with the original animated movie. It's a timeless Disney animated classic that deserves to be in our film collections even to this day. The big problem comes with Disney trying to outdo itself and hope for another moneymaking remake. Reviews came in fairly mixed from critics and viewers alike. Comments came in from Doug Walker and Steven Crowder about the music being auto-tuned, new songs adapted from the Broadway show to lackluster results, bad CGI that ruined the experience, etc. Crowder's producer "Not Gay" Jared Monroe also commented on some of the casting choices not working out, citing Ewan McGregor's accent "changed like, seven times." While the LeFou "gayness" was overplayed in terms of the controversy, it wasn't the best direction for the character. Crowder noted that the social commentary could've been more like "I really admire this man." "Are you secretly gay?" "No." Personally, I think there are some things you just can't adapt to live action, and Beauty and the Beast is one of them.

Power Rangers

If you're familiar with any generation of Power Rangers, you should have no problem understanding the premise of this movie. If you aren't, let me give you the bare basics. An ultimate evil arrives on Earth to conquer it, a mysterious force for good calls for a group of young heroes to fight this ultimate evil by going through a monster-of-the-week until season's end.

Why am I skipping this? Let's start with what we've seen in terms of the things we watched as kids being revived as a potential film franchise. Transformers has a great box office financial record yet has received mixed reviews that lean toward negative. GI Joe fell off the map recently, blame Channing Tatum and Dwayne Johnson looking into better projects. Power Rangers moving to the big screen by reviving its early years may not work well considering the number of changes made and its aesthetics looking like Transformers 4. Add in the fact that I never really grew up with Power Rangers, and you have a genuine lack of interest in this potentially overhyped reboot.

There are still plenty of movies releasing in 2017 that I'm genuinely interested in seeing, but that may need to be another blog entry for another day.

Until the next review, have a nice day!

-Napoleon Jonamite