Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted May 23, 2012 Member Share Posted May 23, 2012 This movie is boring?? That's impossible, and that last fight scene at the end is better than any Thai martial arts action movie that came out in the last decade, well except maybe for Chocolate but other than that nothing from Thailand is better than that scene alone.... The soundtrack might be the best soundtrack of the year.. Boring, Hahhahahahha you guys make me laugh... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Boring doesn't necessarily reflect a lack of onscreen happening... but rather the relentless delivery of brutal action which I felt became repetitive and numbing at a surprisingly early stage. Though I was sort of impressed by some of the stuntwork and creative movement, the slashing, hacking, crunching, and thudding never truly excited me. I didn't care what happened to the rather charismaless actors. They maybe great stuntmen, but they're not movie stars. The script was weak even for an action-led fim such as this (perhaps something was lost in translation?). The direction was significantly better (with some decent stabs at suspense) and it will be interesting to see what Evans can do with a better script. I take my hat off to Evans for having the balls to live his dream and whilst I can't applaud the movie I do wish him success in his endeavours and hopefully the next one will be something I can rave about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sifu iron perm Posted May 23, 2012 Member Share Posted May 23, 2012 Boring doesn't necessarily reflect a lack of onscreen happening... but rather the relentless delivery of brutal action which I felt became repetitive and numbing at a surprisingly early stage. Though I was sort of impressed by some of the stuntwork and creative movement, the slashing, hacking, crunching, and thudding never truly excited me. I didn't care what happened to the rather charismaless actors. They maybe great stuntmen, but they're not movie stars. The script was weak even for an action-led fim such as this (perhaps something was lost in translation?). The direction was significantly better (with some decent stabs at suspense) and it will be interesting to see what Evans can do with a better script. I take my hat off to Evans for having the balls to live his dream and whilst I can't applaud the movie I do wish him success in his endeavours and hopefully the next one will be something I can rave about. you barry norman ass mother trucker.. kiddin man. agree to disagree.. i hated avatar!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted May 23, 2012 Member Share Posted May 23, 2012 @OpiumKungFuCracker: I couldn't agree with you more! Enough Said! That's why you gotta respect everyone's own opinion on here! @Markgway: Honestly I really don't know what you wanted from this movie, but we all see how you felt about it, and as I've said everyone is entitled to there own views & opinions about this movie! I think the Majority of People on here loved this film. And when it hits DVD, I think its going to become a cult hit phenomenon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member hanshotfirst Posted May 24, 2012 Member Share Posted May 24, 2012 I was actually kinda bored by the lack of story and non-stop action (which was OK but not as amazing as I'd been led to believe). It was pretty good, but I don't there was anything quite on the "Oh my God, did you see that?!" lever of some the recent Thai stuff. The standout scene was the 2-on-1 fight against 'Mad Dog' but otherwise this was distinctly average and really no better than any of those Thai movies popularized over the last decade. Again, to emphasis, I didn't DISlike it. I was just seriously underwhelmed. I think the Thai stuff has generally been out-and-out poor in the narrative department, but I won't deny that the first Ong Bak, Tom Yum Goong, and Chocolate were knockout in the action department. Comparisons to John Woo's finest hours are ill-advised to say the least. I don't generally associate Woo with martial arts anyway. The version of the film I saw (in the UK) had no outtakes and the new score (and a shitty song at the end). The score seemed adequate. The title on screen was simply THE RAID. Yeah, the song annoyed me, but otherwise, I didn''t find the new score hugely intrusive. Forgot to mention two things I wasn't enamored with: the handheld camerawork (not shakycam but too much too often) That I thought was handled well, at least it was done creatively and not the insanely incomprehensible stuff that Hollywood seems to like. and the CGI blood (can't seem to escape from it). I want to know who thinks CG blood is a good idea. I have never seen good CG blood. Ever. Boring doesn't necessarily reflect a lack of onscreen happening... but rather the relentless delivery of brutal action which I felt became repetitive and numbing at a surprisingly early stage. Yeah, I thought that too. It wasn't terrible or anything, it just didn't have the live-wire energy that a genre movie like this needs, and that takes a very, very deft hand. Though I was sort of impressed by some of the stuntwork and creative movement, the slashing, hacking, crunching, and thudding never truly excited me. I didn't care what happened to the rather charismaless actors. They maybe great stuntmen, but they're not movie stars. The script was weak even for an action-led film such as this (perhaps something was lost in translation?). The direction was significantly better (with some decent stabs at suspense) and it will be interesting to see what Evans can do with a better script. I take my hat off to Evans for having the balls to live his dream and whilst I can't applaud the movie I do wish him success in his endeavors and hopefully the next one will be something I can rave about. Evans certainly knows how to shoot action properly, I just didn't feel that this had the "Oh, God that looks painful!" punch that Jaa and Chan do at their best. The script was an obvious attempt to play with archetypes as an exploitation movie, but it was just a little too thin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shaolintemple Posted May 24, 2012 Member Share Posted May 24, 2012 After reading a couple of pages of people slating this film, I feel obliged to stick up for this film. It's phenomenal. As a cinema experience, it is relentless, bone crunching balls to the wall mayhem. We rarely get good martial arts movies nowadays, we get glossy showreels at best. This film, on a budget of a million, is making a huge impact around the world. Hats off to everyone involved, this is the start of something great. I work in a convenience store and the amount of my co-workers who have been to see this film or are talking about it genuinely surprises me. We need films like this to get this kind of exposure because it will encourage class directors like Gareth Evans to get involved in bigger and better productions. For me personally, this film is easily the best I've seen in years and far surpasses any panna/jaa mess. I also personally believe people are being overly critical because they like to fight the hype or swim against the tide. But thats just little old me, I had to say it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Keung Posted May 24, 2012 Member Share Posted May 24, 2012 The world would be a boring place if we all liked the same shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted May 25, 2012 Member Share Posted May 25, 2012 0la5DBtOVNI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 After reading a couple of pages of people slating this film, I feel obliged to stick up for this film. Response has been overwhelmingly positive so you're hardly going out on a limb... I also personally believe people are being overly critical because they like to fight the hype or swim against the tide. Neither true nor fair. I could say the opposite: That people are going overboard in their praise because a hardcore actioner like The Raid is like a drop of fresh water in a sunbaked desert. What we're talking about is IMO a decent DTV movie. Had I caught it on TV late one night unawares I may have been more impressed, but I can't deny that the hype ('phenomenal', really...?) built me up for a bit of a fall.... I rarely go to the cinema these days so when I do go I expect something more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mpm74 Posted May 25, 2012 Member Share Posted May 25, 2012 Boring doesn't necessarily reflect a lack of onscreen happening... but rather the relentless delivery of brutal action which I felt became repetitive and numbing at a surprisingly early stage. Though I was sort of impressed by some of the stuntwork and creative movement, the slashing, hacking, crunching, and thudding never truly excited me. I didn't care what happened to the rather charismaless actors. They maybe great stuntmen, but they're not movie stars. The script was weak even for an action-led fim such as this (perhaps something was lost in translation?). The direction was significantly better (with some decent stabs at suspense) and it will be interesting to see what Evans can do with a better script. I take my hat off to Evans for having the balls to live his dream and whilst I can't applaud the movie I do wish him success in his endeavours and hopefully the next one will be something I can rave about. My thoughts exactly. I thought Merantau was a better film, overall. Still, hats off to Evans. Possibly the best action director working today. They should have him do a DIE HARD. He'll do it for 1/700th the budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shaolintemple Posted May 25, 2012 Member Share Posted May 25, 2012 Yeah okay I guess I was a tad overzealous with my comments, I'm just really into this movie and think it shows a world of potential from Gareth. Imagine this guy with Michael Bays budget. But yeah, debate is healthy I guess and I'll accept that not not everyone got a boner over this film, like me. More importantly though, any word on a release date for a DVD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Yi-Long Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Yeah okay I guess I was a tad overzealous with my comments, I'm just really into this movie and think it shows a world of potential from Gareth. Imagine this guy with Michael Bays budget. But yeah, debate is healthy I guess and I'll accept that not not everyone got a boner over this film, like me. More importantly though, any word on a release date for a DVD? I don't want to imagine this guy with Michael Bay's budget, cause it will probably be wasted on big boring shit like big-name stars who can't do action, big CGI explosions, whatever... As I explained earlier, for the martial arts genre, a limited budget is probably a blessing cause it forces directors to work with what they got and to be original and great within those limits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shaolintemple Posted May 25, 2012 Member Share Posted May 25, 2012 Yeah true, but a bigger budget means he could do a raid style movie but on a bigger scale. Imagine a city under siege kind of setting. Still, hopefully the improved budget he gets for the sequel means we can see some great set pieces for Berandhal. Judging by by the interviews I've read with Gareth, they had the choreography and ideas in place for Berandhal but they couldn't budget it, now they can. Also I get the impression that they didn't use any of Berandhals choreography in the Raid, they are saving everything they have rehearsed. Maybe we have an absolute gem in store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted May 25, 2012 Member Share Posted May 25, 2012 Yeah true, but a bigger budget means he could do a raid style movie but on a bigger scale. Imagine a city under siege kind of setting. Still, hopefully the improved budget he gets for the sequel means we can see some great set pieces for Berandhal. Judging by by the interviews I've read with Gareth, they had the choreography and ideas in place for Berandhal but they couldn't budget it, now they can. Also I get the impression that they didn't use any of Berandhals choreography in the Raid, they are saving everything they have rehearsed. Maybe we have an absolute gem in store. Oh, I have no doubt that Evans sequel to The Raid would be an absolute gem.. I'm willing to bet money on it that it will surpass the original and then sum!!!!! Gareth is one of the directors I look forward to and know it's going to be awesome... Just like Christopher Nolan but some people did not like Inception as much as I did even though I did not understand a fucking thing in that movie, lol... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mark187 Posted May 25, 2012 Member Share Posted May 25, 2012 it sounds like the DVD release date will be in August (no sooner than that) according to Gareth's Twitter. both in Indonesia and US Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member rdenn Posted May 28, 2012 Member Share Posted May 28, 2012 watched this at the weekend at the odeon, movie sure delivered, this is how i like my moderns full of hate with loads of fights my best fight was in the drug lab , especially the handwork when he is fighting on top of that long table, end fight dragged a bit but apart from that no complaints think gareth may of given us to much here , this is going to be hard one to better.. there was about 15 people in the cinema and i noticed a few ederly couples as well.. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Amazing Psycho Per Posted May 28, 2012 Member Share Posted May 28, 2012 watched this at the weekend at the odeon, movie sure delivered, this is how i like my moderns full of hate with loads of fights my best fight was in the drug lab , especially the handwork when he is fighting on top of that long table, end fight dragged a bit but apart from that no complaints think gareth may of given us to much here , this is going to be hard one to better.. there was about 15 people in the cinema and i noticed a few ederly couples as well.. . Finally someone in the UK with taste... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sifu iron perm Posted May 28, 2012 Member Share Posted May 28, 2012 watched this at the weekend at the odeon, movie sure delivered, this is how i like my moderns full of hate with loads of fights my best fight was in the drug lab , especially the handwork when he is fighting on top of that long table, end fight dragged a bit but apart from that no complaints think gareth may of given us to much here , this is going to be hard one to better.. there was about 15 people in the cinema and i noticed a few ederly couples as well.. . Amen to that Rdenn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 There were three people other than myself at the screening I saw. I was the youngest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted May 30, 2012 Member Share Posted May 30, 2012 Just came back watching it. The film as a whole was nothing complex but at the same time it keeps you at the edge of your seat thanks to the tight direction. The cast was used for a good cause in that each of the main characters as both cops and criminals served their purpose and had a reason to progress the story. Acting could've gone more deep had they had equal focus as the action but for what it ended up being, it's perfectly legit. Now, the action. Minus the employment of cheap-looking CGI in many set-pieces, I think extreme brutality and rawness of action scenes have now gone up a notch with The Raid. The only people that have done something similar are Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa. But with Iko Uwais presently on the scene, they and everyone else should start stepping up their MA game up to catch up. While I've got my high praise for the film's intensity and brutality, one criticism I have is the action choreography itself. I loved the fact that the action played out like a mix of Merantau (utilizing the style of silat), Tony Jaa flicks, and 80s Hong Kong choreography. The finishers (particularly Uwais using a knife!) in each fight scene were too damn a good sight as well. But carefully watching the fights I noticed the choreography gets very repetitive in some scenes, particularly scenes that last very long (5-7 min). It's at that point when the choreography gets all old-fashioned Hong Kong style on us with little of that exclusive style the Indonesians possess. I expected more variety seeing some people label The Raid the best action film in ten years (which I disagree with of course). Overall, I really enjoyed the film and I agree with people that it's a film that will be hard to surpass in terms of raw violence. But the action - while done to great effect - leaves much more to be desired concept-wise because it's basically the choreographers mixing their silat with elements that we are already familiar with. But other than that, The Raid is a film I'm definitely going to watch again when it comes out on bluray. Rating: 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member MLee Posted May 31, 2012 Member Share Posted May 31, 2012 I finally got round to seeing this movie with my younger bro at cineworld in the west end. I think there were about 10 other people there. First the cinema completey sucked! Flys all over the place and I think there was a fly behind the screen as I could see something moving about behind the screen during parts of the movie! Actionwise it delivered what I wanted! I love 1980s/1990s HK modern day action cinema fights and this reminded me of that just with more of it! Brutal, bloody, hard hitting and not too flashy like all the movies coming out now all doing the same flips and double spin kicks. Reminds me of HK movies when a group of guys locate a villain's hideout and there comes a big endfight. Only in this movie it's take place right from the start of the movie til the end! What's interesting is they didn't use any slo mo shots during the fights. The action moved very quick with attackers coming from every direction yelling and screaming! I get what others are saying about the endfight but I enjoyed it as I can't remember seeing a good 2 on 1 endfight in recent years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tigerstyles Posted May 31, 2012 Member Share Posted May 31, 2012 resorted to downloading it no cinemas in my area showing it,GREAT it was a great film.......END OF made me grab my Project A 2 dvd out.. starts off all Wheels on Meals then Eastern Condors....true fan Gaz is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member trueth Posted June 1, 2012 Member Share Posted June 1, 2012 resorted to downloading it no cinemas in my area showing it,GREAT it was a great film.......END OF made me grab my Project A 2 dvd out.. starts off all Wheels on Meals then Eastern Condors....true fan Gaz is Considering that the director actually is a member here and he checks this thread, I wouldn't have posted that. I got chewed out by another member for even joking about it. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tigerstyles Posted June 1, 2012 Member Share Posted June 1, 2012 and as i loved it he should know i will def be picking up the blu ray soon as.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shaolintemple Posted June 3, 2012 Member Share Posted June 3, 2012 @tigerstyles I downloaded it as well. But I don't feel guilty as I saw it 3 times at my local cineworld and convinced 4 of my friends to go and see it as well. At £8 per ticket that is £56 pound towards his future budget. Guys, you can thank me for at least one of the camera shots in his next film!!! Plus I need something to tide me over until August when I will be buying it on release day. Gareth Evans is my favorite director in the game. Has anybody seen his first feature, FOOTSTEPS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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