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They Did What?...I’m So Pissed! - Spoilers (1 Viewer)

Johnny Angell

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With the multitude of discussion about GOT’s final season and season ender, I thought a thread discussing other TV shows and movies that disappointed us and even angered us, would be appropriate.

SPOILERS ALLOWED!

I will start with a movie, Alien 3. I can think of no movie that has more angered me then A3. Within the first 10-15 minutes, 3 characters that we, the audience, has invested in deeply from Aliens, are killed off. They were in the way the A3’s plot so that had to go. James Cameron even complained about it in one of his Aliens commentaries.
 

TonyD

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Not sure how a topic like this can be done without being specific on what spoilers are being discussed.
 

RobertR

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With the multitude of discussion about GOT’s final season and season ender, I thought a thread discussing other TV shows and movies that disappointed us and even angered us, would be appropriate.

SPOILERS ALLOWED!

I will start with a movie, Alien 3. I can think of no movie that has more angered me then A3. Within the first 10-15 minutes, 3 characters that we, the audience, has invested in deeply from Aliens, are killed off. They were in the way the A3’s plot so that had to go. James Cameron even complained about it in one of his Aliens commentaries.
Totally agree with you about Alien 3. I don't acknowledge that it exists.
 

Walter Kittel

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i think the larger point of Alien 3 is, to quote Jim Morrison, No one here gets out alive.


As far as television shows that angered me, I would offer up Lost. When season six started, I had hoped we were in an alternate version of the series (a multi-version version of the show perhaps); particularly in light of some of the claims by the creators regarding the afterlife during season one when speculation about purgatory, etc. was rife. When it was finally revealed what was going on in the last season, I felt like the show had essentially deceived me. Consequently, I absolutely hated the finale. Later however...

A good friend of mine had not experienced the series, so despite my misgivings about the finale we watched the series in its entirety on Blu-Ray and going into the final season and knowing the result, I was much more sanquine about the finale and the series in general, the second time around.

- Walter.
 

Johnny Angell

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Not sure how a topic like this can be done without being specific on what spoilers are being discussed.
I wanted it to be clear that spoilers are allowed. Spoilers are specific, I don’t really understand your concern?
 

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While I wasn't crazy about this season of Game of Thrones, I don't think anything is worse than the last episode of the original Prisoner, which is otherwise a brilliant series. Even the ending of Lost looks good by comparison.
 

Sam Posten

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These threads crack me up. With the internet mobs power now everyone thinks they can dictate how shows 'should have' done things.

This is a recipe for extremely boring story telling. Get over yourselves =p
 

Johnny Angell

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These threads crack me up. With the internet mobs power now everyone thinks they can dictate how shows 'should have' done things.

This is a recipe for extremely boring story telling. Get over yourselves =p
My intent was to start discussion of tv shows or movies that disappointed or angered us. I’m not suggesting petitions to get the shows changed, just discussion. I think that’s something we don’t have to “get over.”
 

Sam Posten

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i think the larger point of Alien 3 is, to quote Jim Morrison, No one here gets out alive.


As far as television shows that angered me, I would offer up Lost. When season six started, I had hoped we were in an alternate version of the series (a multi-version version of the show perhaps); particularly in light of some of the claims by the creators regarding the afterlife during season one when speculation about purgatory, etc. was rife. When it was finally revealed what was going on in the last season, I felt like the show had essentially deceived me. Consequently, I absolutely hated the finale. Later however...

A good friend of mine had not experienced the series, so despite my misgivings about the finale we watched the series in its entirety on Blu-Ray and going into the final season and knowing the result, I was much more sanquine about the finale and the series in general, the second time around.

- Walter.

I like the Alien 3 thinking. The problem here is that the series had clearly crafted a popular adventure / blockbuster / horror base and then 3 totally changed the -feel- of it all. It's a terrific artistic achievement but it was made for a different kind of fan by a very different auteur.

Lost, Sopranos, GoT. All ended up as unsatisfying to viewers. They felt hoodwinked cause the creators zagged when they thought they were surely going down well telegraphed zigs. Those were the choices the artists made, and they worked out spectacularly to generate buzz in the form of outrage. Is it good story telling? Maybe. But they crafted the ending they wanted to create.
 

Johnny Angell

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I like the Alien 3 thinking. The problem here is that the series had clearly crafted a popular adventure / blockbuster / horror base and then 3 totally changed the -feel- of it all. It's a terrific artistic achievement but it was made for a different kind of fan by a very different auteur.

Lost, Sopranos, GoT. All ended up as unsatisfying to viewers. They felt hoodwinked cause the creators zagged when they thought they were surely going down well telegraphed zigs. Those were the choices the artists made, and they worked out spectacularly to generate buzz in the form of outrage. Is it good story telling? Maybe. But they crafted the ending they wanted to create.
Let’s see, Lost ends by indicating everyone who died has been waiting for the survivors in purgatory. The ending seemed unauthentic to me. I had also thought the series was in decline before we got to the final episode.

The Sopranos I didn’t watch, but I know there was a big hoopla over the cut to black. I won’t offer an opinion.

GOT has to end the way it did when they took Dany over to the complete, batshit, war criminal side.

I was a fan of Alien 1&2 and was very invested in the saga of Ripley and Newt. I felt betrayed by the film maker’s choice, but what can you expect from folks who early in development thought a wooden “planet” was a good idea?

Sam you seem to be making the point that the audience should not have expectations or feel any ownership of the movie or show. I argue that when a movie is finished and sitting there in the can, that it’s not a complete movie yet. Not until the audience sees it and brings their life experiences to the viewing.
 

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Lost, Sopranos, GoT. All ended up as unsatisfying to viewers. They felt hoodwinked cause the creators zagged when they thought they were surely going down well telegraphed zigs. Those were the choices the artists made, and they worked out spectacularly to generate buzz in the form of outrage. Is it good story telling? Maybe. But they crafted the ending they wanted to create.

I loved the ending to LOST. I didn't feel hoodwinked at all--indeed I think the showunners (Cuse and Lindelof) delivered on precisely the promise that was made in early seasons.

(Please note I'm not replying to you directly here, Sam, now I'm just building off your comment).

Was the show "made up as it went along"? Yes. However what is implied in that question/comment (which I see so often raised as a criticism) is that making it up as you go is an inferior way to do things. I absolutely reject that. I think LOST found its way to a good story, and told it well. Virtually every criticism I read about the show's ending either gets many details wrong (e.g. "they were dead the entire time!") or wrongly states that "most" or even "all" the mysteries went left unsolved (they were almost all solved).

Similarly, I also loved the BSG ending.
 

Sam Posten

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Sam you seem to be making the point that the audience should not have expectations or feel any ownership of the movie or show. I argue that when a movie is finished and sitting there in the can, that it’s not a complete movie yet. Not until the audience sees it and brings their life experiences to the viewing.

There is a world of difference between having an opinion of something and believing they have any right to ownership. The big mouths on the internet genuinely believe that they have a real say on these things.They do not. And we won't let that kind of anger take root here at HTF.
 

Bryan^H

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There is a world of difference between having an opinion of something and believing they have any right to ownership. The big mouths on the internet genuinely believe that they have a real say on these things.They do not. And we won't let that kind of anger take root here at HTF.

Yikes.
 

Johnny Angell

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Take Alien 3 for example. I had seen the first two and I was emotionally invested, particularly in the saga of Ripley and Newt. I had expectations for that tale to continue or to be resolved. They resolved it alright, in a lazy way and in a way that showed no respect to fans of A2. I was very angry about it and still have residual anger. I feel I’m entitled to that anger. I have wiped A3 from my personal Alien canon.

If the audience can have no expectations for a movie, why are there previews, why even care what an audience thinks?
 

Walter Kittel

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I like the Alien 3 thinking. The problem here is that the series had clearly crafted a popular adventure / blockbuster / horror base and then 3 totally changed the -feel- of it all. It's a terrific artistic achievement but it was made for a different kind of fan by a very different auteur.

Yeah, that sounds about right. I can certainly understand how audiences would expect a certain consistency in a series of franchise films and would be angry when that unspoken compact was broken. For me though, the aesthetics of the film and the cold hard reality of the character's fates had its own appeal. It may have been a lazy way to get those characters 'out of the way' but it was credible and helped set the very dark tone of the third film. But that's just my opinion.

Not saying anyone is wrong as it is just so much subjective opinion. :)

- wAlter.
 

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