Leave Sommers Alone!

Rating: Null/10 (10 May 2004)

Hey, I've been reading all the comments that people have been leaving about this movie and I just don't get it, why does everyone hate it so much? What were you expecting? Akira Kurosawa's "Ran"? Stephen Sommers mashes together all sorts of different ideas from the Hollywood blockbusters, westerns, modern horror, classic horror and splashes it all into one mayhemic mix. He's like the Hollywood Blockbuster version of Tarantino (also a genius). Yes a lot of the time it's mindless entertainment but it is intelligent and well controlled mindless entertainment (Yeah i know that doesn't really make sense but just here me out).
The film was a lot of the time very silly and very contrived, I'll give you that, but that was half the point. There were some really clever moments. Like the line from "The Good The Bad And The Ugly" about talking before killing someone, the lines from Frankenstein "It's alive, throw the switches, yes master!" and the bit from "Speed" except with a carriage instead of a bus. Sommers has a real knack for smashing together contemporary action (explosions, electricity, chases) with 19th Century stylised vision.
The production design was just marvelous; the creepy and elaborate sets, the over the top monsters and the wonderful blue hue that he'd given the whole film. There were some very clever camera techniques as well i.e. in some cases rather than cutting from one area of the set to another, he just made the camera zoom across vast distances at an incredible rate, it's inventive you've got to at least give him that.
To be honest I think you should all give Stepehn Sommers a break, what you should have expected was stylised spectacle, special effects laden mayhem, plenty of action sequences and lots of comic moments, which he delivered with gusto and panache. I think hats off to Stephen Sommers for attacking this film with a no holes barred attitude and pulling it off. This was stylish, silly but inventive and quit frankly insane artistic flare. Sorry, I had to have that little rant there.
(Also hats off to Hugh Jackman and Richard Roxbourgh for giving wonderfully over the top performances, hats also off to Alan Silvestri for the groovy score, Allan Cameron for the production design and also to Bob Duscay for producing it and doing some top notch editing [also, Kelly Matsumoto] especially during the fight sequences. Oh and obviously once again a huge ten galleon hat off to Stephen Sommers for just being an all round visionary maniac.)