Come write for

The OP!

Next meeting on July 27
When : 6PM, Monday

Where : Room 1020,
Douglas College

 

   

LETTITOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the Oniginal

$10 off any purchase of $50 or more
upon presentation of this coupon

coupon expires Dec 31, 2011
oivenanas
East St. :
New Westminster, BC © WWwW.capsbicycleshop.com

phone: 604-524-3611

 

 

 

 

A franchise problem

   

. Garth McLennan
Editor in Chief

 
 

he third instalment of the blockbuster

Transformers franchise, Transformers:

Dark of the Moon, was released in
theatres last Wednesday. Overall, it was a
solid movie; definitely an upgrade on the
supremely mediocre second film of the series,
but once again, a highly anticipated sequel
failed to live up to the excellence of the
precedent setting first movie.

Hollywood is currently living in the
golden age of sequels and franchises. Take
this summer for example, which is chalk full
of major blockbuster films. Transformers,
Harry Potter, The Hangover 2, Cars 2 and
others are all new incarnations of various
franchises, and in almost all instances (with
the possible exception of the new Potter film,
which hasn’t been released yet), those movies
have all come up a little short of expectations.
I include Potter in that list because, being
a franchise that has churned out seven
previous films, it is a chain that has plenty of
experience at letting down fans.

Other projects like Thor, Green Lantern
and Captain America are all continuations
of the super-hero genre which has been
sweeping Hollywood for the last few years
and will all undoubtedly be the first of a line
of movies under those titles. Next summer,
Batman, Spiderman (whichjhad its own
movie, Spiderman 3, collapse the entire
franchise and necessitate a reboot) and the

 

collection of Marvel heroes in The Avengers
all return to the big screen.

Now, I’m not saying that sequels are a
bad thing. With the exception of Cars 2, I’ve
seen pretty much every movie on the above
lists, so clearly Hollywood has succeeded
at drawing my dollar, and I know I’m not
alone in that. Sequels are big business.
Commercially speaking, continuing to draw
off a hot property is a very smart move. And
not all sequels are critical busts. Both Batman
movies since the re-launch have been not only
mega-stars at the box office, but also terrific
films as well.

But the Transformers franchise continues
to be the figurehead for how things can
go the other, non-Batman way, and it’s :
representative of the current trend as a whole.
The first Transformers movie was fantastic,
and blew just about everyone’s expectations
of the water. It had a tremendous plot, Megan
Fox, incredible special affects, Megan Fox,
compelling characters across the board,
great acting, great action, great humour
and Megan Fox. All of that showed in the
box office results. Then came the second
Transformers movie, which, to say the least,
didn’t live up to the first one. Now, we’re on
to Transformers 3, and the pleasant memories
of the first film are fading fast.

Sequels aren’t bad, and there’s no
reason to leave a franchise alone most of the
time, but man, Hollywood as a whole needs
to be more careful.

 

 

Audited financial statement

is ready in room 1020.

 

WRITE FOR US!