Before I get started, I will mention a few things: I have completed my assignment for health, so I will be able to get to work on my replacement for my Code Geass R2 recap tomorrow at the earliest. I have also added in some passages I forgot to include in my recap of Pokémon Jirachi Wishmaker that I noticed were missing last night. Lastly, I can also say that a better version of that story was done in the Decolore Adventures episode "Searching For a Wish," which involves Ash, Iris and Cilan trying to find Jirachi to restore life to a land rife with famine and drought. Now, on to new business.
This weekend, a couple of new trailers leaked for "Pokémon The Movie: I Choose You." While I will get into more detail in another post, it still looks like the film will be a re-imagining of the original series while also including elements from newer entries; least of all the official debut of the legendary Pokémon Marshadow. The Pokémon was also officially unveiled on their official YouTube channel, and it will be a ghost/fighting type. The animation is also fantastic, taking cues from other reversions such as Origins and Generations. As for the new elements: again, while I will talk more about them in a future post, their inclusion is close to my ideal reboot of the series if I were in charge. A darker, but still family-friendly take on the story in the vein of Star Wars or the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The second weekend of the live-action remake of Ghost in the Shell has also seen a 60% drop at the box office, ranking #5 at $7.3 million. "The Boss Baby" has come in at #1 again with $26.3 million, and the live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast" has retained its second place spot at $23.6 million. The new releases were led by "The Smurfs: The Lost Village" at $13.2 million, followed by the comedy "Going in Style" at $11.9 million.
The film has also opened in China and Japan, where reception has been slightly better; but still has some of the same elements of reception here: while praising the action and special effects, many fans have mixed feelings towards the liberties taken with the story and characterization. Notably, Hideo Kojima (whose video games, such as "Snatcher" and the "Metal Gear" series bear some similarities to the "Ghost in the Shell" series) is among the more famous figures to express himself about the live-action film. Like many, Kojima was pleased with the visual style of the film but lamented how it lacked a lot of the source material's analysis of what it means to be human in the machine age. Even if the film has managed to save some face internationally with $124 million coming from early overseas earnings, the film has only made $31 million domestically and is still on track to lose over $60 million at minimum. Factoring heavy promotion, the film could even lose as much as $100 million.
Even though I still have no plans to see the remake in theaters (I watched the original film again this weekend on Starz, and am still contemplating going to Kong: Skull Island and Beauty and the Beast), I do have some positive news regarding the series: it seems a new anime adaptation is in production by the makers of the "Stand Alone Complex" TV series, which I absolutely love. While it is currently unknown whether this will be a film, TV anime or OVA series; I am interested in the prospect of this. I also note that this announcement came not long after the film's critical and box office failure, so it's interesting to say the least.
I will get you anything else as it comes, and I will make more content for you all soon. See you, space cowboy.
No comments:
Post a Comment