Miami Vice

[noimposse]

Just got back from seeing this "film".

My lord it was god awful. I honestly dont even know how to describe it, but I know they shouldnt have taken such the effort to release it.


Every shot looked like a really glamorous shot from the show COPS and the story was mind numbing at best....and thats whenever you could even follow it.


Just thought I would post my thoughts, and see how everyone else felt. I want my two and a half hours back.

[avelanchefan]

Oh man don't say that...this is about the only summer film I was interested in.

[F1nut]

Thanks for confirming what I had already suspected.

[bobman1235]

Yeah, I had pretty much written the same review in my head without ever going to see it. No thanks.

[wingnut4772]

I am not surprised at all.

[Strong Bad]

Let's see, a buddy-buddy cop movie going after drug lords.

Wow, that sure is original! :rolleyes:

I'll add this one to the list called "Steaming Stinkpile - Don't ever rent!"

[Early B.]

I don't know what's wrong with Hollywood. Next thing you know -- they'll be dumb enough to release another Rocky movie.

Ooops. Too late...

[shack]

Is this a suprise? Hollywood has a terrible track record of bad TV show adaptations. I can't think of many that are very good. But I can sure list a bunch that sucked:

Lost in Space (the best of the worst bunch IMO - still only average at best)
Starky and Hutch
The Avengers
The Twilight Zone
Bewitched
Dukes of Hazard
Wild Wild West
I Spy
Charlies Angels (after the babe factor is removed)
The Mod Squad
My Favorite Martian
Dragnet
The Untouchables
McHale's Navy (the Tom Arnold version)
Leave it to Beaver
Dennis the Menace (Walter Matthau helped...but)


Comic Book Movies do not count.

Cartoon Movies are a whole category unto themselves - some good...some not (a special mention HORRIBLE award goes to Rocky and Bullwinkle)

Ok after some thought I will have to give props to a few:

The Star Trek movies as a whole were pretty good (Especially the Wrath of Khan)
Serenity
The Muppet Movie
McHale's Navy (the Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway version)
Mystery Science Theater 3000

And a few that were ok but just average....

The Adams Family
Mission Impossible
Maverick

[brettw22]

I disagree with you on Untouchables (with Kevin Costner & Sean Connery). I liked that one.......others, true story.

[MacLeod]

I figured this would happen. I was holding out hope because I like both Colin Farrel and love Michael Mann's work and since he did the original Vice I thought he would do this justice.

However, the previews looked kind or poor and I absolutely hate Jamie Foxx so that sucked from the first but when I heard some stupid grunge band re-doing "In the Air Tonight", I knew it would suck.

My uncle, also a diehard Miami Vice fan saw this over the weekend and said it was just horrible. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being Raiders of the Lost Ark, he gave it a 0! Said it was very dark and depressing feeling. It didnt show Crockett's sail boat at all, nor Elvis. Castillo wasnt a soft spoken, mysterious badass hispanic, he's now a big fat black dude. Gena and Swytek (sp?) arent in it and the music sucks. No cool cars or scenery either.

I dont understand why Hippywood feels the need to make a popular TV show into a movie and then completely and totally redo everything so that it no longer resembles the TV show in the least?!?!

I didnt expect them to be wearing the hot pink sport coats and all but at least get Jan Hammer to do the soundtrack!

Ya know, Don Johnson aint that old and neither is the rest of the cast. I dont see why they couldnt have gotten them for the roll. At least get Edward James Olmos for Castillo! He ruled in that part!

[millerman 3732]

I was really looking foward to seeing this one but with all the negitive reveiws I geuss I'll wait til it comes out on DVD:(

[MacLeod]

I think Ill wait til it comes on FX.

[millerman 3732]

Aw now, come on it can't be that bad.......can it?

[MacLeod]

Its the principle of the thing.

For someone that grew up watching Miami Vice and worshipping the show then to have someone (even worse, the creator of the thing) come along and just trash it beyond all recognition, I just cant support that.

[DarqueKnight]

I enjoyed the original series and I will go to see this out of curiosity.

Edward James Olmos was asked to play Castillo and Jan Hammer was asked to write a new score for the film. Both of them declined participation in the new film. I speculate that Michael Mann only participated so that his creation would not be totally trashed by another writer and/or director with no sense of respect to the original series.

Michael Mann has received a lot of unfair criticism because he did not "stay true" to the original series. Although Michael Mann created the original series, he does not own the rights to it. He pretty much had to go in the direction that the franchise owners, Universal Studios, wanted him to. I realize that Universal studios is not interested in staying true to the original series. They are only interested in recouping their multi-million dollar investment in the shortest amount of time. The best way to do that is to make the movie appeal to the widest possible audience. The fan base of the original 1980's television series is probably not large enough to financially justify making a movie that appeals largely to them.

[shack]

The best way to do that is to make the movie appeal to the widest possible audience. The fan base of the original 1980's television series is probably not large enough to financially justify making a movie that appeals largely to them.

So their solution is to make a movie that appeals to....NO ONE? Good move. :rolleyes:

Kinda like doing a Star Trek movie that really doesn't appeal to Trekies.

[shack]

According to one article Miami Vice did $25.2M box office over the week-end beating out Dead Man's Chest at $20.5M (which has been out for a while). Seems like maybe they should have made a movie that appealed to the fans, since the younger crowd stayed away...

The movie was especially attractive to older audiences, with 62 percent of the audience over 30, according to the studio's exit polling.

[DarqueKnight]

Kinda like doing a Star Trek movie that really doesn't appeal to Trekies.

That's a good example. The first Star Trek movie and most of the subsequent ones were huge disappointments to fans of the original series. Paramount essentially took the original series fans for granted and attempted to "appeal to a broader demographic". The only one of the Star Trek movies with the original series cast that was well received and well respected by Trekies was "Wrath of Khan", which was a follow up to one of the original series episodes.

[Andrew2112]

Thank you for saving me the $30...(2 tix,popcorn,soda..)

[Danny Tse]

I think the problem is that the TV series "Miami Vice" was such an iconic show that any remake w/o the original cast members just doesn't do it for the fans. Same situation with Star Trek. Let's face it....mention Don Johnson and we think of "Miami Vice", not "Nash Bridges". Same with Edward James Olmos, who will always be associated with his character Castillo. Believe me, 2 months from now, no one will remember "Miami Vice" the movie version. However, the TV version will always be there.

I cringe when I think of the upcoming "Magnum PI" movie, which will not have Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum.

[capecodder]

Wow, I just finished reading Peter Travers review from Rolling Stone about an hour ago. He loved it (3.5/4 stars) :confused: I'll give it a go since the big screen will still be better viewing than my small screen.

[noimposse]

but when I heard some stupid grunge band re-doing "In the Air Tonight", I knew it would suck.



Ouch man. Are you refering to the Nonpoint cover? That cover was done two or three years ago and had nothing to do with the movie. And honestly, its one of the better covers I have ever heard.

And christ, grunge band? Hasnt grunge been dead for years? Nonpoint is just a modern rock band that has a real passion for music. Theyre great live.

[millerman 3732]

I'm pretty sure that the song was on the coach carter sound track a couple of years ago

[Toxis]

yeah I really hope Nonpoint wasn't the band mentioned above...

as for the movie, I'm not surprised. I figured it'd be yet another f-up by Hollywood. There's no purpose in going to the movies these days. So let me get this straight. Hollywood puts out complete crap for movies and no one goes. Therefore to make money off it, they have to raise the ticket prices which in turn make people stay away even more because the movies suck. Now the tickets have to keep going up in price due to the fact they're losing money on being open. It's funny how it's a vicious cycle that just won't end anytime soon. Seriously, Miami Vice? Who honestly thought they'd do a good job with Hollywood's history as of late?

[KrazyMofo24]

I really liked the movie...I guess because I just turned 21, and was too young to follow it when it was on the air. I liked the camera angles, just like in Collateral I thought it made it more realistic. The movie got good reviews, I liked the actors in the movie. If you compare it to the movies that have came out the past two years, its not that bad in terms of entertainment.

[shack]

The movie got good reviews

Some good...some bad.

Movie Reviews: 'Miami Vice'
28 July 2006 (StudioBriefing)
The movie may be titled Miami Vice, and it may be directed by Michael Mann, who was responsible for the original TV series, and its characters have the names Crockett and Tubbs and the same skin color -- but aside from that, there's little in the movie that resembles the hit television series of the 1980s, critics point out. Richard Roeper, substituting for his ailing TV colleague Roger Ebert, writes in the Chicago Sun-Times that the movie left him "confused and frustrated. ... There were moments when I had very little idea of who was buying what drugs at what point from whom, and for that matter why anyone was doing what he or she was doing." Likewise, Carrie Rickey in the Philadelphia Inquirer calls the film "an atmospheric muddle." Jack Mathews in the New York Daily News writes unenthusiastically: "Miami Vice is the last of the predicted summer blockbusters, and it delivers a reasonable amount of popcorn excitement. But if nostalgia for the TV show is the source of your interest, expect some disappointment." And Lisa Kennedy in the Denver Post comments, "The film ... promises more than it ever delivers. Granted, it can look cool. But more often, as we wait for the lightning that never arrives, it frustrates." Many of the reviews compare the style of the movie (several critics opine that the movie is all style) with that of the TV series. "The TV series was noted for pastel color schemes, Don Johnson's narcissistic slickness and Philip Michael Thomas' piercing-eyed charisma," writes Philip Wuntch in the Dallas Morning News."The movie's style is completely different, one that's suited to the relatively bleak 2000s." And Scott Bowles concludes in USA Today: "For all its big hair, dizzying pastels and unbuttoned, hairy chests, the TV show had joy and humor to it. All this movie has in common with its ancestor are speedboats, shotguns and drug-dealing Colombians."

[bobman1235]

The movie got good reviews,

46% at Rotten Tomatoes (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/miami_vice/) which is a conglomerate of all reviewers. So it seems just about split down the middle.

[Ron-P]

The moive opened with an 86% on RT. In less then a week it dropped to the 46%. This moive looks just bad, no way will I even bother with a rental.

[shack]

I will probably rent it when it comes out....just because.

[Demiurge]

I never pay attention to what the critics have to say anyhow. I'll NetFlix it.

[MacLeod]

Wow, I just finished reading Peter Travers review from Rolling Stone about an hour ago. He loved it (3.5/4 stars) :confused: I'll give it a go since the big screen will still be better viewing than my small screen.

That settles it! It definitely sucks!

Rolling Stone is the worst excuse for a rag magazine on Earth. Not even good enough to line a bird cage.

Ouch man. Are you refering to the Nonpoint cover? That cover was done two or three years ago and had nothing to do with the movie. And honestly, its one of the better covers I have ever heard.

Its different for me because I grew up on the original version of the song and the TV show and to have it screwed up by some GRUNGE band buggs me.

And christ, grunge band? Hasnt grunge been dead for years? Nonpoint is just a modern rock band that has a real passion for music. Theyre great live.

Yeah, Im sure there a modern band but they pretty much all sound like grunge bands now. Whiney lyrics and vocals, horrible drumming where the "drummer" simply rides the crash cymbal thru the whole song and the guitarist simply strums an open chord. Yeah, Nirvana may be old school, but with the exception of Nickleback, Korn, Tool and maybe a couple others, they all sound like grunge.

[DarqueKnight]

I went to see Miami Vice this afternoon. I knew the studio felt they had to "dumb it down" for today's audiences, but they went far too far. It had the potential for a good story, but everyone, the lead and supporting actors, the cinematographer, the director...all seemed to be just going through the motions. Now I understand why Edward James Olmos and Jan Hammer declined participation in the film.

Acting

The Crockett and Tubbs in this movie are not the cool, stylish, interesting, undercover cops from the late 1980's television series. This Crockett and Tubbs are two tired soldiers in the war on drugs. Maybe they were going for an interpretation of their characters as two dissociated war-weary vice cops. Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrel phoned in their performances. Both of them act like they want to read through their lines as quickly as possible and collect their multimillion dollar paychecks. There is no background information or character development for any of the main characters. The viewers are asked to accept everyone at face value.

The supporting characters are little more than walking, talking set dressing. Even the three love scenes were boring.

Direction

The story kept skipping from subplot to subplot. Just when you think something interesting might happen....click...switch to the next subplot. There was a rushed feeling at the end to tie all the loose ends together.

Cinematography

The picture is slightly blurred and out of focus in a lot of areas, particularly aerial shots taken in the daytime. A lot of the story takes place in dimly lit locations with a grainy look to the picture. I tend to overlook such things when I am engrossed in the story. No such luck here.

Sound

The sound quality was average to below average. There were a few places where dialog was difficult to understand.

Music

The TV series featured music from the top artists of the time. There is nothing memorable (at least not to me) about any of the music in this film. "In The Air Tonight", which is abrasively performed by some band I've never heard of, plays at the end of the film as the credits begin rolling.

If you want to see a decent movie about Miami vice cops save your time and cash and rent Bad Boys I and II. Better yet, buy seasons I and II of the original Miami Vice TV series that is available on DVD.

I rate it 1 star out of 5 (And that's being overly generous).

[apc]

I too noticed the grainy scenes. I saw it last night in a new theater with a digital projection and was surprised at the lack of quality in many scenes. This had to be done intentionally, but it detracted from the experience as opposed to being an artistic enhancement.

I liked the original series way back when and usually never appreciate the actors who portray characters we are already familiar with. That said, it wasn't as bad as some say, but to each his own. I thought it was pretty good entertainment and the sound quality of one of the long gun battles was outstanding in the surround sound theater I saw it.

[Ricardo]

I made the mistake of watching this today...OMG what a crappy movie.

[MacLeod]

Yeah, thats what I just keep on hearing.

I even thought of renting it a couple days ago but I think Ill wait til it comes on HBO and watch it between commercial breaks of House.

[shawn474]

My review of the movie (watched it today):

I had back surgery last week and in my recovery rented A LOT of movies to watch while laid up. My short and sweet review - I would have rather had another surgery than watch this piece of crap. Generic, predictable and poor acting. If it didn't hurt bad enough to get out of bed, i would have turned it off. :mad:

By the way, in seeing so may movies this week, here's one to check out. The Proposition - hadn't heard about it before but I liked it a lot.

[Maurice]

I actually liked the movie. I didnt expect it to be MV from the 80's, but an updated version like it is. It had alot of the same elements as the old series ie sweet ferrari, same type of camera shots, going deep undercover and bending the rules, even the untouchable villian like Calderon was in the old series. At least in this one you get a nice shot of Trudy's ass. I thought the movie was cool and left a great setup for a sequel.

[wodom1]

I made the mistake of renting this bomb tonight. This has to rank as one of the worst movies I've ever seen. The best part about it was hearing some Audioslave tracks I've never heard before. I'd like to get the last two hours of my life back...