Why I will Not Watch The New Ben-Hur Movie

[Parchment]

The original was far better, no CGI

 

[Rick O'Shez]

It hasn't got Russel Crowe or Mel Gibson in it, so it probably isn't all that good.

 

[Brickjectivity]

When it comes out on cheaper media you'll watch it, and if you turn 78 and are sitting in a chair having watched every other movie ever made...you'll probably watch it 3 times.

 

[Perditus]

Why I will Not Watch The New Ben-Hur Movie.

Because no one can eclipse Charlton Heston.

 

[Wu Wei]

Because no one can eclipse Charlton Heston.

 

[Twilight Hue]

When it comes out on cheaper media you'll watch it, and if you turn 78 and are sitting in a chair having watched every other movie ever made...you'll probably watch it 3 times.

That's likely due to Alzheimer's disease. =0b

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

The original was far better, no CGI

Fun fact: the version of the Maltese Falcon that everyone remembers and loves was a remake of a movie from the 20s.

I'll wait to see the new Ben Hur before I judge it.

 

[Acim]

New one looks very good (worth watching). Old one is a classic. I agree with @9-10ths_Penguin - will compare the two after seeing the latter.

The 300 movies (about Spartans) are top notch IMO and while I doubt this is that good, I'd at least give it a chance.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

Because no one can eclipse Charlton Heston.

Charlton is so butch, mmm, nice!

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I probably won't watch it because it's not bringing anything interesting to the table. Not because of CGI. CGI is fine when used harmoniously in live action with practical effects and plays to the medium's strengths.

 

[Jainarayan]

That's likely due to Alzheimer's disease. =0b

The upside is that it will be a new experience each time.

 

[Jainarayan]

The original was far better, no CGI

Any of the old movies were better than today's. The old movies used a little trick called... what's the word... ? oh yes "acting". I forgot the word for a moment. OK, some of it was over the top but the early movies were really just a step up from the stage.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Any of the old movies were better than today's. The old movies used a little trick called... what's the word... ? oh yes "acting". I forgot the word for a moment. OK, some of it was over the top but the early movies were really just a step up from the stage.

CGI doesn't replace the acting from old movies; it replaces the guys bumbling around in rubber suits. It also replaces optical printing trickery that actors weren't involved with before anyway.

Cry for the matte painters, modelmakers, and stop motion animators if you want, but don't cry for the loss of acting.

 

[Jainarayan]

CGI doesn't replace the acting from old movies; it replaces the guys bumbling around in rubber suits.

I'm talking about movies like the aforementioned Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments (OK, the parting of the Red Sea was cheesy by today's standards), Gone With The Wind, Mildred Pierce, and others from the 30s, 40s and 50s. When the subject of the movies got away from personal interactions and they brought in those rubber suited bug-eyed monsters is when things went to hell in a handbasket.

 

[Perditus]

The thing about old films is that they reeked of class. You don't get much of that in movies these days.

It's all sex and violence and loud noise labeled as music, but is anything but music.

And the people they call actors these days are mostly steroidal or anorexic automatons who cannot act.

I cannot respect an industry that appeals to the lowest common denominator. All we get from them is endless sequels and stupid superhero crap.

When Hollywood starts making films for adults I'll start paying for them and paying attention to them though I seriously doubt that will happen.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

It's a boring story, El Cid was a much better role for Charlton, he was cool even when he was dead, chasing away the evil Muslims!

 

[jonathan180iq]

People felt the same way about the new Gatsby. But when you actually compare apples to apples, and judge it not based on nostalgia, then you can begin to see the quality of the piece.

Ben Hur is a remake that I think is pointless - but that's how Hollywood goes nowadays, isn't it? For a new generation of audiences, it may become a classic. Who knows... Who cares?

 

[Skwim]

Because no one can eclipse Charlton Heston.

Well, Pee-Wee Herman certainly did in ‘Pee-wee’s Big Holiday,’

 

[Kuzcotopia]

"Row well and live. . . 41."

Seen the original a few times, though I get pretty bored after the chariot race. Hopefully, in the new movie, that's the climax.