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The Grey (Joe Carnahan and Liam Neeson's A-Team Re-Team)

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Brannon

Member
Yeah, a person even survived getting sucked into a jet engine (real life, not movie). Crazy stuff happens at random.
 

shintoki

sparkle this bitch
Wasn't planning to, but ended up seeing it anyways. Excellent movie to start off the year. It balanced its philosophy and action very well.

One great thing about it is how each death was felt more by audience the same way it was to Ottway. He was losing a bit of his own salvation each time and the director+cast really did a wonderful job selling it.
 

TheTowel

Member
What an excellent movie. Very immersive. I really felt like I was walking side by side with those guys, experiencing their thoughts and emotions. The music of despair combined with the beautifully done shots of the continued fight for life really tied the connection to the cast very well.
Definitely recommending the movie to others.

And holy shit, that plane crash was intense.
 

hiryu

Member
Really loved this movie. It was like a modern day Jack London novel put on screen or something. I absolutely loved everything about it.
 

Solo

Member
Goddamn, I absolutely loved this movie. So excellent. I somehow managed to miss (the seemingly unbelievably obvious in retrospect) that
his wife had died
until the very final scene in which it is revealed, which made the ending incredibly powerful and emotionally resonant for me. What I loved most about the movie, aside from its stark and foreboding take on survival, was how the writers really took the time to develop all the characters so well. It is something most similar genres pictures don't do, and as such you end up feeling nothing when guys start getting picked off. The complete opposite was true in The Grey. Each character was developed so well that it evoked something in you when they died, even the assholes. And that final shot - my god. Just perfect.
 
Goddamn, I absolutely loved this movie. So excellent. I somehow managed to miss (the seemingly unbelievably obvious in retrospect) that
his wife had died
until the very final scene in which it is revealed, which made the ending incredibly powerful and emotionally resonant for me. What I loved most about the movie, aside from its stark and foreboding take on survival, was how the writers really took the time to develop all the characters so well. It is something most similar genres pictures don't do, and as such you end up feeling nothing when guys start getting picked off. The complete opposite was true in The Grey. Each character was developed so well that it evoked something in you when they died, even the assholes. And that final shot - my god. Just perfect.

I think the ambiguity of the wife's "fate" was intentional--all he said was "she left me". The reveal didn't feel cheap at all, either.

I don't know why people are seemingly so split over the ending--I wouldn't have wanted it to end any other way.
 

Solo

Member
I just meant that after the reveal, I recalled so many things that seemingly made it obvious and made me feel silly for not catching it during the film. But like I said, I actually benefitted from that. I don't know if the ending would have been such a punch to the gut for me if I had figured it out beforehand.

Are people really split over the ending? I thought it was one of the best endings in recent memory.
 
Saw this with the family. Fucking brilliant. Really enjoyed it.

I loved the part where they introduced each other with their first names, and 'shook on it'.

2012 is starting pretty well. Neeson is sure to get some nominations for this.
 

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
Got back and I feel like I just got royally trolled.

I have no problem with the ending
that is, I don't mind everyone dying. I thought it was horrible to end with a shot you use in ever freaking promo
.

Seriously, I expected a movie with Liam Neeson being a bad ass, and it never happens. If I didn't think the marketing was so manipulative I think I would have been able to enjoy it.
 

Solo

Member
I find the backlash over the ending to be unwarranted. Don't get me wrong, there is blame to be laid for how the movie was marketed. But speaking in the context of the film itself, there was absolutely nothing in the previous 100 minutes that should have had anybody expecting Liam to start punching wolves in the last 5 minutes. That's just not what the movie was.
 

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
This movie's ending was the biggest cock tease in cinematic history.

I would not have had a problem with it if the movie had not been marketed as an action flick.

I think if i give it till home video, and watch again, I might like this film a lot more.
 
The more I think about it the more I'm awaiting home release. Really want to see some of those desolate images again, and as everyone's mentioned, the character beats are actually pretty good.
 
Really loved this movie. The parallels were incredible.

The campfire scene where you hear the Alpha wolf being challenged by another wolf only to be followed by an argument between John and Diaz.

Following from that, it was mentioned earlier how wolves attack the vulnerable which was literally portrayed when the dude is taking a piss but what really got me was the way Diaz was attacked just as he was saying sorry. His character was nevermore vulnerable and it was pretty awesome to see.

The character development was so gripping too!

The plane just crashes and kills everyone except for a few and yet the grief is only visible when they start losing the first guy who technically 'survived' the crash. Absolutely tugging at my heart strings for a character I knew nothing about. Hearing him reject John's diagnosis was so hard to deal with.

The river death was by far the worst though. So close yet so far. The fatigue of John's character and not having realised what was happening was so scary to watch and hearing the dude screaming from under the water... That scene was incredibly soured for me though when you wonder where the two chasing wolves went. Would they not have started chasing John? I'd have preferred if the fatigue of the characters caused the dude to slip in or something.

I really, really enjoyed it. I get scared so easily though and tension is pretty much maintained throughout.
 
That scene was incredibly soured for me though when you wonder where the two chasing wolves went. Would they not have started chasing John? I'd have preferred if the fatigue of the characters caused the dude to slip in or something.

I really, really enjoyed it. I get scared so easily though and tension is pretty much maintained throughout.

John said the wolves were trying to kill them/get them out of their territory, not just eat them.
You've got a death wish if you jump into water in those conditions.
 
I find the backlash over the ending to be unwarranted. Don't get me wrong, there is blame to be laid for how the movie was marketed. But speaking in the context of the film itself, there was absolutely nothing in the previous 100 minutes that should have had anybody expecting Liam to start punching wolves in the last 5 minutes. That's just not what the movie was.

But that is why people bought their tickets! Lord knows I was ready to see Schindler glass-brawl some punk furball.

Anyway I just saw it. I liked it. Great sound design with the attacks. Was it just me or did the main theme seem like it heavily lifted from Inception's 'In Time'.

I had major Begins vibes in this with the constant half-awake dream state repetition of 'Don't be afraid.'

Now we at least know what Ducard's great love looked like. And that he obviously found the blue flower temple at the end of the river path. He wasn't always there in the mountains, he was fighting wolfies before that.
 
saw this last night at the cinema and I was bored. The ending was a real kick in the teeth and I hear people moaning about TheDevilInsides ending. This was pretty bad through and through. Once you notice, that they're walkign through a snow storm, the snow don't stick to them, its all over. Movie was poorly paced to the point that you can tell which guy was going to die next. A non-tween bulky men slasher pic with wolves.

I don't know what wolves are like in the wild but in this movie they seem like a supernatural force even. They show up at the right moment to pick a/b/c/d off. The only death in the entire movie that had impact was
the guy who drowned

Look at this awesome tattoo I got:


I hope you're kidding because that is awful
 
saw this last night at the cinema and I was bored. The ending was a real kick in the teeth and I hear people moaning about TheDevilInsides ending. This was pretty bad through and through. Once you notice, that they're walkign through a snow storm, the snow don't stick to them, its all over. Movie was poorly paced to the point that you can tell which guy was going to die next. A non-tween bulky men slasher pic with wolves.

I don't know what wolves are like in the wild but in this movie they seem like a supernatural force even. They show up at the right moment to pick a/b/c/d off. The only death in the entire movie that had impact was
the guy who drowned

You're right, the wolves are a force. A metaphor of sorts.
 

BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Despite the suspension of disbelief in regards to lady luck fucking them all the live long way I loved the shit out of this movie. A lot of the dialog and down moments (if you could even call them that) were perfectly done. And that ending... oh man. A mans man movie.

About the ending, would have been a huge cop out if it ended the way a lot of people who disliked the ending feel it should have ended.
 
Just saw this tonight and I liked it a lot. I didn't know anything about the movie other than that it involved planes, snow, wolves, and Liam Neeson.

I think the ending sequence was my favourite part.
 

Spire

Subconscious Brolonging
I saw this last week, it was alright.

I liked the ending.
I was really worried that the movie was about to dive off a cliff and somehow have Liam survive walking right into their den, but thankfully that didn't happen.

Favorite moment of the film?
"Fuck it, I'll do it myself."
That's been my life philosophy for awhile now and that scene summed it up perfectly.


Also, a double feature of this and Frozen will put a healthy fear of wolves in you.
 

Loofy

Member
Movie of the year for me so far.
I think the religious statements of the movie depend on what one's interpretation of the movie's theme as a whole.
It seemed to me that the movie was about Liam overcoming his suicidal tendencies. His resolve near the end (Fine! I'll just do it myself!) could be interpreted as both for and against 'God' answering his call. Despite the hopeless situation, he found his will to live, and he pressed on. His final ambiguous tussle with the alpha male was his catharsis against self destruction.

At least, that's how I saw it.
I felt the movie was definitely pro religion. It was basically mirroring the crucifixion of christ.
Its why suicide is considered a sin in christianity. Because the concept of 'giving up' is the opposite of the crucifixion. God wasnt gonna give liam a miracle to show that he existed for the same way he didnt just come down and helped jesus off the cross. Yet for no reason but 'to fight the good fight' liam decided to struggle till the end, just as jesus kept faith in humanity till the very end(giving up meant succumbing to the devil)
Him with the bottles and knife in his hands at the end contrasted the beginning scene where he had a gun to his mouth.
..but yeah. Great movie.
 
A differing opinion here I guess. I saw this last weekend and was unimpressed.

Spoilers:
I can’t get over the simple question of why didn’t they stay with the plane? You have shelter, clothes, peanuts, sodas, and a scarred hunk of black, smoldering wreckage contrasted by brilliant white snow to tip off rescuers. You also have wolves attacking every two minutes, giving you an infinite supply of wolf meat and pelts—I’ve played enough Skyrim to know that this is enough to live off of unless you’re fighting Elder Dragons, which I saw nary a whisper of during this film.

I don’t understand how the fuselage of a plane not more protected than walking through barren snow and then into the forest. Because the forest is safer and more defensible? We’re talking about timber wolves. TIMBER wolves. Contrary to popular belief, they are called timber wolves because they live in the forest, not because they own red flannel shirts and cut down trees.

I’m not certain how a pack of MacGyver wolves is going to break into an airplane fuselage, but I’m pretty sure I know how they are going to get you while you wander through the tundra and forest: by wrecking your shit and using their +1 to “murdering you because you were stupid enough to wander into the forest” skill.

Check this: http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Wolf. Nowhere does it say that wolves can break into a fuselage. But it does say they’re pretty damn good at finding you and not letting you find them.

I understand that Liam needed to resolve his daddy issues by fighting a dog, but killing off a bunch of characters so that he could play Legos with a stack of wallets seems to be a waste of human life.

Also, this movie has never heard of frostbite.
 
A differing opinion here I guess. I saw this last weekend and was unimpressed.

Spoilers:
I can’t get over the simple question of why didn’t they stay with the plane? You have shelter, clothes, peanuts, sodas, and a scarred hunk of black, smoldering wreckage contrasted by brilliant white snow to tip off rescuers. You also have wolves attacking every two minutes, giving you an infinite supply of wolf meat and pelts—I’ve played enough Skyrim to know that this is enough to live off of unless you’re fighting Elder Dragons, which I saw nary a whisper of during this film.

I don’t understand how the fuselage of a plane not more protected than walking through barren snow and then into the forest. Because the forest is safer and more defensible? We’re talking about timber wolves. TIMBER wolves. Contrary to popular belief, they are called timber wolves because they live in the forest, not because they own red flannel shirts and cut down trees.

I’m not certain how a pack of MacGyver wolves is going to break into an airplane fuselage, but I’m pretty sure I know how they are going to get you while you wander through the tundra and forest: by wrecking your shit and using their +1 to “murdering you because you were stupid enough to wander into the forest” skill.

Check this: http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Wolf. Nowhere does it say that wolves can break into a fuselage. But it does say they’re pretty damn good at finding you and not letting you find them.

I understand that Liam needed to resolve his daddy issues by fighting a dog, but killing off a bunch of characters so that he could play Legos with a stack of wallets seems to be a waste of human life.

Also, this movie has never heard of frostbite.

I forget the exact reasoning, but
didn't Neeson argue that no one was going to find them?
 
Good romp, and highly enjoyed. I'll be buying the BD when it's released and letting my son watch it when he's just old enough, because I love Liam Neeson anyway.
 
I forget the exact reasoning, but
didn't Neeson argue that no one was going to find them?

Ya, they had a couple of lines about that, but listening to
a suicidal psychopath who was just in a plane crash (most likely concussed) who is suggesting you wander off into your inevitable death doesn't seem like a rational decision making process. People give way too much authority to someone with an accent.

People also have a stupid instinct to need to "do" something, when the best advice is to chill out and wait. There is ZERO chance the rescuers would find them if they start walking.

The only rational explanation is that Liam gave a second thought to his second thoughts about killing himself and figured this would be the sure way to do it. And haha, screw these suckers if they're dumb enough to follow me!
 
Ya, they had a couple of lines about that, but listening to
a suicidal psychopath who was just in a plane crash (most likely concussed) who is suggesting you wander off into your inevitable death doesn't seem like a rational decision making process. People give way too much authority to someone with an accent.

People also have a stupid instinct to need to "do" something, when the best advice is to chill out and wait. There is ZERO chance the rescuers would find them if they start walking.

The only rational explanation is that Liam gave a second thought to his second thoughts about killing himself and figured this would be the sure way to do it. And haha, screw these suckers if they're dumb enough to follow me!

They were all ex-cons, mercs or unwanted men. No one was even going to send a search party. Even if someone did send planes looking for them, they'd have needed a few to make a few scouting trips to find them. I don't think setting up camp in that cold at the plane was going to be a situation they could extend for more than a week. Staying there would result in them... staying there. The wolf attacks on that spot were enough to instill a sense of immediate danger in the area so I also don't think that was a particularly bad reason to leave.
 
They were all ex-cons, mercs or unwanted men. No one was even going to send a search party. Even if someone did send planes looking for them, they'd have needed a few to make a few scouting trips to find them. I don't think setting up camp in that cold at the plane was going to be a situation they could extend for more than a week. Staying there would result in them... staying there. The wolf attacks on that spot were enough to instill a sense of immediate danger in the area so I also don't think that was a particularly bad reason to leave.

Well, given the fact that
everyone died
I think it's fair to say that
they should've just stayed
.
 
Well, given the fact that
everyone died
I think it's fair to say that
they should've just stayed
.

That's easy to say
now with the gift of hindsight. There was no hope for them at the plane. No one was going to look for them. They weren't all going to survive that weather for more than a few days. Even if they stayed, what good would that have done? They would live longer perhaps, but in the middle of nowhere where nobody was going to look for them? Everyone would have died either way. They're only perceivable chance at actually getting back to any society was to walk somewhere. The forest was an odd choice but they saw the logged trees. They thought they'd be getting closer to th rest of the world.
 

magicstop

Member
I really wanted to like this movie, but my god they made it hard.
First of all, Neeson is awesome, and I don't really fault him in this film. I thought he played his role damn well, and the few redeemable moments in the film were thanks to his gravitas and excellent acting.
However, the list of things wrong with this movie is long. I'll have a go at it anyway (at least in abbreviated format).

- The CGI was terrible. Terrible! Fucking wolves out of The NeverEnding Story.

- The effects in general were poorly done, including sound effects. There were WAY too many scenes that transitioned from howling blizzard with snow flying around like mad, immediately to close in shots were there was no visible wind, no snow flying around (except off in the distance), and YET . . . you could hear the ROAR of wind screaming around them . . . conveniently dubbed in under the dialogue. I understand that it would be really hard to film legible dialogue and shots with consistent blizzard conditions, but you have GOT to do better than this.

- The fucking wolves were the most unrealistic wolves I've ever seen. This is the Jaws of wolves. They were dealt such a fucking unrealistic blow, making them out to be animals that they simply are not. Some basic Wiki research will do away with nearly all of the characteristics that the movie imbues them with . . . For instance, wolves don't tend to have hierarchy in the wild, packs tend to be immediate families and number well below 10 (they can RARELY get higher), wolves very rarely attack humans, and when it does happen, it's almost always in places were they have become accustomed to humans and human behavior (i.e., not in the fucking wilderness of Alaska). etc., etc., etc., folks. Wolves are way cooler than this. Piss off.

- Some of the events were simply too ridiculous to suspend disbelief. Like the guy jumping off a cliff and sailing over 50 feet FORWARD into a copse of treetops. No fucking way he launched that far horizontally. Also, the plane wreck survival is extremely unlikely. Has it happened before? Sure, but extremely rarely. Has a plane crash that severe (see wreckage, etc.) ever left that many people alive? I doubt it. Left them alive with that little injury? I'd be willing to say no. Also, I agree that they should have stayed put, and I voiced that IMMEDIATELY when they mentioned setting out vs. staying. Survival Skills 101 teaches you to stay the fuck where you are. You conserve resources, you stay closer last known location (thanks to handy GPS, electronics, etc.), etc. The idea that Neeson knew so much about being a wilderness badass but flubbed that up is itself absurd.

- Deep character development? Really, folks? You've been getting sold short, I think. If Mr. "no mas" counts as deep development, or ANY of those guys count, then your standards are low. The characters and the dynamics were painfully cliche to me most of the time. There were the occasional moments that I felt like delivered the genuine goods (including the end as well as the initial poem reading), but by and large . . . meh.

I wish this movie had been better. Had they taken a more realistic approach, made the story about their survival in the wilderness and not about a supernatural mutant wolf pack out of the 80's, and avoided the cliche pitfalls, this movie could have been great.
I won't count it against Neeson, but yeesh . . . I was disappointed.
 

Melchiah

Member
Just got back from the theater. Went to see the movie with six friends of mine, and we all loved it, especially its somber atmosphere which suits the title, The Grey. We all loved the ending as well.
It was perfect, that they left it untied (unless you watch the end titles through), and that no-one seemed to survive, which is refreshing in these type of movies. Loved also the piano version of Sunshine's Surface of the Sun.
Thumbs up!

EDIT: The only thing I disliked about the movie,
was the unnecessary inclusion of religion. Luckily there wasn't that much about it, and even better that there wasn't any revelation/salvation offered in the end.
 
EDIT: The only thing I disliked about the movie,
was the unnecessary inclusion of religion. Luckily there wasn't that much about it, and even better that there wasn't any revelation/salvation offered in the end.

I wouldn't say it was 'unnecessary'. To me it felt like more of a reaction to "things I will do and say when nearing my death" :p I could say the 'salvation' came from him being able to fight his last fight and what not. There must have been SOME miracle at work for the wolf to just sit there as he readies himself.
 

Melchiah

Member
I wouldn't say it was 'unnecessary'. To me it felt like more of a reaction to "things I will do and say when nearing my death" :p I could say the 'salvation' came from him being able to fight his last fight and what not. There must have been SOME miracle at work for the wolf to just sit there as he readies himself.

Personal redemption perhaps, as he went on into the big nothing standing straight, knowing there won't be anything beyond the threshold, like he said before in the movie, which is what I liked.
 

PersonaX

Member
Bleak (it really was grey all around), heartbreaking, intense, beautiful, i just loved it, the score is nothing but amazing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL26DBDUWVg

not many movies do these types of endings well, leaving me disappointed and unsatisfied, but with The Grey i was completely satisfied when the credits rolled.


/manly tears
 

vaelic

Banned
you guys watched until after the credits right?
liam wins against the wolf. a quick shot of his victory
 

sangreal

Member
I really wanted to like this movie, but my god they made it hard.
First of all, Neeson is awesome, and I don't really fault him in this film. I thought he played his role damn well, and the few redeemable moments in the film were thanks to his gravitas and excellent acting.
However, the list of things wrong with this movie is long. I'll have a go at it anyway (at least in abbreviated format).

- The CGI was terrible. Terrible! Fucking wolves out of The NeverEnding Story.

- The effects in general were poorly done, including sound effects. There were WAY too many scenes that transitioned from howling blizzard with snow flying around like mad, immediately to close in shots were there was no visible wind, no snow flying around (except off in the distance), and YET . . . you could hear the ROAR of wind screaming around them . . . conveniently dubbed in under the dialogue. I understand that it would be really hard to film legible dialogue and shots with consistent blizzard conditions, but you have GOT to do better than this.

- The fucking wolves were the most unrealistic wolves I've ever seen. This is the Jaws of wolves. They were dealt such a fucking unrealistic blow, making them out to be animals that they simply are not. Some basic Wiki research will do away with nearly all of the characteristics that the movie imbues them with . . . For instance, wolves don't tend to have hierarchy in the wild, packs tend to be immediate families and number well below 10 (they can RARELY get higher), wolves very rarely attack humans, and when it does happen, it's almost always in places were they have become accustomed to humans and human behavior (i.e., not in the fucking wilderness of Alaska). etc., etc., etc., folks. Wolves are way cooler than this. Piss off.

- Some of the events were simply too ridiculous to suspend disbelief. Like the guy jumping off a cliff and sailing over 50 feet FORWARD into a copse of treetops. No fucking way he launched that far horizontally. Also, the plane wreck survival is extremely unlikely. Has it happened before? Sure, but extremely rarely. Has a plane crash that severe (see wreckage, etc.) ever left that many people alive? I doubt it. Left them alive with that little injury? I'd be willing to say no. Also, I agree that they should have stayed put, and I voiced that IMMEDIATELY when they mentioned setting out vs. staying. Survival Skills 101 teaches you to stay the fuck where you are. You conserve resources, you stay closer last known location (thanks to handy GPS, electronics, etc.), etc. The idea that Neeson knew so much about being a wilderness badass but flubbed that up is itself absurd.

- Deep character development? Really, folks? You've been getting sold short, I think. If Mr. "no mas" counts as deep development, or ANY of those guys count, then your standards are low. The characters and the dynamics were painfully cliche to me most of the time. There were the occasional moments that I felt like delivered the genuine goods (including the end as well as the initial poem reading), but by and large . . . meh.

I wish this movie had been better. Had they taken a more realistic approach, made the story about their survival in the wilderness and not about a supernatural mutant wolf pack out of the 80's, and avoided the cliche pitfalls, this movie could have been great.
I won't count it against Neeson, but yeesh . . . I was disappointed.

did I miss something? because my impression was that they weren't supposed to actually be real wolves (supernatural or otherwise). I thought it was just a metaphor
 

kaskade

Member
Finally got around to see the movie
the drowning death hit me the hardest. He was maybe 5 inches under the water.
Overall I really enjoyed it.
 
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