Seriously I saw the trailer and I agree it looks like a rip off. But in a shitty way. There is no way in hell I will ever watch this movie. I'm tired of all of these stupid hollywood watered down kungfu movies.

The funny thing is after watching the final Matrix trailer (which kind of disappointed me in a way because I was expecting more) I thought this movie didn't look as bad anymore...in fact, one of the reasons I was disappointed by the final matrix trailer was that it looked like THIS movie!

In other words, Matrix Reloaded hasn't upped the level in terms of the fighting and acrobatics...they have with the cloning and the car chase and the twins, etc., but basic fighting special effects it seems to have stayed the same.

So props to Bulletproof Monk. So what if it's a rip-off, Paul Hunter is an excellent music video director, I'm sure he's brought other stuff to the table, and learned some tricks from watching movies like Matrix, if anything, this movie will be serviceable and doesn't pretend to be something it's not. I'm sure Hunter knew people would make fun of the similarities, but it serves the story well (yes, it's from a comic book adaptation) and will make a fun movie.

<b>Don't hate the player, y'all, hate the game. </b>

All I see is Steve Stiffler doing Kung Fu.........that ain't right I tell ya.

Darn that Shrek! Stupid Matrix ripoff. I mean that scene where the princess kicks some merry butt is a completely stolen scene!

;)




anyways, the Matrix was a very groundbreaking but not in slow-mo or black leather outfits but its very good technique using still shots to pan around the action. If a movie copies that, ie charlie's angels, shrek then it can be pointed out that it did so. But that doesn't mean that that is necessarily a bad thing.

I agree, if we're going to trash talk like everyone is saying, rip off this and rip off that, then basically everything that implements bullet time or wirefu will be called a Matrix ripoff, heck, Reloaded looks like a Matrix ripoff....wait a minute, it's a Matrix movie! See what I mean?

<b>Don't hate the player, y'all, hate the game. </b>

What does that even mean to this? Don't hate the player? I don't. I hate the movie were they use it for the sake of using some hip effect that serves no purpose to the story or adds nothing more then a means to get more folks through the door.

This thread is such a Matrix ripoff. :rolleyes:

Unless your experience with kung fu and gun movies begins with The Matrix (if so, I feel very sorry for you), I think it's generally quite clear when a movie is actually a Matrix ripoff. It really needs to be aping the same tone and style and superficially going for the same kind of "cool" characters and clothes and possibly imitation of the signature Matrix visuals (eg, bullet-time). Without that, you just have a kung fu movie with some John Woo/Peckinpah shootout homages. Nothing that wasn't seen for years before Matrix hit the scene.

Some filmmakers may have been INSPIRED to make their own martial arts-gun flick after seeing the Matrix, but that doesn't make their film a Matrix ripoff if their approach to the material is obviously their own.

That said, Underworld looks like a Matrix ripoff. :)

I don't know how many of these comments are addressed specifically to what I said in my original post, but to the ones that are, many of your are missing my point. You counter the argument by saying things like "Using black leather and guns DOES NOT mean its a Matrix rip off!" Everyone go back and read what I said. I mentioned so much more than just black leather, guns and slow motion. The entire concept of the film seems the same, not just the stylistic elements. We're not talking parodies like in Shrek, or things like the slow motion in Charlie's Angels. This movie looks like someone sat down to write a script as he watched the Matrix, and copied down every main point of interest.

Who cares? The Matrix ripped off a but load of HK movies, Star Wars, Dark City, Superman, 2001- I can see them all. Rip-offs aren't neccesarily bad.

Saw it today. There was only one instance of a slow-mo 'bullet' shot in the film, and it wasn't even a bullet time shot. The fight scenes used some wire-fu but seemed to be playing more off of Chow's 'Crouching Tiger' character than from 'Matrix.' There is a plot point about Stiffler fulfilling 'prophecies' that would make him the new Mr. Badass but overall I wouldn't say I was distracted by 'Matrix' similarities. I was more sidetracked with just how gawdawful the movie was! Fight scenes were few and mediocre and poor Chow Fat acts like he's in a parody of CTHD...

I saw it last night. Didn't think the story was a Matrix rip off, but the directing techniques, like many other action movies to date, were blatant rip offs of those used in the Matrix.

To me, using the techniques popularized in The Matrix does not make a movie a Matrix-ripoff. (Otherwise Shrek, Final Fantasy, etc. could all be called Toy Story ripoffs) But if the filmmakers utilize the techniques to specifically evoke The Matrix, I consider that a ripoff. And regardless of whether or not the films themselves are ripoffs, the marketing departments aren't shy about trying to make certain movies seem "Matrix-like" by showcasing the bullet-time scenes (The Art of War comes to mind).

I saw Monk last night. It wasn't great, but it wasn't awful. I didn't get a Matrix-y feeling from it at all. As filmerp notes, the action seems to echo Crouching Tiger more than anything. And the film itself gives off more of a "Big Trouble in Little China" vibe than anything. Not as good, but a similar feel.

just to support the original poster , When i saw the trailer , the first thing that came to mind was , matrix + rushhour ripoff .
Ebert seems to think so too
" The film demonstrates, "Matrix"-style, that a well-trained fighter can leap into the air and levitate while spinning dozens of times, although why anyone would want to do this is never explained "

http://www.suntimes.com/output/ebert...r-monk16f.html

I like movies that rip off other movies, as long as I liked the original movie.

Doesn't bother me one bit.

I liked the movie. I didn't really feel it was intended to be a kung-fu or martial arts film, but actually more of a comedy. Definitely had more comedic elements than it did action. I went in, turned my brain off, laughed and had some fun. I think you can make yourself not enjoy any film if you overanalyze it like some are in here.

Word, this is exactly what Charlie's Angels was and good god that movie sucked.

ALL MOVIES IN HOLLYWOOD ARE RIP-OFFS OF OTHER MOVIES!!

The premise was okay, but the direction in this film (or the screenplay) had a hard time creating a feeling of urgency in it. The parts are better than the sum of the film. There's just something missing, a spark, in the film that could have made interesting or special. The pacing of the film is very average.

The onscreen chemistry between Chow Yun-Fat and Sean William Scoot is good, but the dialog is sort of middling to poor. The martial arts action is okay, some of it is fun (but given away in the trailer).

I liked the 3rd/final act more than the previous acts, but it doesn't quite salvage the film as whole. I am grateful the trailer doesn't give much of it away.

I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.

I thought it worked very well...as a comedy. I know that just about anybody who went into it looking for a martial arts action flick probably walked away very disappointed. But I laughed quite a bit and enjoyed myself.

On another note, I just don't get how some people have trouble disengaging an actor or actress from characters they played before. My wife does this with John Cusack in every movie (always called him Lloyd, his character's name in Say Anything). The actor in this movie is Sean William Scott, not Steve Stiffler. Some of you have trouble separating reality from fiction. How do you ever enjoy any film if you do this?

I agree with you Badger. I was surprised at how much I laughed as well. I thought as a comedy with some action it did pretty well.

I think it's crazy that people can't get away from an actor's previous roles. C'mon people.

song in Bulletproof Monk commercial
 

I rented Bulletproof Monk last night (good flick, btw). All last week I saw commercials advertising the DVD. In the commercials, there is a heavy metal song playing in the backgound. What is it? Who is it by? Also, I expected the song to be in the movie, but it wasn't. WTF?

If I remember correctly, it's "When World's Collide" by Powerman 5000.

yep thats it.

What song is played during the first fight scene in the Subway?

Yep, and I said "that's so 4 years ago".

Since you're asking a question about the movie (and its promotions), not about the DVD of the movie, I'm moving this to Movie Talk.