"Jonah Hex" Talkback (Spoilers)

[The Penguin]

Revenge Gets Ugly
http://cache2.allpostersimages.com/LRG/40/4087/2J6VF00Z.jpg
Release Date: June 18, 2010
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Jimmy Hayward
Screenwriter: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Starring: Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Michael Shannon, Michael Fassbender

Plot Summary: Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) is a scarred drifter and bounty hunter of last resort, a tough and stoic gunslinger who can track down anyone... and anything. Having survived death, Jonah's violent history is steeped in myth and legend, and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the "other side." His only human connection is with Leila (Megan Fox), whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own. But Jonah's past is about to catch up with him when the U.S. military makes him an offer he can't refuse: in exchange for his freedom from the warrants on his head, he must track down and stop the dangerous terrorist Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich). But Turnbull, who is gathering an army and preparing to unleash Hell, is also Jonah's oldest enemy and will stop at nothing until Jonah is dead. Based on the legendary graphic novel, "Jonah Hex" is an epic adventure thriller about one man's personal quest for redemption against the vast canvas of the battle between good and evil.

Visit the official movie site here (http://www.jonah-hex.com/).

Comments?

DC Comics brings another of their heroes to the big screen with the arrival of Jonah Hex.

[NewcomerDC]

The film's at 6% on Rottentomatoes.com and counting.

[Shawn Hopkins]

It's moved up a bit at this point. You know what's kind of screwed up? One of its few positive reviews is from the Movie Mom column on Beliefnet, which bills itself as a "parents eye on media, culture, and values." I guess murderous disfigured cowboys who have demonic powers and hank out with hookers are the newest thing in family-friendly entertainment.

The other two fresh reviews I saw spend most of their length talking about how much of a mess the movie is but then say they liked it anyway. I'm not sure how useful that kind of confusing criticism is. "Hey this really sucks. But I like things that suck. Four stars."

[Tay the Cat]

One review I read from a non-critic says Megan Fox is hardly in at all.

Since he's not a critic I believe him and I'm happy she's hardly in at, though even she can't make this worse than it already looks.

[Fifi Fanatic]

Well, I saw the el cheapo matinee.... and still felt like I overpaid.

I was diappointed. I was a big fan of the comic all the way back to when he first appeared. A character as cool as Jonah deserved better than this thrown together slop.

Oh well, At least a cool action figure of him came out, so this experience wasn't a total loss. Maybe in another 30+ years, somebody will get Jonah Hex right, I'll just have to try and live that long.

[Lonestarr]

With all the negative reviews this is getting, I almost feel like I have to see it. I mean, I actually paid to see Year One last year. In what universe is this a poorer film?

[NewcomerDC]

With all the negative reviews this is getting, I almost feel like I have to see it. I mean, I actually paid to see Year One last year. In what universe is this a poorer film?
If you get the chance to see this film this weekend, can you let us know what you thought of it?

[Lord Dalek]

The way this flick is tanking, "Inception" better be a big hit or Warner might actually make Universal look successful this summer.

[Kolbar]

It certainly isn't as bad as critics are saying. I've seen far worse in the last few years (The Spirit, Dragonball Evolution, Street Fighter The Legend of Chun-Li, Transformers 2, Terminator Salvation come to mind). It's just there's not much to this movie. It's really in one ear, out the other so fast it barely registered with me. Truth be told, Jonah Hex does not rank high up on my list of favorite comic characters.

It has a kind of dumb charm to it though. I didn't hate it. I kind of enjoyed myself. Almost so bad it's good. It's goofy, silly, and filled to the hilt with obnoxious in-your-face explosions. Josh Brolin gives a good performance despite the fact that he can barely open his mouth to speak. And I didn't mind Megan Fox here (probably because she was barely seen), but she seems to be getting better. John Malkovich also chews the scenery and is pretty awesome as Turnbull.

A weak movie further hindered by ZERO advertisement and marketing along with a character that never had the potential star power to carry his own movie. The future of DC movies can only be brighter after this and I look forward to Green Lantern.

2.5 stars

[Ian]

The New York Times gives the movie a largely positive review.



Critic Manohla Dargis of The New York Times: (http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/movies/18jonah.html?ref=movies)Though it has bad word of mouth, “Jonah Hex” (http://movies.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=409211&inline=nyt_ttl) is generally better, sprier and more diverting than most of the action flicks now playing, “The A-Team” included. The director of “Hex,” (http://movies.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=95060&inline=nyt_ttl) Jimmy Hayward, whose first feature was the animated children’s movie “Horton Hears a Who!,” isn’t Sergio Leone (http://movies.nytimes.com/person/99378/Sergio-Leone?inline=nyt-per), but he maintains a lightness of touch throughout, a welcome change from the lugubriousness that tends to weigh down so many big-screen adaptations of comic books.I was always going to watch the movie--I was sold with the initial pics of Megan Fox wearing a corset that were released on April last year--but this makes me more confident that it won't be a waste aside from that--particularly since I like The A-Team a great deal.

[Shawn Hopkins]

A bad comic book movie like this actually hurts comic books. When reviewers and the public see things like the underdeveloped stock characters and the ridiculous plot elements and gadgets, they assume those negative things are there because of the comic book source. They're not going to go out of their way to actually check out the books and find out that, no, the books are relatively grounded and well-told and those things were added by the movie. So reviewers and the public now have an impression of Jonah Hex that's both incorrect and devalues the entire property.

Megan Fox's corset is just disturbing. It compresses her waist to 18 inches and causes her severe pain, according to an interview with her I read.

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/megan-fox-reveals-she-wore-18-inch-corset-in-new-flick/42343?nc

It's like a torture device. I just can't find anything sexy in that.

[Nygma]

With all the negative reviews this is getting, I almost feel like I have to see it. I mean, I actually paid to see Year One last year. In what universe is this a poorer film?

In the same universe where rottentomatoes.com rated Superman Returns as a better film than Spider-Man 3. Somebody at Spideykicksbutt.com put it best when he said "whoever thought that "Deadbeat Dad" Superman vs. "Lame Revisitation of the Real Estate Scam" Luthor was better than Spider-Man 3 was not smoking anything remotely legal."

How THAT movie got positive press at the time, boggles my mind.

[Temple Fugate]

It was okay. Barely okay, in a sort of quizzically banal sense. There was nothing stand-out horrible about the film, but there was nothing great to be found, either.

I will admit, the music was very good. At least, it was the perfect compliment to this movie; it too was always simply "there" and I couldn't decide what to make of it. But it did exactly what BGM is supposed to do. During the more intense moments, and fight scenes especially, the music ramped up the ethereal guitar mashing to the point where I was into the world of the film...whatever that world was.

The film didn't make me FEEL anything, which is its ultimate downfall. Kolbar is right that it's "in one ear and out the other." I went into the theater, watched a film, and left no different than when I entered.

Megan Fox in that corset...geez, I knew about it beforehand and all, but I couldn't help wincing every time I saw that waistline. I'd expect her to have a few cracked ribs.

Josh Brolin is a decent Hex, and does what he can with what he's given. A lot of the lines in the film are just stock movie character dialog. I really don't get the point of why this film was made, except to make a Jonah Hex film, which they did, but theatrical films really need better motivation than "Let's make a movie."

I can't point to a single glaring flaw in the film, but overall Jonah Hex gave me nothing worth remembering. That is why I am rating the movie so low.

[Goodfellow]

Can I vote for 0 stars? This movie was absolute garbage.

http://archivaria.com/DrKain/Deul.jpg

If Woody and Jonah were in a duel, Woody would win, at least against this version of Hex. THe first 20 minutes were golden and truly felt like a Jonah Hex movie. Everything afterwards was garbage. Dialog was unclear at times thanks to the music overtaking it several times throughout the movie. Megan Fox started out as this strong woman who can fend for herself and turned into a whimpy damsel in distress during the second half. The movie was barely 75 minutes long and it really showed it as scenes moved so quick it leaves you wondering what the point of them was. The action is utter trash and the music does not fit in with the movie at all. Then again, when you have a crap band like Mastadon doing the music instead of an actual COMPOSER, it is hard for it not to. This movie spits on the name of Jonah Hex by giving him all these powers and crap that feel like they needed to give him a reason for being a super hero, even though it completely defies the point of Hex. Oh yeah, and the violence was very inconsistent. I mean they have no problem showing families getting blown to smithereens, but then they have a problem with showing a guy getting shot in the head pointblank. WTF? That makes no sense. Maybe the movie could be salvaged if they added 30-40 minutes of plot inbetween all of the action, but as it stands, this movie blows and can even run Batman & Robin for its money. If you don't like Hex, don't see this. If you like Hex, still don't see this. This movie is absolute garbage and I cannot believe WB allowed this crap to be released. I waited 8 years to get a Hex movie and this is sure as hell NOT it!

[Hanshotfirst113]

Then again, when you have a crap band like Mastadon doing the music instead of an actual COMPOSER, it is hard for it not to.

The idea of having a prog metal band do a soundtrack is kind of cool. But whoever thought it would fit an old-west-themed film is anybody's guess. I wouldn't call them a crap band though. I like what I've heard a lot.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Why are so many modern studio films so in love with the blue-white-black color scheme?

[Robin2099]

Honestly, this movie isn't horrible, it isn't memorable, it isn't good, it's just..there. It has some good ideas in it, and Josh Broiln is excellent as Jonah. It's just the tone is all over the place. It's like the movie wants to be a horror, western, action, and sci fi movie all at once. Honestly, watching it you can tell that there was tons of problems behind the scenes and I;m interested to see what a directors cut would restore. It's not The Dark Knight, but it sure as heck isn't the Spirit either. 2/5

[Road to Gotham]

My two word review, "UTTER CRAP!!!".

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Just saw a review of Jonah Hex on Reviews on the Run and...they BLASTED it! They said things like it's total crap, a slap in the face to Jonah Hex and comic fans in general, why was Megan Fox in it? (i.e. she can't act and they're tired of her), makes Blade 3, Daredevil, Catwoman, Supergirl look like masterpieces, uses every tired western cliché, etc...

In the end, both Scott Jones and Victor Lucas gave it 0.5 out of 10! :o They very rarely rate something that low, so they must have both been very annoyed. Vic said 'I just saw it 5 minutes ago and can't remember anything that happened!'

[Wonderwall]

Just saw a review of Jonah Hex on Reviews on the Run and...they BLASTED it! They said things like it's total crap, a slap in the face to Jonah Hex and comic fans in general, why was Megan Fox in it? (i.e. she can't act and they're tired of her), makes Blade 3, Daredevil, Catwoman, Supergirl look like masterpieces, uses every tired western cliché, etc...

In the end, both Scott Jones and Victor Lucas gave it 0.5 out of 10! :o They very rarely rate something that low, so they must have both been very annoyed. Vic said 'I just saw it 5 minutes ago and can't remember anything that happened!'

Good to see I wasn't the only one who saw that today then:p. Yea they really crapped all over it, they hated it worse than Nightmare on Elm Street remake which they abhorred.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Oh yeah, I've been watching Electric Playground/Reviews on the Run since the beginning. :)

Have seen other video game-related shows come and go too. Remember Game Nation?

[Nitemayer]

It's like a torture device. I just can't find anything sexy in that.
Tha'ts exactly how I feel about Megan Fox and her acting.

[Spastic Minnow]

I just checked the local listings. Not a single Milwaukee theater is playing it anymore (One listing in a town 40 miles away). So apparently it was dropped last weekend-- a two week run, maybe a week or a week and a half run in some theaters (being knocked out by Wednesday openers).

So most likely it will hit one of the cheap theaters next week and I will be off to see just how bad it really is.

I have to see it, it's "Jonah Hex" in name. I own just about every JH story printed (even issues including the horrible Superboy comic supporting character- a scarred supermodel who is possessed by Jonah and rides a freaking dragon) . I'm loyal- I have to at least witness it.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

(even issues including the horrible Superboy comic supporting character- a scarred supermodel who is possessed by Jonah and rides a freaking dragon)
Yikes! I've been looking at a bunch of Superboy covers and man, that has to be one of the hokiest comics ever made. Even worse than the Jimmy Olsen comic, from what I've seen. But...lots of fun. ;)

I'm loyal- I have to at least witness it.
That's how I felt with 2008's "The Day the Earth Stood Still". I want my money back, Keanu! :mad:

[Spastic Minnow]

Yikes! I've been looking at a bunch of Superboy covers and man, that has to be one of the hokiest comics ever made. Even worse than the Jimmy Olsen comic, from what I've seen. But...lots of fun. ;)

Of Course I'm actually talking The 90's-02 Connor Kent Superboy. Not quite the old hokey Clark Kent in Smallville stuff (the corniest coming before JOnah appeared. But what I read of it (the "Hex" issues and issues surrounding it to complete the storylines) it wasn't exactly high quality superhero stuff either.
http://www.lonely.geek.nz/jhsuperboy.html

BTW, if anyone wants to read up on Jonah, the site that article comes from is a fine resource.
http://www.lonely.geek.nz/jonahhex.html

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Of Course I'm actually talking The 90's-02 Connor Kent Superboy.
That's even worse, then! Haha.

Thanks for the Hex link. I've read several TPBs, but wouldn't mind finding out more.

[rggkjg1]

i was pleasantly surprised with this. the trailers made me set low expectations because it made the movie look like wild wild west. thankfully it didnt go over the top in that regard. when the movie was announced and in production, i wished/hoped they made the movie like sergio leone's westerns because of the recent come back of western movies. i would have rather had a "serious/dark/realistic" jonah hex movie than this popcorn movie. it's a good popcorn movie, but doesnt offer much more than being that. before i watched this, i thought it would be one of the worst comic book movies i've ever seen, but i wouldnt even rank it in the worst category. i'll put it in the not good, but not bad either category.