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Topic: The Half & Half Problem

So I've been noticing this happen in quite a few movies lately, which is the movie starts with a certain tone and half way through that tone completely changes and you feel like your watching a different movie.

There are a few that stand out Looper, Hancock, Brave, Transformers 3, and there are also some that do that but are less  noticeable like Spider Man 3, Prometheus, and arguably others like Inception and The Hunger Games.

So I'm wondering is there a reason why I'm noticing this, Is this a coincidence, or dose this happen often and I just notice or is this a thing that is cropping up or all just a coincidence?

Thoughts?

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  • From: Kent, England
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Re: The Half & Half Problem

I honestly don't think Brave fits that description, as the second half is a natural progression from the set-up of act 1.

The first film I noticed doing this was From Dusk Til Dawn, which starts out as a typical Tarantino crime caper and then becomes this ludicrous and gory vampire action flick. And of course, there's Full Metal Jacket as well.

In terms of explaining the apparent resurgence of this type of device, I'd say it could be because the writer or someone involved gets bored of the project or the change in tone/theme is the shock twist. Children do it all time when telling stories or playing; and then Superman flies in and knocks Cobra Commander out!

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

I can sometimes like it almost by default since it does stir things up a bit. However when I find myself loving the first half and then the movie suddenly becomes something else, I feel disappointed that I won't get more of the same.

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

Sunshine is the perfect example of why you probably shouldn't.

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  • From: Buffalo, NY
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Re: The Half & Half Problem

I'm not sure if they still do it, as I haven't watched in years, but it was the regular format of The Simpsons. Start with one plot, then have the real one show up later.

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  • From: Liverpool, UK
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Re: The Half & Half Problem

As far as I can recall, it was the newer episodes that tended to do that a lot more.

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

redxavier wrote:

The first film I noticed doing this was From Dusk Til Dawn, which starts out as a typical Tarantino crime caper and then becomes this ludicrous and gory vampire action flick.

Isn't that really more a change of genre rather than a change of tone? The characters remain the same and the overall tone and feeling of dread pretty much remains, it just becomes a vampire movie.

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

Is what your talking about different from "going to the mansion"? I think the kinds of things you're pointing out is a complete shift in tone, as opposed to something that slows down the movie's plot. Or is this two flavors of the same thing?

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

From Dusk Till Dawn is a bad example, because it intentionally does that at the halfway point to fuck with the audience. It's a deliberate subversion.

Most cases we're talking about are where it happens because of bad writing, or inconsistency of tone, unintentionally. A la Sunshine.

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  • Registered: 2010-12-27
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Re: The Half & Half Problem

MLP Season 3's finale did this today. I hope they can recover from it.

:(

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  • From: Indiana, USA
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Re: The Half & Half Problem

Million Dollar Baby took this kind of a major turn. I loved it at the time, but I have no desire to revisit the film.

Warning: I'm probably rewriting this post as you read it.

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  • From: State of Idaho
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Re: The Half & Half Problem

Didn't Lost do this?

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

I find this happens if the magic bean changes during a movie. In Looper, the first half is about time travel, the second half is about a kid with TK. In UP, the first half is about a guy who wants to go on an adventure, so he makes his house fly with balloons, the second half involves talking dogs and a rare bird. In Brave, the beginning is about a girl who is really good with a bow, the rest is about how she turned her mom into a bear.

Last edited by ShadowDuelist (2013-02-17 09:41:16)

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  • From: Kent, England
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Re: The Half & Half Problem

ShadowDuelist wrote:

In Brave, the beginning is about a girl who is really good with a bow, the rest is about how she turned her mom into a bear.

Emphasis on the 'beginning', otherwise known as Act 1, which sets up her skill in archery as a demonstration of how different she is from her mother, leading to the conflict that makes her want to change her mother, that she then spends acts 2 and 3 trying to undo.

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

There was a film with Emily Blunt and Bill Nighy a few years back called 'Wild Target' which starts out as a light hearted assassin does one last job comedy and turns into 3 characters sitting around a country house being dull for the second hour.

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

Skyfall?

  Show
Spy movie turns into Home Alone with the elderly for no damn reason.

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  • From: Norway
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Re: The Half & Half Problem

Still felt like Bond to me. A lot more so, than Quantom of Solace or even Casino Royale.

Last edited by Tomahawk (2013-02-17 14:43:58)

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

Tomahawk wrote:

even Casino Royale.

Interesting. Care to elaborate?

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  • From: Scotland
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Re: The Half & Half Problem

I genuinely don't see the ending of Skyfall as a fault. It mixed things up a bit, it changed the Bond format a little for the anniversary, I don't see the problem. I loved it.

Also, it still didn't change tone, the main theme of revenge was still there, the bad guy's main goal was still intact. As was the sense of danger and threat, it didn't even change genre.

Last edited by Jimmy B (2013-02-17 16:51:28)

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

Jimmy B wrote:

I genuinely don't see the ending of Skyfall as a fault. It mixed things up a bit, it changed the Bond format a little for the anniversary, I don't see the problem. I loved it.

It was pointless and didn't make any sense on any level. Also the 'oh it's a anniversary' line of reasoning not only filled the movie with references to things that never happend in the new Bond series but also made a mess of the new format. It felt like watching The Explendables 2. 'Oh remember that thing you liked in the other movie? It was cool wasn't it? Look how hard we're referencing'.

Jimmy B wrote:

Also, it still didn't change tone, the main theme of revenge was still there, the bad guy's main goal was still intact. As was the sense of danger and threat, it didn't even change genre.

Is revenge the main theme here? Or is it getting older and finding your place in the modern world?

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

Lamer wrote:
Jimmy B wrote:

Also, it still didn't change tone, the main theme of revenge was still there, the bad guy's main goal was still intact. As was the sense of danger and threat, it didn't even change genre.

Is revenge the main theme here? Or is it getting older and finding your place in the modern world?

I should have said 'one of the themes' rather than main thelme. Regardless, that didn't change, revenge was what led to the last act it was the bad guy's motivation all along.

It didn't work for you, that is fine but it didn't change the film's tone or genre, therefore it does not fit here. Bond is a tired formula and they changed it up and I say good for them for trying. It was a better film that Quantum Of Solace at any rate.

Last edited by Jimmy B (2013-02-17 20:48:41)

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

You must admit it's a more traditional ending than Casino Royale. Here it's still "Hero faces off with main villain and his forces", except they do a clever subversion where instead of having bond assault the villains fortress, which we've seen as a Bond climax about 15 times now, they have Bond having to defend HIS fortress against the bad guys.

Casino Royale Bond doesn't even face off with the main villain. A side party eliminates him, and then the climax is bond fighting a few nameless henchman.

I still love Royale more, but you must admit it's much more radical and unusual structurally than Skyfall.
I actually just rewatched Skyfall on Blu-ray and I love everything about the last 30 minutes, I think it's outstanding.

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

Yup, what Bullet said.

(although I like Skyfall best, personally. I could re-watch that more smile)

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

(we probably should get a separate thread for this)

bullet3 wrote:

You must admit it's a more traditional ending than Casino Royale. Here it's still "Hero faces off with main villain and his forces", except they do a clever subversion where instead of having bond assault the villains fortress, which we've seen as a Bond climax about 15 times now, they have Bond having to defend HIS fortress against the bad guys.

  Show
The subversion is clever but it's not thought out. Why would a highly trained, secret service operative put himself in a situation like that? Why go there at all? He hasn't been there since he was a kid and the place offers no tactical advantage. It's not a fortress by a longshot and there's no reason for him to be there.

Also there's no reason for him to assume that Silva won't just pull up with a rocket launcher and blow the whole house up. Silva already had his confrontation with M. That's why during the court scene he doesn't get melodramatic but tries to shoot her in the face on the spot. That was his master plan all along. You can't assume that he'll pause for a chat afterwards.


bullet3 wrote:

Casino Royale Bond doesn't even face off with the main villain. A side party eliminates him, and then the climax is bond fighting a few nameless henchman.

I liked that actually. You're left wanting more and then the movie gives you more by having that last fight in Venice.

bullet3 wrote:

I still love Royale more, but you must admit it's much more radical and unusual structurally than Skyfall.
I actually just rewatched Skyfall on Blu-ray and I love everything about the last 30 minutes, I think it's outstanding.

I love Casino Royale. It's one of my favourite movies wink

I really wanted to like Skyfall. If you can convince me that it's actually awesome and I'm just overlooking everything that's good about it then I'll be grateful.

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Re: The Half & Half Problem

redxavier wrote:
ShadowDuelist wrote:

In Brave, the beginning is about a girl who is really good with a bow, the rest is about how she turned her mom into a bear.

Emphasis on the 'beginning', otherwise known as Act 1, which sets up her skill in archery as a demonstration of how different she is from her mother, leading to the conflict that makes her want to change her mother, that she then spends acts 2 and 3 trying to undo.

While I understand that, it didn't work for me in execution. I went into Brave completely cold, no idea what it was about. The beginning has this serious tone and emphasizes her skill with a bow and how strong headed she is, so I thought they were setting up a movie where she has to unite the clans against some outside threat, and they would have to follow her despite her rejection of their traditions.. Then she turns her mom into a bear and it gets kinda silly.

Last edited by ShadowDuelist (2013-02-17 21:50:28)

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