 Originally Posted by Neil
So do I need to watch Prince of Darkness again? Hardly even remember it now!
All the more reason to re-watch it, then! 
The main thing that disappoints with PoD, for me, is that the cast of characters feel kinda 'surface' and don't have much depth to them. We've seen better ensembles in previous JC flicks - like The Thing - where each character had their own vibe and they really worked together as an ensemble. PoD doesn't have that, but he does find little ways to give at least some of them a bit of character (e.g. the guy who tells shite jokes, or the other guy who does the mouth trumpet thing) ... however, PoD really succeeds on its atmosphere and its ideas (very complex ideas), and its sense of style of course. It's a stripped-back kinda story in some ways, and very complex in other ways. There's this great sense of doom that lays across the whole film, which really gives credence to the danger of Satan himself being on the brink of escaping ... the whole 'anti-matter' theory, the mirror realm and so on. Good stuff. I enjoyed it far more the second time around.
Originally Posted by shootemindehead
Hated 'They Live' and 'Big Trouble in Little China' for years and one day they clicked. Get great fun out of them these days.
But, always liked 'Prince of Darkness', despite its own flaws. Love the idea of the church being responsible for keeping Satan locked up in a basement.
Carpenter, though, I love the guy and all - which isn't something I'd ever say about any film maker or "celeb" - but his output can be frustrating. He really did have zeniths and nadirs in his career. From the heights of 'The Thing' to the lows of 'Escape from L.A.'...
...which, I actually watched yesterday...and...I sorta enjoyed?
First time I saw Big Trouble In Little China I liked it, but wasn't too fussed ... I didn't gel with the Jack Burton character (I kinda expected more of a macho hero rather than a comedy hero, at the time), but then the second and third time around I really got the vibe of it and have enjoyed that film a lot. It's a really fun romp, big ballsy 1980s spectacle kinda stuff.
Escape From L.A. - probably because the majority of it is just repeating the original, so by that logic then the sequel is inherently fun because it's just doing the same thing again. But because it's doing the same thing again it's a damn shame ... and boy, those CGI effects ... good effin' God they're bad! They were dodgy at the time, now they're just woeful. It's bizarre that they just repeated the same movie all over again, practically beat-for-beat, just repeating scenes and even some characters in many ways (e.g. the basketball court challenge). But yeah, despite it's many, many flaws, Escape From L.A. is a good bit of fun (great end credits music track, too).
Vampires is another one that has its flaws, but it's also a pretty damn effects 'vampire western' action horror flick. My reaction to it has kinda bumped up and down over the years (the opening section with the whole team working together to take down a vampire lair is superb).
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