Shawshank Redemption: Crap/Not Crap

[Andy the Don]

Shawshank Redemption - crap/not crap

neither, just rather overrated.

 

[andy2002]

Shawshank Redemption - crap/not crap

neither, just rather overrated.

I think that's a fair point. I voted for the 'crap' option but it isn't really – I just find it's popularity a bit perplexing. It's alright but that's about it and I have no desire to ever see it again.

 

[Major Tom]

crap

really shit.

I fucking hate it.

 

[Masseuse]

My take, fwiw.

This is not a classic of the film makers art. It is superior entertainment though. It's like the difference between literature and fiction. Authors like Helen Fielding/Nick Hornby/Tony Parsons/Alexander McColl Smith/JK Rowling are immensely popular, and their books are favourites of a massive number of people. But they're not Austen/Greene/Murdoch/Wells and to compare them is facile and pointless. And so with film.

I'd contend that most people want escapism and entertainment from their £6.50 at the box office - and films like shawshank deliver that. It's not a stupid film, but it does tell an easy-to-like unchallenging story (don't like films with feelgood endings? - steer away from films with the word "redemption" in the title...). The photography and direction isn't groundbreaking - but does give a nice period feel, and the acting is pretty good. The plot is emotional and emotive - rather like a soap opera, and really deals with no complex issues or developments, and i think this is one of the reasons for it's popularity, but also the biggest stick critics have to beat it with.

There's a difference between "best film ever" and "most popular" - this is a popular choice, and among some other popular films (the excerable "Titanic"?) it is certainly holding it's place with justification.

That's what I meant to say but my brain only goes as far as "it was alright"

 

[MysteryGuest]

I thought it was nice.

 

[dirtysanta]

one of my favourites. Definately not crap !

 

[kyser_soze]

Spanglechick's got it - it's a great piece of entertainment - a great movie but not a great film

Now it may be a wee boit pretentious but I classify cinema into those two classes as much as possible - there's stuff that blurs the line as you'd expect - Batman Begins, for example, has a depth to it that one usually sees in films rather than movies. And I also think Shawshank does this. The scene where Tim Robbins plays Mozart over the prison tannoy and Freemans VO 'I still have no idea what thay lady was singing about, and I don't want to know. All I do know is that for 5 minutes everyone in that yard was a free man' which is one of the best descriptions of the power of music to take you somewhere else I've seen in film.

So - great movie, verging on being a film.

This is one of the few truly big 'grassroots' films that were made by the video buying public - it bombed on cinema release and slowly gained ground on TV and Video/DVD sales so it can truly be said to be a 'people's choice' movie...

 

[Red Faction]

its a good yarn, ill give it that
so not 'crap'

 

[rowan]

Definitely not crap, it's one of my favourite films

 

[DaveCinzano]

it's better than 'scrubbers', but not as good as 'escape from alcatraz'.

FACT.

and on a more personal tip i prefer 'life', which covers much of the same ground, and has eddie murphy

 

[LDR]

I voted crap but it obviously isn't if so many others get some pleasure from it. I just found it long, boring and excessively slushy for my tastes. In fact, I don't think I watched it all the way through.

 

[belboid]

Spanglechick's got it - it's a great piece of entertainment - a great movie but not a great film

a fine and fair distinction, but misplaced in this case. It's also a shite movie. Complete and utter wank. Bland, insipid, every other word under that heading from the thesaurus. Trite, obvious, tedious. To be watched only when your brain has been/you wish you brain to be turned to mush.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

I'm sorry, but I think that's a load of cobblers. You don't like the film, fine, but many people rank it amongst their favourites ever made. I'm not an ignoramus who only watches 'American Pie' and hence likes the Shawshank Redemption by comparison. I watch a pretty wide range of films, and still rank it as one of my favourites.

 

[belboid]

American Pie is much better than Shawshank. And, no, I'm not taking the piss - AP does actually have some fucking humour in it.

Lots of people list Thatcher as their favourite ever politician. They're wrong too.

 

[Good Intentions]

Spanglechick's got it - it's a great piece of entertainment - a great movie but not a great film

I know you touched on it in your post, but there are films that are both - there really is no good reason why a film (or, in your words, a 'movie') shouldn't be both. Why are our standards so low? There's thousands of fantastic films everywhere. Giving undue credit to something like Shawshank (even in being kind to it) does nobody any service, we should rather rant and rave about complete genius like The Princess Bride or Dr Strangelove. It's not that Shawshank is bad, it's that it isn't good enough.

 

[belboid]

I know you touched on it in your post, but there are films that are both - there really is no good reason why a film (or, in your words, a 'movie') shouldn't be both. Why are our standards so low? There's thousands of fantastic films everywhere. Giving undue credit to something like Shawshank (even in being kind to it) does nobody any service, we should rather rant and rave about complete genius like The Princess Bride or Dr Strangelove. It's not that Shawshank is bad, it's that it isn't good enough.

top post.

(tho I would say that PB is a brilliant script, not fully realised in the film/movie)

edit: Shawshank Redemption = Coldplay

 

[Good Intentions]

Overexposure to 'not good enough being claimed as genius' leads to the type of response belboid gives, and if forced to pick a side I'll be on his side of the fence.

 

[perplexis]

I don't think it's crap, I think it's quite good, but I do think it's a wee bit over-rated.
It always comes really high in "your top trillion best movies of all time of 2005" type polls, and I don't know why.
I dunno, maybe I'm just missing the point or something. <shrug>

 

[Good Intentions]

edit: Shawshank Redemption = Coldplay

I simply can't say a good word about Coldplay - music computers will make when they're smart enough to make fun of us. Perhaps if I saw Shawshank in the past 5 years, I would agree with you.

 

[Good Intentions]

And I think The Princess Bride was really well realised. Easy watching and giving full play to the fantastic script.

"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

Fuck American Beauty. That is film.

Full quote:
Inigo Montoya: Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father: prepare to die. Now, offer me money.
[slices Count Rugen's cheek]
Count Rugen: Yes.
Inigo Montoya: Power too. Promise me that.
[slices Count Rugen's other cheek]
Count Rugen: All that I have and more. Please...
Inigo Montoya: Offer me everything I ask for.
Count Rugen: Any thing you want.
Inigo Montoya: I want my father back, you son of bitch.
[stabs and kills Count Rugan]

 

[Bonfirelight]

I quite liked it the first time i saw it, but i thought of myself as deeper and more intelligent back then. now i realise it is a little bit crap, but then i've not got much of an attention span.

give me Rocky IV any day