Ninja Assassin (2009)
You may have heard the expression, “You can’t polish a Turd” or maybe another version of the phrase that I can’t state here due to my audience. The old proverb means one will never be able to make excrement appealing. No matter how good they are at polishing; it is still poop and no one wants it.
This script, Ninja Assassins, was absolute poop. It was full of cheesy lines and a couple of weak actors. However, I do want to stick up for our lead hero, Raizo, played by an Asian actor named Rain. Yep…Rain. You can IMDB that if you don’t believe me. Rain, as well as the other lead characters did very well for what script they were given. I’m sure that it would be difficult to turn down any script with this kind of budget if your not already a big star. We can blame the script on none other than the producers Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski who hired J. Michael Starczynski as their new writer. According to IMDB.COM they decided six weeks before shooting that it was necessary to have Starczynski polish the script that Matthew Sand wrote. Within a fifty three hour time frame, he re-wrote Sand’s version and started shooting. Now, I have not read Matthew Sand’s version, but it is hard to believe it could have been worse. Starczynski has been around a while writing for TV shows like the 1980′s cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, The Twilight Zone, The Real Ghost Busters, Murder She Wrote, Walker Texas Ranger, Babylon 5 and Jeremiah. Personally I may have chosen a different writer to rewrite this script. However, he’s been in the game for quite a while and he should have been a good choice.
Props to Director of Photography, the Director, Fight Choreographer, and Special Effects team! They MADE this movie! It was full of amazing gore, baffling fight sequences accented with perfect scenery, and impeccable lighting techniques. The film making kept the audience intrigued and interested in the character’s well-being. Well done Director James McTeigue for making lemon-aide out of lemons! He has worked alongside directors from movies like The Matrix trilogy, Star Wars Episode II, and Speed Racer. ……your right. I shouldn’t have mentioned Speed Racer. You may also remember McTeigue as director of V For Vendetta.
It was this technical team who actually polished a turd and is to credit for its $37.9 mill gross earnings as of January 19, 2010. Congrats!
Philosophical Implications
On a normal basis we would discuss the story line and how to redeem it to make sense regarding every day life. Today’s post is more about making you think about taking a challenge. If you are not in a place in your life where you are challenged then you are a coward. I find myself here at this place from time to time. I am a coward more often than I’d like to admit. I have to remind myself that it is forward motion that yields consistent progress. It is failure that reminds us why success is so sweet. Challenging yourself begins with the question “Why?” and it’s followed by the question “How?”.
Go out and do something you’ve never done before! Hurry! No one guaranteed you tomorrow. Do it today!
