MovieChat Forums > Your Highness (2011) Discussion > Not fantasy fans or just don't like this...

Not fantasy fans or just don't like this movie?

posted 13 years ago by ladive
7 replies | jump to latest

Just curious. If you didn't like this movie, are you fans of fantasy in general? I found most of the better gags were jabs at fantasy cliches in one form or another

*** There be Spoilers ahead ***

- Getting raped by a minotaur in a labyrinth? And the "trophy" he got from it? That's such a funny play on an overused idea.

- Simon, his clockwork bird. I cracked up everytime he was on the screen. Obviously making fun of the clockwork owl in Clash of the Titans.

- The great "feast" of fishsticks

- The f#ckening (why not call it what it is for once?)

- The tracker eating dirt and licking leaves to tell which direction they were heading.

Anyways I thought it was very refreshing to see a (i thought at least) well done D&D-style comedy and was surprised to see that most people hated it.

[–] Ponzer 13 years ago

That's the thing, if you're a fan of fantasy, the jabs were poorly done. Most of the jokes didn't even need a fantasy setting. If you're going to do a successful parody, there most be some love or knowledge of the subject. Galaxy Quest is a great example, spoofing the hell out of Star Trek, but you can tell that the people behind it liked or at least had some knowledge about Star Trek.

Here most of the jokes were more "let's dress up and be silly and saying fück in a fantasy setting is so funny we can base an entire movie on it!". Hell, even "Eragon" and "Dungeon and Dragons" were better parodies of fantasy (since they were so mindnumbingly awful) than "Your Highness" who intentionally tried. Your highness was more comparable to Scary Movies, Not another "insert genre"-movies etc who just regurgitates the source material than doing something clever with it.

"Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down. Makes her home."

[–] ladive 13 years ago

That was very well stated Ponzer. Yours is the first review that I've read that wasn't "pure garbage!" or "walked out after 20 minutes!" so I appreciate the insight.

[–] Ponzer 13 years ago

Well, I watched this movie with the outset that it couldn't possibly be THAT bad(despite all the reviews and bad buzz) since I'm a fantasy fan, loved the cast, loved the directors previous movie, and is generally very easily pleased when it comes to comedies(stupid, gross, sophisticated, dark, I love em all) and I was STILL disappointed.

The main thing is that the movie doesn't really know what it is. Sometimes the FX and sets are so good that it could have been a straight forward fantasy movie. The jokes for a fantasy setting are completely underused(sometimes you wonder why they even bothered with spoofing fantasy). But worst of all, the entire movie is pretty much bloody improvised(the director admitted it). There have to be some more brain and thought behind a spoof than just dressing up and trying to be funny.

"Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down. Makes her home."

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MedievalFantasy 12 years ago

They weren't spoofing fantasy though, they were paying tribute to it. If you watched/read interviews with Danny McBride or David Green, they said this is basically a tribute to the old 1980's sword-and-sorcery flicks like Dragonslayer, Conan The Barbarian, Excalibur, etc. It wasn't a "Scary Movie" style film, where their goal is to spoof the genre, but rather to make a film for that genre.

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[–] killerrabbitmp 12 years ago

Just because a movie is a tribute to another movie or genre doesn't mean it can't also be a spoof of that movie or genre. The aforementioned Galaxy Quest is a great example of this. It's both a parody of and a loving tribute to Star Trek and it's fanbase.

[–] ChrEberle 12 years ago

I have to disagree, Ponzer!

Yes, there are these horribly awful movies that were made to be serious - but end up just being crappy and boring; like the mentioned Dungeons and Dragons or Eragon - both just unprofessional KRÄPP!!!!

Your Highness on the other hand is damn serious about being NOT serious... finally a movie that spoofs all these clichéd, nerdy fantasy movies.

And as a lover of good fantasy (and sci-fi) movies I have to say: the makers of Your Highness knew the subject very well and - in my opinions - succeeded amazingly!!!