MovieChat Forums > Into the Badlands (2015) Discussion > Deep dive Into the Bad - this series is ...

Deep dive Into the Bad - this series is for dummies

posted 9 years ago by Pride82
36 replies | jump to latest

I had high expectations for the show, due to the 8+ IMDB rating, but boy was I wrong. While the martial arts sections sure look pretty, it's not enough to carry the series anywhere as absolutely nothing else makes no sense. The show feels like a weird dream - no matter how illogical it is, it just continues on.

There are no motives, there's no history. There's no depth to the characters and no explanation why things are as they are.

Why aren't there firearms? They were banned? What? By who? Why? Why do people obey? What do the people eat as the fields we've shown are either poppy or "oil" as once mentioned? Why are there barons? Why do people follow the barons? Why are some people living outside of the reach of the barons and some are basically work slaves (cogs)? Why aren't the strongest of the clippers challenging the barons, if it's survival of the fittest and strongest?

It's hard to even describe how seriously *beep* up the show is. You could literally write hundreds of questions that aren't explained in any manner. These questions aren't something you could just "let go". Nothing feels natural, but instead it's pressed and forced.

On top of all the issues, there's a mystical aspect going on, with hidden "dark powers" and mystical city of Asra (or something similar), whom no one seems to know anything about, yeta day's drive away you can find a hidden monastery of sorts with monks that know how to contain that. What?! Why aren't the barons raiding left and right? Why do the clippers follow orders blindly?

Really, just skip this show. Your time is much better spent with eg. Marco Polo, first couple seasons of Battlestar Galactica or the new The Expanse.

[–] cosmic_surveyor 9 years ago

Are you proud for sounding like a kid asking, "Why?", immediately after every answer given?

_________

Est modus in rebus sunt certi denique fines quos ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum Goldilocks

[–] Pride82 9 years ago

Sorry what?

[–] suzypulledapistol 8 years ago

Wow, amazingly dumb comment.

[ Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. ]

[–] peewee_madman 9 years ago

Battlestar Galactica was a soap opera, so do not see why that is so much better. Why do every show and movie need to have depth to the characters? To be honest, I actually prefer shallow characters to a degree, because more "realistic" shows can often have a painfully slow pace.

When it comes to your questions why people follow the barons, do not challenge them and so on, what about early tribal societies and early kingdoms? You could ask the same thing there, but regardless you see the leaders of such societies being relatively stable. That some people lives as slaves while others are out of reach from the nobility or slave masters are something we see both in the old american south and medieval european socities, so it really seems like you like to create problems out of nothing?

[–] Pride82 9 years ago

BSG certainly wasn't a soap opera. It was written season at time, like any show really. Yeah, the quality dipped in the last season and the half, but that doesn't undermine the quality of the first two seasons.

Comparing BSG, probably the most acclaimed scifi show by both the critics and the audience, with Into the Badlands just makes no sense to me.

Forgive me for being blunt here, but you just confirmed what I wrote here by stating that "this show is for dummies" by saying:

To be honest, I actually prefer shallow characters to a degree, because more "realistic" shows can often have a painfully slow pace.

All the proper shows and movies - it's all about the drama and characters. What are their motives? Why do they do what they do? Why that piece of dialogue?

The producers/writers behind Into the Badlands should really watch few episodes of Netflix's Daredevil and Jessica Jones or even just Game of Thrones while we're at fiction.

Why bother answering the questions after your first paragraph. What does it matter?

[–] peewee_madman 9 years ago

Why are people stupid just because we do not enjoy so much character drama? Movies are a visual medium after all! I think that the "tricks" of normal hollywood "character drama" are so predictable and stereotypical, that it is simply not that enjoyable. If you enjoy motives, drama and characters, there are better places to go than standard Hollywood movies. Especially action movies. I do enjoy Game of Thrones, but the characters and motivations are much better done there than most other similiar shows.

What is the problem with also enjoying the visual? It is simply because most action movies does poor attempts at "drama" that the few that movies like Mad Mad Fury Road, The Raid and such seems so fresh and different. Simply because it feels so refreshing to not see so many of the typical american movie standard scenes.

The problem with BSG what it basically ended up with "who have sex with who" as the deciding factor, and it was to much intrigue, and it made it feel like as soap opera really. It was also made especially to cater to young women, so what else to expect?

[–] Pride82 9 years ago

What is the problem with also enjoying the visual? It is simply because most action movies does poor attempts at "drama" that the few that movies like Mad Mad Fury Road, The Raid and such seems so fresh and different. Simply because it feels so refreshing to not see so many of the typical american movie standard scenes.

There's nothing wrong enjoying the visuals, but if you consider a show/movie to be good, only due to visuals - then your bias is just wrong. After all, movies aren't any single medium. Instead you've the audio, writing, acting, cinematography, directing etc.

I gave Fury Road 6/10. The Raid 7/10. Watchable, but nothing special.

The problem with BSG what it basically ended up with "who have sex with who" as the deciding factor, and it was to much intrigue, and it made it feel like as soap opera really. It was also made especially to cater to young women, so what else to expect?

What? Not a part of that makes any sense nor is true.

[–] theboxingcannabyte 8 years ago

Frankly neither of you are making much sense.

[–] nullcreations 9 years ago

This might be the single dumbest thing I've ever heard anyone say about Battlestar Galactica. I mean that, it's a whole new level of stupid.

[–] szafar 9 years ago

This show is all about the intense action and gore. It's the kind of show you watch when you're hung over and cant think. There was some character development...but the last episode ended like wtf?? I cant believe brink gets cancelled on hbo and this show gets renewed.

[–] JCrusher723 9 years ago

The OP is retarded

[–] Pride82 9 years ago

I rest my case.

[–] Ithilfaen (183) 7 years ago

Well HBO has higher standards. AMC is obviously desperate for their next TWD since TWD won't last forever and some day, the fanboys will notice that it's become crap. So they keep trying and honestly they've had more misses than hits so they have to keep some of them going.

This crap lost half its already meager audience between season 1 and season 2 and they still got renewed. Why? It probably costs nothing to make and it's something to put on the air for the teenage boys who make up most of AMC's audience.

[–] zadok-332-444684 9 years ago

It sounds like a challenge, not like an analysis. Accepted.
Why do you even post these questions? Of course there are a lot of blanks. That's not too extraordinary. You make it sound like every other series made perfect sense, like Hollywood was all about realism. Guess what: it is not. Yes: the series has all these "flaws" and "plot holes" and at times I even saw a problem there while watching it. Mostly however your concerns are irrelevant. The quality of a series does not at all depend on the question of what people eat nor on "realism" of any kind.

It is very visual, deliberately overdrawn at every corner and goes with the appeal of a comic, rather than the supposed realism of say a history drama. If Marco Polo (which I didn't watch mind) just slapped all facts of history in the face while claiming to stay true to history, depicting everything "wrong" as in: not the way history has it, yes - that you could critisize. Bringing up the infrastructural problems of the Badlands though? It's like complaining about an improper definition for "world domination" in Pinky & the Brain. Apparently you expected something else and brought the wrong criteria. Your mistake. You don't like it? Fine. However: do not hold against it that it is not what it never claimed to be. That's just ridiculous.

[–] ViddyThisBrother 9 years ago

absolutely nothing else makes no sense.

Oh the irony...

Why aren't there firearms? They were banned? What? By who? Why why why...

Why do you need to be spoonfed every single piece of information? Why cant you think for yourself?

Remember this is the fantasy genre.

It seems to be a mash-up of the Deep South/American Civil War/Slave-Trade. Perhaps an alternative vision of America if the South had won? Throw in some martial arts, some magic and a post apocalyptic dystopian future.

This show is excellent. Great cast. Great fight scenes. Great storyline, sets, costumes, production values etc...

Deserves at least an 8

[–] Pride82 9 years ago

Just no.

The story/plot is abysmal. The aesthethics are great, but that's the end of that. The budget is wasted due to teenager level depth on characters and their dialogue.

There's a reason the show is sitting on barely 50% on Rotten Tomatos by the actual critics.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/into-the-badlands/

[–] ViddyThisBrother 9 years ago

The Rotten Tomatoes audience score is 85%. The "critics" score it at 53% and yet it's a very respectable 8.1 on IMDb. Why the disparity I wonder? It's been said that some critics only give good reviews for money/favours etc. I'm not saying that at all. I'm sure it's just a rumour... 

[–] ViddyThisBrother 9 years ago

Pride82 rated The Godfather a 6!  That's like saying Mozart was an average composer or that Einstein was quite intelligent.

Come on seriously now, how can you possibly rate the greatest film of all time only a 6? Please explain.

On further research you rate A Clockwork Orange a 5; Blade Runner a 5; The Good the Bad and the Ugly a 4!

And yet you give The Hobbit, Chappie and Kingsman an 8 rating.

So you think The Hobbit, Kingsman and Chappie are all much better than The Godfather?!?! 

Oh dear.

[–] stbarabas 9 years ago

But he gave Battleship a 9.

[–] ctulhu_eternal 9 years ago

He truly is retarded. :)

[–] komrad (148) 8 years ago

OMG, just find out this thread. LOL.

Pride82? more like Gay&Retarded82.

His ratings show his real colors dont they )))

[–] R_Kane (15828) 8 years ago

So, basically, it's bad because a manifest dick-holding asshole like you says it is.

[–] Ithilfaen (183) 7 years ago

lol you mean "plot? who cares about a stinking plot? There are fight scenes that last 10 minutes!"

The storyline is laughable and the setting, and all the pitiful excuses for it (like guns being banned and cars running around on... love I guess?) are as ridiculous as your pathetic attempts to defend them.

If you think it doesn't matter that a show is stupid as long as there are dudes for you to fantasize about in it, then good but at least don't pretend it's a masterpiece, you're ridiculous.

[–] haibane-tenshi 9 years ago

Well i agree that this show looks exactly like a weird dream. That's the exact definition i would give the badlands.

The fact that they reuse Django's cotton farm (along with its alley and the little houses where they kill the escaped slave with dogs), mixed up with weird steampunk stuff doesn't help at all.

It REALLY feels like you're watching a twisted version of Django unchained. With dudettes disguised as striking blue ninjas.

And about the kung fu stuff, yeah well, Daniel Wu is good, the rest is just ridiculous.

This makes even less sense than the man with the iron fist which is rated 5.4 on IMDB (i enjoyed it tho). So, yeah, if this was a movie it'd be a 5 but as it's a TV show it's an 8. This sounds about right, TV series always got a "+3" factor on IMDB. A watchable movie starts with a rating of 6 and a watchable TV serie starts close to 9.

Still, it's just 6 eps, i'll just finish it and be done with it lol.

[–] Pride82 9 years ago

Exactly that.

Try Colony if you haven't seen it yet. I've had no plot/WTF issues with it for the first six episodes. The show is purely plot driven so characters are in minor role, but the show has had great focus on details to keep the story and motives straight.

Pretty much from the opposing end compared to the train to wtflands...

[–] e_swmc 9 years ago

Sure, this series is as flat as a saucer. The plot is ridiculous, the costumes are a laugh riot and the general directing seems pretty void. Still, I enjoyed this.

What did you expect?

Didn't you read anything about the general plot line of the series before starting to watch?

I mean, it is what it is - a piece of post apocalyptical steam punk fantasy drivel, but an ENTERTAINING piece of post apocalyptical steam punk fantasy drivel. You have to take it on face value. It's great to just watch it for its fight scenes, the humor of the fact that they probably thought they made an egdy series, the ridonculous plot holes etc. All those things you believe make the series worthless are the things I find entertaining, just like I find you entertaining for believing you have to view a series with your "reality goggles" on for it to be good.

And oh yeah, BSG is just as dumb and ridiculous as this series. If anything, the acting was even worse in BSG.

[–] Pride82 9 years ago

Comparing probably the best scifi drama ever (first couple seasons of BSG) to this atrocity is just nuts.

I couldn't enjoy it, since it was so ...so far in the "nothing makes sense" end of the pool.

Yes, I got that part of the series before I started. It made no difference.

Acting bad in BSG? What? This is probably my favorite moment in TV history. Lee's speech at the court: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDzT0ga4xtw

[–] Wannie_The_Sane 8 years ago

Ahahaha! You keep saying it's ridiculous to compare this to BSG, but the only reason people keep doing it, is because you brought it up!

But yeah, The Expanse is amazing!

Anyway, this cake is great. It's so delicious and moist.

[–] warchief-grommash-hellsc 8 years ago

Not everything needs to be reveal right away. Example; "hold the door", Game of Throne season 6. Or the meaning of "what is dead may never die again." I can list a million example.

And you asking about the secret city. That is like someone wanting at the start to know if there is truly something out there in "The Giver." It is suppose to be a mystery.