MovieChat Forums > Southbound (2016) Discussion > Could have been a great movie IF..... (...

Could have been a great movie IF..... (SPOILERS)

posted 9 years ago by usmc8408
8 replies | jump to latest

...they just gave a little bit of a damn premise! After reading Wikipedia and learning that they are all in Purgatory and the creatures are basically overseeing and judging whether to drag you to hell or not, it makes for a pretty bad ass movie! They are all caught in an endless loop where until they finally "learn their lesson" they are stuck repeating the day's events.

As we saw, the hospital guy "repented" in some way and was allowed to move on, most likely to heaven. Jack and Mitch (the dudes in the truck), Jack didn't "repent" and was killed and sent to hell, and Mitch who hadn't come to any resolution was thrown back into the loop.

I just don't see why filmmakers have to keep playing this "figure it out for yourself" crap! I mean, they don't have lay out the whole thing for you, but this isn't some Hollywood blockbuster I care to rewatch again and again until it all makes sense.

[–] Kelondir 9 years ago

The premise was cool and I am glad you liked it after reading on wiki, but I sincerely hope no story writers listen to what you wrote.
I think the market is absolutely saturated with movies where you are spoon fed every single detail.

Personally I truly love it when I get to engage in a film, where you get to piece a puzzle together.

I have to admit though unless you are familiar with the Catholic idea of purgatory or the Orthodox idea of toll houses, it might take more than one viewing to understand that the town is meant for those in purgatory.

Then again there were plenty of clues on the radio, given by both the host of the radio show and the lyrics of the songs.

I really doubt the film would have been as good if it wasn't a little bit cryptic. Kind of how getting a wrapped gift is more exciting than just getting an unwrapped gift.

[–] Billy_Crash 9 years ago

I couldn't agree more.

Storytelling works best when people can sit around and discuss possibilities instead of being spoon fed. I love what the filmmakers accomplished, I enjoyed the ride, and they left me with much to think about.

Quite often, horror filmmakers cater to the lowest common denominator and spell everything out in the end. I'm glad everyone involved with this project trusted the audience.

[–] FullyOperationalSamaritan 9 years ago

I agree Billy. I myself, thought it was a good movie.

[–] worldofbong 9 years ago

I couldn't agree more.

Storytelling works best when people can sit around and discuss possibilities instead of being spoon fed. I love what the filmmakers accomplished, I enjoyed the ride, and they left me with much to think about.

Quite often, horror filmmakers cater to the lowest common denominator and spell everything out in the end. I'm glad everyone involved with this project trusted the audience.

I actually agree with this 99% of the time, in this movie though I kept losing interest because it kept jumping around a lot and just seemed to be throwing random characters and events at the audience. It tied things up a bit at the end, but I think this could've been far better done overall. For instance, a movie like Pulp Fiction jumps around a lot with different characters and scenarios, but finds a way to make them all feel important even in the moment, in addition to tying things together in the end. There's a wide gulf between complete random confusion that annoys the audience, and spelling everything out 100%.

True Creepy Stories https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjtemJqRkUJ1YGB035Dv0Gw

[–] snakeye808 9 years ago

I sincerely hope no story writers listen to what you wrote.
I think the market is absolutely saturated with movies where you are spoon fed every single detail.

Completely agree with this statement. Way too many movies treat viewers like fools and talk down to them. Granted, there are many fools who need everything spelled out for them, but it's nice to have a movie that comes around once in a blue moon which breaks the mold and lets the viewer figure out what's happening.

[–] SilverGameDog 9 years ago

Once again, the Wikipedia page you read is just ONE PERSON'S interpretation of the film. Nothing more.
It doesn't carry anymore weight than the opinions here in this board.
If you'd like I'll go edit the Southbound Wikipedia page to say the creatures in the movie are actually aliens from the future sent by the devil to bring people to hell.

[–] BurnInMyLight 9 years ago

Once again, the Wikipedia page you read is just ONE PERSON'S interpretation of the film.

Once again, this is not true at all. The vast majority of Wikipedia pages are the result of a collaborative effort between dozens, sometimes hundreds of contributors. Many of them acting as editors and fact-checkers for the original "authors" of a page. It's still an "interpretation" of the film, but it does not belong to one person taking a half hour to write a quick opinion.

I agree with those who say that a Wikipedia page on its own should not be used a primary source in many cases. But so many people take it to mean Wikipedia has zero credibility when that is just so untrue most of the time. Any half-decent article is littered with links to its sources and if you bother to check the pages history, you can see just how much work was put in to bring in facts, cite sources, show the research, keep trolls like you from ruining a page, and ultimately lead you to places where you can learn more about a subject. It's a lot more than one guy's opinion piece, and for you to claim you'll go tarnish a page with BS information, you're just adding to the problem of misconception.

[–] donutpower 9 years ago

I liked the movie a lot. It was engaging and wasn't predictable like most horror films are. I think because they didn't immediately say what was going on , is what kept me entertained.
I knew going in that this was going to be about a southern town/location that wasn't normal. The 'figure it out yourself' idea is what is good to have sometimes because its up to your own interpretation as to how you want to perceive the events.

Could have been a great movie IF..... (*SPOILERS*)

Could have been a great movie IF..... (SPOILERS)