“The Warriors” – Nathan’s Movie Challenge, Week 11
“Can you dig it?”
So the one thing I got out of this movie was a singular message – gangs are dumb.
Well, that’s not exactly true, but there are a lot of bad choices made by a lot of people from start to finish in the movie.
The other thing the movie went well out of its way to drive home was gangs don’t live the way “the other half” lives, and they’re angry about it.
The choice to transition the scenes with weird, comic-book esque elements titled with what appears to be Comic Sans is horribly cheesy. I’ve come to find out that these “director’s cut” elements are universally reviled by the film’s fans, and I can see why. That being said, I’m not sure that their exclusion would elevate the film all that much.
Mostly, I was kind of bored. There wasn’t much tension, and there was a lot of awkward acting; line deliveries were stilted, lots of people kept missing their marks, and it altogether just looks like a really low budget film.
My favorite element was probably the radio DJ commenting on the night’s activities in a clever way. I liked that they never showed her face and forces you to just listen to her smooth, radio-ready voice.
I didn’t know quite what to expect in The Warriors, but I guess I expected to be a bit more impressed given its cult status.
The Warriors was at the time of this review at #207 on my Flickchart list of shame (ranked #408 among the best movies of all time). Here’s how it entered my chart:
The Warriors vs. Godzilla (1954)
Godzilla is pretty great. It’s genuinely interesting and well shot, and despite the now laughable “man in suit” effects, it still manages to be a supremely effective movie. Godzilla wins.
The Warriors vs. Anchorman
I despise Anchorman. End of story.
The Warriors vs. Earth Girls Are Easy
I haven’t seen Earth Girls Are Easy in some time, but I do recall how singularly weird that movie is thanks to Jeff Goldblum, Damon Wayans, and Jim Carrey. It’s probably not that great – even though in my memory I seem to remember it fondly. I’ll let The Warriors win this one.
The Warriors vs. Stranger Than Fiction
The only movie role of Will Ferrell’s I actually really enjoyed. This will be the battle where The Warriors lose.
The Warriors vs. TiMER
I usually adore high-concept sci-fi stuff like TiMER, but it shows its low budget in a bad way. The acting is not great, the film looks super-flat, and it’s not a very rewarding story. Warriors win again.
The Warriors vs. American: The Bill Hicks Story
I’m a big Bill Hicks fan, and I liked some elements of this documentary, but it’s not a favorite. Warriors takes it.
The Warriors vs. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Smaug. Meh.
The Warriors vs. Bound
Bound is the movie the Wachowskis made to prove they could do The Matrix. It’s a decent film, but man did Fox take a gamble on those guys!
The Warriors vs. Drew: The Man Behind the Poster
Another doc – this one about the famed movie poster artist Drew Struzan. Love the paintings, don’t love the documentary.
The Warriors vs. Frozen
I’m sure I’ll get shit for it, but yeah, Frozen is the better film. It’s got a lot more going on than most Disney fare, and the songs are some of the best since the 90s Alan Menken days. It’s also a visual feast.
The Warriors is now ranked #785 out of 1383 movies on my Best Movies of All-Time chart.
It’s now my 8th favorite Urban Drama movie, and my #4 of 1979.
Next up are Outland and Touch of Evil. I’ve seen quite a few other films I’ve ranked during the challenge thus far.