What works:
- the pacing;
DAGON doesn't let up for one second. As soon as the boat crashes near Spanish shores, it's chase-chase-chase with lots of weird and wonderful stuff going on. There are all the awesome monsters, great deaths and thick atmosphere. A very fun film indeed!
-Handheld cinematography;
it's all very dynamic and makes the film feel a lot bigger.
What doesn't work:
- the score is frankly, shite. It's boring and doesn't help things one bit.
DAGON does follow the original story "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" reasonably close, but as usual, they still had to change stuff.
-action shifted to present day - sort of inevitable, since budget wasn't unlimited
-action is set in Spain, not New England - again, has to do with where the production company is based.
However, the biggest and hardest to bear deviation from the source has to be the "comic relief" protagonist. Now Lovecraft was strongly opposed to anyone editing his texts once he was done with them. Had he still been with us, can you imagine his indignation at seeing actor Ezra Godden's behaviour as Paul Marsh?
Why on Earth they made the main hero such a clown?
Most of the time he looks like a whimpering, bespectacled rodent wearing a vile orange jumper(yes, I did notice that it says MISCATONIC UNVERSITY on it).
I don't think Godden's performance is bad, it could be considered successful in some other kind of film. But in the rainy, forlorn universe of H.P. Lovecraft his deliberate clowning about just doesn't cut it. It feels weird and out-of-place.
A square-jawed, no-nonsense hero could have been a lot more appropriate.
Hell, even wooden "tough guy" shit Hugo Stiglitz delivered on NIGHTMARE CITY would be a lot more a lot more suitable here than Godden's bitching and grimacing. Yes, he does kick some minor fishman ass towards the finale, but by then it's too little, too late.
It's a bit shocking to see how legendary actor Francisco Rabal (Antonioni's L'ECLISSE, Lenzi's NIGHTMARE CITY) let go of himself. The guy looks like hell, and they still gave him a topless scene! However, Rabal is never less than convincing as a demented alcoholic tramp.
The movie is dedicated to his memory.
Apparently, the original script for DAGON was ready as far back as 1985, but something held it back from being filmed. It would have been shot in the US and without CGI back then.
But hey, there's not a terrible amount of CGI in DAGON, and it's tolerable.
The film is damn entertaining, one of Gordon's very best
...but the book's still better:)))
I love Dagon, but Ezra Godden is (to be honest, because he's probably a nice guy) a terrible, terrible actor. Sure, I've seen worse... but he's totally wrong here. It could have been Stuart Gordons fault, or even the producers, but it's like Ezra is playing in some other movie. That's a detail that disturbs me a lot.
ReplyDeleteSpot on there, dear Sir - he does stick out like a sore thumb in an otherwise excellent film. Wrath of Ctulhu awaits Mr. Godden:))
ReplyDeleteEzra Godden rules. You're all nuts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and bringing us nutters to our senses, Richard:))
ReplyDeleteAh, the error of our ways!..
LOL. What can I say? I just really dig the duder. I loved him in Dagon and in Dreams in the Witch House as well. Dagon does have some problems but I think he's the least of them.
ReplyDeleteOh crap, sorry Richard - I thought you were just being deliberately provocative there%))
ReplyDeleteIt takes some courage sticking up for old Ezra! I admit I am not ready to re-assess the importance of his input into Lovecraft screen adaptations just yet.
As I said in the review, his performance would have been allright in some other film (some comedy or whatever), but he's out of place in Dargon.
I reckon the producers insisted on all that comedy stuff to "soften" the impact of the gore scenes and thus help sneak the gore past the censors. Again, that's only my guess.
DAGON is a personal favorite from Gordon. It's easily the best from all those "Fantastic Factory" series produced by Brian Yuzna.
ReplyDeleteOh, hey man!
ReplyDeleteI must have seen Dagon about 6-7 times.
Yes, I definitely prefer it to, say, FAUST: LOVE OF THE DAMNED or the wretched ARACHNID.