MovieChat Forums > Alex Proyas Discussion > Misunderstood Visionary Director...

Misunderstood Visionary Director...


I always thought Alex Proyas made great entertaining movies, even if they didn't live up to the norm of superhero flicks (ironically, he was supposed to direct X-Men 3 back in 2006).

I, Robot, Dark City, and Knowing were all good movies, The Crow was all right, and Gods of Egypt was a guilty pleasure.

The one thing I always loved about the director is how he isn't all shaky camera when it comes to action and always has that steady camera angle going on with action and non-action scenes.

Thoughts?

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I had high hopes for Proyas, hopes I’ve not completely abandoned. I can’t be objective about The Crow, and I don’t want to be. My emotional connection to Bruce Lee and his family is too strong. I think it was a minor work of genius as a movie, a MAJOR work of genius as a comic book movie. Dark City is the second-best sci-fi film noire after Blade Runner, and that’s lofty company. I hated I, Robot, because the script made a travesty of Issac Asimov’s collection of short stories. I think this is where Proyas fell from grace. My guess is the studio insisted on the script and on Will Smith, and a stink bomb ensued. I saw Knowing, but found it too downbeat and didn’t know Alex had directed it. I enjoyed Gods of Egypt enormously, however, and I’m proud it admit it. It is by no means as innovative as The Crow or Dark City, but it mines material used by several films before it and STILL entertains me. It seems to be more a Proyas creation than a studio committee’s crass-fest. If you don’t entertain me with your movie, I don’t care what else you do with it. Alex has made a necessary, but insufficient, step toward returning to his original form.

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he killed his career with that Gods of Egypt movie, his worst one by far

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The Crow and Dark City were both brilliant, but then he kind of lost his way, I Robot was interesting but forgettable and Knowing and Gods of Egypt were pretty meh.

Shame as back in the 90s this guy seemed to have unlimited potential.

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No one's mentioned Garage Days (2002)?

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