tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post7343075890198793204..comments2024-03-27T00:26:22.316-05:00Comments on The MacGyver Project: MacGyver: Lost Treasure of AtlantisNicholas Sweedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-56020145164600474372019-10-04T06:53:24.499-05:002019-10-04T06:53:24.499-05:00Was really curious about this film - thought I'...Was really curious about this film - thought I'd seen it before but now I realise I hadn't - so I skipped over all the other episodes (will come back to them later) and watched it.<br /><br />It was really fun to watch, especially the escape from the prison cell and the rocket truck MacGyverism. <br /><br />There were some bits that were extremely silly, though. How come no one had ever found Atlantis even though it was right there at Thera all along? (I know they needed the plates to get past the fire cave, but it seems as if no one even got that far.) And the medallion was extremely easy to find - again, anyone could have done it. And all of the planets lining up at the end looked really cartoony. There were a lot of other silly bits I can ignore - these are the ones that annoyed me.<br /><br />Despite these complaints, this film is definitely worth watching, especially for fans of the more adventurous episodes of MacGyver.Svenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03623528205533251641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-48332342582455585672017-06-23T19:31:02.683-05:002017-06-23T19:31:02.683-05:00Ok. You can scratch that last paragraph. I definit...Ok. You can scratch that last paragraph. I definitely like more the other movie. The reasons why are posted in the comments session of the Doomsday post. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17394882482485108932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-29209486285157342952017-06-20T18:36:14.758-05:002017-06-20T18:36:14.758-05:00So, a few questions and comments about this movie....So, a few questions and comments about this movie. <br /><br />I am wondering, when in time does this story happened? Was it before or after MacGyver's son appeared into his life? I read some comments that suggest that it was after because he is as grumpy as he was (or more) during season 7, but I am still curious. I would have loved to see MacGyver reacting to Kelly's answer when he asks her why she calls his grandfather Simon. Maybe something like; "yes, I understand, my grandfather doesn't like to be called grandpa so I call him Harry", or, "yes, I understand, I called my grandfather Harry, because he didn't like to be called grandpa, for the same reason". That at least, had given me some time reference (present/past), plus, the scene would have made more sense, I guess. On the other hand, I like the idea that it happened after his son comes to his life, because it means that his retirement didn't last that long, although there is no reference to the Phoenix Foundation. <br /><br />Did anybody notice that RDA is wearing a band aid during the whole movie? It was a big cut! It lasts 5+ years. 😊<br /><br />RDA went to The Late Show with Joe Leno to promote the movie, and during that interview he said he did all his stunts, except for one small part of one scene. When Leno asked him what part was that, he didn't answer, but gave a hint. He said he has a bad back, and basically invited the audience to watch the movie and try to identify that scene. Wondering if anybody was able to identify that scene. I definitely was not. <br /><br />And one last comment, it is true that the actress looks like it could be RDA's daughter, she looks extremely young, but she is actually 14 years younger than RDA, which means that she was 30 years old when the movie aired, and probably 28 or 29 years old when the movie was filmed.<br /><br />And no, I don't like this movie, but I think I like it better than the other one. I need to watch the other one, one more time, I'll probably make a comment about the second movie when the time comes.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17394882482485108932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-9715494453015655852016-09-24T18:14:45.051-05:002016-09-24T18:14:45.051-05:00OMG The Torch of Truth on Ebay!! http://www.ebay.c...OMG The Torch of Truth on Ebay!! http://www.ebay.com/itm/272388231228Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-30710123616829477382015-11-27T18:12:36.974-06:002015-11-27T18:12:36.974-06:00I rewatched the movie yesterday (must have been al...I rewatched the movie yesterday (must have been almost ten years since I've seen it the last time).<br /><br />I laughed out loud when I realized that Professor Atticus has a crystal skull in his office...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-44537907765568961362015-05-22T08:58:49.417-05:002015-05-22T08:58:49.417-05:00Very interesting to hear the British perspective -...Very interesting to hear the British perspective - thanks Al. Can't believe that Atlantis is not front and center as one of Blessed's career highlights! As you say, he's got good acting skills, it's just too over the top in a lot of places -- interesting to hear that he's similar in other roles too. Interesting that the Balkan base was a well-known London landmark -- it could have fooled me! And you're absolutely right that in the real world all this stuff like the caves and the crater would have had to be national heritage sites or else people would have found them and vandalized them 1000 times over. Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-40989398204967070262015-05-22T05:06:03.979-05:002015-05-22T05:06:03.979-05:00I’d say that apart from some excellent action sequ...I’d say that apart from some excellent action sequences, this is pretty much a turkey. Like Mark, I remember being excited about a MacGyver movie on tv but was disappointed with the reality. I’ve watched it a couple of times now and it doesn’t improve any.<br />I think I agree with Mark that the British cast and crew just don’t marry up with the MacGyver vibe. Across both movies, some normally excellent British actors seem stiff, wooden and unhappy, not helped by some very poor script in places. Interestingly there was a life story programme on Brian Blessed yesterday. As Mark says he’s practically a national institution for his booming voice and larger than life characters although he’s also a good, and sometimes subtle, Shakespearean and tv drama actor. He’s also well-known for being completely bonkers and also very adventurous having tried to climb Everest without oxygen 3 times. Needless to say, his part in the MacGyver movie was not included in the programme!<br />I think from a British perspective the locations haven’t helped the movies' credibility. Battersea Power station is a London landmark and just not believable as a Balkan army base! I’ve been to quite a lot of the locations of both movies including Thera in Greece and I can tell you that its hard to accept that there’s a crevice of the volcanic island that hasn’t been investigated by archaeologists or trampled over by tourists let alone a massive crater with a secret chamber. <br />The good bits; the scenes in the army base including the chair escape and the rocket powered jeep. MacGyver tackling the ‘cleaner’ (I agree a great sliding tackle) and the Parliament square car stunts. Don’t know how they managed to film there but it was worth it.<br />The bad bits; MacGyver’s grumpiness, that you’ve referred to, and most of the rest of the movie. I agree - why have the reference to ‘Kelly’ having a crush on him with no further romance or chemistry. (There’s no way that a well- spoken academic like her would be called Kelly!). I have issues with the idiotic plot and the ‘Torch of Truth’ (how did they keep a straight face?), MacGyver having apparently studied archaeology, the ‘Exeter caves’ which if they existed would surely be a World Heritage site, the professor switching sides twice, all the scenes on Thera including the ridiculously large-scale planets and the bucket and rope escape.. I could go on… I know its meant to be light-hearted and exciting but I just felt it the sets and plot were clunking and slightly ridiculous.<br />If pushed to give it any kind of ranking I’d have to put it somewhere in the 120's.<br />Alnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-17846448571032712032015-05-21T23:58:41.279-05:002015-05-21T23:58:41.279-05:00Interesting. I didn't realize SG-1 had a stor...Interesting. I didn't realize SG-1 had a story idea that "Indiana Jones 4" ripped off too. I hope RDA and Greenburg are getting some residuals from Lucasfilm!Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-79441010289469321852015-05-21T23:57:24.747-05:002015-05-21T23:57:24.747-05:00I didn't like any of "Doomsday" but ...I didn't like any of "Doomsday" but I will say the first 20 minutes were the least terrible part of it. Perhaps you'll be among that 10-20% of the fan base who doesn't find "Doomsday" atrocious but I have absolutely no idea how!Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-17342841733162597312015-05-21T21:57:12.272-05:002015-05-21T21:57:12.272-05:00In the words of CinemaSins - HAHAHAHAHAHA - no. i...In the words of CinemaSins - HAHAHAHAHAHA - no. i can assure you that my ranking of 'alllll the way at the bottom' is my true ranking for Doomsday.Highlander_IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12390532917085374247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-23289904027446824992015-05-21T21:53:30.591-05:002015-05-21T21:53:30.591-05:00I'm about 20 minutes into Doomsday and I'm...I'm about 20 minutes into Doomsday and I'm actually really digging it so far - maybe you and Highlander were putting me on and it's actually your clear #1...Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-31828036163403400352015-05-21T21:51:53.863-05:002015-05-21T21:51:53.863-05:00Interesting to read about the SG-1 episode - thank...Interesting to read about the SG-1 episode - thanks for sharing H2. Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-35607533604499437162015-05-21T19:38:32.065-05:002015-05-21T19:38:32.065-05:00I have this one ranked similarly to Mark - and for...I have this one ranked similarly to Mark - and for similar reasons, if I recall correctly my reasons for putting it where it is. Though, some of my reasoning for ranking it a little higher might be more 'it's 100x's better than Doomsday', which isn't a good reason to rank it where it is, but may be a contributing factor. <br /><br />Regarding Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - when it came out, there was also talk of it totally ripping off a Stargate SG-1 episode, titled 'Crystal Skull' of all things (http://stargate.wikia.com/wiki/Crystal_Skull). The 4th IJ movie was definitely the one that required the most suspension of disbelief. If you don't pay a lot of attention to the plot, the action elements are okay, but it's got nothing on the others. (Temple of Doom is my personal fave. *g*) But, yup - it was a mention of the ancient/alien treasure being knowledge that is closely tied to MacGyver's Atlantis episode.<br /><br />Highlander_IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12390532917085374247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-64992673488383355302015-05-21T19:01:30.444-05:002015-05-21T19:01:30.444-05:00I don't remember that part clearly (since it&#...I don't remember that part clearly (since it's been almost a week now since I watched it), but maybe he was speaking figuratively about wishing he'd never heard of Atlantis because things were going wrong, but once they got a break he was roped right back in. Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-34709336645254147242015-05-21T18:59:37.074-05:002015-05-21T18:59:37.074-05:00Yeah who knows, maybe I'll enjoy "Doomsda...Yeah who knows, maybe I'll enjoy "Doomsday" more than you -- I will hold out hope! Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-42035045208823290622015-05-21T18:31:39.328-05:002015-05-21T18:31:39.328-05:00In fairness, your ranking around #106 might actual...In fairness, your ranking around #106 might actually be a better reflection of the quality of this movie than is my #62, but the high-adventure Indiana Jones theme is in my wheelhouse and earned this one some bonus points. I could theoretically go 20-25 points lower if I'm judging this one solely on its merits....which as I said before is a little sad considering they had a movie budget and what would seem likely plenty of time to get the story right here given the flexible timetable.<br /><br />And do you (or anyone else) have an answer to why MacGyver, Kelly and Atticus arrived at Thera to see SImon beaten up and are lamenting how they're not going into the crater and "WISH THEY'D HEARD OF ATLANTIS!!!!" one minute, but then proceeded moments later after finding the platinum pages in the ark. What was keeping them from wanting to go inside before they found the pages? That's the most confusing plot hole for me in this one.<br /><br />I'd have to rewatch "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (an idea that makes me uneasy just to think about as epically disappointing as it was) to recall the exact dialogue and moment of revelation. It didn't have to do with Atlantis, just about "the treasure being knowledge".<br /><br />Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-35967027593452603092015-05-21T18:23:37.813-05:002015-05-21T18:23:37.813-05:00Yes. I knew the movies were made in the first hal...Yes. I knew the movies were made in the first half of 1993 for the 93-94 TV season.....it was just a matter of when they'd be aired. I waited and waited and waited until I finally had to call around March 1994, when I was told the first one would be aired on May 21, 1994. True to form after seven seasons of shoddy treatment, ABC waited till the very end of the season to air it and slotted it for the absolute worst time slot on ABC (Saturday night at 7 central). But the movie caught a bit of a break when ABC bumped it up a week to May 14, and it happened to the week after ABC's much-hyped and highly-rated Stephen King miniseries "The Stand" aired, giving it better than usual promotion. The movie ranked 59th out of 86 shows for its week, which is by no means great, but it still performed better than anything else ABC had aired that season on Saturday night at 7:00. As for "Doomsday", there's a cohort who really likes that and it's entirely possible you'll be one of them given that our impressions diverge pretty dramatically sometimes.<br /><br />Moreso than the British production crew being incompetent, I was just saying they gave the movie a considerably different vibe than the series has, something even more evident in "Doomsday". Surprised you thought the volcano scene at the end looked good though. I wasn't impressed with the special effects there....some very obvious blue screen work especially at the cave opening.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-84801587597882636002015-05-21T09:02:56.850-05:002015-05-21T09:02:56.850-05:00Looks like we're on the same page here despite...Looks like we're on the same page here despite your numerical ranking being about 40 spots higher. I barely remember the ending of Crystal Skull (tried to block it out) so that's interesting that there's a MacGyver parallel there. Do they actually reference Atlantis in the movie? I remember they're in a rain forest cave and the aliens wake up and go flying off in a spaceship. Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-69390890095799341712015-05-21T08:57:36.775-05:002015-05-21T08:57:36.775-05:00Did ABC say anything when you called them? I wish...Did ABC say anything when you called them? I wish I could say that I'm ready for the greatest MacGyver adventure of all time with Trail to Doomsday but I doubt that will be the case based on your ranking. I didn't notice anything in particular that I would pin on the British production crew -- I thought the filming of the scenes was good including the ending, though at times it was B movie-ish as you mentioned. Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-28716455484907895992015-05-20T22:50:19.865-05:002015-05-20T22:50:19.865-05:00So while my review is pretty dour thus far, was th...So while my review is pretty dour thus far, was there anything I liked? Yes....pretty much the same things you did. While it was kind of weak that they didn't show how MacGyver and Atticus got out of the first temple, I still enjoyed the camera lens bit and the wood chip volcano. And the escape from the Balkan military base was outstanding....both with the wooden chair and lighter bit and especially the rocket jeep, the latter of which represented the movie's peak. The next half hour had its moments too, with the discovery of the ark's magnetism and the car chase and foot chase through the crowds of London after Zavros stole the medallion. I was still into it at this point. After that, the pickings got slimmer but there were still individual moments worthy of the more creative Indiana Jones adventures from the series, including the revelation of the nonmagnetic platinum pages inside the magnetic ark that served as the punch cards for an ancient computer. And Atticus original betrayal was a great surprise plot twist, even though they completely ruined it by turning him into a good guy again 15 minutes later. And, of course, Ken Harrison's music was outstanding as always.<br /><br />But at no point did the film manage to sustain momentum in a way that it could overcome its deficiencies. The set designs seemed pretty cheap compared to what they did with the series (the cave and the fiery volcanic ending were both awful)...."Atlantis" itself apparently consisted of a green platform with a few chests full of scrolls immersed in magma???.....and as you said, the writing just seemed lazy at several points. MacGyver really used his Swiss Army knife to replace a Magnetos switch to start an airplane??? Simon's motivations were very poorly drawn and his "work on Thera" made no sense outside the context of Atlantis. MacGyver and Kelly's escape from those loose-fitting ropes and escaping that ridiculous cave collapsing on them was as B-movie as it gets! And why was it that after MacGyver, Kelly, and Atticus arrived at Thera they "wished they'd never heard of Atlantis" and didn't intend to explore the volcano....but after finding the platinum page inside the ark that was the motivation they needed? That didn't make sense. John Sheppard gave some indication in his interview that these movies were rushed through (not sure why!) and it certainly felt that way to the viewer...at least this viewer.<br /><br />In a way it feels like it an insult to rate this as high as I do (#62) because there are a good 20 episodes of the series down the line that are tactically better done. But something about the high-adventure theme works for me at a gut level and I accentuate the positive when watching this film even though there's so much not worthy of what the "MacGyver" franchise routinely put out. I'm actually surprised it has the number of fans it does among the series faithful (it gets glowing reviews on TV.com for example). And one other feather in the movie's cap. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas actually ripped off the lame "the treasure of Atlantis is knowledge" ending in the considerably worse "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" film. For all the potshots taken at MacGyver for "ripping off Indiana Jones" over the years, I guess Mike Greenburg, John Sheppard, and Mike Vejar got the last laugh in the end as Hollywood's brightest lights had to sink to their level 14 years later!Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-89613216644874956132015-05-20T22:50:00.251-05:002015-05-20T22:50:00.251-05:00There wasn't a ton of agreement between us on ...There wasn't a ton of agreement between us on the other "Indiana Jones" episodes but we're pretty close to lockstep here. The one thing you didn't mention that I felt was the biggest macro-level impairment here was the British-centric production. Something just felt off in both movies....lost in translation with a mostly British crew taking on an American pop culture icon. I was fully prepared for the greatest MacGyver adventure of all-time when I settled in for this one back in 1994 (I was a sophomore in high school who called ABC to find out when they were finally gonna air the damn thing!) and while I enjoyed most of the first hour, I'd be lying if I walked away from the film with those lofty expectations satisfied back.<br /><br />It didn't take long to realize we'd be getting the grumpy MacGyver of season 7 was back and 100 times grumpier than ever. It was just an endless assault of negativity on the senses and I have no idea what they were thinking turning the sunny MacGyver of yore into this mop-haired mega-grouch. Kelly said "the years haven't mellowed him" in regards to Simon....but it could just as easily have been said that finding out he had a son hasn't mellowed Angus M.! And if you're hoping for MacGyver to perk up in "The Trail to Doomsday", I suspect you're likely to long for the Pollyanna optimism of the MacGyver in the Atlantis movie after that one. As for Atticus, MacGyver's grumpiness stemmed from the classic Lewis-and-Martin season 7 approach of the straight man and the nutjob playing off of each other, and they couldn't have found an actor better positioned to play the nutjob role than Brian Blessed. You said you're not familiar with him, but this over-the-top shtick is his thing. Some say his "I WISH I'D NEVER HEARD OF ATLANTIS!!!" bellow from this film ranks right up there with best of his shrill lines delivered in British productions. The villains were awful and I didn't like Kelly either. I saw next to no romantic connection either.<br /><br />Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.com