I didn’t anticipate writing a Monday morning postmortem of Johnny Depp’s latest movie, Transcendence. I thought the film (despite bad reviews) would easily grab the #1 spot and rustle up $40 million. That didn’t happen, not even with the help of Morgan Freeman. Depp’s movie flopped and opened in fourth place behind Captain America 2, Rio 2, and (a Christian movie that I’d never heard of) Heaven is for Real.
How could this happen? This was the movie that Johnny promoted, um, not at all. Sure, he attended the premieres and did old-school photoshoots with interviews. Maybe Johnny realized this movie was a clunker because he didn’t talk about the film hardly at all. He mostly talked about his mangagement ring and wanting babies with Amber Heard.
Transcendence only pulled in $11 million this weekend (plus another $17 million overseas). Not a problem if this was a cheap indie, but Johnny doesn’t do inexpensive films. This movie was made for $100 million. Johnny got a $20 million payday, and this movie didn’t even clear that much in the US on opening weekend.
Here’s what will happen. People will wonder if Johnny has any clout beyond the Pirates movies. This is his fourth consecutive flop! The Rum Diary, The Lone Ranger, and Dark Shadows all failed to make money. Some of them squeaked past their production budgets, but a movie must pull in 250% of its budget to break even. Johnny gets paid crazy money to do stuff like ride around on a horse (with a dead bird on his head), but it won’t last much longer.
I do still admire Johnny. His older movies showed a vital, unyielding presence, but he’s lost his way. Johnny needs a break. Of course he’ll probably react by threatening to retire again. Just wait.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN
I had plans to see this movie, until I started reading the reviews and none were good. Then I figured I’d just wait to Redbox it..
I did the same.
Planned to see it, read bad reviews, skipped it.
I won’t even bother with Redbox. This will be out on Starz pretty fast imo.
I saw it and liked it. It’s more of a tragic/bittersweet lovestory. I saw it with my hubby who is pretty critical of movies and he liked it a lot too.
Agree with you. I almost didn’t see it because of bad reviews but I liked it. I think the trailers made it seem different than what it is. It is more of a love story.
I liked it, too. I went on Friday and the theatre was empty, but I think it’s hard to open a movie on the Easter weekend.
I agree with Mouse that it really has that love story element.
They even reviewed it in NPR this morning. I guess for people interested in the possibilities of artificial intelligence this is a movie to see.
We like it too! We are pretty tough critics, for the most part. It definitely made us think about how far (too far!!) technology has come in such a short time~
Here’s the Pajiba review, if you haven’t yet read it, in glorious hatchet-job form: http://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/jenny-mccarthys-terminator-reboot-transcendence-review.php
Same. I planned on seeing, such a bunch of bad reviews and thought “I can probably wait for DVD” or wait till its streaming online somewhere.
I had plans to see this movie until I saw that outfit. Homeboy needs a stylist STAT. I think my grandpop even rejected that beige look..
Yeah, he needs a restart. Maybe a break, maybe some indies.
He should get rid of his fiancee. Seriously, everything started to go wrong when she showed up. Is it Karma or what? đŸ˜‰
He’s been on the d ownslide LONG before Amber came around. It started when he finally got rich and super successful. The guy’s filmography has some gems, but there’s also a ton of weird crap that would never have been made if it wasn’t a cheap Indie. But now it’s being made as big budget te ntpole movies, like Dark Shadows and Lone Ranger. Johnny Depp is the guy that bought his own hype (don’t forget, he recently backed out of a passion project because they couldn’t meet his $20 million dollar price). The blame on this one lies squarely with Mr. Depp.
An unyielding presence. Well stated, that’s exactly what he had.
Can an actor sustain that forever? Does it make him less of a great actor if over the years some of that presence just quietly slips away? I still respect him for his former work and hope there’s a resurgence of his presence.
Grandpa needs to retire imo. His recent work doesn’t show the same level of talent that his earlier work did. If people have to think back 15+ years to name your best performances, then you need to reevaluate things.
He’s mailing it in. It’s time for him to get real with himself.
You fell the f*ck off, Johnny.
Hang up your fedora and walk quietly off into the sunset with your blonde armpiece.
Yup he needs a break and to regroup. I wish he’d drop out of the next Pirates and Alice movie give the money back and work on whatever crap he’s going through. Because imho, he hasn’t been okay since like 2008-09. I don’t know if it was/ is a mid life crisis or something else he just really needs to get his sh*t together.
My feelings has nothing to do with his movies not making loads of money because typically outside of the Disney stuff his movies have never made loads of money, I feel this way after reading and watching his interviews. I feel like he’s been phoning in his performances of late and just isn’t really into it.
I hope he gets himself together because he is one of my favorite actors and I would like to see him make the great work that I know from watching his past movies he is capable of.
My guess is that he became lazy but i’m more worried for Wally Pfisterthe director.It was his first movie and it’s a flop in box-office and in critics
Yup, bang on. He did well by developing the Jack Sparrow character and got lazy from there on in. He has talent and not just for the silly pantomime characters he’s been throwing out since then, which is the real frustration.
I swear I feel like I can smell his body odor through the computer screen. He just looks dirty and has turned into a caricature of himself. That doesn’t bode well for his career – until his resurrection in his later years as a character actor.
He’s one of those actors where I truly never got the appeal. But judging by some of the couples and hipsters that I see on a daily basis, some people go for that “I-Don’t-Take-Advantage-of-Indoor-Plumbing” look.
Maybe it’s the combination of dating a ridiculously younger woman and making films that are either bad or receive really bad publicity that’s doing it? Or, maybe it’s because he’s seems like he’s playing an over the top caricature version of Jack Sparrow in every film now?!?!? Hmmmm. It’s really weird how a few years ago he was flying really high at the box office, and now it seems like no one cares.
I think that’s it. Also, that ridiculously younger woman who is coming off as a goldigger may bail if his status in Hollywood is waning.
From 2004 to 2014 his only hit outside POTC and Alice was The Tourist.
Also he was in no way responsible for Alice’s success since it was the second non-animated 3D film after Avatar, so people went for the 3D.
I have to second that. Other than the POTC movies, Johnny has never really been a big box office draw. I think Sleepy Hollow in 1999 did well though.
Charlie and the chocolate Factory and also Rango were pretty big hits.And all of his other movies like public enemies and sweeney todd made a high profit
Rango was an animated movie and Sweeny Todd was a middling success if even.
Studios keep only about 50 percent of receipts and for lower budget movies with a marquee name promotion budgets can be around 100 percent of production.
For example when all is said and done, The Tourist and Sweeney made similar profits off box office alone but because the tourist grossed more in terms of absolute receipts, it earns more money off ancillary revenue like home video sales, syndication rights, etc.
Actually Rango wasn’t exactly a big box office hit either – $123,477,607 (Domestic) and $122,246,996 (Overseas) in production budget of $135 million. Sucess yes, but not groundbreaking either.
Yes, Johnny Depp cloud is overestimated a lot.
Well, trouble is, this is the first time in EONS this dude is gonna make a movie not in drag or tons of makeup and he spends it playing a computer and only from the waist up lol , at some point people just throw their hands up
Lol this comment gave me the giggles at work, bless you and your holy light QQ! You’re the best đŸ˜‰
*hugs*
or alternatively some people just throw up….
LOL! Love this comment!
I wonder if he even knows how to play a real person anymore?
i saw it and his acting was, well, he was wooden. i got that the relationship with the wife was supposed to be this great love story, but he could not pull it off. plus, imo part of the reason he was shown only from the waist up for most of the movie is that he looked kind of tubby. there was a scene where he was leaned over showing him from behind, total round lady-butt.
Chaine I guffawed sofaking HARD at this ( the boss heard me!!)
He needs to stop chasing paychecks and go back to smaller films. That’s where he excels.
Agreed – once up on a time he made quirky, little, interesting films, and was an interesting actor. I can’t blame him for doing the Pirates movies – the first one was great fun and he made a fortune off them. But maybe he got too used to the big paychecks and cushy perks of such films.
Going back to smaller films would be a good step for him.
Agreed!
He just needs to make better career choices.People seem to forget his last 4 movies were also critical failures and we all know that the critics play a big role now.Also Transcendence was made by a first time Director and Writer so it’s pretty unfair to Johnny to get all the blame.I agree that his career is going through some kind of crisis but no way it’s over.I mean the man has a 30 years career and an impressive awards recognition so I don’t think a few flops can destroy him.The real problem would be if he made a masterpiece movie and flopped.That would be a trouble.He just needs better roles and he will shine again because he is such a talented actor and it’s a shame.I’m definitely gonna watch Transcendence.
No one should use the ‘first time director/writer’ as the excuse. Many, many people have hit the ball out of the park on their first try. It was poly conceived and executed. End of.
I think the premise of the film not being believable, coupled with Johnny’s never ending screen presence in ‘outside the box films’ did it in. But honestly, I think it had less to do with him and more to do with Hollywood not getting technology right. But he needs to take a break and return to a straight drama, maybe even a comedy, but sans the character make-up and/or fantasy work.
He needs a good script. That’s all.
He needs a script outside of his cliche roles. I feel like Johnny reads a script and if he says, “Hey, trippy, man!”, he automatically signs up. His roles were once unusual and different. Now they all fall within a certain genre and there is a collective yawn from repetition and lack of range.
I think it was a lack of marketing. Both my sister and I wanted to see it, but didn’t realize it was out this week.
The “movie star” is basically dead, concept is king. Channing Tatum you say? Well why did White House Down flop then? 1980s with Stallone or Arnie in the lead, it’s a smash. RDJ? Yes still a movie star but outside if Marvel he will need to be very careful. Depp movies will make money as long as it’s a movie people want to see him in. The name of an actor alone these days is no longer enough.
Channing Tatum is awful. Whatever made him ‘a thing’ should be punished.
Lol. He is the worst actor ever. It’s painful to watch that potato on screen.
that potato… HAHAHAHAHA
Yep.
In the past if you were choosing a movie to go see you often didn’t have that much to go on, especially if you were seeing it in the first week before you could hear reviews from friends. Who the film starred was a major drawcard then. Now that we get a million on set pictures and teasers and early reviews on twitter etc. it doesn’t count for much. No one goes in blind anymore, so the star has become less important.
I’m a big fan of a lot of actors, but I can’t think of one who would get me into a cinema based on just their name. Director’s yes, but no actors.
Since they re-booted Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey jr. why not re-boot Hercule Poirot with Johnny Depp?
All new adventures base on Agatha Christies character. I’d pay to see that!!
i agree. that is a role he could be good at. would not require him to attempt to have chemistry with a female “love interest” either.
NOOOOOO!!!
Get down and give me twenty Suchets for that, that awful suggestion.
You know full well he’d somehow make the moustache kooky.
It would depend on the director Bob!
Plus he was with that French actress for over 10years?
So I’m sure he could do a decent French accent without sounding like a bad copy of Clouseau.
Suchet, Suchet, Suchet!
Transcendence has $100 million. Wow, it looked soo cheap, CGI’s were poorly done. It was disappointing. And trailers were boring too. The only reason i watched it was my stupid unwavering love for Johnny Depp.
And i will feel sorry for Amber if Johnny’s career goes sh-it (more than it already did). She hustles for the A-lister idiot moviestar, and he becomes useless the moment she gets him. Fortunately the girl plays the game well, there many more desperate A-listers that would fall for her charms.
yes, his career is in trouble and has been.
he’ll blame pirates, how he was “forced” into it.
despite the heavy promotion, this last film was also DOA.
he is a caricature of himself.
as an aside, why does hollyweird keep trying to promote stories about old dudes with young love interests? really, 20 years. đŸ™„
I saw the Lone Ranger; JD was horrible in it. Casting him as Tonto was a misfire. The backlash of casting a white actor in an ethic role = poor returns at the box office. Why Hollywood never learns from that I’ll never know.
He was so no mojo as tonto. Ugh.
I think he fell into POTC and never came out, quite frankly. Never forget that Lone Ranger was a vanity project for him, and that was a big misfire. Which was too bad, bec it was a good summer escape movie. It will be interesting to see how next movie outside of Disney does.
Bedhead…seriously $40 mil??? Just because Johnny was in it? When you don’t hear about a big-budge film more than a month before release its extremely rare that it will make that type of money. Also, the appeal of the movie was not going to be Johnny as it says straight up in the trailer that he dies early in the film and its some type of robot AI of him for the rest of the movie. So no… you’re one of the very few who thought it would make that type of money.
“….Came in 4th place”. Seriously, let’s not sugarcoat it. Transcendence flopped. Badly. Johnny maybe needs to pull a Mconnoghy (sp?) and back away from headlining big budget movie for a while. Rebuild his box office credit with small ensemble pieces. Maybe do a tv show.
The movie was incredibly boring and defied credibility on even the most basic IT issues. A guy with multi-million dollar research grants on artificial intelligence doesn’t make back-up copies of his work? IT geniuses keeping boxes and boxes of paper? The entire cast, which included Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara, and Morgan Freeman was wasted. And the actual lead of the film was Rebecca Hall, not Depp, she had far more screen time than he did.
My husband is a Software Engineer and was snarling through the whole trailer, muttering, “I’ll believe Skynet before this. Computer do exactly what you tell them to do. No more. No less. And let’s hook up the powerful brain to all of the internet because WHY NOT?!”
Kind of like me in 2012 with the “Neutrinos are passing through the sun and making it unstable.” You basic science lacking bitches, neutrinos are passing through your BODY right NOW. You’re not going to Mayan Tectonic Plate Explode because of it. /teacher grump
OH and Morgan Freeman was in this movie too. He did that crappy sci-fi movie with Jamie Lannister, Tom Cruise, and all his clones. I guess a check is a check.
I was snarling at the IT issues and I barely can figure out how to turn on the computer, but anyone who has ever worked in an office knows about backup files and that the use of paper in the workplace today is rare (unless you work in my office, in which case, we have mountains of it). I was constantly reminded of Skynet throughout and laughing about how the “anti-IT terrorists” in the film were relying on the internet and GPS to carry out their activities.
FTN,Morgan Freeman did the movie because he yet worked with Pfister when he was Chris Nolan’s DP
LOL @ “basic science lacking bitches”
I think it’s because he never plays anyone remotely real. Always a gimmick, always a shtick. When I hear about a Depp movie I think, what new weirdo is he playing now. And he doesn’t appear to have matured in his personal life either. Same weird clothes, same mid-life crisis as other men each age. For someone who tries to be so different he’s incredibly one-note.
I saw the movie Saturday afternoon in IMAX. Me included, there were a total of seven people in the theater. The problem wasn’t Johnny; the movie just wasn’t interesting or entertaining. The concept may have looked good on paper, but on the screen it was rather boring.
He should take a break and his next movie should be something like Finding Neverland: a good quality script and story, good cast, dierctor, production, ect. Stop the bolckbusters tryouts Johnny you were great doing smaller character based movies with a a good story.
He can’t retire. Not now, at least. He has many movies on the plate for the coming years. “Into the woods” and “Mortdecai” already finished. “Black Mass” starting the next month. “Alice” and Pirates sequels. and several cameo-roles in “Lucky Them”, “London Fields” and “Tusk”. He isn’t retiring. Not even his pay-day is getting any cut in any of those movies, already signed.
His overseas charm is still there. Even his recents “flops” have gained over 200 million only from the international markets: “The Tourist”, “Dark Shadows” and “Lone Ranger”…and right now, “Transcendence” in a few markets already had a bigger opening weekend from the international market (it opened in 18 million from outside america). That’s the real capital that Johnny Depp has. The undying love from the international market, that every day are bigger and bigger than america (his POTC 4 did over 800 only from outside!)
The biggest issue of his career right now are the bad reviews. All his movie that flopped are also critical flops big time. When those movies are for a younger audiences, it doesn’t matter. Teenagers watch the movies no matter what (see Pirates or the Twilight series). But when the movies are for older audiences (“The Rum Diary” based on a book; “Dark Shadows” based on an old soap opera; “Lone Ranger” a western based on an old serie, marketed for an older men target) the reviews does matter. Transcendence it’s the same, teenagers doesn’t even understand the concept (Forbes did an analysis about this fact about the movie). Older people ain’t gonna waste the price of a ticket and soda and popcorn in a movie lambasted by the critics.
it’s a shame that the people/haters/critics/bloggers want to destroy the confidence of one of the most interesting and intriguing actors of all times…what the people want? that all the actors be as boring as George Clooney or Matt Damon, Actors like Depp are necessary, in the same way that actors like Chaplin or Buster Keaton were.
I hope and i think he will turn around the things. Black Mass is his first real villian and he did brilliant works in biopics like Brasco or Blow. And Mortdecai seems to be really interesting, so much that that the distribution was sold to all the world even before the movie was completed.
When people use the word ‘haters’ in their argument, it automatically diffuses whatever the point was. It assumes that people who do not agree are reacting only on an emotional level that is tied to having a great investment in the subject. It is a deflection of criticism, which is based on merit or non-merit and not a personal vendetta. It is also dangerously close to an ad hominen attack. I have no ‘hate’ of Johnny Depp. To compare Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton to modern day performances is missing the point that, without sound, these actors needed to overcompensate with make-up, and with facial expression and movement in relaying emotion and reactions. They could not do it through their voices. Further, they were primarily comedic in their films, and Johnny often takes himself very seriously in fantasy roles, and that sometimes puts him in trouble. If some of his over the top roles were intended as camp, versus being played straight, but in costume, I think they would have played better. Further, no one was advocating that Johnny should be Clooney or Damon. Why shouldn’t he stretch himself in roles without the clutch of either make-up and costume or other-worldly roles?
^^^^Haterz gunna hate^^^^
Sorry, when did I mention that people doing fair criticism toward his work are haters? I’m talking about all those people that doesn’t even watch his movies for whatever reason, but are all around the web “hating” on him or his movies even months before those reach the screen anyway.
Do I have to assume that you felt yourself as a hater, or do you have some doubts that you are, and that’s why you felt so “touched” by the word?
And you are missing your point with Chaplin or Buster Keaton, also both highly lambasted by criticism on their era (Chaplin was exiled from US for god sake! or criticized because they didn’t wanted to give up the silent cinema over the -already born new technology of sound (the movie “The Artist” it’s inspired on them)…I could bet if Internet would have existed the people would have said “they can’t act out of their stich” as much at it’s said about Johnny), but also those are only true icons comparable to Depp. Johnny is a highly physical performer, that’s why he shines in movies like Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas or the first Pirates. But also in movies like “Benny & Joon”, “Edward Scissorhands” his performance are like from a silent movie star. “Ed Wood”, “Finding Neverland” even “Rango” (with his performance captured) proves that point)
When the times comes, when his career will be seen in perspective in 20 years from now or so. he wouldn’t be “The Brando” of 2000 (as many critics called him along the years) he will be “The Chaplin”!
And by the way, he “stretched himself in a role without the clutch of either make-up and costume” already in Transcendence!!
I would mantain what “original kitten” said…haters gonna hate!
No, there really is nothing beneath it all, I just think Johnny has turned into a bore in terms of acting and chosen roles. It’s really THAT simple, no hidden neurosis or emotional reaction or other such ridiculousness. But you seem highly invested, so we’ll leave it at that.
The Original Kitten was goofing. She and I go way back, and we are equally annoyed with the ‘haters’ phrase. It’s an inside joke.
Stop drinking the haterade, hater.
On another topic, I discovered Vaporub can cure ingrown hairs.
Really, is there anything that this magical (and soothing!) ointment CAN’T do?
No way! Ingrown hairs? You know the ingredient which has overlap from the salve and the vaporub is the petrolatum. Maybe there is eucalyptus in both too. We could probably buy something much cheaper that would do the same thing?
Of course movies are going to make more from international markets. You do realize that “domestic” grosses encompasses the U.S. and Canada, while “international” is the rest of the world. And I disagree with your comment that “Older people ain’t gonna waste the price of a ticket and soda and popcorn in a movie lambasted by the critics.” So called older people aren’t wasting their time reading Rotten Tomatoes. And I see the main problem for both The Lone Ranger and Dark Shadows was the respective studios were selling the movies as comedies, whereas they both were trying to be comedic and serious at the same time. If they had stuck to the source material (a western and a gothic horror), I absolutely believe both would have been much more popular. I actually loved The Lone Ranger and saw it seven times in the theater.
It will be interesting to see what he does with Black Mass. I really can’t see him as Whitey Bulger. Guy Pearce has been cast as Billy Bulger and I don’t see that either.
I’d agree Depp isn’t even close to retiring, but disagree that he’s somehow interesting compared to Clooney or Damon. Part of Depp’s problem is that he’s gotten dull and predictable. PotC. Whatever the newest gothy thing with Burton is. The latest big budget payday film, seemingly not screened very carefully for quality. Bouncing back will be easy for Johnny, but he’ll have to break out of the current mold and do something different, or at least be more careful that his more of the same is a better version of the same and gets different reviews. (I’m rolling my eyes at the idea that people here are trying to destroy his confidence. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tori Spelling reads this site, but Johnny Depp does not. He doesn’t care what we’re saying, nor is anyone trying to specifically send him a message.)
You are not really comparing Depp with Chaplin are you?
He always was a very mediocre actor, just riding on his pretty face and prefabricated sensitive artist shtick. The only genuine thing about him is his love for big paychecks and booze.
I don’t think his career is in trouble.
Agreed with above – the concept of the movie star really is dead. And frankly, even if the big time movie stars of today were alive, their films would “flop” too. Why? Unless it’s one of these stupid franchise movies (Captain America, Hunger Games), no actor is going to make a studio back the 100 million – 300 million dollars they idiotically spent. The budgets of these movies truly disgust me.
I read a ton of reviews for transcendence, the whole thing was a disaster – acting, direction, plot, etc. What really didn’t help the movie was the huge success of Spike Jonze’s Her. Everyone compared it to Her and how it fell short in comparison. Nobody bought that WIll (Johnny Depp) and Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) were in love (no chemistry), which hurt the flick. I won’t be watching.
I think he’ll be great in Mortdecai!
Hey, the Captain America films are actually really good, script and talent-wise.
His career will coast on his good name for a long time, but it is a shame after such brilliant films as Fear and Loathing and Donnie Brasco (and I hate shooty American gangster films) etc, we don’t see him being as good as he can be.
Captain America is good and it actually has a similar plot device to Transcendence, but Captain America had a lot more plot.
I used to be a huge fan of Johnny Depp, but now ever since he left the mother of his children and got with this amber heard, I’m done. His attractiveness disapated for me.
Agree! One of my fave things about him was the low key life he and Vanessa led. They didn’t seem desperate for attention like he and this amber chick do.
I don’t think it is fair to blame Amber Heard for Johnny’s film choices. He is a adult. An established actor. If his career is not doing what is expected the blame is his and his alone.
I don’t think his career is in trouble per se. Even Tom Cruise can get roles based on his vast name recognition, and that’s after years of everyone thinking he’s a weirdo. I think Johnny is a little stuck in the past and is assuming that a big paycheck, a big production budget, and his name attached to a project is enough. If he starts screening his scripts a little more carefully and stays away from Tim Burton, I think he’ll be back on course soon enough. The only quibble I’d have is that I’m not sure he wants to do that. It’s possible that he’s happy cashing those $20 million checks as long as someone is foolish enough to write them.
I agree–I thought that Transcendence would be the beginning of him bouncing back–but he should’ve chosen a better director. All I’m hearing is that the film, not necessarily the actors, is a hot mess…..and a jumpy, so so film is a lot worse (to me) than bad acting….
Also, the issue is no one wants to take risks anymore in HW. So who’s to say that the Burton films aren’t the most ‘creative’/’offbeat’ films he can find, with the added bonus of working with a friend.
How bad the director was a big surprise to me. He worked with Christopher Nolan and if i remember right Nolan produced it too. Didn’t he watch it and realise how all over the place cgi work is. Not everybody has to like Nolan movies but it is a fact that cgi work is impeccable.
And one of the biggest problem with Depp is, he doesn’t realize doing the same offbeat and different characters all the time does not make him quirky and creative, it makes him repetetive and bland.
Transcendence actually sounded like a movie that would be a good choice for him. I think the combination of a first time director and a first time screenwriter didn’t work out as people had hoped, and it doesn’t sound like the budget was used wisely (it doesn’t sound like the movie is even very appealing from a visual point of view).
I agree that people aren’t taking many risks in Hollywood, but I don’t think the collaboration with Burton is even slightly creative or offbeat anymore. Their movies are different than some others out there, but they tend to be the same as other Burton/Depp movies. I appreciate that they’re friends and like working together, but I think both of them could use a break! If Johnny wants to do something really different, I think he may need to follow the lead of other actors (even ones who consider themselves huge stars) and lower his fee when a great script comes along so he can do something that doesn’t come with a $100 million price tag.
I knew this movie is gonna flop. The trailer is boring as hell and the reviews were bad. But I won’t worry about his career. I’m sure he’ll bounce back.
I know that “The Lone Ranger” failed, but I feel like this is some karmic justice for him ever agreeing to play Tonto. Speaking of TLR, where is the hunky Armie Hamer at? I need him to grace my news feed after saving saving puppies on nude beach or being caught drunkingly go-go dancing at a gay bar (Can’t that be his cosmic justice for TLR).
As to JD’s career being in trouble, I doubt it. Just like the Cracken has her small, but not insignificant “Comeback” appeal, JD has his “watch him play this crazy role” appeal. People have written entire movies around him playing crazy side characters, so I doubt they are going to stop now. Maybe they will just jump the shark and let him play the black guy in the robinson crusoe movie.
Johnny made a major career mistake – or not. Depends how you look at it. By signing up with Disney for the Pirates of the Carribbean franchise, he effectively cast himself in stone as Jack Sparrow. Once someone plays such a iconic character (particularly multple times), it’s hard to shed that – particularly when you do it so late in your career, where the truly plum roles are behind you. On the other hand, the Pirates franchise made him richer than his wildest dreams.
Pirates made JD a very very very rich man. But as you said it also has now stamped him as to only be believable and attractive to movie audiences and ticket buyers as Jack Sparrow. I don’t know how he will climb out of this deep deep hole he has now dug for himself. Maybe he needs to sit on his private island for a time and read some scripts rather than transform into Jack Sparrow again as the last Pirates sequel earned less than the previous films. But that Pirates money is probably impossible to pass up collecting.
Please, those people claiming that because he split with his ex partner, don’t watch his movies weren’t never fans of his talent as an actor. Are only like teenagers with a platonic love, but didn’t admired his work for real. So, it doesn’t matter what they think about his movies now, because they didn’t were really interested on his movies before neither (ridiculous to try to put the blame on his new woman)
What does matter are all those people that were real fans of his movies and his work, and stopped spending their money to watch his movies on the cinema!
But I suspect they will be back once he does a good movie again
He just seems to be making bad choices all around
The trailer looked AWFUL, I am not surprised.
Besides JD seems like some greedy a$$ who hardly makes an effort anymore.
Johnny Depp may be the lead in Transcendence, but he can hardly be blamed for the derivative disaster it is. He has chosen his movies poorly in the past few years and just needs to focus on getting good roles in good films. I didn’t think Lone Ranger was all that bad – it had its moments but it was absolutely forgettable except the train chase sequence in the end. I miss him in movies like The Ninth Gate and Sleepy Hollow. Hell, I’d even welcome more POTC movies. Depp is in a rut and all it’ll take is one good movie to get out of it. He sure has the talent. He’s not Keanu Reeves!!
Transcendence suffers from done-to-death themes and cliches repackaged. Its just Hollywood fluff. Every year, barely ONE movie (usually a small budget production) qualifies as good Sci-Fi. Science Fiction has a lot of offer but Hollywood doesn’t want to explore new ideas. Its either remakes or derivative stuff like Oblivion. Most sci-fi movies made are just action movies and there is no exploration of the themes that pervade science fiction literature. I have great hopes from Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, after all he delivered the absolutely riveting Inception. I don’t think good science fiction is out of reach for most audiences, and it sure doesn’t have to be dumbed down for everyone to accept it. Its how you present the ideas that makes the difference. One can study Isaac Asimov’s work. Brilliant ideas are presented so simply and effectively in all his books. That’s the level of Sci Fi Hollywood should try to aspire to and that’s what audiences deserve. Not Groundhog Day with lasers (Edge Of Tomorrow).
I loved the movie! Been thinking about it for days. I didn’t even know anything about It at first , but stumbled upon it at the theatres. I guess there’s a lack of marketing and promotion. The story is awesome.
I think he’s just a bump in the road. Like a lot of actors do. He’ll still continue to do work. Besides, he still has “Into The Woods” this year and that will probably be a hit.
The best part of the movie was when Rebecca Hall and Paul Bettany lapsed into their own accents, instead of their fake American accents.