Some people might think that a Walking Dead movie might actually save the flagging ratings that seem to be taking the show on a slow but inevitable decline into obscurity that no one really wants to see but might be worried about. But at this point the upcoming movie trilogy that’s planned for Rick Grimes, as described by Alex Avard from GamesRadar seems to indicate that this is not the movie that’s being discussed. For one the movies with Rick Grimes are already well on the way as they’ve been planned out for the most part and made into something that might explain a few plot holes that will hopefully be filled since they left fans wondering just what the hell was going on in the wake of his apparent sacrifice.
There are a few reasons why an actual big screen movie might be a bad idea. One reason is pretty obvious, there’s just too much content to put into two to three hours and give the fans a decent showing of what the entire show has been about. Such a movie would have to set its focus on some of the most poignant points in the story and pick a moment in the shows history to depict so as to keep some continuity and not confuse viewers too much. There are, amazingly, those that still haven’t watched a single episode of The Walking Dead, and creating a movie would draw a great deal of attention that might manage to draw some people to the theater who have never seen it before. But if the theater experience of TWD wasn’t top notch and failed to wow anyone this would be a poor representation of a classic story that has unfortunately seemed to start winding down as the episodes continue to roll on.
Phil Hoad of Al Jazeera makes a good point when he says that the zombie genre refuses to die, but it’s also a good idea to point out that it’s been done and done again and then done some more. This is a genre that has scared people over and over throughout the years but has changed so much and in so many different ways that staying competitive takes a truly great story and something that will knock people back in their seat and make them say ‘damn’ with a hint of irony to their voice. In other words the theater is really not the place for TWD since as a TV show it’s been able to deliver on the drama, the comedy that comes every now and again, and the absolute horror of being overtaken by the hordes of undead or the human enemies that seek to take advantage of those that remain. The point is that TWD has pushed itself to such extremes that it’s really pushed itself right out of the big screen since there’s just too many important moments to pick from and too much content to pare it all down to a sizable movie that could entertain and amaze the people.
Another reason is kind of easy to state since it’s the opinion of many that would probably agree that TWD has been on a downturn but that it still needs to be left as it is. Why go changing something that has been proven to entertain the people even if the numbers are dwindling? Yeah, that sounds kind of odd since if the numbers are going down it means that the people are no longer entertained as they used to be. But it also seems that if the show was to make the leap to the big screen it seems as though it would be a huge mistake, like putting an extra large bandage over a wound that’s barely bleeding. At this point TWD is depending on the Rick Grimes movies to see if it can bring back some interest and the current conflict with the Whisperers that doesn’t seem to have ended quite yet. The show needs to bring back the wow factor it once had before it really gets to thinking that it can contend with other zombie movies on the big screen. Plus, when you look at those other films you realize that despite the ongoing nature of a zombie apocalypse there were still well-defined starting and ending points for those stories, no matter that very little was ever truly resolved.
Plus, as though all this wasn’t enough, those that are responsible for TWD are reportedly bringing another new series based on the iconic show eventually. Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly is just one individual that’s written about this and it would seem that the premise is going to be about those that have been born into this terrifying new world and how they grow up living with what’s happened. You can bet that it’s going to get crazier than it’s been in the past, but we’ll have to wait and see.
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