re: The Last Duel flops with 4.8 million. "Give us original movies" they say.

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After reading the summary there was no way I would take my wife to a see this.

Relationships are difficult enough without having to take on the emotional baggage of repeatedly watching an alleged rape.

I mean Jesus Christ. What do we do after the movie? Sit in silence before sleeping in separate beds? Get into a big argument about whether she was a big liar or he was just a predator? frick off

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I watched it with my wife earlier tonight and I think if you get into some sort of separate bed level argument over the movie you have issues far outside The Last Duel. For the record you only see a rape once in Marguerite's "truth".

Although rather long and slow we both liked it but had both read Eric Jager's book 15 years ago. It sticks to the historical fact but like the book it fills in holes with fiction. I particularly like the way each of the three sides' view of the events was told separately. The acting could have been better and Driver was too young for the role. I would like to have seen more of Mad King Charles but it isn't really relevant to the story.

I would give it a 7 of 10 but have found the story interesting since reading the book.

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After reading the summary there was no way I would take my wife to a see this.

Relationships are difficult enough without having to take on the emotional baggage of repeatedly watching an alleged rape.

I mean Jesus Christ. What do we do after the movie? Sit in silence before sleeping in separate beds? Get into a big argument about whether she was a big liar or he was just a predator? frick off

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Exactly. Our choices these days are super hero/fantasy movies, remakes, or these super serious depressing movies that I don’t have the mental energy to even want to watch

The Marvel movies aren’t bad and fun, but they are all the same genre and formulaic at this point

Remakes are meh (but you get some gems like new Ghostbusters)

Where are the new, original light fun movies? How would the original Ghostbusters get made today? How would Superbad get made today? How would The Sandlot get made today?

Watched it last night.
Chapter 1 not that bad. I was getting into it. I like period pieces.
Chapter 2 once we got to Pierre it was ruined. Ben Affleck was HORRIBLE in this movie. He was playing a 1999 bro. The second Chapter was the worst. The third was ok. But by then we all knew that he did do it. He was just full of himself. Again go back to a 1999 bro chanting "no means yes and yes means anal". That's how he acted.
I guess we were to see she didn't really enjoy Matt Damon and the rape was the first time she got off. Though that was just a stupid point to make to me.
Not to fear the words at the end say she was happy and he died soon.

Not a movie I'll ever watch again.

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Where are the new, original light fun movies? How would the original Ghostbusters get made today? How would Superbad get made today? How would The Sandlot get made today?

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I'm trying to remember the last new movie that I saw in theaters that was joyful to watch and a new creative product.

Watched it last night as well and I enjoyed it. Have not personally seen a movie with the pace and varying perspective of characters like that before, so thought it was original. The acting imo was solid and the action, especially the ‘duel’ at the end, was really well done with a high level of tension for the viewer. People upset about the rape scenes are either thinking too hard or trying too hard.

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The third was ok. But by then we all knew that he did do it.

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But did we? If you finished the movie and were convinced the rape happened, like bet real money on it convinced, then the movie failed you (or you failed the movie). The movie was sprinkled with lots of little "truths" to make you question each version. It was supposed to hit you like the Robert Evans quote “There are three sides to every story – yours, mine, and the truth.” just with four sides in this case.

Again I think the movie may have failed you, however, it is long and easy to lose focus while watching and miss some clues. Going into it watching with another person that had also read the book might have been very helpful for us, we were constantly pointing out to each other the little moments in each story like cops in a B movie with a criminal in "the box". I will admit to being repulsed by the actual rape version and let my eyes wander and if it hadn't been for my wife pointing it out I would have missed her "little death".

There is one clue, again from my far more observant wife, that hints to Marguerite's story being the version that Ridley Scott felt to be the truth (historically there is no "correct" version). At the beginning of her chapter when the words are on the screen "The Truth" remains a little longer after the rest of the words fade. One of the benefits of watching at home was the ability to verify this.

Each had motives to lie that were well beyond just the accusation of rape.

Writing this I actually realized I like the movie more than I realized I did.

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Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, 1917, and Parasite before the pandemic. All awesome experiences.

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I like all of those. Maybe I'm just being grumpy. I used to see a dozen or more great movies a year and have a great time

Last year was kinda Dune and Spider-Man and then I'm struggling to think of another great experience. Especially something original. The three you mentioned from 2019 were all enjoyable

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Yeah give us original moves that don’t suck.

Not sure how another Affleck/Damon movie is “original” anyway. The trailers looked like hot garbage, no way I’d pay to see that movie.

Halloween Kills gets it.

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I remember years ago when Wes Craven won an MTV award for Scream, he said something about how the award was a reminder of why we all go to the movies to begin with.

He was right.

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Not true.

You see the rape twice, though slightly softened from Le Gris’ perspective. It was still without any doubt, rape

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I can see how some people would see it that way.

What I saw was him mirroring the act that occurred with the wench earlier with basically the same level of protest and him carrying her to the bed in the same fashion. I'm slightly biased because of reading the book prior.

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Again I think the movie may have failed you

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Or maybe the movie just failed?

Hence its terrible performance at the box office.

People want original content but they also want to be entertained. When a film's central theme is sexual assault, even if there's a big and cool fight scene attached to it, you're not going to get too many people flocking to the theater.