What are your dream movies?

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

-An animated dinosaur movie with no dialogue.

I'd love to see one of the Ricardo Delgado's Age of Reptiles stories done like that. Initially The Land Before Time was suppose to be like that until Spielberg and Lucas forced Bluth to add dialogue (and cut out quite a bit of violence).

[Leviarex]

A 'LOTR' type of fantasy film that contains the following:

-Heroic Orcs

-A lesbian female warrior who's surrogate brother is a Minotaur and is head over heels in love with a kingdom's princess (also a lesbian).

-An old, intelligent and exceptionally large Dragon that lives near said kingdom and is considered a necessary evil due to constantly keeping man eating giants at bay.

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A big budget adaptation of 'Call Of Cthulhu'.

[MorgansTShirt]

More movie based on real word mythologies (Egyptian, Greek, Mayan etc), you could even make an cinematic universe out of it

Holy skreeonk yes! I always dreamed of such as idea. Best part about that is they're all in the Public Domain, so no rights would have to be used.

Just imagine a world where pantheons rules over the particular lands (Greece with the Greek Gods, Egypt with the Egyptian, Scandinavia with the Norse Gods, Japan with the Japanese Gods, etc.) acting like the United Nations of earth. Lot of potential there

I know this is an old post, but as someone who studies anthropology, theology, folkloristics, and mythology, I feel a need to address it. I think your idea may very well be marketable, but it also spits in the face of all those ancient, cultural, and often occult traditions.

That you joke how they're up for grabs because they're in the "public domain" (which actually isn't always true, as in the case of Native American and Australian Aboriginal myths which are still very closely guarded by their people today) goes to show that when it comes to mythology, people still have a very colonial perspective of them. To most people, myths aren't cultural or historical artifacts with complex and sometimes complicated meanings; they're just exotic toys you can pick up and play with at whim. That's why Quetzalcoatl is used in modern media, often portrayed as a winged snake (which is actually inaccurate) and yet nobody knows anything about him beyond maybe a quick glance at Wikipedia.

If someone is going to make a movie based on mythology, it should really express something of the spirit of the culture it came from, or if there are any new angles or twists it should still serve a meaningful purpose. Otherwise, why not just make up your very own fantasy setting and tropes? One downfall of Gods of Egypt and the remake of Clash of the Titans (besides the fact they were bad movies) is that they pretty much treat gods and symbols, legitimate expressions and traditions of cultures, as mere action figures. And Moana ultimately whitewashes and simplifies Polynesian cultures and myths for easy consumption.

Several years ago I wanted to write a series of novels with a premise similar to what you had in mind: a world in which many pantheons and many mythologies coexist. It sounded so cool. But the more I researched these mythologies; the more I researched the people that made them, and their social, religious, and political significance, and not to mention the way they evolved throughout time and space. Your idea for a movie would require an ungodly amount of research and very, very, very careful and tasteful consideration, and perhaps above all a good reason for its existence beyond entertainment and coolness. It's important to keep in mind that myths were developed by people of different lands and times, people who aren't going to share the same tastes and standards of the average American moviegoer.

If people are going to make movies based on myths, I hope they take special care to either be sensitive to the cultures they came from (Zeus and Quetzalcoatl are still worshiped by some obscure peoples, did you know that?), or do something truly meaningful with them, rather than turn their myths into clichéd Hollywood flicks. A poem about a white man's impression of the Balinese deity Rangda says a lot more than a "cool" fantasy movie that portrays Rangda as stereotypical villain.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

Like Hollywood's penchant for portraying Hades as a villain? That one thing I liked about Hercules the Legendary Journeys. Hades was actually one of the few gods Hercules got along with.

[SoggyNoodles2016]

Thank god you brought up Quetzalcoatl. I did one high school project on the dude and I am shocked at how wrong all the depictions are just compared to that limited info.

Excellent piece, in general Morgan.

[MorgansTShirt]

Like Hollywood's penchant for portraying Hades as a villain? That one thing I liked about Hercules the Legendary Journeys. Hades was actually one of the few gods Hercules got along with.

The portrayal of Hades as a Devil is definitely a strange and glaring example of it. Another example could be God of War's penchant for portraying Zeus as an evil figure, which I think comes from the attitude that the mythical Zeus is a horrible person who deserves to be vilified. This ignores the fact that Greek myths, and many other myths, weren't about the moral battle of good vs evil but rather the interplay of forces and personalities, and what their actions symbolize or express to human beings. This is why it can be difficult for writers to properly depict myths or myth-like stories today. People usually aren't willing to take in and analyze the ambiguous greys when they could consume an easy, black and white, us good guys vs those bad guys mentality. Either death is evil so Hades must be the Devil in a story, or Zeus isn't a morally upright person so Zeus must be the Devil in a story; that's the mentality I see in most games and movies.

I remember telling someone the ancient Gundungurra story of Gurangatch and Mirragan; the story of how the rivers and caves of the local land were carved by a gigantic rainbow eel that was being hunted by a giant quoll-man. They asked me "who was the bad guy?" and I just snickered in my head at that question.

Thank god you brought up Quetzalcoatl. I did one high school project on the dude and I am shocked at how wrong all the depictions are just compared to that limited info.

Excellent piece, in general Morgan.

Heheheh. I may be pretentious, but I try to make sure my pretentiousness has a point.

But yes, Quetzalcoatl is one of countless scores of gods and mythological figures who people get wrong today because nobody gives a shit about learning, or caring to consider the unique cultural worlds they came from.

Quetzalcoatl has a rich history, and also a body of myths that were (and are) meaningful to people who worship him (and potentially to us if we care to open ourselves to other worlds). He shouldn't be portrayed in movies and games as a big winged snake version of Jesus. Likewise, Quetzalcoatl's darker half, Tezcatlipoca, should not be portrayed as a stereotypical villain that has to be defeated. Just as Quetzalcoatl's daylight benefits the world, so too does Tezcatlipoca's darkness, in which profound transformations take place, and in which holy people performed rituals, even in his name. Tezcatlipoca is a terrifying god of jaguars—ruthless hunters who humans feared—yet holy people were said to transform into jaguars at night, channeling their energy.

It's worth noting that the Aztec did not believe in a strict good vs evil dichotomy, but rather a natural harmonious cycle of light and darkness, in which chaos is a dangerous but also useful reservoir of strength. And yet I can only imagine that if Hollywood made a movie about Aztec mythology, they would be sure to portray the more sinister gods (of which Quetzalcoatl could sometimes be added) as evil Sauronesque overlords.

[Can of Conspiracy]

Quetzalcoatl has a rich history, and also a body of myths that were (and are) meaningful to people who worship him (and potentially to us if we care to open ourselves to other worlds).

Do you have any recommendations, either literary or documentaries to check out about him and other feathered serpents? I remember reading the skinny in an X-Files novel years back, and of course I've seen Q, but I'd love to learn more. Wikipedia is usually just an endless rabbit hole if you're a layman.

Apologies for going off-topic.

[MorgansTShirt]

Do you have any recommendations, either literary or documentaries to check out about him and other feathered serpents? I remember reading the skinny in an X-Files novel years back, and of course I've seen Q, but I'd love to learn more. Wikipedia is usually just an endless rabbit hole if you're a layman.

Apologies for going off-topic.

Oooh, something specifically about Quetzalcoatl and feathered serpents? I never thought to look for studies all about them! I once managed to unearth an obscure article about Mesoamerican fertility bat gods, so surely feathered serpents, a much larger and more renowned archetype, would have plenty of research material to delve into. I'll search around and pm you anything I can find.

You can learn about the feathered serpent in literary sources that cover Mesoamerican folklore in general, at least. A good starting point may be The Legendary Past, a series of books which analyze and contextualize myths from many parts of the world, including obscure ones like Persian, Etruscan, Inca, and of course Aztec and Maya. They're made for beginners, but they offer a generous amount of information which can serve as jumping-off points for much deeper research in specific areas, and offer whole lists of older, larger sources.

Admittedly, I tend to get my information by just scrounging as much as I can into the depths of Google. I managed to find free pdf copies of a book on Inuit rituals and another book on myths from various African peoples by being tenacious in my searches. Too bad I don't have a university library at my disposal.

Anyway, I'm sorry for bringing this thread so far off-topic. My initial point was that I would like movies based on or inspired by mythology made by people who actually care about their sources and don't mind doing some things different from the average fantasy/action flick. Surreal animation would probably suit many myths.

[Kiryu2012]

-A remake of Dragons: A Fantasy made Real that looks more into the evolution of dragons, talking about their ancestors and how dragons evolved flight and fire breath. It'd also be like The Future Is Wild in how it'd go into more detail about each dragon species, and talk about different periods in time (Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic). The dragons and other species would be depicted with animatronics and puppetry like Walking with Dinosaurs, alongside well-done CGI.

-A faithful Undertale film directed by Toby Fox.

-An animated kaiju film that acts over the top like the Showa Godzilla films.

[GodzillaFan1990's]

Speaking of dragons.

A Reign of Fire prequel dealing with humanity's war with the dragons. Hell even a graphic novel for all I care that's all I ask!

Also a movie based on Harry Turtledove's A Different Flesh although that'd probably work better as a TV series.

[LegendZilla]

-An animated dinosaur movie with no dialogue.

I'd love to see one of the Ricardo Delgado's Age of Reptiles stories done like that. Initially The Land Before Time was suppose to be like that until Spielberg and Lucas forced Bluth to add dialogue (and cut out quite a bit of violence).

We need more Dinosaur films, period.

[SoggyNoodles2016]

-An animated dinosaur movie with no dialogue.

I'd love to see one of the Ricardo Delgado's Age of Reptiles stories done like that. Initially The Land Before Time was suppose to be like that until Spielberg and Lucas forced Bluth to add dialogue (and cut out quite a bit of violence).

We need more Dinosaur films, period.

it's true and you should say it

[GodzillaFan1990's]

Not sure if I mentioned this one in this thread but an historic killer creature flick on the Partridge Creek Monster. If I were also a movie director this is one I'd definitely do alongside a killer saber-toothed cat flick whether original or an adaption to Fatalis as Universal were rumored to do starring Sylvester Stallone and an American Gamera remake.

Again my idea for it would be set during 1910 where three years after the last sighting of the creature. It suddenly appears again but this time isn't only feeding on the moose and caribou but also the local people such as hunters and fur trappers prompting its eyewitnesses Tom Leemore and Pierre Lavagneux along with recruiting the five First Nations again to hunt down and kill the beast.

My idea too for the Partridge Creek Monster in this film would be its not some normal dinosaur but rather some kind of entity explaining why there's only just one and why its big for a ceratosaur and has hair.

Added in 8 days 11 hours 23 minutes 32 seconds:
I really want a solo Rocket & Groot film. It better happen...

Added in 1 day 18 hours 26 minutes 10 seconds:
The more I honestly think about it the more I like the idea but a Devil May Cry film adaption directed by James Gunn. Given the style of the games it'd totally fit Gunn's direction.

Added in 6 days 2 hours 17 minutes 52 seconds:
Solo Rodan film and prequel in the MonsterVerse set during Mayan civilization where he was worshipped as the Mayan death god Camazotz.

[LegendZilla]

Anyone surprised that Disney has not done a movie inspired by a Japanese fairy tale? If theyone day, which one should it be? I would pick Urashima Taro, just for the potential the princess in that story has.

[Vakanai]

Impossible forever now, but - Batman vs Predator. Preferably with Affleck Batman. Get a director who can handle both the superhero and horror film elements.

[Mac Daddy MM]

My "dream" movies have, for the most part, generally been on a low budget side of things. I once was determined to follow my dream, but then life happened and I never actually even got past the "this would be neat" mind set. But anyway, a few...

Sasquatch vs. Chupacabra: This would be your traditional, straight to video schlock. Nothing out to change the world, just a well rounded monster movie with a good payoff. The premise I had in mind was that the movie would take place sometime in the future where the world's largest zoo has found and captured two very rare animals: the legendary Sasquatch of American folklore and the blood sucking, reptilian-like humanoid creature the Chupacabra from Mexico. While the hairy cryptid would be the peaceful good guy, playing up almost like a Harry and the Hendersons meets George from Rampage type of role, the Chuppy would be like this demonic, frenzied semi-humanoid lizard monster with green scales, big red bulbous eyes, a whip-like tail, needle like teeth with fangs for siphoning blood, and could run on either all fours or on its hind legs like a frilled lizard.

All is well and both specimens are prized displays and rake the zoo in a bunch of money, but in typical horror movie trope: some teenager workers decide to stay late and throw a party at the zoo. All hell ends up breaking lose, the power gets cut and the Chupacabra gets out. The body count rises as the lizard monster feeds on animals and party goers alike, leaving a handful to band together and realize their only hope for salvation is the most physically strongest animal in the zoo... And thankfully, the zoo keeper responsible for him has become a good friend with the legendary Sasquatch... And now the fight of the century is on between two of the world's most famous monsters!

The monsters would be brought to life primarily via suitmation, puppetry and animatronics. However, for some special scenes (like the Chuppy leaping, running, etc), some CGI would have to be used.

Claws: A redneck homage/parody of Jaws set in Louisiana with the shark replaced by a gigantic crawdaddy. A scene I've always had in mind for this would be a scene at a riverside party filled with bikers, pick up trucks and people. All of a sudden, the crawdaddy explodes out of the water (backwards because they swim that way), and lands on a pick nick table where it instantly decapitates a mother and father pair with its pincers. Following this attack, the local mayor enlists the help of a pro-hunter, and invertebrate specialist, and a gun ho sheriff to hunt the beast down up and down the river.

Hitchhiker Killer vs. Killer Hitchhiker: No actual story beyond a comical premise of "what would happen if a killer hitchhike is picked up by a driver that specializes in killing hitchhikers." So the movie would virtually be about these pair of psychos trying to one up and kill each other with some other characters thrown in.

Judgement Day/Armageddon: A more big budget movie, this film would follow the world after the biblical apocalypse and rapture. The only ones left are those that are willing to redeem themselves or serve a darker power. Now, before the arrival of Christ, a hardened group of mercenaries finds themselves in a world overrun in chaos. Demons roam freely and what is left of humanity has been divided. As the Anti-Christ appears and reveals himself, our hero simply says "Do you really think I would reject the teachings of a good God just to follow those of a bad one" and leads those that will to fight the forces of Hell.

Yeah, edgy as all hell. But I just loved the idea of a big brawl with helicopter, tanks, soldiers, etc vs. demons in a hell-infested city.

[Godling]

......

[Kiryu2012]

-A monster movie that uses traditional animation.

-A fantasy anime movie using the 90's style prevalent in older animes (Sailor Moon, Gunsmith Cats, etc.).

-An animated DC movie based on Hunter/Prey.

-An animated Jurassic Park film.

[G2000]

Buddy cop movie with Kyle Chandler and Luke Wilson battling against a villainous Ron Livingston

[GojiDog]

Kudos for bringing up an animated dinosaur movie with no dialogue, as that is something I have always wanted to see. I think a movie like Wall-E proved that, at the very least, large chunks of a film can be carried with minimal or no dialogue and kids and adults alike can get invested in the story, and I think an animated dinosaur film could take it even further than that if allowed to. Heck look at the dinosaur sequence from Fantasia and try to picture that as a feature length film. I'd be down for that.

Actually to take it a step further, Michael Dougherty's idea for "Godzilla BC" could probably do that. They could have Godzilla, Kong, Mothra, Rodan, and Ghidorah all interact and use the monsters' charm, body language, and behaviors to carry the film with no dialogue outside of their prehistoric worshippers.

Speaking of Godzilla and dream films, I think we all want Godzilla Vs. Gamera, no?

There is also a very specific Star Wars film I have always wanted: A Boba Fett movie, but done in the style of Spaghetti Westerns like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly or Fistful of Dollars. Also, Boba does not talk throughout the film, at all. Just give me a spaghetti western with a silent anti-hero, laser guns, and the occasional spaceship flying overhead, and I think I'd be all in for it.