Chris Pratt In "The Terminal List" Proves Anti-Woke Entertainment Isn't
From
Ubiquitous@21:1/5 to
All on Thu Sep 8 21:05:03 2022
XPost: alt.tv.pol-incorrect, rec.arts.tv
There have been numerous examples of Hollywood studios finding success
by dropping the woke agenda for five seconds and just making quality entertainment again. The recent “Top Gun: Maverick” film is solid proof
of this, as is the hit TV show “Yellowstone.” And now, the limited
series “The Terminal List” has become another runaway hit that refuses
to pander to liberal Hollywood.
Executive producer Chris Pratt stars in the project, which follows a
Navy SEAL who seeks revenge for murder. The Amazon Prime series was
slammed by critics, with The Daily Beast calling it an “unhinged
right-wing revenge fantasy.” They also complained about how it was, “a
wet dream for militia-minded anti-establishment kooks, replete with a
Pratt performance as a Navy SEAL who responds to injustice by murdering
the guilty with extreme prejudice.”
“The Terminal List” doesn’t officially take a political stance.
However, it does celebrate concepts like good triumphing over evil,
cosmic justice, and manly men displaying their brute strength. There
was a time when this sort of storyline would appeal to both men and
women. Now, it’s a concept that’s become controversial and even
sometimes “problematic.”
The limited series is based on a book by the same name written by Jack
Carr in 2018. The story follows James Reece (played by Pratt), a Navy
SEAL diagnosed with a brain tumor who is also suffering the effects of
PTSD after a suspicious overseas mission goes awry.
Pratt previously starred as a Navy SEAL in the film “Zero Dark Thirty.”
During that time, he became friends with real-life Navy SEAL Jared
Shaw, who knew Carr from the Navy. Shaw encouraged Pratt to read an
early copy of the book, which coincided perfectly with Pratt starting
his own production company and being on the lookout for original
projects.
The series premiered on July 1, 2022, and quickly became a hit with
fans despite some aggressively negative critic reviews. In its first
week, it rocketed to the number-one show on Amazon Prime, and in its
first month, it ranked third on the Nielsen streaming chart, with 1.1
billion minutes viewed across eight episodes.
Pratt used those stats as an opportunity for a little trolling.
In early August, the Daily Mail published an article comparing “The
Terminal List” to “Yellowstone” titled: “The new Yellowstone: Chris
Pratt’s new Navy thriller The Terminal List defies woke critics’
scathing reviews to shoot up ratings chart with 1.6 BILLION minutes of streams.”
The A-list actor posted the article to his Instagram stories followed
by a photo of Dr. Evil from the “Austin Powers” franchise with the
caption, “One point six BILLLLLLLLLION minutes,” reiterating just how
popular the project is with fans.
Carr had some thoughts about why “The Terminal List” was so successful.
“There’s no ‘woke’ or ‘anti-woke,’ but just because there’s not this
‘woke’ stuff that’s shoved into it, then it’s perceived – by critics,
at least – as not promoting their agenda, so they’re going to hate it,”
Carr said during an appearance on Fox News.
The writer insists his agenda is benign, but that a neutral stance in
today’s political climate is somehow seen as conservative.
“We don’t mention right, left, conservative, liberal, none of those
things are even mentioned,” Carr continued. “The Daily Beast, in
particular, their review was quite mean. But they see an American flag
and they get upset. Or they see someone who is competent with weapons
and has a certain mindset and holds those in power accountable for
their actions they just kind of lose it a little bit.”
Ultimately, the author is unconcerned with negative critic reviews.
He’s just thrilled that audiences loved his story.
“We didn’t make it for critics. What’s important to me and to Chris
Pratt was that we made something that would speak to those members of
the military who went down range over the last 20 years so they could
sit down and say, ‘These guys put in the work and made a show that
speaks to me,’” Carr concluded.
Reviewers have come to understand that the more the critics hate
something, especially if it’s deemed “too conservative,” the more
actual viewers will love it. Fan reviews for “The Terminal List” are
about as upside down as they come. The series currently has a 39%
rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an incredible 94% average audience
score. Clearly the author achieved his goal of impressing fans.
“As a veteran I appreciate their efforts to make this as realistic as possible,” one Rotten Tomatoes reviewer wrote. Several other reviewers
said the show depicted the military as it really is rather than the
typical Hollywood version.
“An awesome show, Chris Pratt is fantastic, as a non-right winger this
show is for everyone,” another agreed.
“Immersive, visceral and brutal,” a third review summed up. “A good
simple story with no bullsh**. Chris Pratt’s acting is excellent. My
favorite TV show of the year by far.”
Not every critic panned the series. The LA Times reviewer rated it
fresh, admitting that “revenge stories have proved endlessly popular
over the years.”
“The basic mechanics of the plot remain simple and straightforward and
easy to follow: Set ’em up and knock ’em down,” the reviewer continues.
“Not a show for everyone, and not what one would ever call ‘fun,’ but
it may just be your cup of tea, with a dash of strychnine.”
Now fans are eagerly awaiting news of a second season of the show. Carr
wrote five books about James Reece, and given “The Terminal List” was
such a smash success, it almost seems like a no-brainer. But so far, a
second season is not guaranteed.
“Chris wants to do it, and Amazon wants to do it. But it could all fall
apart,” Carr said. “It would be an eight-part series based on the
second book ‘True Believer.’ We shall see.”
Showrunner David DiGilio and director Antoine Fuqua echoed that
sentiment, saying before the first season dropped that they “have a
roadmap for each season ahead of us.”
“Jack Carr’s written five extraordinary books,” Pratt agreed during an interview with Digital Spy. “He’s quite a prolific author, and they’re
all reading the top of the New York Times’ Best Seller list. I think
it’d be fantastic to keep it going.”
If “The Terminal List” doesn’t get a second season, it would likely
have more to do with ideological differences than money-making
potential. Thankfully, we’re not at the point where Hollywood is
willing to leave cash on the table just to stay woke. Probably.
--
Let's go Brandon!
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From
BTR1701@21:1/5 to
Ubiquitous on Sat Sep 10 09:57:45 2022
XPost: alt.tv.pol-incorrect, rec.arts.tv
In article <
D9mcnVWASfKzzIH-nZ2dnZfqnPhg4p2d@giganews.com>,
Ubiquitous <
weberm@polaris.net> wrote:
There have been numerous examples of Hollywood studios finding success
by dropping the woke agenda for five seconds and just making quality entertainment again. The recent TOP GUN: MAVERICK film is solid proof
of this, as is the hit TV show YELLOWSTONE. And now, the limited
series THE TERMINAL LIST has become another runaway hit that refuses
to pander to liberal Hollywood.
Executive producer Chris Pratt stars in the project, which follows a
Navy SEAL who seeks revenge for murder. The Amazon Prime series was
slammed by critics, with The Daily Beast calling it an "unhinged
right-wing revenge fantasy". They also complained about how it was, "a
wet dream for militia-minded anti-establishment kooks, replete with a
Pratt performance as a Navy SEAL who responds to injustice by murdering
the guilty with extreme prejudice".
"Injustice". His entire team was slaughtered and his wife and daughter
were murdered in an attack for which he was framed.
The reviewer has a gift for understatement.
“The Terminal List” doesn’t officially take a political stance.
However, it does celebrate concepts like good triumphing over evil
How hilarious is it that "good triumphing over evil" is now considered a right-wing extremist viewpoint? Maybe if the Left didn't try to ensure
the triumph of evil at every turn and collectively laugh derisively at
the mere idea of good, it wouldn't be so.
cosmic justice, and manly men displaying their brute strength.
There's a woman on Pratt's vigilante team as well, so playing the sexism
card won't fly here.
There was a time when this sort of storyline would appeal to both men
and women. Now, it's a concept that's become controversial and even
sometimes "problematic".
Yes, heaven forfend we show people who love and respect their families
and put their lives on the line for their country and their teammates.
Sooooo controversial. But I guess in Woke World, it actually is.
The limited series is based on a book by the same name written by Jack
Carr in 2018. The story follows James Reece (played by Pratt), a Navy
SEAL diagnosed with a brain tumor who is also suffering the effects of
PTSD after a suspicious overseas mission goes awry.
Pratt previously starred as a Navy SEAL in the film ZERO DARK THIRTY.
During that time, he became friends with real-life Navy SEAL Jared
Shaw, who knew Carr from the Navy. Shaw encouraged Pratt to read an
early copy of the book, which coincided perfectly with Pratt starting
his own production company and being on the lookout for original
projects.
The series premiered on July 1, 2022, and quickly became a hit with
fans despite some aggressively negative critic reviews. In its first
week, it rocketed to the number-one show on Amazon Prime, and in its
first month, it ranked third on the Nielsen streaming chart, with 1.1
billion minutes viewed across eight episodes.
Pratt used those stats as an opportunity for a little trolling.
In early August, the Daily Mail published an article comparing THE
TERMINAL LIST to YELLOWSTONE titled: "The new YELLOWSTONE: Chris
Pratt's new Navy thriller THE TERMINAL LIST defies woke critics'
scathing reviews to shoot up ratings chart with 1.6 BILLION minutes of streams."
The A-list actor posted the article to his Instagram stories followed
by a photo of Dr. Evil from the AUSTIN POWERS franchise with the
caption, "One point six BILLLLLLLLLION minutes," reiterating just how
popular the project is with fans.
Carr had some thoughts about why THE TERMINAL LIST was so successful.
"There's no 'woke' or 'anti-woke' material in it’ but just because
there’s not this 'woke' stuff that's shoved into it the way there
is with other shows, then it's perceived-- by critics, at least--
as not promoting their agenda, so they're going to hate it," Carr
said during an appearance on Fox News.
The writer insists his agenda is benign, but that a neutral stance in
today's political climate is somehow seen as conservative.
"We don't mention right, left, conservative, liberal, none of those
things are even mentioned," Carr continued. "The Daily Beast, in
particular, their review was quite mean. But they see an American flag
and they get upset. Or they see someone who is competent with weapons
and has a certain mindset and holds those in power accountable for
their actions they just kind of lose it a little bit."
Ultimately, the author is unconcerned with negative critic reviews.
He's just thrilled that audiences loved his story.
"We didn't make it for critics. What's important to me and to Chris
Pratt was that we made something that would speak to those members of
the military who went down range over the last 20 years so they could
sit down and say, 'These guys put in the work and made a show that
speaks to me,'" Carr concluded.
Reviewers have come to understand that the more the critics hate
something, especially if it's deemed "too conservative", the more
actual viewers will love it. Fan reviews for THE TERMINAL LIST are
about as upside down as they come. The series currently has a 39%
rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an incredible 94% average audience
score. Clearly the author achieved his goal of impressing fans.
"As a veteran I appreciate their efforts to make this as realistic as possible," one Rotten Tomatoes reviewer wrote. Several other reviewers
said the show depicted the military as it really is rather than the
typical Hollywood version.
"An awesome show, Chris Pratt is fantastic, as a non-right winger this
show is for everyone," another agreed.
"Immersive, visceral and brutal," a third review summed up. "A good
simple story with no bullsh**. Chris Pratt's acting is excellent. My
favorite TV show of the year by far."
Not every critic panned the series. The LA Times reviewer rated it
fresh, admitting that "revenge stories have proved endlessly popular
over the years".
"The basic mechanics of the plot remain simple and straightforward and
easy to follow: Set 'em up and knock ’em down," the reviewer continues.
"Not a show for everyone, and not what one would ever call 'fun', but
it may just be your cup of tea, with a dash of strychnine."
Kinda sounds like a back-handed pan to me. This reviewer obviously
didn't care much for the show, even as he admits other viewers will
enjoy it.
Now fans are eagerly awaiting news of a second season of the show. Carr
wrote five books about James Reece, and given THE TERMINAL LIST was
such a smash success, it almost seems like a no-brainer. But so far, a
second season is not guaranteed.
"Chris wants to do it, and Amazon wants to do it. But it could all fall apart," Carr said. "It would be an eight-part series based on the
second book TRUE BELIEVER. We shall see."
Showrunner David DiGilio and director Antoine Fuqua echoed that
sentiment, saying before the first season dropped that they "have a
roadmap for each season ahead of us".
"Jack Carr's written five extraordinary books," Pratt agreed during an interview with Digital Spy. "He's quite a prolific author and they're
all reading the top of the New York Times’ Best Seller list. I think
it'd be fantastic to keep it going."
If THE TERMINAL LIST doesn't get a second season, it would likely
have more to do with ideological differences than money-making
potential. Thankfully, we're not at the point where Hollywood is
willing to leave cash on the table just to stay woke.
Probably.
It would be quite a statement for Amazon/Hollywood to turn down a
guaranteed payday mere because a show is politically neutral. Not even conservative, just not actively woke/'progressive'.
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