DAN METH'S TRILOGY METER!
February 20th 2009 08:42
The Trilogy Meter: Is T2 really that much better than the original?
Confused over which discounted box-set to buy as your local DVD retailer crumbles under the weight of global financial doom? Well, leave your abacus at home because prolific web cartoonist Dan Meth has created the go-to guide for all sorts of box-set problem solving with his Trilogy Meter.
Of course, it’s also likely to start an argument of truly geeky proportions the next time you and your buddies get together with a carton, some exploitation films and a round or two of beer pong. Is Beyond Thunderdome better than the first Mad Max film? I doubt it. Does the flawed Die Hard 2 eclipse the fun and deceptively clever Vengeance? Wouldn’t have said so. And what is everybody’s problem with Alien 3? Watch it again, push aside some abysmal CGI and it’s not that bad.
These are only opinions, however, and there’s no faulting Dan’s brilliant little piece of graphic design. And while the man himself excuses the lack of a fourth bar for the quadrilogies among this bunch with the rather cogent point that none of them were ever meant to go that far, a friend did mention that it would have been fun to see some of the bars go negative – I’m looking at you Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. In any case please peruse, enjoy and comment away.
***
A note on Dan Meth, taken from the bio on his website:
Dan Meth was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City. As a kid, he obsessively absorbed every form of cartoon he could lay his eyes on. Later he studied illustration at Syracuse University. It was here that he first unleashed his cartoons on a mass audience; his comic strip ran in the school paper almost daily for four years.
After college, Meth became one of the internet’s better known go-to guy for funny viral web cartoons. His client-commissioned ads and personal short films have received much attention, traffic, and press.
In 2006, Dan Meth was hired by Fred Seibert to help develop new cartoon, podcast, and TV projects at Frederator Studios. His first two series, “The Meth Minute” and “Nite Fite” were both fan favourites, getting millions of views and press attention.
Special thanks to Dan for allowing me to post the Trilogy Meter. Check out his excellent site here.
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Mountain Fog
Comment by David O'Connell
20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic
Comment by Matt Shea
I do agree with you over BTTF, although I haven't seen 2 and 3 in years.
Indiana Jones I thought was perhaps a bit off - Temple of Doom is the bomb! Totally underrated!
Jurassic Park... they made a third one?!
And the Matrix sequels... buh
Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
This chart is amazing ... so many of these sequels just didnt look the way I had them mapped in my mind! Awesome to be able to see the reality at a glance!
I noticed Lord of The Rings fans were perhaps the most dedicated, so surprised to see that even Star Wars and Star Trek declined .. but wow .. what a bottomout on the Matrix and X~men (makes me wonder if the soon to be released *origins* will make the hoped for comeback?)
I have a feeling that young Twilight fans will prove as faithful as LOTR admirers.. and am left to wonder what the sequel pattern of Harry Potter and High School Musical would like stacked up here in this chart.
As I said, most enjoyable, thanks for sharing.
Lilla ...
Comment by Matt Shea
When I say in the write-up that they are only opinions, I mean both Dan and myself - sorry if I didn't make that clear.
So the Trilogy Meter is Dan's opinions on the quality of the three films from each trilogy. Having said that, I like to think he got most of them pretty well sorted, even if there is room for debate on a number of entries!
Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
Now I am curious as to how you based your opinions and how the chart would look in reality by Box Office takings and/or DVD purchases ... I may go research it one day.
L.
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
This is the kind of thing that people love to disagree with, too. I would give the first LOTR movie a good rating and then plummet with 2 and 3.
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by Matt Shea
Cib, completely agree with you on LOTR. Well, actually, I thought the third film gained some ground back but the second is not too flash at all.
Agree again on Alien/Aliens. For me, Alien is the better film by the slimmest of margins, but that's the beauty of those two films: how completely different they are. I'll always remember when I first watched Alien on VHS; I was 14 or so, alone in my family's house on a Friday afternoon after school. By the time it finished it was dark outside, a storm was blowing in and I had to go down to the end of the backyard and get the washing off the line amongst all the blowing leaves and so on. Thankfully, there was a change of underpants right there ready to go.
And I notice that Dan has missed out on the Transporter films. Best get on to him right away...
Comment by Morgan Bell
Deep Pencil
Business News
Movie Train
and i think the 3rd Die Hard was much better than the first two
although, like you said, everyone is bound to have a different take on it
cool graphic though
Comment by Matt Shea
Die Hard 3 better than the first? Hmmmm, not quite I wouldn't have thought (IMO of course!). Having said that, DH3 is a great example of how to do a sequel well - completely change it up, much like Alien to Aliens.