Calamity Jane

The push from the studios for diversity and equality delivers us movies like this. Half rate action, changing accents, characters treated with reverence/respect/caution without any backstory to justify it, and an underwhelming end product.

I *get* that people want representation and variety, but this felt forced and contrived. Maybe we've been spoilt for choice with the range of modern westerns (Deadwood, No Country For Old Men, 1883) but this is not even close to the same league. It felt like it delivered WNBA level excitement. Acting is sub par, accents weren't consistent, and even the set/cinematography felt too CGI to be believable.

Watched on a whim - don't necessarily regret it, but won't be recommending it to anyone.

...and settle in for a re-watch of Deadwood, the brilliant TV series that features far better acttors & depictions of Jane & Bill. This thing is a train wreck that dares to take these names in vain. Muddled and incoherent from the start, with ill-placed soundtrack music that just adds to the irritation.

Now, for the rest of the required word count - my favorite westerns, among which I count the above-mentioned TV series - The Unforgiven, The Good, The Bad & the Ugly, Hell Or High Water, The Long Riders, a whole bunch more Eastwood films, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, Lone Star, McCabe & Mrs. Miller. Lonesome Dove TV series...

I was in the mood for a good western. Something new and different. My mistake turning this on. It's downright horrible.

First the good -- the scenery is beautiful. That's it.

The script is really dumb. Just doesn't make a shred of sense. But the worst part of all is that the acting is really really really bad. Like almost laughable.

I have no idea who the woman that plays Calamity is, but she cannot act herself out of a paper bag.

She spends her time on screen mugging for the camera and putting on an obviously phony accent that she can't keep straight.

I was bored out of my mind 8 minutes into this fiasco.

A nice mumbo jumbo of a "Western" , having unlikely and unrealistic characters, spearheaded by Calamity Jane, though ironically and convincingly played by the multifaceted actress that Emily Bett Rickards is. It is mindlessly enjoyable and believe me or not, would have made a nice 6 to 8 parts mini-series.

Hope Stephen Amell does more quality productions, series and movies alike, clean-shaves more and would make a nice operative. If Henry Cavill can do it, he sure as hell can too.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 4
• Production value/impact: 2
• Development: 6
• Realism: 2.5
• Entertainment: 4.5
• Acting/self: 5.5
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 7
• VFX: 7.5
• Music/score/sound: 6
• Depth: 3
• Logic: 3
• Flow: 5.5
• Western: 4
• Ending: 2.5.

Poor acting and direction is what putting me off. Not sure why the first review had it as 10? Perhaps their relative who enjoyed the family show. There are plenty of actions and kilings just like typical western movies. I suggest the old western movies had alot better actors then this film has. It is like watching C Grade western movie with students from drama school. They definitely need a far better director who can able to see what the audience can see. Nah, it was a waste of time for me. If you don't mind poor acting and enjoy watching them like on stage, then this will be you. I give a three.