Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Box

OHHHHH! This movie is outrageously awful. And yet, it is also bound to have you laughing for the whole film. No, film implies that it has merit. This is not a film. This movie has no merit at all.

The plot holes and inconsistencies are hysterical. The New York Times review mentions the line describing either Siegfried's or Roy's childhood in "Pre-post World War II Germany." Sure enough, it's there. Whatever that means, I'd love to know it. My German friends can't figure it out either.

Poor Teenage Siegfried sees a book about magic in the store window but he doesn't have enough money to buy it. Lucky for him, the exact amount of money needed floats by in a puddle. I'm inclined to think that he broke the store window and stole the book, but....

Then, Teenage Roy is caught in quicksand...outside of Bremen in Germany. German quicksand!!! That's right, only in this movie. Fortunately, the big shaggy dog saves his life and solidifies his bond with the animals.

One day, 20-year-old Roy is playing with a Cheetah at the zoo. The next day, he's smuggled the Cheetah aboard an oceanliner where Roy is working as a steward. How did the Cheetah get out of the zoo? The movie doesn't go there, but we know the truth...

It's hilarious to see the look of disgust that Siegfried has for the tigers while Roy is riding on their backs.

Poor Anthony Hopkins. Fortunately, he's made enough good movies (Silence of the Lambs, Titus (A MUST SEE!), etc.) to not be remembered for his role as the narrator in this lame waste of money (both mine and the producers').

There is so much more to say, but I forgot most of the movie because I was laughing too much. I'll close with this, however. The only possible explanation I could think of for the overall awfulness of this movie, is that the Tiger wrote the script.

There is a mistake on the credits of this movie that I would like to set straight.

Kaelee Brown (sp) is listed as the Visual Effects Coordinator for this film. That is incorrect. I was the VFX Coordinator on the film, but failed to get the credit because I quit prior to the completion of post-production. Kaelee Brown was the girlfriend of Unit Production Manager, Neal Allen. Kaelee came on for a few weeks in the end and got the credit because of that connection. Due to the fact that this was a non-union shoot, I had no recourse to get the credit changed. I have attempted to contact both producer Michael Lewis and Director Brett Leonard, but the production company (L-Squared) is no longer in business, and they will not answer e-mails.

I am no longer in Visual Effects, but it would still be nice to be credited for the 16-hour days I put in on the shoot.

Why I quit is another story involving Visual Effects Producer, Kymber Lim, who has gone on to much success - and I'm sure her lying and back-stabbing has helped. That's why I left.

It is a pretty cool flick, though. Even if you're not an S&R fan.

DJR

I've never been to Las Vegas, I've never seen S&R show, and all my knowledge about them comes from Father of the Pride series. Still, this movie was definitely worth watching and very enjoyable.

By today's standards, the movie lacks in graphics and in scientific approach. I would have so much preferred to watch it without all these ridiculous and silly "effects" which may have been impressive a decade ago, but now look cheap. Special effects should help viewers immerse in the movie, not exist by themselves. But this knowledge comes with time and a decade ago these effects were the way to go, so I'm not to blame the authors. Another problem is that today everyone knows that there's no such thing as a "white lion breed", so what S&R did isn't environment preservation in any way.

But... the way S&R treat their animals and interact with them warms my heart. I don't advocate using animals in circuses, but I know for sure S&R love them and never treat them badly (just google for "Make sure no harm comes to Montecore").

The way S&R portray their childhood memories, children's perception of the world is interesting and fun to watch. This is as documentary as Simba's singing I Just Can't Wait To Be King in The Lion King is. But still, it's fun.

The music, the narration are top notch too.

The sad thing about the film is that there's a very high quality IMAX filmstrip lying somewhere, but we won't get to see it...

Siegfried and Roy's first autobiographical sketch on film comes with state of the art graphic effects and a touching story about the lives of two of the most greatest performers alive. In their story they challenge the obstacles that came from postwar Germany and the strenuous tasks of making it in show business. Furthermore the film adds a touch of beauty to the meaning of fufillment of lives goals but gives a new understanding to the word success, for not only is it acheived by believing in onself it is the outcome of years of preserverance.

I have read the other negative comments about this film and I must say I strongly disagree! I thought it was an interesting story with GREAT 3-D visual effects. Anyone who is interested in magic and the life of magicians would really enjoy this film. I think it is unfair to criticize this production as though it was some sort of fictional movie. It is simply telling the life story of two great modern performers of magic. My niece loved the beautiful 3-D effects and wanted to see it again!

Also, it is true that the two are gay and that the movie avoided mentioning it, but who cares? I actually think it was a wise choice to keep certain "personal" elements out of the story.

If you get a chance to see this movie and want to experience some of the best 3-D effects ever produced, by all means see it!! It is very impressive to say the least!