After a battle with breast cancer, Rachael Lillis, the original English voice actor for some of Pokémon’s most iconic characters, has died at 46. News of this came from a social media post from Veronica Taylor, who originally voiced Pokémon anime protagonist Ash Ketchum and co-starred alongside Lillis in the early…
Blizzard’s hit action-RPG Diablo IV features several Status Effects that allow the user to deal extraordinary damage via the swing of a weapon or the cast of a spell. Of these, Overpower Damage is one of the most useful, especially when playing as a Barbarian, Druid, or Necromancer. Overpower provides significant…
Blizzard’s hit action-RPG Diablo IV features several Status Effects that allow the user to deal extraordinary damage via the swing of a weapon or the cast of a spell. Of these, Overpower Damage is one of the most useful, especially when playing as a Barbarian, Druid, or Necromancer. Overpower provides significant…
For the longest time, the third-person co-op shooter Helldivers 2 has had its very own chicken walkers. A term that fans have used for years to describe Star Wars’ AT-ST units, “chicken walkers” refers to the legs on these bipedal robots—which look quite weak and like they could be taken out easily—as well as the way…
For the longest time, the third-person co-op shooter Helldivers 2 has had its very own chicken walkers. A term that fans have used for years to describe Star Wars’ AT-ST units, “chicken walkers” refers to the legs on these bipedal robots—which look quite weak and like they could be taken out easily—as well as the way…
For ten years, we as moviegoers were treated to both the rise and fall of the DC Extended Universe, or DECU for short (read our rankings here). The rise began with the release of Man of Steel in 2013, directed by Zack Snyder, marking the start of an ambitious plan to create a shared cinematic universe featuring iconic DC Comics characters. This was followed by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad which expanded the universe and introduced key characters. They were both met with less-than-stellar reviews. Over the years we would see success like Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam as well as James Gunn’s brilliant take on The Suicide Squad. There were also mixed-reviewed films like Justice League, Wonder Woman 1984, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Flash (which we loved). The DCEU couldn’t compete with Marvel with tons of these movies failing to connect with critics and audiences. So, in November 2022, the appointment of James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-CEOs of DC Studios would begin. It marked a new chapter in the DCEU as well as its ongoing development today.
Back in the late 2000’s, While Marvel would have their X-Men franchise, and Fantastic Four films as well as getting the MCU off the ground with Iron Man, DC would be releasing their own films too. We had already seen Nolan’s standalone trilogy for Batman. But other failed properties such as Catwoman and Superman Returns weren’t doing so hot. Watchmen was divisive among critics and its fans and Constantine, unfortunately, wasn’t the box office success the studio had hoped for.
In 2010, Warner Brothers, along with DC Entertainment and Legendary Pictures released Jonah Hex. A perfect choice for this subject matter because it faced numerous issues that contributed to its critical and commercial failure. The movie suffered from a troubled production, including significant script rewrites and directorial changes, which led to a disjointed and incoherent narrative. Critics and audiences alike criticized the film for its muddled plot and lack of direction, ultimately leading to poor box office performance and a tarnished reputation in the realm of comic book adaptations. So today we’re going to find out just what happened to this movie.
To understand what went wrong, one must understand a little about the comic character and his background. He first appeared in the early 1970s and was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Jonah Hex is a scarred bounty hunter and gunslinger known for his anti-heroic demeanor and distinctive facial disfigurement. Set in the American Old West, Hex’s stories often explore themes of justice, revenge, and redemption against the backdrop of a lawless frontier. Initially introduced as a gritty Western character, Jonah Hex gained popularity for his complex morality and willingness to operate outside conventional hero norms. Over the decades, he would appear in various comic series and adaptations.
Back in 2000, 20th Century Fox would develop an hour-long tv movie for Jonah Hex. Akiva Goldsman and Robert Zappia were producing, but the project was never fully fleshed out. In 2007, Warner Bros held the film rights to the character and wanted to make a film based on the character. This time Akiva would work with Andrew Lazar as producers on the project. Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, of Crank fame, wrote the screenplay and were hired to direct. However, creative differences emerged leading to Neveldine and Taylor’s departure as directors on the film. Warner Brothers would devise the idea of hiring Andy Fickman or McG as a director on the film. But in January 2009, the studio brought in Jimmy Hayward to direct. He was a former Pixar animator with only one directorial credit, Horton Hears a Who!
The casting process was not without its challenges and controversies. One notable issue arose with the initial choice of actor for the lead role. Originally, Thomas Jane lobbied to play Jonah Hex. Both Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch would be considered for the role. But eventually, Josh Brolin was offered and accepted the role as Jonah.
Additionally, the casting of Megan Fox as Lilah, Jonah Hex’s love interest, also garnered attention. While Fox brought her star power to the film, her inclusion sparked debate among fans and critics regarding the suitability of her role and the dynamics of her character’s relationship with Jonah Hex. Supporting roles included John Malkovich as Quentin Turnbull, Hex’s vengeful adversary, and Michael Fassbender as Burke, Turnbull’s ruthless henchman. Will Arnett was also hired to act in this as Lieutenant Grass. However, he was keen to appear in it, mainly because he so rarely would be offered a straight dramatic role. Maybe this role helped him land a good balance of comedy and drama in Bojack Horseman, but we’ll never know.
Filming began in April 2009 in Louisiana. Because of Hayward’s lack of experience with live-action productions, it would contribute to clashes with the studio and creative team. As a result of this, Francis Lawerence was brought in to handle reshoots, which would only add to the film’s production complexities. During production, Josh Brolin could only shave off half of his beard to accommodate his prosthetic on one side of his face. For several months he would walk around with only half a beard on his face. He also wasn’t able to eat while wearing the prosthetics. Speaking of prosthetics, if you look closely enough, you’ll notice John Malkovich wears a prosthetic nose too. Initially, Josh hated the script. He would however change his mind as he grew to like the tongue-in-cheek tone.
Unfortunately, the film’s post-production phase was rushed, impacting the quality of visual effects and overall polish. The heavy metal band Mastodon scored the film as well as composer John Powell. Mastodon’s music added a distinctive and intense energy to the film, reflecting the harsh landscapes and morally complex characters. Because the film underwent reshoots and reedits, Powell had other commitments and left. He was replaced with Marco Beltrami, who had a different appreciation for the music. The first soundtrack Mastodon had recorded was written for scenes that were scrapped during reshoots. Beltrami had Mastodon work on a new score, to their frustration. It contrasted with the original version and was considered more restrained and subtle. On June 29, 2010, two weeks after the film was released in theatres, we were treated to the digital release entitled Jonah Hex: Revenge Gets Ugly EP. It consisted of only six songs, four new tracks and two alternative tracks of previously recorded songs.
Jonah Hex was released to theaters on June 18, 2010, the same day as Pixar’s hugely successful threequel, Toy Story 3. Unfortunately, it opened in 7th place, grossing only $5 million on opening weekend. It would open behind the third week of Get Him to the Greek, the fifth week of Shrek Forever After and fourth week of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. By it’s third week, it would get knocked down to 31st place making a measly domestic box office run of $10 million on a budget consisting of $47 million. Because of its poor domestic box office, it wouldn’t be released wide internationally. Because of this, the film made less than $500,000 internationally. At the end of its theatrical run in August 2010, it would limp to a measly $10 million worldwide.
Currently, the film holds a 12% on Rotten Tomatoes with the critic’s consensus stating: “Josh Brolin gives it his best shot but he can’t keep the short, unfocused Jonah Hex from collapsing on screen.” Critics weren’t very kind to this film with Tom Huddleston of Time Out saying, “At 81 minutes with credits, Jonah Hex feels crude, lazy and entirely perfunctory.” Rafer Guzman of Newsday said, “There’s just one ingredient missing: anything with a clue.” Through all the negativity, it’s nice to see a few critics say something positive, such as Stephanie Zacharek of Movieline. She would go on to say, “Jonah Hex could be bigger, louder and longer, with more special effects and faster cutting, but it errs on the side of simplicity. And to that, let’s all raise a shot glass.”
Houston Film Critics Society would name it the worst picture of the year. It also garnered two Razzie nominations including Worst Actress for Megan Fox and Worst Screen Couple for Josh Brolin’s face and Megan Fox’s accent.
Because Warner Brothers thought the film would be a success, they released several toy lines with different toy manufacturers including Tonner Doll Company Inc, NECA, WizKids and DC Direct. Each company made action figures and dolls of Jonah Hex, Lila and Tunbull, in their own unique ways. Funny enough, I’ve seen these toys turn up in random thrift stores for fairly reasonable prices…just don’t expect tons of people to be in bidding wars on eBay.
Jonah Hex was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 19, 2010. The Blu-ray would contain some decent features including a Picture-in-Picture experience with director Jimmy Hayward. The PIP would contain a variety of interviews with Josh Brolin, Megan Fox, John Malkovich and other cast and crew. It’s all standard fluff and there is never anything stated about whether or not there were any production problems. There was also a nice feature entitled The Inside Story of Jonah Hex. It traces the history of our anti-hero as well as his different incarnations and evolution to who he would come to be in 2010. There’s also a small helping of deleted scenes, just in case you were itching to see what the studio approved to be released to the public.
Years later, Brolin would admit he hated the experience of making this film, saying the production schedule was hectic and would blame the failure on studio interference as well as the end result on director Jimmy Hayward. Brolin said he was inexperienced and a bad choice for the role. He had wanted Park Chan-wook to direct and believed his version of Jonah Hex would have been closer to the film High Plains Drifter, which was how Brolin wanted it to look. Upon release, Megan Fox wasn’t happy with the film. As the years have gone on, she would call it a decent movie stating, “While I shouldn’t have been nominated for an Oscar for it, I’m definitely not bad in it.”
Jonah Hex has its strengths and weaknesses. On the positive side, Josh Brolin delivers a solid performance, capturing the grizzled, world-weary demeanor of the titular character, and the film’s visual style effectively combines gritty Western aesthetics with supernatural elements. The costume design, particularly Hex’s distinctive scar and wardrobe, is faithful to the comics, and the action sequences, featuring unique weapons like twin guns and horse-mounted Gatling guns, add an interesting twist to traditional Western shootouts. Additionally, the edgy soundtrack by Mastodon enhances the film’s dark atmosphere and makes for a good time, for your ears at least.
However, the movie has significant drawbacks. The plot is disjointed and lacks depth, with rushed character motivations and poorly explained developments. At around 81 minutes, the film is too short to fully develop its story and characters, leaving it feeling incomplete. By the time you are ready to care about these characters and the plot, it’s over. Most characters, including the villain Quentin Turnbull, are underdeveloped. John Malkovich looks really bored in the role and doesn’t offer anything truly engaging…something I wasn’t expecting from the veteran actor. The film also struggles with tone, fluctuating between dark, serious moments and campy, over-the-top action, which undermines the overall narrative. While the supernatural elements are intriguing, they often feel tacked on rather than integral to the story.
So what happened to Jonah Hex? It failed to deliver on its potential due to a combination of factors. The film’s weak plot, underdeveloped characters, and inconsistent tone led to poor critical reception. Extensive production issues, including rewrites, reshoots, and creative differences, contributed to its disjointed feel. Commercially, it was a significant flop, grossing only a fraction of its budget. Despite strong performances and a visually appealing style, Jonah Hex could not overcome its fundamental flaws, ultimately becoming a cautionary tale in comic book film adaptations.
As stated in the beginning of this episode, we really hope James Gunn brings a fun and creative shift for the DCU. Characters that no one had heard about such as The Guardians of the Galaxy, or the characters he brought to light in The Suicide Squad, have become household names as well as enjoyed by many. Maybe James will give Jonah Hex a second chance and reinvigorate interest in the character, delivering an exciting and memorable addition to the superhero and Western film genres alike.
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Matthew McConaughey is currently enjoying a bit of success with his “appearance” in Deadpool & Wolverine. The star can be heard in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo as the voice of the cowboy variant of Deadpool in the new meta multiverse movie. McConaughey would recently reveal to Twisters star Glen Powell that right as his star took off with a phase in romcoms, he was considering quitting Hollywood. He explained, “When I had my rom-com years, there was only so much bandwidth I could give to those, and those were some solid hits for me. But I wanted to try some other stuff. Of course I wasn’t getting it, so I had to leave Hollywood for two years.”
Fast forward to today and McConaughey would now have an Academy Award, he would work with directors like Martin Scorsese and he would star in one of the most acclaimed TV shows for HBO. Now that his career had taken a welcomed detour, the star is seemingly open to returning to his famous genre. McConaughey’s co-star from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Kate Hudson, would reveal that she and McConaughey would be interested in a sequel to that film if the script was right. According to Deadline, Hudson appeared on Watch What Happens Live when she said,
I think they’re always thinking about that. All that matters would be the script and if Matthew and I would be into the script.I think we’re both totally open but it’s just never happened.”
When McConaughey explained that he would leave show business amid his romcom height, he spoke about what he may have potentially changed careers to, “I had long talks with my wife about needing to find a new vocation. ‘I think I’m going to teach high school classes. I think I’m going to study to be a conductor. I think I’m going to go be a wildlife guide.’ I honestly thought, ‘I stepped out of Hollywood. I got out of my lane.’ The lane Hollywood said I should stay in, and Hollywood’s like, ‘Well, f*ck you, dude. You should have stayed in your lane. Later.’” As he added, “I made up my mind that that’s what I needed to do, so I wasn’t going to pull the parachute and quit the mission I was on. But it was scary, because I didn’t know if I was ever going to get out of the desert.”
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Your first few hours in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess will be spent finding the balance between commanding villagers and controlling Soh, the masked guard to Maiden Yoshiro, to personally fight the evil spirits known as the Seethe. Upgrading villagers with new skills and buffs is a necessity, but it won’t be long…
Your first few hours in Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess will be spent finding the balance between commanding villagers and controlling Soh, the masked guard to Maiden Yoshiro, to personally fight the evil spirits known as the Seethe. Upgrading villagers with new skills and buffs is a necessity, but it won’t be long…
When Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator was released back in 1986, the director and production team surely never, in their wildest dreams, imagined that their cult classic horror flick would become a trilogy. Yet, here we are. If you caught our last video on sequel Bride of Re-Animator, you’ll know by now that, although I dug the VFX and carnage in all of its practically made splendor, the movie had little else going for it. Plus, Bride didn’t have a proper theatrical run to show that continuing the series would be profitable from purely a box-office perspective. However, what makes horror the very best genre known to the movie-making universe, which of course it is my fellow gore-hounds, right? Is that despite certain movies being ridiculed or unappreciated by unimaginative critics, they become cult classics regardless. Which is a wonderful thing. Just consider daft horror flicks like Night of the Lepus, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, the Sleepaway Camp series, Troll 1 & Troll 2, Slumber Party Massacre, to name but a few, and there’s some wonderfully nostalgic fun to be had there. You could even throw in the ridiculous The Wicker Man remake in there too, with Nic Cage punching people in a bear suit and being terrorized by bees. Yeah, it’s awful, but it’s also awfully good. Grab your mates, a few cold ones, some overpriced pizza, chuck the movie on, and you’ll have a great time with it. Perhaps not for the reasons the filmmakers initially intended, though. Which brings us back nicely to Beyond Re-Animator (watch it HERE); a movie that nobody really expected or were massively craving for. So, could the trilogy closer bring the series full circle with an entry that matched the inventive macabre nature of the first film, with the great VFX of the second? Well, strap yourselves in gore-hounds, as we find out here on WTF Happened to Beyond Re-Animator.
What I’ve loved about revisiting the weird and wonderful world of Dr. Herbert West is that, despite the series having some questionable writing at best, it’s been a twisted treat in many ways. The first movie is considered to be a classic piece of schlock-horror filmmaking and although it’s perhaps slightly overrated, it’s still a blast. There’s also much to be admired about the less popular sequel, especially the inclusion of some truly messed up creature design. Watching the third movie made me appreciate the trilogy as a whole, despite it being probably the weakest in the franchise for several reasons I’ll get into a little later in the video. The thing with a cult classic franchise like this one is that as a fan, you’re invested in what comes next, even if it’s a major disappointment or not. The Nightmare on Elm St series have a massive dip in quality throughout all of the movies, but did that stop me watching them all and getting at least a modicum of entertainment out of them? Of course not. The same can be said for the slightly more recent Saw franchise which had great early entries, then fell away to some degree. Or, what about Critters? Love them all….Regardless. Movie’s are subjective, and you’ve got to enjoy what makes you happy. There was one scene in Critters 2 that made this movie-fan very happy, but I’ll leave that to your imagination, you sick and twisted gore-hounds.
Anyway, I digress, the point is, cult horror comes in all shapes and sizes and regardless of the so-called perceived quality of the movie, if you get a kick out of it, that’s all that should matter. When it comes to the Re-Animator franchise, there’s one guy who’s been attached to every entry so far, and after producing the first movie and directing the second, he’s back to take the twisted reins on this one too – Brian Yuzna. Since directing Bride of Re-Animator in 1989 the American filmmaker stuck to his horror roots by directing Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation, Return of the living Dead 3, Necronomicon and both installments of The Dentist, to name a few examples. That’s some awfully good, solid b-movie horror trash right there. So, by the time Beyond Re-Animator came his way in the early noughties, he was well prepared to tackle some more macabre monster action again.
A Re-Animator movie wouldn’t be the same without the main man himself, so returning as Dr. Herbert West is Jeffrey Combs. With the setting now in a prison, thanks to West finally getting some comeuppance for one of his zombies committing murder, the rest of the cast are newcomers to the franchise. Jason Barry plays Dr. Howard Phillips, Elsa Pataky is Laura Olney, Simon Andreu is Warden Brando and Spanish comedian Santiago Segura has a fun cameo as “Speedball”. We also get Lolo Herrero as Sergeant Moncho, Enrique Arce as Cabrera, Barbara Elorriatta as Emily Phillips, Raquel Gribler as Nurse Vanessa, Joaquin Ortega as Officer Falcon and Daniel Ortiz as Winni.
The movie opens with a promising sequence in which one of West’s zombie creations murders a teenage girl in front of her younger brother. The monster effects in this fun opening are actually pretty decent, with the braindead dude’s mouth hanging open and tongue flapping about uncontrollably. The murder leads to Dr. West’s arrest and he’s taken away by the police with the younger brother watching from outside the place where he’d just witnessed his big sis get torn apart. The action shifts thirteen years into the future, with West banged up in prison for the murder, and spending his time experimenting on rats. He discovers a new and intriguing way to reanimate a corpse so that they don’t become a mindless zombie, but can actually function as, and resemble, a somewhat normal human being. However, West is assigned to work with a new Doctor at the prison, Howard Phillips, who turns out to be the brother of the dead teenage girl from the start of the movie. Plus, the introduction of a journalist at the prison throws all sorts of curveballs in the way of both doctors as Phillips begins an affair with her.
The premise for the movie is pretty solid and while the movie is never scary, it regularly shifts nicely from one gross out moment to the next. And, having revisited this one for the first time in forever, I was actually pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it in the end. It’s by no means a great movie, far from it in fact, but director Yuzna and Jeffrey Combs bring everything they can to the film, to make it at least macabre and engaging. The movie doesn’t try to shy away from its b-movie origins and there’s a fun extended sequence towards the end where a prison riot results in some lovely gore-tastic VFX. It’s a shame that there’s not much gore or splatter between the opening missing-jaw zombie sequence and the riotous finale, but there’s a lot of humor to enjoy when we get to the good stuff, including a rat vs severed penis scene that made this sick gore-hound laugh heartily.
However, Beyond Re-Animator is arguably the weakest of the three movies, and it’s not just the by-the-numbers narrative that ultimately lets it down. It’s missing Bruce Abbott as Daniel Cain, and although Phillips is a good actor, he’s a poor substitute for the West / Cain dynamic in the first two movies. Also, while the movie is supposed to be set in Massachusetts, it was actually filmed in Spain by Fantastic Factory, and while this shouldn’t have been too apparent, the fact that most of the actors are Spanish with no attempt to hide their accents, it feels like they should have moved the films setting to Spain instead. This is a minor gripe I guess because the series keeps its tongue firmly placed in its cheek, but the lack of a proper atmosphere in the movie and some dull writing lets it down. But, make sure you stick around for the rat vs penis scene in the credits. That shit was awesome!
Beyond Re-Animator was a co-production between Spain and the US, and premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel, albeit in a watered down TV-PG rating. An R-rated version of the movie had a very limited release in the US, and after some digging around the interwebs, it appears that movie had a theatrical release in Spain on July 25th, 2003 where it grossed $302,586. Despite the small theatrical US run, the film was actually considered a straight-to-video release, with the home entertainment platforms hitting shelves on December 23rd, 2003, that was followed by a special edition by Arrow Video in 2011. This version had some great extra features, including an audio commentary by director Brian Yuzna, a 50-minute documentary, original trailer, artwork, a poster and more. Arrow Video don’t do vanilla!
Critically, the film was met with a mixed response, which was probably to be expected. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 55% based on 11 critics, with an average rating of 5.30/10. Variety wrote that the movie is, “sometimes shocking but rarely scary” and “calculated to appeal only to hardcore gore hounds.” Bloody Disgusting, rated the film 2.5/5 stars and called it “a fun movie, but nothing special” while in their book Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H. P. Lovecraft, Andrew Migliore and John Strysik write: “If your idea of Lovecraftian fun is Combs’ acidic one-liners, and digitally enhanced gore effects that weren’t available for the other two films, then by all means have a look. But if you’re comparing this film to the still classic Re-Animator, well…This third try is only a shadow of the gonzo wit of the original and not nearly as entertaining.”
For this particular hound of the gore, however, the movie was flawed but fun and ultimately a schlocky experiment in how to mostly produce a decent b-movie trilogy closer. Brian Yuzna also intended to create a sequel trilogy to the first three movies but a lack of funding available to him at the time, plus the studio’s reluctance to take a punt on the franchise, meant that it still lingers in development hell. However, who’s to say the series can’t be, erm, re-animated in the future? Most importantly, I’d love to know what YOUR opinion is of the movie and its merits. Does it finish the trilogy on a suitably messed-up note, or does it fall short despite some awesome splatter in the finale? Plus, should somebody revive the series for modern audiences? Let us know in the comments, and I’ll see you wonderful gore-hounds next time. Thanks for watching!
A couple of the previous episodes of WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? can be seen below. To see more, head over to our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!
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