I would love: A Megas XLR Movie

[Scowling Dragon]

WHY has nobody made a movie with this yet? It would be PERFECT. Its perfect McPerfect PERFECTIONISM ripe for a Live action movie.

I would do UNSPEAKABLE things just to get a ticket.

It would co-inside with the Transformer movie craze. But be funny and satirize it at the same time getting credit from the fans and the critics.

A PG-13 rating could mean some more adult jokes, and unlike transformers Megas XLR seems like a good show for a more adult stuff.

If they did this, my only request would to keep the Mech design simple. Not any of that junkyard look of the new transformers and battleship.

And if THIS movie worked we could get a continuation for the classic series!

[Weezer]

Well for one it could be because it's an obscure cartoon that hardly anyone has heard of and was cancelled after only one year on air. Not a lot of market already there, especially since transformers type live action is super expensive.

[Scowling Dragon]

Yeah but it would have mad a bajilion dollars.

[Grif]

Well for one it could be because it's an obscure cartoon that hardly anyone has heard of and was cancelled after only one year on air. Not a lot of market already there, especially since transformers type live action is super expensive.

I hardly think Megas XLR is obscure. It might have had a short run, but it is generally well-regarded and remembered fondly by those who watched it on Toonami.

[hanzo66]

It's what people would refer to as a Cult Favorite. Kinda like Firefly.

Not a big enough market and it would simply be seen as a cheap cash-in for Transformers. That at least had some degree of nostalgia going for it.

Would be nice for it to be back though. T'was a fun show and it could have had some pretty funny parodies of other mecha series (an Evangelion episode where Coop chugs the characters after they turn into orange smoothies).

[Icewalker]

Yeah but it would have mad a bajilion dollars.

I'm afraid Weezer is right on this one. I don't think it was big enough while it was on for it to be worth the huge movie budget in the eyes of producers.

Could it work and make a profit? Yes. Would it be easy? No. It's not the kind of thing major studios would want to attempt, because it's such a risky shot, would need exactly the right kind and quantity of advertising and a lot of careful timing and probably some luck to be a legitimate success.

Which is too bad. Because a Megas XLR movie would be hilarious and awesome.

[Scowling Dragon]

Why would it be a big risk! Its LESS of a risk then even transformers! Its not some avant guard story!

Its GUARANTEED to make a billion bucks even from non-fans.

If chuckle-dumb idiots go to watch Transformers think about a show thats actually all about the AWESOME and the pop-culture stuff?

Its got a relatable main protagonist, its got a giant robot thats powered by VIDEOGAMES.

Seriously, even from a non-fan standpoint it sounds like it could spew money like a hose.

[Tengu_temp]

You know what other franchise is beloved by geeks, has lots of pop culture and video games references, and should make billions of dollars by that logic?

Scott Pilgrim.

It had a live action movie. And its theatrical release didn't gross enough income to recoup its budget. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Pilgrim_vs._the_World)

Still thinking that a Megas movie would make billions?

[Scowling Dragon]

....What.....This.....is nuts.

I understand that if it was this limiting thing, but it wasn't. It had fights, and lots of fun extreme stuff.

This just shows that idiots will only go the stupidest frigging things. It MUST be stupid and bad.

You know, I have heard this phrase allot but I never said it until now:

I weep for humanity :smallfrown:

Yeah. Megas XLR would be too smart for the movie-going audience.

[Terraoblivion]

No, there is a far simpler explanation. Most people don't watch movies for the movie itself, they do it to hang out with friends or family, using something familiar and straightforward as an excuse to do so. A movie that is too different distracts from that purpose by requiring investment in an activity that is essentially unrelated, which is to say processing what goes on on screen.

[Scowling Dragon]

I don't buy it. It then means that the family/ Friends are a bunch of dip****s.

They might as well watch some blinking lights, drunk at the bar if thats what they care about.

I never heard a person that could not enjoy family company because of a good movie. Thats idiotic. Unless they are idiots with 3 second long attention spans.

[Terraoblivion]

No, it means that people don't want to be challenged by the movie, just give them something for some light conversation and a feeling of having shared an experience. Blinking lights rather explicitly doesn't provide that. Also, it doesn't mean that the family and friends are bullies and paranoid about new and foreign things, it means that everybody involved adjust expectations based on the desire to share an experience like that rather than anything else.

[Scowling Dragon]

Again I don't buy it. The movies you are arguing for are stuff like Transformers. Its like being visually assaulted.

If anything I would NOT be able to enjoy my family time as my brain was occupied with the rapidness of the movie.

Was Dredd that challenging? Was SCot Pilgrim that challenging? NO.

This lends more to my theory of 3 second long attention spans of idiotic hicks that don't want to think much.

Those are the key words. They don't WANT to feel anything. Not good action, or characters, or plot, or good humor. Because all of those invest in one way or another.

They want the movie equivalent of somebody vomiting sparks into your face and eyes. They want action that looks like something, but nothing specific so your brain doesn't have to think. They want humor thats "Fart".

I have no idea how otherwise Scott pilgrim could have failed.

[Dumbledore lives]

I think you're taking a pessimistic and frankly insulting view of movie-goers as a whole. It is difficult to tell why some movies succeed and others don't but just like any form of media it is mostly subjective, it is your opinion. As you say in the title you would love a Megas XLR movie, I think it would be pretty cool as well but most people haven't heard of the show and prefer to go with things that are familiar to them.

[Scowling Dragon]

Thats because Im mad. And yes most of the moviegoing public are thumbsucking morons. For those reasons Jack and jill made a 150 MILLION dollars at the box office.

[Gavinfoxx]

I think Megas XLR is way too niche of a show to recoup its costs. Seriously, try asking random people on the street what it is. I dare you. It doesn't matter what the quality of the show is, it matters how much it has broken into the culture!

[Scowling Dragon]

I was thinking from the perspective that Megas XLR isn't a niche show.

Ask somebody "Do you want to see a fun (Filled with GOOD jokes) lighthearted AWESOME (Filled with a mech that has a "Blow up the world" button) movie about a gamer who lives with his mom in new jersey that discovers a mech, replaces its head with a car and videogame controls and uses it to fight aliens from the future with his womanizer friends and another chick from the future"

Im pretty sure they would say yes.

[Weezer]

I think you're taking a pessimistic and frankly insulting view of movie-goers as a whole. It is difficult to tell why some movies succeed and others don't but just like any form of media it is mostly subjective, it is your opinion.

Whether you enjoy it or not is subjective, yes. However why a movie fails or succeeds? Not so much. There are a number of pretty common threads you can draw between most of the movies that achieve commercial success.

[Gavinfoxx]

I was thinking from the perspective that Megas XLR isn't a niche show.


Whatever would make you think that a show on an obscure, niche-oriented cable channel that isn't watched by many, and only lasted a season, and didn't have great ratings, is not a niche show?

[Dusk Eclipse]

I don't know in the states; but at least here in Mexico Megas XLR was aired on Cartoon Network and that is as mainstream as cartoon channels can be.

[Gavinfoxx]

I don't know in the states; but at least here in Mexico Megas XLR was aired on Cartoon Network and that is as mainstream as cartoon channels can be.

Yes. I am calling Cartoon Network a niche cable network. IE, not mainstream by definition. See?

[Scowling Dragon]

Whatever would make you think that a show on an obscure, niche-oriented cable channel that isn't watched by many, and only lasted a season, and didn't have great ratings, is not a niche show?

Because in it of itself its not a show that NEEDS to be well known.

Niche is like i dunno. A show about dancing monkey Gymnasts or something.

Giant robots? Thats NOT niche. It may not be a well KNOWN show but thats not the same as niche.

And it had decent ratings.

If this movie would be made, it would appeal to as many people as Transformers did. Possibly more because this show was also clever. And had intentional awesomeness. And if it had decent action it would also be popular with the critics.

[Weezer]

Trust me, giant robots is niche. It may not seem it from inside the geek culture, but there is hardly anything mainstream about giant robots.

[Scowling Dragon]

Well we have had an increasing amount of giant Robot related movies coming out the past half decade.

Theres even that movie in the style of classic Japanese Mecha anime coming out.

If that one succeeds, there is no reason why Megas XLR wouldn't.

[tensai_oni]

Sorry to shatter your dreams, but giant robots are considered niche IN JAPAN, the place that spawned the genre and where they are most popular.

A mecha show is viewed by the general public as being for kids. And if it tries to be either dark or OMG AWESOME, then it's viewed as being for nerds - which is even more niche than the kids' market. The newly upcoming movie is a disaster monster movie first and a giant robot one second.

Why did the Bay Transformers films become so popular, then? Nostalgia. Almost everyone knows who Optimus Prime is. Outside Megas's (loyal, but limited) fandom, almost no one knows who Coop is.

[Scowling Dragon]

A guy can dream right? :smallsigh:

I just want another season or two of the show.

[Gavinfoxx]

Niche is like i dunno. A show about dancing monkey Gymnasts or something.


You don't know the definition of Niche on TV, do you? Niche is like anything that's not American Idol, dude. Anything that is not a popular, broadcast (not cable) show watched by multiple millions of viewers...

[Kris Strife]

Whatever would make you think that a show on an obscure, niche-oriented cable channel that isn't watched by many, and only lasted a season, and didn't have great ratings, is not a niche show?

Minor Nit Pick: Megas XLR had two seasons.

[GloatingSwine]

Trust me, giant robots is niche. It may not seem it from inside the geek culture, but there is hardly anything mainstream about giant robots.

Yet. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-ZcqwvQbas)

[Starbuck_II]

Yet. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-ZcqwvQbas)

Wait, this movie seems like a live action version of Neogenesis without the whiny main character or religious references. In other words, awesome.

[Scowling Dragon]

Wait, this movie seems like a live action version of Neogenesis without the whiny main character or religious references,

Or phoned in 1st year philosophy minor lecture bull****, or a plot that can be compared to the likes of Turkish Star wars.

Yeah.....Looks like everything I wan't from a movie.

[Weezer]

Or phoned in 1st year philosophy minor lecture bull****, or a plot that can be compared to the likes of Turkish Star wars.

Yeah.....Looks like everything I wan't from a movie.

What do you expect? Giant robots, just like superheroes, when used in the mainstream tend to be nothing more than vehicles for 'awesome' action. And by awesome I mean painful to anyone who expects a decent plot...

[Scowling Dragon]

Actually I HATE NGE. For those exact same reasons. It begins so great with a quasi-realistic view of how it could work but then descends into the author banging on the keyboard screaming "THE WORLD SUCKS LISTEN TO MEEEEEEEE"

NGE HAS Whiny characters that don't have an interesting arc. It shoehorns in postmodern existentialism in a most blatant lecture way. The plot is stupid and laughable. I DO think it stands on the same level of credibility as Turkish Star wars.

[Derjuin]

Actually I HATE NGE. For those exact same reasons. It begins so great with a quasi-realistic view of how it could work but then descends into the author banging on the keyboard screaming "THE WORLD SUCKS LISTEN TO MEEEEEEEE"

NGE HAS Whiny characters that don't have an interesting arc. It shoehorns in postmodern existentialism in a most blatant lecture way. The plot is stupid and laughable. I DO think it stands on the same level of credibility as Turkish Star wars.

All of these criticisms are subjective; while you may think it's stupid, and the characters are whiny, others may not. Also, I'm pretty sure you're mixing up postmodern (?) existentialism with existential nihilism, which is simply the negation of the idea that life has an objective meaning or purpose, in that one must give it a (subjective, unique to the individual) meaning.

Likewise, every reason I have for enjoying the series (from NGE, to Death and Rebirth, to Rebuild) is subjective. I enjoy the characters' interactions, delving into their psychological issues, etc. It's much more cerebral for me than big robot fights. To me, the big robot fights are simply a catalyst for something to occur in the characters before or afterwards.

It's practically unfair to call NGE a "giant robot" show anyway; it's more of a deconstruction of the genre than being all about big mechas that are bigger than big and stronger than strong (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlWaTAZUxUQ).

To be more on topic, comparatively: Rebuild of Evangelion 2 only grossed about $80k on its opening weekend in America. It has the huge benefit of originally being from Japan, where there are a ton more fans of the series (where it grossed 6 mil (500 mil yen) on its opening weekend). I hadn't even heard of Megas XLR before now, and it was made in the US. The reason I bring up country of origin is because markets are different between the US and Japan; my theory is that while NGE can count on its (relatively large) niche in japanese markets, Megas XLR would have to count on a (smaller) niche in american markets.

[Scowling Dragon]

No I specifically mentioned postmodern existentialism for a reason. The last 5 minutes of the show just TRY to cram it in.

I would say it was a deconstruction for a few episodes. Then it was the directors personal scream fest. Im not AGAINST good characters or intersting psychological examination. This wasn't. It was very simple psychological examination that was dragged on for VERY long.

But whatever. Thats subjective.

Anyway yeah. I doubt we would get to see anything as awesome as Megas XLR as a movie.

[Weezer]

I'd say deconstructions are still a part of the genre they deconstruct. Watchman is still a superhero comic, despite deconstructing the superhero comic book genre. Thomas Covenant is still a fantasy protagonist, despite deconstructing what is expected of a fantasy protagonist. The list goes on.

[GloatingSwine]

Deconstructions are necessarily part of the genre they deconstruct. This is why they're also usually not as clever as they think they are, because for every genre element they hold up to critical examination there's another that they are forced to accept uncritcally.


They're also usually too busy saying something about the genre they're deconstructing to say anything applicable beyond it. Neon Genesis Evangelion's message appears to be "untrained children in a carelessly unsupportive environment may not be the best thing to pin your hopes of saving mankind upon". And, well, that's a message that many Super Robot shows need to consider, but doesn't really apply much outside of that genre.

[INoKnowNames]

A Megas XLR Movie... I remember that show; not bad...

Cast Jack Black as Coop, and I'd give it all my money right now.

Seriously, I dare you; I DARE YOU, to find another man more suited to the role of Coop than Jack Black.