GPA Members Punisher Warzone Reviews *SPOILERS*

[WARZONE]

I watched it yesterday afternoon with my brother,nephew and roomate. we all loved the zig out of it. we left the theater hooting and hollering and going over our favorite parts and I spent the rest of the day acting like LBJ skrewing with my brother left and right   

[Anti-Hero]

After watching the film, I've spent a lot of time thinking about what I would write for a review. There were so many things that I liked, and balancing that were the things that i didn't.

An Example:

GOOD
Frank blowing off Pitsy's head, and Budiansky's reaction. It was such a Castle moment, I slow clapped the scene afterwards.

BAD
Frank strolling around the city, nobody pays attention to him...etc.... Obviously, Frank isn't this dumb, and the plot holes this raises is in the hundred's.

You know what, though? At the end of the film, I was smiling. that's what counted. I felt that after two GIGANTIC dissapointment's, a film got my favorite character right. For the most part.

Sounds lame, but I was just thankful they did what they could do. This definitely was NOT the "definitive" Punisher film. There are plenty of reasons that back that up, and I won't care to bore you because everyone on here has already mentioned the problems I thought it had.

I refuse to complain though. I REFUSE.

There was Jigsaw, there was Soap, there was guns and bullets, and punishment. There was morality conflicts, and the closest thing to origin well get. Then there was Frank, and I'm with the majority on this Stevenson's performance.

I CAN'T COMPLAIN.

We probably won't get another film for a long time, and by that time the franchise might devolve again back to a naked guy running through the sewers with a penchant for R.C trucks. I don't want to sound like a cynic, but this may be the best we'll get.

I got to make the best of it.

Plus, there's always the comics.

[Meador]

I saw the movie yesterday. Loved it. Similar experience to Arsh. There was one couple in the very back of the theater. I sat in the middle. Then this guy walks in, dressed in fatigues with a hood of some sort covering half of his face and sits right behind me in a nearly empty theater. That was kind of weird enough but then his odor hit me. I got up and moved far away.

To the movie. My only complaint was I wish it was longer. As a fan I just wanted to see more and more. Stevenson was great. He carries a imposing weight in the movie and I do mean physically. Notice when he is in back of the squad car, he's in the background and the other actors are in the foreground, he is still bigger than them!

The actor who played LBJ did a great job, but I still had a hard time not seeing him as Percy from the Green Mile.

[autofact]

I will begin by pointing out that I am very new to this forum. In fact, part of the reason I joined the forum was to see what other longtime Punisher fans thought of "Punisher: Warzone."
As a longtime Punisher fan & a bit of a movie snob, here is my slightly critical but overall positive review.
First the bad; I didn't care for the LBJ character. I know that a lot of people on this board loved him, but for my tastes his performance was hammy & over the top. Soap was also just a little over the top, but it was so true to the Ennis character that it works. In fact, it's quite a brilliant little bit of tightrope that this actor walks between believable film acting & comic book character.
Which brings us to the good...the very, very good. Ray Stevenson has turned in one of the finest portrayals of a comic book character ever. As far as embodying a character, only Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker even comes close to what Stevenson does here. As everyone here knows, and what mainstream America doesn't understand, is that Frank Castle is not a simple, one dimensional character. Stevenson not only gets Frank Castle, he became Frank Castle. As someone who knows a thing or two about firearms & competitive shooting, it's very clear that Ray Stevenson put in his work on the range. He is QUICK on the draw, and his action scenes are extremely believable, even when they shouldn't be. Anyone who loves the classic Ennis & Dillon "Punisher" stories is simply going to relish every second of this film.
It's not perfect, but it's well directed, for the most part EXTREMELY well acted, with Ray Stevenson & Dominic West turning in especially strong performances. The script is the strongest we've had yet for a "Punisher" film, which admittedly isn't saying much since the 2004 film featured a "Punisher" coddling & colluding with a criminal informant rather than torturing & eventually dispatching him, as well as orchestrating a complex revenge plot rather than just getting knee deep in the guts of those who killed his family.
I honestly think that the weakest thing about the entire film is how it was marketed. I think that someone made the poor decision to sell this film to Rob Zombie fans & mall kids with the nu metal soundtracked trailers & I believe that this has hurt the ticket sales, which I have heard have been the worst for a comic book film yet.
This is very, very unfortunate because I can't wait for the DVD to be released & I'd really like it if we got something nice with lots of extras rather than a cheap, straight to Wal-Mart edition. It's also unfortunate because I would very much like to see Ray Stevenson return to the "Punisher" role once more!
This film was great, an 8/10. I honestly think that with a little more creative control & slightly higher budget we could see a 10/10 from Mr. Stevenson & company.

[James]

This felt like it was made for people that grew up with the comic- as opposed to younger audiences that only know the MAX version of the character.  I also get the sense that it was made for- and by- people who enjoyed the kind of violent, low-budget movies that used to be routinely churned out in the 1980's.  It reminded me of one of Cannon's Death Wish sequels, and that's high praise indeed.

So yeah, I loved it.  It's a shame the box office was so disastrous, because I'd really like to see Ray Stevenson return for a Punisher: War Journal.

[jeresydevilkt7777]

This felt like it was made for people that grew up with the comic- as opposed to younger audiences that only know the MAX version of the character.  I also get the sense that it was made for- and by- people who enjoyed the kind of violent, low-budget movies that used to be routinely churned out in the 1980's.  It reminded me of one of Cannon's Death Wish sequels, and that's high praise indeed.

So yeah, I loved it.  It's a shame the box office was so disastrous, because I'd really like to see Ray Stevenson return for a Punisher: War Journal.

Punisher:War Journal is a great name for a sequel.I also like Punisher:Circle Of Blood or Punisher:River Of Blood:)