Aliens vs. Predator -- who will win the war?

[RhondaBrwn]

Hollywood as Usual

I'm waiting to see how the new History Channel "Great Battles" series is going to play out using graphics from the "Total War" series of games (specifically the new one on Rome). This could be a model for how movie directors could actually produce battles that capture some sense of real tactics.

I would have to comment though that movies on the Napoleonic era do seem to be way above average in showing real tactics. Remember the version of "War and Peace" filmed in the Soviet Union with a 100,000 + Red Army soldiers playing out the Battle of Borodino?

That was with real soldiers, you would think that CG would make it a lot easier to show disciplined ranks and tactical maneuvering.

On the positive side, I think that the battle scenes in "Last Samurai" were decently done and The Battle of Cowpens in "The Patriot" was recognizable if you know the actual battle.

Of course, the target audience could really care less about "real" history, let alone proper tactics and strategy, so Hollywood will keep on showing every battle as a bloody free for all.

 

[jlbetin]

They were some TV series here about WWI which were not so bad to describe trench fightings. Especially one called " Le Pantalon Rouge"

What did you thought about the "Return of the King" battles ?, for me they were great.

I appreciate too the opening battle of "The Gladiator".

There was too a Soviet film about Waterloo made by Cyril Bondartchouk, a good reconstitution of a Napoleonic fight

Der WanderScreenEater

 

[Tiberius]

What did you thought about the "Return of the King" battles ?, for me they were great.

Yes the Rings battles were best ones of fantasy genre, and highly enjoyable but still I think suffered from the 'unrealistic mellee' syndrome

 

[RhondaBrwn]

What did you thought about the "Return of the King" battles ?, for me they were great.

Overall, I enjoyed all of the LOTR battles, but I do have one major bone to pick. Seeing the "Riders of Rohan" just sweep through the army of Orcs like the grim reaper on steroids requires a lot of suspension of belief. I'm thinking of John Keegan's study "The Face of Battle" in which he debunks the myth of cavalry charging headlong into walls of spears, massed human bodies, and other horses. The reality is that a cavalry charge may very well cause the enemy to break and run, but if they stand fast the result is more of a melee.

The idea of cavalry just sweeping over thousands of pikemen (pikeorcs?) like a tidal wave is really fiction. It was certainly wonderfully emotional to see it happen on screen though! Since the army of the dead were supernatural, I can certainly understand their ability to sweep through the enemy like that, but not mortals. I would also question the wisdom of allowing the Orcs to encircle the Gondorian army at the final battle. Since the gate presents a choke point, a better strategy would have been to form a line of battle anchored on the cliffs and then do a "300 Spartans" defense. Not in the book and not needed, of course, but it was bad tactics for Aragorn to do that.

 

[rasmus]

The idea of cavalry just sweeping over thousands of pikemen (pikeorcs?) like a tidal wave is really fiction..

It is how ever more pleasing to the viewer than having a forest grow up and swallow them as happened in the book.

 

[Tiberius]

It is how ever more pleasing to the viewer than having a forest grow up and swallow them as happened in the book.

Yes, that's SO much more realistic! :cheeky:
Actually it is easier to swallow for me in fantasy than those damn unrealistic combats.

 

[Menschenfresser]

I would have to comment though that movies on the Napoleonic era do seem to be way above average in showing real tactics. Remember the version of "War and Peace" filmed in the Soviet Union with a 100,000 + Red Army soldiers playing out the Battle of Borodino?

Saw that one recently. It very much depicts the confusion of battle for the individual soldier, which Tolstoy describes in several scenes in the novel. But it lacks the POV of the generals. The movement of regiments and positioning of artillery. This is probably 55-70% of how Tolstoy writes these battles.

Best scene is Napoleon ascending the hill and upon seeing Bolkonsky laid flat out on his back with the flag in his hand remarks, "Oh what a beautiful death." Or something to that effect in French. Much of the version I watched lacked translation for anything other than the Russian.