Could Be A Good Idea, Probably Will Suck

Undoubtedly you have seen the ads for Get Smart's Bruce & Lloyd Out of Control, the direct-to-DVD Get Smart tie-in movie that features some of the theatrical film's minor characters in their own adventure. While I have no doubts that the movie will be atrocious, I am intrigued by the concept of near-simultaneous releases of major motion pictures and smaller films that tie-in to the larger story. Cartoons have been serving this function for a few years now with varying results (the really good Batman ones, the mixed-bag Animatrix, and the terrible The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury), and mostly aimed at bridging the gap between sequels. But until now, live-action tie-in releases where extremely rare. If Bruce & Lloyd manages to make some cash, I can easily see this becoming part of the regular Hollywood business model. And while my first instinct is to be horrified, I can't help but think that this could be really great if put in the right hands.

I'm not delusional. I know that this type of treatment will only be given to the big-budget blockbuster releases, and we won't be seeing a No Country For Old Men spin-off showing the early career of Woody Harrelson's Carson Wells (I can always dream). But even then, there is potential. Imagine that The Bourne Ultimatum had a DVD tie-in that followed Julia Stiles after she had to go into hiding. Maybe we can get a glimpse at how Karen Allen spent the last 20 years while Indy was away. Or perhaps a 007 movie that followed M around for a day instead of Bond? I'm sure just a regular day at the office in M's shoes is probably interesting enough to warrant a $6 million budget.

These are my hopes, but they are sadly not my expectations. Rather, I fully believe we'll get a Mummy side story about how Brendan Fraser's kid uses an ancient scroll to stop the harassments of a school bully. Even if I give some creative credit to the studio system, I know the best we're likely to see is a 60-minute movie showing the amount of time and craftsmanship that the killer dedicates to making all those horrible devices in the Saw franchise (which I would kinda like to see, actually). I can always hope that some maverick filmmaker will see the artistic potential in this idea instead of just dollar signs. It's a foolish hope, But I still have it.