# Waitaminit, it's a Mockbuster! Curse you, Asylum, you fooled me again! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 8, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844 "2012-01-08T20:28:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/21 "2012-01-10T18:43:38Z")
If anyone’s interested, here’s Chris Sims review of [_Almighty Thor_](http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/05/18/almighty-thor/) from Comics [Alliance.com](http://Alliance.com). And [his significantly more positive review](http://www.heavy.com/movies/2010/04/the-worst-of-netflix-sherlock-holmes/) of _Sherlock Holmes._ Worth checking out, if only for the animated gif of Thor punching lava until it turns into a hammer. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/22 "2012-01-10T18:56:44Z")
Asylum: the carob of motion picture studios. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/23 "2012-01-10T20:46:56Z")
> [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](#): > > Yes, yes it is. There’s also what look like a dragon and some kind of giant octopus. I haven’t seen this one, but I really, really want to. I’ve heard that the ending involvesHolmes in a hot air balloon fighting his brother’s giant mechanical dragon while Watson rushes to stop an android suicide bomber from destroying Buckingham Palace. Quite true. And I quite enjoyed the movie; kind of a steampunk vibe. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/24 "2012-01-11T02:37:22Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > If anyone’s interested, here’s Chris Sims review of [_Almighty Thor_](http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/05/18/almighty-thor/) from Comics [Alliance.com](http://Alliance.com). > > And [his significantly more positive review](http://www.heavy.com/movies/2010/04/the-worst-of-netflix-sherlock-holmes/) of _Sherlock Holmes._ > > Worth checking out, if only for the animated gif of Thor punching lava until it turns into a hammer. Just looked at his Web site. His review of [Transmorphers](http://www.heavy.com/movies/2010/01/worst-of-netflix-transmorphers/) was pretty funny. > [@](#): > > To be honest, I have absolutely no idea what happens at the end of this movie, other than that Handsomeface dies and that means everything works out okay. So congratulations, Transmorphers: You earned the reputation of being this generation’s Plan 9 From Outer Space without even trying, and still lived up to every bit of it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/25 "2012-01-11T07:40:52Z")
I had no idea people were ever actually fooled by these. I mean, if a movie is famous, I know its actual title, at least one actor who is in it, and generally have already seen the boxart. I’ve never actually watched an Asylum title, but I have watched reviews of them on [ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com](http://ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com). A particular reviewer seems to watch all of them. My favorite so far is his [review of Sunday School Musical](http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/specials/31178-bmbssm). (Skip to 3:50 for the review proper. It’s a crossover so he has a guest that he has to make fun of.) And when I say review, I mean they make riff on the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/26 "2012-01-11T13:47:22Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I had no idea people were ever actually fooled by these. I mean, if a movie is famous, I know its actual title, at least one actor who is in it, and generally have already seen the boxart. > > I’ve never actually watched an Asylum title, but I have watched reviews of them on [ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com](http://ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com). A particular reviewer seems to watch all of them. My favorite so far is his [review of Sunday School Musical](http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/specials/31178-bmbssm). (Skip to 3:50 for the review proper. It’s a crossover so he has a guest that he has to make fun of.) > > And when I say review, I mean they make riff on the movie. I like Matthew Buck, by the way. He has really improved in his reviewing capabilities over the last couple years. His review of “Bear” is hilarious. [“The Bear knows!!!”](http://blip.tv/film-brain/bad-movie-beatdown-bear-5629592) ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/27 "2012-01-11T16:57:37Z")
It looks like that Asylum is already at work on _Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies._ > **[The Asylum preps Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies, creates satirical black hole](https://www.avclub.com/the-asylum-preps-abraham-lincoln-vs-zombies-creates-s-1798229195)** > > Self-described “mockbuster” production company The Asylum is unabashed in its shameless, timely rip-offs of popular movies, a catalog that thus far includes titles like Transmorphers, Almighty Thor, and even Titanic II. But whereas most of these are... ---
**Author:** ![coffinjumper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@coffinjumper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffinjumper)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/28 "2012-01-11T22:21:14Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I had no idea people were ever actually fooled by these. I mean, if a movie is famous, I know its actual title, at least one actor who is in it, and generally have already seen the boxart. I’m right there with you. The only way I can imagine someone even remotely being taken in is if they had no idea this concept existed. But then again I also check every recent-ish movie I rent to make sure I’m not getting a crappy pan and scan version, so maybe I’m more observant of this kind of crap than the average viewer. And my friends and I are the kind that will often seek out outrageously bad movies for fun, so I often know about them in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/29 "2012-01-11T22:36:51Z")
I don’t see why it’s so strange to be fooled, especially with the way we watch things these days. In the case of _Battle of Los Angeles_, I was channel surfing, and came upon a promo: “Next! Battle of Los Angeles.” So I started watching it. Where exactly am I going to get the information that it’s not _Battle: Los Angeles_ until I actually start watching it? And in the case of _Almighty Thor_, I was looking up on Netflix on my mobile. Pretty much all you see is the name of the movie, the year and a tiny picture. So I punched the screen and didn’t discover it was different until the movie actually started. I actually consider myself a fairly sophisticated movie viewer, compared to a lot of people so if these situations got me, then I suspect that there are a lot more people who are potentially fooled. Most people I talk to couldn’t come up with names of actors to save their lives and same with movie titles. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/30 "2012-01-12T01:25:00Z")
I also think a big part of their market is grandparents buying Christmas gifts. “Here’s that _Transmorphers_ movie I know you wanted!” ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/31 "2012-01-18T22:34:00Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I also think a big part of their market is grandparents buying Christmas gifts. > “Here’s that _Transmorphers_ movie I know you wanted!” That’s how my brother-in-law ended up with a Mandy Patinkin album instead of Monty Python. I’ve tried to steer clear of the Asylum’s crap, but I thought I might check out that one with [del]Debbie[/del] Deborah Gibson that has the big shark vs. giant octopus. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/32 "2012-01-19T00:34:37Z")
> [@psiekier](#): > > I’ve tried to steer clear of the Asylum’s crap, but I thought I might check out that one with [del]Debbie[/del] Deborah Gibson that has the big shark vs. giant octopus. Is she gratuitously nude? Because that could total up as a pretty good movie. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/33 "2012-01-23T22:39:50Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Is she gratuitously nude? Because that could total up as a pretty good movie. Unfortunately not. You will, however, see a shark attack that is so preposterous that you’ll be chortling for ten minutes. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ura-Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Ura-Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ura-Maru)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/34 "2012-01-24T00:29:08Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Couldn’t be any worse than the version of Thor in that one Incredible Hulk TV movie, could it? Could it? Please tell me it couldn’t. To be fair, the horrible Hulk/Thor movie did contain this exchange. -Evil Government Guys pounding on door, looking for Puny Banner- -Thor answers door, wearing only a towel and holding a pitcher of beer. Evil Government Guys are intimidated by his non-puny-ness- Thor: What do you want? EGG: “We’re looking for a man.” Thor: “Well, **then you have found one!** ” EGG: “No . . . we’re looking for a particular man . . .” Thor: “ **I am a perticular man. I AM PARTICULAR ABOUT HAVING MY LEISURE DISTURBED.** ” I won’t say that justifies WATCHING it, but I’d say that justifies it’s existence. – Thor, to guys, what 6’2" 120 lb models are to women. You know it’s insane to judge yourself by those standards, but you feel vaguely ashamed about not measuring up. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844/35 "2012-01-24T00:32:37Z")
> [@Ura-Maru](#): > > I won’t say that justifies WATCHING it, but I’d say that justifies it’s existence. No, that justifies watching it, too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waitaminit-its-a-mockbuster-curse-you-asylum-you-fooled-me-again/608844.md?page=1)