Horror Cinema

[Jeff Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Jeff]

Cool. So you guys have seen it. Awesome.
As much as I like it (and I do like it very much) my gut tells me they changed the story quite significantly from the original novel, which I haven't read in years, but I remember key places and people that were left out, and a few name changes. For instance, Mac reads a lot more as an Archie Bunker than what I saw on screen. I almost don't want to reread the first novel in the event I become one of those "the book was better than the movie" people, but now it's like a scientific journey to find the differences.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker Moisture Farmer Find all posts View Profile Close Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

Yeah I'm not sure how this movie will hold up to the book because I never read it. Its definitely not a deep or thought provoking story in movie format. Just a fun popcorn ride. And not rated R so no real teeth to it.

[Agent Purple The Illustrated Man Find all posts View Profile Close Agent Purple]

It doesn't always matter if the book is better, because that doesn't make a film bad overall; a bad adaptation maybe, but not necessarily a bad film.

For Meg, there are two editions of the novel: the original and the revised, because I specifically remember Alten republishing the novel with improved characterization and added scientific material, enough for an entire extra chapter. In my own case, it's been quite a long while since I read the original and almost as long since I read the revision, but I doubt my memory of the literary form will prevent me from watching a fun giant shark flick.

My concern had long been that the film would be in development hell forever and I'd never get a good-quality (read: not shitty) giant shark film, something to turn to that made the big screen other than Jaws. If this film deviates a bunch from the source but is in the end a well-made summer watch that you can just sit back and enjoy, no hard thinking required, is that really such a bad thing?

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

It doesn't always matter if the book is better, because that doesn't make a film bad overall; a bad adaptation maybe, but not necessarily a bad film. . .

Yeah, Jurassic Park deviated heavily from the novel, but I love both. Bladerunner is so different from PK Dick's novel (which admittedly is a different title) that it should be considered "suggested by" yet it's one of only a few examples I can think of that exceeded its source material. Varying from the book (which to some level is necessary since they're different media) isn't always bad, but it's baffling when they ditch everything good about the book for stupid stuff.

[Jeff Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Jeff]

If this film deviates a bunch from the source but is in the end a well-made summer watch that you can just sit back and enjoy, no hard thinking required, is that really such a bad thing?

Well, that's an open ended question for me because I could simultaneously say yes and no.

I did enjoy the movie, no doubt. Watched it 3 times already. Scrutinized it as well as just playing it for sheer enjoyment.



What concerns me is the grandeur that the original novel had, the settings, places, people, etc that made it such a part of my world have probably been edited out. You also have to understand I read the novel when it first came out. I was still in high school I believe, so my gestation period for the movie has been quite long with expectations that would at least meet the novel's standards. I might skip reading the novel again in favor of finding a gripe post on the internet that explains the differences.



I honestly wonder what Alten thought of the movie. I mean, his real honest opinion and feelings over the film vs. The book.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker Moisture Farmer Find all posts View Profile Close Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

Oh? I didn't real8ve the book came out in the 70s...

[Jeff Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Jeff]

Oh? I didn't real8ve the book came out in the 70s...

It was released in 1997. I may be dating myself a bit, but not that much! Lol


Ok, so here's my deal. About 5 minutes after posting my last comment in this thread, I went and downloaded yet *another* copy of the first Meg novel. Just finished it a minute ago. They are almost 2 entirely different entities, the only commonality is a big shark and Jonas Taylor. Now, while I do prefer the book due to its specific characteristics, I don't feel it takes away from the movie. Let's say they share a common root of Taylor having a past accident and moving on into the now where he has to deal with the big shark. Settings were different, people were different, and the ending was quite different (seriously, you want a gut wrenching action packed ending? Read the book).

I will definitely be picking up the movie when it's released on DVD and I hope to see sequels in the near future. There are 5 more novels worth of great material to be used; I hope they do it.


Oddly enough, I prefer the movie Jaws to the Peter Benchley Novel. Maybe because it was first impression? The ending in those two interpretations are quite different also, with the movie winning out. Normally I would scream spoilers, but the novel has been out 44 years now, so I feel zero guilt when I tell ya they killed Bruce with Hooper's needle. Dull and boring.

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

(seriously, you want a gut wrenching action packed ending? Read the book)

I will try to get a copy some day.

Oddly enough, I prefer the movie Jaws to the Peter Benchley Novel. Maybe because it was first impression? The ending in those two interpretations are quite different also, with the movie winning out. Normally I would scream spoilers, but the novel has been out 44 years now, so I feel zero guilt when I tell ya they killed Bruce with Hooper's needle. Dull and boring.

Yeah, I agree. Also, it's harder to root for the characters. Hooper has an affair with Mrs. Brady. Sherif Brady is not a contra-mundum character but quite easily gets talked down by TBTB. They're much more heroic (though still three-dimensional, imo) in the movie.*

My mother read the novel before the movie existed and she likes it more. She literally read it at a beach and didn't swim again on that trip.

*Interestingly, Mythbusters once tested the book's premise of using piano wire (a scene hinted at but deleted from the movie as I'm sure you Bruce-heads know) instead of fishing line for big sharks and totally busted it. The strongest piano wire is much weaker than high-test fishing line (even in the 70s).

[Jeff Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Jeff]

......and of course, now I'm reading the Meg series all over again. Buying it for a 3rd time. I could just go upstairs and get the friggin books in storage but NOOOOOO Jeffrey needs to have them on the Kindle. Lazy American I am.
:P

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

......and of course, now I'm reading the Meg series all over again. Buying it for a 3rd time. I could just go upstairs and get the friggin books in storage but NOOOOOO Jeffrey needs to have them on the Kindle. Lazy American I am.
:P

Must be nice to have money to burn.

[Jeff Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Jeff]

Must be nice to have money to burn.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker Moisture Farmer Find all posts View Profile Close Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

Ha ha!

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

Halloween trailer two is out:

+ YouTube Video

[Agent Purple The Illustrated Man Find all posts View Profile Close Agent Purple]

Film is looking better every time I see something for it. I like the parallel this has, where he follows the woman into the house to get her knife, similar to the original Halloween II.

[Agent Purple The Illustrated Man Find all posts View Profile Close Agent Purple]

A Quiet Place (2018)

"I have always loved you."


Well, since Halloween 5's disc was cracked and I have to wait for a replacement, I decided to just forge ahead and watch AQP. And because the one cook is getting very impatient to talk to someone else at work about how much he loves the film.

It has incredible atmosphere. The areas used for the location shots were gorgeous, loved the autumn look of everything. It doesn't go for anything super-ambitious, and in doing so creates this very believable world. Yes, the monsters have basically taken over, we see that well enough, but I'm saying we don't see this huge and hyper-destructive war like in World War Z. It's just a film about a family barely surviving against unspeakable horrors.

The characters were somewhat constrained by the story (can't make sound, after all), but that caused a push for the audience to read into their body language and interpret meaning from their expressions more than the usual film, and we also got all the sign language. I really have to applaud the film for being so different, because other than something like The Artist, you pretty much never see a film where sound is so critical to the style.

The monsters were something else. Both bizarrely ugly and rather frightening, but I have to say, they almost seemed like a warped idea of a chimpanzee with how they have these overlong arms and shit. More facial problems than a Predator, too.

God, that dad was a fuckin' hero. His last connection with his daughter was extremely moving.

Very satisfied with the ending.

I think saying any more will spoil it for those still curious, so I'll leave it there.