Earth-C?

[athelind]

Ms. LeGuin is Not Happy.

And neither am I. quelonzia and I have just started watching our recording of Legend of Earthsea. When they started talking about "broken amulets" and "prophecies" and the arrogant, strutting warlord popped up like Pontus Pilate looking for the Nameless Wizard Destined To Thwart Him, I guv up.

I know that a lot of people are going to say, "oh, there are always changes when they film a book; you should enjoy it on its own merits."

I will give that argument all the consideration it's due, and respond: STFU. I get tired of hearing that as an excuse for film-makers to do any damned thing they want with a title.

Peter Jackson understood Tolkien's works and respected them; Sam Raimi understood and respected the work of Lee, Ditko, Kane and Romita on Spider-Man. Both directors made changes, but never lightly.

There's no excuse for taking a distinctive, unique classic and churning out a mediocre, undistinguished fantasy flick out of it.

No excuse save a lack of talent, insight and respect.

Comments

[kynn.livejournal.com]

NO ORGANIC WEB SHOOTERS

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Pbpbpbpt.

I LIKE the organic web-shooters. They eliminate the biggest suspension-of-disbelief problem the character has: namely, if Petey is smart enough to whip up this miracle goo that DuPont and 3M would give their eyeteeth for, why the hell is he trying to earn pocket money by wrestling?

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

Because wrestlers get more glory than scientists? Certainly, the football stars at his high school got for more acclaim and attention than he ever did.

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

*ahem* FAR more acclaim, etcetera. It's three in the morning.

Addendum: Pete Parker began as a flawed, broken, resentful character. Remember his refrain: "Someday they'll be sorry...sorry they laughed at me." Going into wrestling wasn't just about making money. It was about exulting in his new powers as well as venting several years of rage.

[stalbon.livejournal.com]

I still believe he's a flawed character, if not so broken. While I didn't get much into Spider-man until about 2001, what really, really pulled me in was the introduction of Ezekiel. If nothing else, he was the most interesting addition (along with Morlun, of course!) to the all-too familiar Spidey cast. And I think they ended things with him in a perfect manner as well: showing how they were both the same, seeking power and the ability to do something, to stand out...and yet there was something in Peter (or perhaps something more that happened to him) that made him change, while Ezekiel continued to only dream.

[jirris-midvale.livejournal.com]

It's the scifi channel. I've been terribly unimpressed with most of the stuff they do. Some of it is neat and good, but the vast majority is awful.

[araquan.livejournal.com]

It's a matter of degrees I guess. Whether the changes were made to make things flow in a more movie-like fashion while still respecting the spirit and essence of the story. Cut Tom Bombadil? Okay, that pisses some people off, but c'mon, it's not really that necessary in the grand scheme of things. Contact? I could run off a list of changes there too. The movie still captured, I think, the essence of what Sagan was saying. If that's the case, I can forgive moving a scene around here and there, or giving some lines to different characters, or possibly even combining a character or two. Just so long as it doesn't change where things are coming from.

As for Sci Fi... I don't trust them any farther than I could throw a Dyson sphere, and I haven't for a great while now...

[stalbon.livejournal.com]

Please note the movie version of Michael Crichton's The Lost World. If there's any movie that's more different from its novel predecessor, I've not seen it yet. Granted, I've never read the Earthsea books, but I did note how the plot felt very rushed. Still, I'll never understand what they thought they could do more wrong with Lost World. The only good thing was that it had Pete Posthelwaite in it.

[chrissawyer.livejournal.com]

Heya!

I got your guy's card. :D

Thanks! I hope you have a good holiday. :)

[rikoshi.livejournal.com]

I really admire her for speaking out like this. I have such respect for her, as a fellow writer, and it's sort of inspiring.

Now I just need to write something worthy of being published (someplace other than a Furry con, at least!).

[r-caton.livejournal.com]

I've never read the books. (cue catcalls). Missed them at school, never got round to them.
I'm not sure I like the assertion that only white folks can be "colourblind" ie unconcious as to a characters ethnicity, either. I grant that I don't feel the need to be proud of my Nord Londonic heritage... except when I hear some of the PC brigade that believe that a black person will never exhibit racism. Like fun. The same folks will tell you that domestic violence is a masculine trait exclusively (which is why violent and devious females can get away with it for as long as they do).
Wise up folks. We bleed the same, we pulp the same, we probably taste the same to a predator and we sin the same.

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

we probably taste the same to a predator

JUGGLER: "No, really, I love children. They taste like chicken."
JUGGLER (after pause for snickering): "Just kidding. More like pork, actually."

[r-caton.livejournal.com]

That's why they call it "long pig"....

Eurgh! with a gammy leg?
You don't have to eat the leg, Hoskins.....

[thakur.livejournal.com]

you can go even further back..
The movie of 'Pal Joey' was NOTHING like the Rogers and HArt Stage show.

[dutchmouse.livejournal.com]

Ah-men, brother!
You'll forgive me, but I've never read Ursula's stuff, but I know of the desecration of good books of which you speak. Why does this remind me a bit of...oh, Ray Bradbury Theater? And-and what was that one book written by that Heinlein guy...Oh, STARSHIP TROOPERS?! The only things they got right were the bugs and the actor for Seargent Zim. I'd love to hear your rant on that one, Athelind. To it's credit, though, I saw the movie was coming out, so I decided to read the book.

Okay, now I've read Dune and saw the Sci-Fi channel's version of it. It kinda bored me and I didn't like the way it looked.
Now David Lynch's Dune...that was AWESOME! Despite the overly-compressed story and the made up Weirding Modules, I liked Lynch's version better. Besides, that was the movie that got me into reading the Dune books.

-Dutch