Worst (& Best) Movie Adaptations

[mjh215]

Originally Posted by Falbe Publishing

For worst movie, I found Eragon to be terrible. Not that the book is particularly stellar, but it's decent entertainment. The movie however was a cruel hack job that ignored most of the book.

I watched Eragon figuring you can't go wrong with dragons... I was wrong...

-MJ

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by mjh215

I watched Eragon figuring you can't go wrong with dragons... I was wrong...

-MJ

I knew it was in trouble when the theater didn't run any trailers.

[pshrynk]

Originally Posted by mjh215

I watched Eragon figuring you can't go wrong with dragons... I was wrong...

-MJ

I watched it, thinking you can't go wrong with Jeremy Irons. Wrong again.

And what was up with Malkovich? Did he mail his stuff in from vacation?

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

I still stand by my previous posts that books make lousy screenplays. A good short story works much better, because it is about a single event. Books cover too much character development and stuff for a simple 2 hr movie.

I think I agree with that notion, it's a matter of appropriate length. Phillip K. Dick's work certainly supports that claim -- how many of them have been made into films now? I think I can think of four just off the top of my head, Minority Report, Impostor, Total Recall, and Blade Runner. All of those were quite well received.

Novellas seem to adapt pretty well too ... thought I'm coming up empty trying to name one.

[Jim Lester]

Originally Posted by mjh215

I watched Eragon figuring you can't go wrong with dragons... I was wrong...

Originally Posted by pshrynk

I watched it, thinking you can't go wrong with Jeremy Irons. Wrong again.

Obviously neither of you had seen "Dungeons & Dragons" (for which you should be grateful), or both of you would've known that you were wrong on both counts.

[mjh215]

Originally Posted by Jim Lester

Obviously neither of you had seen "Dungeons & Dragons" (for which you should be grateful), or both of you would've known that you were wrong on both counts.

LOL... Interestingly enough I own D&D the movie, but have never watched it... Got it for free...

-MJ

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I have to ask if you've actually read "Battlefield Earth"? Other than the fact that it's a little on the long side it is, to my mind, a pretty decent SF novel. Remember that Hubbard was an SF author with a well-deserved reputation before he went "religious".

The reviews of the book were pretty mixed as you can read about in the wikipedia article of the book. They ranged from awful to OK. I read half the book but lost interest in the middle since the plot and characters were so stereotypical.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by tompe

The reviews of the book were pretty mixed as you can read about in the wikipedia article of the book. They ranged from awful to OK. I read half the book but lost interest in the middle since the plot and characters were so stereotypical.

But is it reasonable to call it "one of the worst books ever", do you think? I quite enjoyed it myself, as I said. Certainly not "great literature", but a perfectly respectable SF novel.

[Cthulhu]

Best:

"Call of Cthulhu," which presented a very neat, earthy/old school and low-tech approach to succesfully address the difficult task of representing something not of this earth. So many films these days, from "Cloverfield" to the ret-conning abortions that were G. Lucas' last three films have flash, but no substace, no visceral evocation for the audience because everything is manipulated pixels.
Some folks out east could do well to learn from Mr. Harryhausen.

Worst:
Johnny Mnemonic.
Ugh. Keanu absolved himself of this sin for parodying himself and his performance in "The Matrix." Otherwise, horrid acting, poor set dressing. Just....*shudder*

So what was the plot of the literary "Triffids" story? As I kid I loved the notion of extra-terrestrial flesh-eating plants. One more reason to eschew Brussel sprouts.

As for "Battlefied Earth," I find it interesting that for a film made by the author's fervent followers, y'all claim that they alterted it severely. Would think that such would be heresy. If the plot of the book has humans using any technological weapons that are more than 50 years old, I would say that the book is just as ridiculous as film. Good luck starting a 1958 Chevy sitting in a barn, let alone a Harrier!

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

But is it reasonable to call it "one of the worst books ever", do you think? I quite enjoyed it myself, as I said. Certainly not "great literature", but a perfectly respectable SF novel.

I personally do not think so but maybe if I read it know I would be more critical. The more I read the harder it is to read thing that are not well written.

[pshrynk]

Originally Posted by Cthulhu

Best:

"Call of Cthulhu," which presented a very neat, earthy/old school and low-tech approach to succesfully address the difficult task of representing something not of this earth. So many films these days, from "Cloverfield" to the ret-conning abortions that were G. Lucas' last three films have flash, but no substace, no visceral evocation for the audience because everything is manipulated pixels.
Some folks out east could do well to learn from Mr. Harryhausen.

Worst:
Johnny Mnemonic.
Ugh. Keanu absolved himself of this sin for parodying himself and his performance in "The Matrix." Otherwise, horrid acting, poor set dressing. Just....*shudder*

So what was the plot of the literary "Triffids" story? As I kid I loved the notion of extra-terrestrial flesh-eating plants. One more reason to eschew Brussel sprouts.

As for "Battlefied Earth," I find it interesting that for a film made by the author's fervent followers, y'all claim that they alterted it severely. Would think that such would be heresy. If the plot of the book has humans using any technological weapons that are more than 50 years old, I would say that the book is just as ridiculous as film. Good luck starting a 1958 Chevy sitting in a barn, let alone a Harrier!

A man is working with a newly discovered plant species called Triffids that can walk on three stumpy rhizomes,when his eyes are damaged as he discovers that they have a "tongue" that can lash out and are toxic. He spends the next three weeks with a bandage over his eyes. While in hospital, there is an amazing meteor shower that everyone inthe world goes out and watches. The next day everyone who did wakes up blind. The man does everything he can to help the sightless. Eventually, Triffids are discovered to be everywhere. the man thinks it is because those he worked with have escaped. However, it is soon discovered that the meteor shower was, in fact the spore of the triffids come to invade the Earth. It takes a lot more ingenuity and scince on the part of the sighted survivors and those who are blind to win the day than just hosing the Trifids down with sea water.

[questionfear]

Best: Lord of the Rings, runner up: Jurassic Park (only the first movie though!)

Worst: Tie between Sphere and The Runaway Jury.

Actually, Sphere was just a bad movie, while The Runaway Jury took everything great about the book and destroyed it.

[DixieGal]

I forgot about Sphere. We saw for FREE it in a theater with radio promotional tix, and I still remember thinking we paid to much.

Which reminds me of another stinker that was free radio tix: Dark City. I kept waking up and being surprised that the plot had not advanced and the characters were still in the same stilted conversation as they were in before I fell asleep. Rinse eyes and repeat. I napped the whole way through.

[UncleDuke]

there was this really bad thing on tv a few weeks back called ELECTION 2008, seemed like a night time version of AS THE WORLD TURNS

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by UncleDuke

there was this really bad thing on tv a few weeks back called ELECTION 2008, seemed like a night time version of AS THE WORLD TURNS

heh. i got an email from my cousin (in canada) just after the election. she said, "i'm just worried about one thing now : what am i going to watch on television every night ?? hahaha !!"



she's so funny.