Movie better than the Book

[DJDonegal]

[i]Why Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?[/i] was blah.

[i]Blade Runner[/i] was good.

[Gold Storm]

[quote name='Joanna Nox' post='1350285' date='May 10 2008, 11.18']Actually they're making an HBO series from it. :)[/quote]

I thought that it was called off again. Even in a mini-series they will have too cut a lot out of the books.

[Teng Ai Hui]

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was slow-paced and boring. The movie version, with Keira Knightley as Lizzy, was romantic, funny, picturesque, and entertaining.

*runs away quickly before anyone can revoke his man card*



Edited for spelling.

[Fenny]

[quote name='TengAiHui' post='1350877' date='May 11 2008, 08.23']Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice was slow-paced and boring. The movie version, with Keira Knightley as Lizzy, was romantic, funny, picturesque, and entertaining.

*runs away quickly before anyone can revoke his man card*[/quote]

Not surprised, since you read some lame imposter's lousy version. If only you'd read the original by Jane Aust[i][b]e[/b][/i]n.

[Shryke]

Or at least watch the BBC version with Colin Firth, which is literally the book, only missing like 2 scenes.

[C.T. Phipps]

[quote name='Ashamanic' post='1350092' date='May 10 2008, 10.39']Well, in the book, there was no struggle because he was too scared to even look at the ring. The movie version, doing his duty as instructed by his father, feeling the temptation and overcoming it works much better than simply "go away you're scaring me"[/quote]

Likewise, the "Awesome Corruptive Power of the Ring" doesn't seem to turn Boromir into a raving psychopath until after several days (possibly even the better part of a month) of exposure. Furthermore, Boromir is turned into one for only a few seconds on the screen before immediately regretting his action. Arguably, it's just transformed him into a thief. Also, the Ring has no effect on any of the other companions except Aragorn who believes he couldn't accompany Frodo to Mordor without losing his mind. Nevertheless, both human beings are relatively non-tempted.

Compared to Faramir who upon finding the ring, kidnaps two innocent strangers and brutally beats their deformed half-man companion. He threatens them with death and bullies them left and right while dreaming instantly of the prestige he'll receive at his father's court.

Instead of the awesome power of the Ring, the movie just demonstrated that Faramir is a sleaze bag bully.

[niamh]

[quote name='Charles Phipps' post='1350956' date='May 11 2008, 12.54']Instead of the awesome power of the Ring, the movie just demonstrated that Faramir is a sleaze bag bully.[/quote]
And an envious little shit with daddy issues.


:sick: :mad: [i][size=1](deep breath niamh! :D blood pressure, blood pressure)[/size][/i]

[Multaniette]

elfrede jelinek's la pianste (the piano teacher)- the store was made for a visual adaptation. brilliantly acted, brilliantly directed.

[Ashamanic]

[quote name='TengAiHui' post='1350877' date='May 11 2008, 02.23']Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was slow-paced and boring. The movie version, with Keira Knightley as Lizzy, was romantic, funny, picturesque, and entertaining.[/quote]

P&P was OK, but I just could not get into Emma, I found the prose impenetrable. The film (the one I saw) was entertaining though.

[Durckad]

[quote name='Charles Phipps' post='1350956' date='May 11 2008, 05.54']Likewise, the "Awesome Corruptive Power of the Ring" doesn't seem to turn Boromir into a raving psychopath until after several days (possibly even the better part of a month) of exposure. Furthermore, Boromir is turned into one for only a few seconds on the screen before immediately regretting his action. Arguably, it's just transformed him into a thief. Also, the Ring has no effect on any of the other companions except Aragorn who believes he couldn't accompany Frodo to Mordor without losing his mind. Nevertheless, both human beings are relatively non-tempted.

Compared to Faramir who upon finding the ring, kidnaps two innocent strangers and brutally beats their deformed half-man companion. He threatens them with death and bullies them left and right while dreaming instantly of the prestige he'll receive at his father's court.

Instead of the awesome power of the Ring, the movie just demonstrated that Faramir is a sleaze bag bully.[/quote]
That's because Boromir is surrounded almost 24/7 by Gandalf, Leggsie, Gimli, Aragorn and four hairy-footed hobbits. The one time he does get Frodo alone, he attacks him. The one time. That just shows that while he may be extremely tempted, he's not stupid.

Compared to Faramir who is surrounded by men loyal to him and the only protection Frodo has is Sam's fat ass. Which, is, unsurprisingly, not that dangerous (under normal circumstances).

[Lord of Oop North]

[quote name='niamhson Red'Toole' post='1350973' date='May 11 2008, 09.07']And an envious little shit with daddy issues.


:sick: :mad: [i][size=1](deep breath niamh! :D blood pressure, blood pressure)[/size][/i][/quote]

Hey, let's be fair, if movie Denethor was your dad, who [i]wouldn't[/i] have daddy issues?

I'm pretty sure if I was Faramir, Denethor would have [s]been pushed[/s] fallen from Ecthelion around the time of Bilbo's Birthday.

[niamh]

That doesn't say much about Sauron either, that he wasn't able to squash such an incompetent bunch of weak clowns years ago, either, come to think of it.
Maybe he was scared of the green ghosts menace, that with one look can disintegrate his whole army?
That movie's sometimes like someone let a not too bright ten year old have at it with the book.

[Shryke]

[quote name='niamhson Red'Toole' post='1351185' date='May 11 2008, 12.34']That doesn't say much about Sauron either, that he wasn't able to squash such an incompetent bunch of weak clowns years ago, either, come to think of it.
Maybe he was scared of the green ghosts menace, that with one look can disintegrate his whole army?
That movie's sometimes like someone let a not too bright ten year old have at it with the book.[/quote]

Yeah, there's quite a few really dumb decisions in the movie. They get ALOT right though. Especially in Fellowship.

[C.T. Phipps]

[quote name='Dackad' post='1351071' date='May 11 2008, 10.40']That's because Boromir is surrounded almost 24/7 by Gandalf, Leggsie, Gimli, Aragorn and four hairy-footed hobbits. The one time he does get Frodo alone, he attacks him. The one time. That just shows that while he may be extremely tempted, he's not stupid.

Compared to Faramir who is surrounded by men loyal to him and the only protection Frodo has is Sam's fat ass. Which, is, unsurprisingly, not that dangerous (under normal circumstances).[/quote]

Boromir, as played by Sean Bean is not the character in the book. Boromir tries to talk to Frodo into handing over the Ring and it's clear he's been thinking about the issue but he's not planning to attack Frodo [i]in the movie[/i]. Instead, he looks like he's overwhelmed with annoyance at Frodo's lack of willingness to even consider his suggestion (with good reason). If he really intended to steal the Ring, he'd just have clonked Frodo over the head but it's clearly a non-premeditated action.

As for why Sauron didn't invade, I thought it was because Saruman didn't join Sauron until that point in the movie and the Riders of Rohan would aid Gondor.

In the books, it's actually a regular thing with Sauron. Basically, he just builds up his massive forces and does his usual evil plotting before slowly slaughtering allies left and right (Mines of Moria and so on) then he invades. The men of Middle Earth repulse him but can't invade him back.

He goes back to rebuilding.

Oddly, a lot like France and England used to be.

[Liffguard]

The question of LOTR for me comes down to this. What would I rather spend an afternoon doing, reading the books or watching the films? For me, I'd rather watch the films. Every. Single. Time. It's because the books, for all of their depth, complexity and thematic content, are boring. And the movies, for all of their many glaring flaws, are fun. Obviously YMMA.

[Sir Thursday]

It's a TV series rather than a film, but [i]Dexter[/i] owns the books on which it it based.


Sir Thursday

[Myrddin]

The movie isn't scheduled for release until 2010, but I'm sure [b]The Historian [/b]will make a better movie than it was a book.

I really enjoyed the first third of the book (the frame premise, the mystery, the journey), but then it went down hill to end in a lack luster climax. I'd love to see a screen writer make the end match the beginning.

Even if they don't, the movie should be a fun watch.

[Tormund Ukrainesbane]

I'll throw the Da Vinci code in here because it was [i]shorter[/i] than the equally horrid book.

[williamjm]

[quote name='Tormund Midgetsbane' post='1352363' date='May 12 2008, 21.02']I'll throw the Da Vinci code in here because it was [i]shorter[/i] than the equally horrid book.[/quote]

The book may not be good, but I still think it is better than the film which seemed to have all of the book's bad points, except it managed to make the story much more tedious.

[EHK for Darwin]

The Da'Vinci Code book was interesting largely because of all the odd facts (embellished or not) tossed in and the pseudo-historical conspiracy theories. If you didn't know about most of this shit beforehand, it was interesting and made what was nothing more than a dressed up pulp chase novel into something more engaging. The film lost almost all of that, yet kept the chase, the Mary Sues, and the rather ridiculous villains. Basically all the worst aspects without any of the somewhat interesting tangents in the book. Book definitely wins here.

Back to LotR, I really don't think there's a question that the Fellowship film is FAR superior to the book. The movie was damned near flawless IMO and drastically improved over the source material. The Council was dramatic rather than tedious. The brief argument over the ring did more to convey the Elf/Dwarf animosity than the few random comments on it throughout the first book. Although it probably didn't go as far as the Lothlorien blind-fold scene, it did render it somewhat less necessary. Sauroman becomes an actual character instead of a faceless menace that gets referenced a few times. Boromir is vastly improved. Book Boromir is a bold boaster who turns into a whiny bitch when it gets dark out, has no apparent problems with a guy whose 'destined' to steal his thrown...even though he's been an absentee landlord of Gondor for generations, and comes off more as irritating than anything. Action actually takes place on screen instead of through later exposition. Aragorn works because he's not trying to play 'great leader' and 'king' yet. (he wasn't a bad Stryder)

Really the only flaw I can see was radioactive Galadriel and that was a 5 second sequence that altered nothing. Fellowship was an exceptional adaptation of a questionable piece of work. Awesome film.


I'm a bit torn on the others, not so much because of the strength of the source material as I am the liabilities inherent in the films. Gimli becomes comic relief. Unnecessary warg scene. Cliff-diving Aragorn. The Theoden exorcism. (although he became my favorite character in the film series once he became himself again. Just. Kick. Ass. Should ruled Middle Earth instead of Aragorn.) Easily tricked ents. Shield surfing Legolas. And of course the third film had one of the worst Deus Ex's in recent film memory with the Green Wave of DEATH!

If some things could have been adjusted and someone checked PJ's excesses, those could have been amazing films as well.