Posted this in an online discussion on Amazon.com about why fantasy movies aren't as good as the books they'e based on...here's the link if your interested....
"I think part of the problem is two-fold…first, what looks good on the page doesn’t always translate well on the screen. With a book the reader can use his own imagination. But translating that story to an actual image is a different matter entirely. What looks wondrous in your head might turn out to be risible on the screen. Eragon is a good example of this effect – what seemed epic and amazing in a book comes across as bloated and pompous in a movie.
Also, Hollywood has a sad track record of translating fantasy stories to the screen, because they always take the easy way out, relying on the most hackneyed stereotypes and clichés when it comes to a plot, cutting out the more edgy or complicated stuff that often makes the story work, and relying on FX to make up for the deficiency. Look at the Golden Compass – the studio cut out all the religious and atheist references, mainly because they didn’t want to scare away certain segments of the audience. The problem is, those issues about religious belief are what make the story work, regardless of your opinion on the matter; take them away and all that’s left is another boilerplate coming-of-age story that’s instantly forgettable the minute you leave the theatre.
Basically, Hollywood views fantasy as broad mindless entertainment for the masses But a lot of the really good stuff in the genre is actually very thoughtful, and quite dark, which doesn’t work when you’re taking the lowest-common-denominator approach to entertainment. Here’s hoping, BTW, that HBO resists the temptation to dumb-down A Game of Thrones when they start filming….
Anyway, just my two cents on the matter."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment