Comics and books made into movies

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Comics and books made into movies

Postby Crescent Pulsar R » Sat Jul 30, 2011 4:33 am

I was thinking that a general discussion about such movies might be doable. It might simply be whether you liked the movie or hated it, or which particular parts about them that stood out in such a way. It could be about their adaptation, or the details concerning the discrepancies between the movie and the source it was based on.

And, of course, I bring this up without any real idea of what I could contribute to the subject... ;/ Well, to be honest, I'm not a big fan of adaptations in general, mostly because I have no attachment to the original work. I think, out of all of the comic and book-inspired movies I've seen, the only one I've both read and watched was The Hobbit.

I never got into American comics, save for a time when I read Archie (which included Sonic the Hedgehog). So, of the movies I know were based on books...

The Princess Bride: It's just one of those cult classics, I guess. Just slightly whimsical, a bit witty, and... wait for it... true love. ;p And while I'm not into wrestling, after watching a biography on Andre the Giant, his presence in the movie actually increased its value to me. It's also chock full of quotable dialogue, which is good for making references (of which I like to do).

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: This one really stuck with me when I was a child. Musicals are generally on the outskirts of my interest, but I actually liked a lot of the songs (like "toot sweets" XD ), and the setting was kind of odd and interesting. Movies these days just don't have the kind of adventure you get with this one anymore.

Dune (1984): Another movie from my childhood. I know the film didn't get a good reception when it came out, but the setting and visuals left an impression on me. Some people spoke in weird voices to control people, there was the "flying fat man," riding giant worms, using one's voice as a weapon, among other things.

Mary Poppins: A second musical? And one that also stars Dick Van Dyke? Yes, indeed. Much like with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, I also liked the songs in this one, as well as the setting and the whimsical stuff that usually happened during the songs.

The Neverending Story: Just the first movie. Like Dune, the setting and visuals left an impression on me. There's the various creatures, the adventure, and the magic of imagination in regard to creating a world for someone to explore.

Now that I notice, all of those movies stem from my childhood. What can you do, right?
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Re: Comics and books made into movies

Postby fatman » Sat Jul 30, 2011 6:36 am

Dune (1984): Another movie from my childhood. I know the
film didn't get a good reception when it came out, but the setting and visuals left an impression on me. Some people spoke in weird voices to control people, there was the "flying fat man," riding giant worms, using one's voice as a weapon, among other things.


The 1980's Dune movie did not follow the book.

The 2000's Dune series followed the book.

The 1980's Dune movie was far, far more interesting. It also ages very well. Despite nearly 20 years old, its still awesome. Harkonnen Sting FTW.

The 2000's Dune series? Hell, I can barly watch the thing. It was already dated-looking by the time it came out. It was like watching a 1950's flick.



House of Spirits: In college, we dissected this novel nearly paragraph by paragraph. It didn't help that it was unavailable locally, so all our copies were photocopies. When the movie was announced, I eagerly awaited it... only to be disappointed. The movie was extremely rushed. While not eery scene could have made the cut, it felt like they shot a 6 hour mini series then sliced out parts to make it fit 2 hours.

Flight of Dragons: I fell in love with this movie in my childhood. I looked for the book for well over 2 decades. It finally popped up in amazon. Imagine my surprise/disappointment when I found out the movie had little to do with the book, other than the artwork. The book itself was OK, in a text-booky kind of way, but it had very little to do with the movie.

Last Unicorn: Like flight of Dragons, I fell in love with this movie. Unlike Flight of Dragons, the book was wonderful, more so than the movie.

Silence of the Lambs: Good book, good movie.

Red Dragon: Good book, ending of the movie was a complete clusterf*

LotR: Movie was good enough an adaptation. That 30 minute farewell scene in the last movie, however, was too much.

edit: crap, I logged into the wrong name.
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Re: Comics and books made into movies

Postby Crescent Pulsar R » Sat Jul 30, 2011 7:11 am

Hey, you're not the flying fat man. ;p

If I remember correctly, the author of Dune was mostly satisfied with the first movie, even with how much it had to be shortened before it would be acceptable for the box office. I also prefer it over the mini-series they made of Dune a decade ago.

I like the Last Unicorn and Flight of the Dragons, too. I used to have those, but I have no idea what happened to them. ;/
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Re: Comics and books made into movies

Postby Ellen Kuhfeld » Sat Jul 30, 2011 9:19 am

There is a spate of books and comics being made into movies, lately. I'll let y'all discuss them. But there's one that still stands out in my mind: Zotz!. It was a 1962 movie based on a 1947 novel, and it's the only movie I've ever seen better than the novel it was based upon. And that is with Don Knotts as the hero.

Mind you, I might not agree with that evaluation today. My tastes were probably very different in the Sixties.
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