As most people are aware, the new Batman movie just came out and everyone is excited about it. Of course, I've seen it myself and only have a few minor complaints and several praises. But there are lots of write ups about The Dark Knight already, and I'm afraid I don't have much new to add. Besides, I'm not a Batman fan in general, so I'll leave it to others better equipped for waxing intellectual about the gray areas of justice in Gotham City and the caped crusader's wonderful toys.
What I left the theater most excited about wasn't the fantastic portrayal of The Joker by Heath Ledger (though it was brilliant), but the teaser trailer for The Watchmen. I mean, have you seen this thing? I've watched it twice just now.
I've never read the graphic novel, and though this could make me lose some street cred as an official nerd, I just didn't think I'd like it. It was written in 1986. It's almost as old as I am. Where I recognize and appreciate what it's done for graphic novels and comics in general since then, I was worried it would be like listening to electronic music from 1994: Groundbreaking in its time but sounding a little too much like the old Casio keyboard my dad bought me for my 12th birthday. This preview has changed all that.
I had my trusty boyfriend nab a copy of the novel for me and put it in my file at the comic book store so I can buy it after payday. He's read it (of course) and assures me that I won't be disappointed. I'm still a little wary because a few years back I tried to read V For Vendetta (another graphic novel by the same author), and couldn't make it through the first quarter of the book. I found the movie preferable, which is yet another chink in my geek armor. But what can I say? As a woman gamer, I prefer strong female characters to weak ones, and Natalie Portman did such an excellent job being bold and intelligent that it couldn't compete with her simpering counterpart in the novel.
The point of this rambling blog is that I'm about to read what some people have called the most influential and groundbreaking graphic novel of all time, and the trailer has inspired me to be more than just lukewarm about the prospect. This got me thinking about other novels being made into movies that some in the dork community have been anticipating (or dreading) for years.
First up, Ender's Game. Written by Orson Scott Card in 1985, it has garnered critical acclaim from several venues. It is the winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and was the first novel to be available for free online before being published in print. It's a personal favorite of mine. I read it for the first time when I was twelve and have re-read it and its first three sequels at least five times since then. It's comfortable as home to me.
The movie version of Ender's Game has been categorized as "in production" on IMDB.com for years. The last I heard, Card was so fed up with all the different drafts of scripts he's been given over the years that he decided to write his own. While I completely support his decision, he sure is taking his sweet time to do it. I agree that anything worth doing is worth doing right, but another tenet of my personal belief system is that one should shit or get off the pot.
I would love to see this outstanding novel immortalized on film, but I'm not even entirely sure it would be done right. I assume that's why Card has insisted on handling it himself, but even if he gets the script down impeccably, what about the cast? It'll be nigh impossible for him to find enough capable child actors to fill all the important roles. At the beginning of the book, Ender is six years old. I don't see that translating to film very accurately.
Next (and last, because this is becoming quite lengthy), is the classic manga Ghost In The Shell
by Masamune Shirow. This is a tricky one, because since it's release it's been made into two anime movies, at least one video game and two different spin off shows. It seems to have already been exhausted as far as adaptations go, but no. Hollywood has decided to take a crack at creating a live action version, to be directed by none other than Steven Spielberg. I'm unsure if this is going to be based off the manga, the movie or the show, but I have a feeling they're going to murder it. I can't imagine most of the scenes of any of the animated adaptations translating to live action well at all. And the actors. Who will play my beloved Motoko Kusanagi? Batou? There's not a single actress or actor I can think of that could take on such roles. Ghost in the Shell is a true classic, and they better get it right or they could be facing the white-hot nerd rage of thousands of incensed fanboys and girls.
So we'll see. We'll see about The Watchmen and Ender's Game and Ghost in the Shell. I can only hope there won't be another travesty as infuriating as The Two Towers.
I had my trusty boyfriend nab a copy of the novel for me and put it in my file at the comic book store so I can buy it after payday. He's read it (of course) and assures me that I won't be disappointed. I'm still a little wary because a few years back I tried to read V For Vendetta (another graphic novel by the same author), and couldn't make it through the first quarter of the book. I found the movie preferable, which is yet another chink in my geek armor. But what can I say? As a woman gamer, I prefer strong female characters to weak ones, and Natalie Portman did such an excellent job being bold and intelligent that it couldn't compete with her simpering counterpart in the novel.The point of this rambling blog is that I'm about to read what some people have called the most influential and groundbreaking graphic novel of all time, and the trailer has inspired me to be more than just lukewarm about the prospect. This got me thinking about other novels being made into movies that some in the dork community have been anticipating (or dreading) for years.
First up, Ender's Game. Written by Orson Scott Card in 1985, it has garnered critical acclaim from several venues. It is the winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and was the first novel to be available for free online before being published in print. It's a personal favorite of mine. I read it for the first time when I was twelve and have re-read it and its first three sequels at least five times since then. It's comfortable as home to me.
The movie version of Ender's Game has been categorized as "in production" on IMDB.com for years. The last I heard, Card was so fed up with all the different drafts of scripts he's been given over the years that he decided to write his own. While I completely support his decision, he sure is taking his sweet time to do it. I agree that anything worth doing is worth doing right, but another tenet of my personal belief system is that one should shit or get off the pot.I would love to see this outstanding novel immortalized on film, but I'm not even entirely sure it would be done right. I assume that's why Card has insisted on handling it himself, but even if he gets the script down impeccably, what about the cast? It'll be nigh impossible for him to find enough capable child actors to fill all the important roles. At the beginning of the book, Ender is six years old. I don't see that translating to film very accurately.
Next (and last, because this is becoming quite lengthy), is the classic manga Ghost In The Shell
by Masamune Shirow. This is a tricky one, because since it's release it's been made into two anime movies, at least one video game and two different spin off shows. It seems to have already been exhausted as far as adaptations go, but no. Hollywood has decided to take a crack at creating a live action version, to be directed by none other than Steven Spielberg. I'm unsure if this is going to be based off the manga, the movie or the show, but I have a feeling they're going to murder it. I can't imagine most of the scenes of any of the animated adaptations translating to live action well at all. And the actors. Who will play my beloved Motoko Kusanagi? Batou? There's not a single actress or actor I can think of that could take on such roles. Ghost in the Shell is a true classic, and they better get it right or they could be facing the white-hot nerd rage of thousands of incensed fanboys and girls.So we'll see. We'll see about The Watchmen and Ender's Game and Ghost in the Shell. I can only hope there won't be another travesty as infuriating as The Two Towers.
2 comments:
Watchmen: FWIW, I tried to read it and got bored quickly. From what I've heard, this makes me a bad person.
GITS: We've already got GITS:SAC, we don't need anything else. I've seen both movies, read all the manga, and seen all of the TV shows (and that series' movie). Trust me, GITS:SAC is as good as it's gonna get.
That's what I'm afraid of - in BOTH cases!
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