I have heard a lot of mixed reviews on the movie and I've come to the conclusion that you can separate the views as "those who read the book" and "those who did not." The people who read it - love it. Those who did not read it - don't love it, don't get it, don't appreciate it. As someone who is a self-proclaimed book snob and tends to hate movies made from books, I was very pleased with the adaptation of the book. I feel like usually movies are made as a cliffs notes kind of version of the book and they're made for those people who are too lazy to actually pick up a book and read. This movie was 100% completely made for the people who read the book. If you didn't read it, you're not going to like it, I can pretty much guarantee that. And if you do happen to like it even if you didn't read the book, then you're in the minority from what I can tell.
You can make arguments all you want about how movies should be made with all the info so that people who haven't read the book will get it and like it, BUT - I believe this book earned the right and the authority to be made into a movie almost solely for those who have read it. It was chosen by Time Magazine as one of their "Top 100 English-Language Novels from 1923 - Present." It won a Hugo Award in 1988. It was chosen by Entertainment Weekly in 2008 as their number 13 book in the "Top 50 Novels Printed in the Last 25 Years." And I could go on.
So, basically, if you haven't read the book and you saw the movie and didn't like it. Just at least understand that your opinion is uneducated and that you are watching something that is much larger than a superhero movie. It's a satire and ultimately a cultural statement that has literally been applauded for it's intelligence and sophistication as a graphic novel. The movie is just another extension and perspective of the novel which practically requires an understanding of the novel to be fully understood as a movie.
You may not like that and you may be annoyed that you would have to read the book to like or understand the movie, but take it or leave it. The novel is incredible and by extension the movie is the same as it followed the book so closely.
3 comments:
This isn't really a movie review, it's more of a defense of why you liked it. I actually find it kind of offensive that you would generalize an entire an audience based on their opinion of this film, and call them uneducated.
There are a number of movies that come out every year that have been based on books that people don't read and like, and don't like.
Yes, I agree that the movie would appeal to people who have read the book for the sole fact that they already have more insight on what's going on. Does that mean that the plot is to intricate for people to follow? Absolutely not. I can sit here and recite to you my metaphorical interpretation of the movie from beginning to end, and I honestly don't think I would miss a beat. With that said, the reason I didn't like the movie wasn't because I didn't understand it, and it definitely wasn't because you assume that I didn't get it. Anytime someone disagrees with you, you can't just determine that they don't understand with what your saying, I think that is more ignorant than anything.
Are there people out there that didn't like it for dumb, and unspecific reasons, or because they didn't get it, ABSOLUTELY. But when you generalize an entire group, that's just wrong.
The reason I didn't like the film was because I felt the overarching plot was loosely tied, and somewhat over explained without it needing to be that way. I understand that people have lost faith in humanity, so much to the point where we would result to killing millions to save billions. The idea that corruption can kill the little dignity that is left. The main issue was that the film did not give us enough insight on individual characters to associate ourselves with them, which from what i've heard, is why the book is so prominent.
You're right, it wasn't a super hero flick. It was a movie about what super heroes would go through if they were real, but the movie neglected to create any sort of emotional connection with anyone except for Rorschach, and that's why I felt it really failed. Yes, you as a read of the book can probably identify because you've read the heroes thoughts in a book. But when they go unspoken, it's hard to pick up on those subtelties in such a visually rich representation.
All I can say is I think it's lame to generalize a group of people with an opposite opinion as being "ignorant" when you could just say, well... I simply don't agree.
My only response to this really is that my opinion was directed more at the people that made the movie rather than the people who didn't read the book. You can read a book or not, it's really your own decision. The problem is that with most movies, I think they make them for the people who didn't read the book - as an overview and to get the general feeling and point across. I think this movie was made in the opposite way - I think it was made for the people who read the book. It's a completely different direction than most movies-from-books usually take. I liked it because I read the book, but I don't think they gave enough so that people who hadn't read the book would like it. I just don't think they cared. So being uneducated or not given all the background is the fault of the moviemakers, not the viewers. I wasn't trying to be offensive. It's just what I observed.
Oh sorry, this was Jaye by the way.
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