Tag: Adaptations

Adaptations

On By Christopher TuthillIn Fantasy, George RR Martin, Movies, Science Fiction, Tolkien2 Comments

If you’d told me when I was twelve that we’d have endless new sci fi/superhero/fantasy movies and shows every single week, I would’ve been ecstatic. But alas, since I’m fifty and no longer twelve, I’m totally disinterested in most of it. Partly this is because I’m no longer a child, but it’s also because I enjoy new and different stories, and none of these gigantic intellectual properties do that. They just make the same exact stories over and over.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas created something special that felt fresh. Comic books did that also, and some still do. Tolkien created a genre that has been well mined for generations. Other writers have done and continue to do this, and some films do as well. But most of the large properties simply make the same thing with slightly different characters or timelines. It obviously sells and many people love it. It doesn’t interest me, though– new and interesting stories do. But these famous, valuable names are like real estate snatched up by greedy developers.

At times, older fans can get prickly about newer things. I’ve felt that way as well, mainly because the experience of reading an amazing novel can never be matched by any movie, no matter how well done. As George RR Martin recently commented, very rarely does a great book get a truly worthy interpretation, but when it happens it’s quite amazing. Dune managed it, in my opinion, and Jackson’s Lord of the Rings did, as well. But more often they just leave you cold.

Don’t adapt this, son. Don’t even try.

Most of these newer films are not made for middle aged guys, so I just accept that it isn’t for me, and go back to the books. But I admit, and as Martin said, I find the arrogance of some of these adaptations hard to believe. Luckily I will always have my bookshelves.

Asimov’s Foundation

On By Christopher TuthillIn Reading, Science FictionLeave a comment

I loved Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series when I first read it as a teen. It’s still one of my all time favorite science fiction series–it imprinted on me at a young age, before I had read very much, but it holds up quite well. Asimov’s later installments, in which he revisited and added to the series, were great too.

I’m not setting out to review the books right now, nor the new, slick production from Apple TV. What I will say about the show, after watching a couple episodes and then giving up, is that it must take some gargantuan ego or confidence to change such a classic work until it’s unrecognizable, and still call it Foundation. I have no idea where the show is going and didn’t care much after what I’ve watched. The production is expensive and looks cool and the actors are quite talented but the story was so different from what I read that it seemed strange to say it’s based on Asimov. Aside from the title and the most general plot setup, it wasn’t. It seems I’m in the minority, and many people love it, but that’s my opinion. I’ll probably just re-read Foundation instead.

Call me old fashioned; I don’t mind. Books don’t always need expensive adaptations. This series seemed ripe for such a show, but it wasn’t to my taste at all.

Tolkien, etc

On By Christopher TuthillIn TolkienLeave a comment

Back in the mid 90s an amazing professor at my university offered a Tolkien/CS Lewis course. I signed up and went to the class and there was an enormous line to get in. Every seat was taken, and people were lining the classroom walls and standing in the hallway outside. The professor happily signed everyone up, and moved the course to a lecture hall to accommodate what became a huge class, which had originally been capped at 25 or so students. It was a memorable, amazing course, and she was such a wonderful, humane and supportive person. She even made time to have lunch with small groups of us after every class session, to get to know us better and see how we were doing. I wish every professor I had was like that. None of us had seen a Tolkien film, unless it was the old Rankin Bass or Bakshi movies, since this was before Jackson. We were all just avid Tolkien and fantasy readers, and I suspect most of us had been from an early age.

I kind of miss those pre Jackson days. I have nothing against Jackson’s films, or the new show, and if they brought you to read Tolkien, then I’m glad for you. I liked Jackson’s movies pretty well, and I’m not a Tolkien scold or purist. Those movies did some things well, and some I liked less well. I’m not so certain these movies created millions more readers, though. I’ve met plenty of folks who have told me they love the movies, but have never read and don’t want to read Tolkien. I think he does just fine in terms of readers without any adaptations, but to each his own.

Regarding rings of power, I’ve already written how it’s not to my taste. I’m not interested in debating why or being told I am wrong or telling anyone enjoying it not to enjoy it. As I say, to each their own. I watched the first two episodes and that was enough. I don’t have time for shows I’m not really enthusiastic about, so when I didn’t care for those episodes I had no problem missing the rest.

Ian Anderson is one of my favorite songwriters and in an interview I read once, he remarked how much he liked hearing covers of his songs. He said he found it flattering. But he added that some covers of his songs felt to him more like a cat marking its territory. I felt kind of like this when watching the Amazon show. I’m sure the show runners are nice guys and the cast are too, but I’ll stick to the books. Literary works don’t need to be trillion dollar affairs to be appreciated.