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korybing
11/23/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
I enjoyed I Am Legend (the first half at least, I thought it did a good job portraying the desolate loneliness of the world) until I actually read the short story. I would have loved to see a movie that was actually based on I Am Legend. They've tried how many times now and failed to get it right?

If you like a story enough to make it into a movie, why change it so much that it's barely recognizable to the source material? Movies do this all the time and I'll never understand it.
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HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.
11/23/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
I didn't mind Ozymandias. I thought his accent was kind of silly, but other than that, he was pretty spot on.

I liked the more stoic demeanor in the film's climax, to be honest. I always thought Veidt's "YES! I DID IT!" was unfitting for a man who always knew he would succeed, not to mention for a man who knew the world had paid a heavy price for its peace.
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Stlopus9
11/23/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
I vote Aragorn and Viggo Mortensen. Since when do half elves where 5 O'Clock shadows?
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Wookie1972 promoted this comment Stlopus9 was starred Stlopus9 was unstarred

Wookie1972
11/23/09

@Stlopus9: Since when is Aragorn half-elven?
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Stlopus9
11/24/09

@Wookie1972: Aragorn is the direct descendant of Elros, who was Elrond's brother. Both are half elves.
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Wookie1972
11/25/09

@Stlopus9: In any case, half-elves can have facial hair, at least according to D&D.
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Stlopus9
12/03/09

@Wookie1972: Yes, and I suppose goblins and orcs are different beings as well...
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JesusDeSaad
11/22/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
Conan The Destroyer:
Thoth-Amon
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Annalee Newitz promoted this comment JesusDeSaad was starred JesusDeSaad was unstarred

atrus123
11/23/09

@JesusDeSaad: Oh, I hate that movie so much. The first was so excellent.
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Janice Price
11/22/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
Am I the only one who thought Agent Smith as Elrond in LOTR was dreadfully jarring?
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Wookie1972 approved this comment Janice Price was starred Janice Price was unstarred

Wookie1972
11/22/09

@Janice Price: I thought he did okay. Imagine if they had used Bowie, who was their first choice. (Ironically, I thought Elrond looked exactly like Eno circa 1974).

And I think we should all be glad that Sean Connery turned down Gandalf.
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dead_beat
11/21/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
What about Jim Caviezel?.. Worst Jesus ever!.. ;)
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Annalee Newitz approved this comment dead_beat was starred dead_beat was unstarred

Adam Whitehead
11/21/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
No THE POSTMAN? The original novel by David Brin was pretty good. The movie is astonishingly awful.
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lagophobia
11/21/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
No Howard the Duck hate? That was a screen adaptation that completely sunk the character, both onscreen and in the comics. Initially he was cool enough to get name checked in a Pretenders song...afterwards a complete pariah.
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Wookie1972 approved this comment lagophobia was starred lagophobia was unstarred

Wookie1972
11/22/09

@lagophobia: I loved the original Howard The Duck comic. It's the epitome of Marvel's weirdo period from the 70s. I think it could be done now with CGI. My first thought for the voice was Steve Buscemi, but Larry David would be even better. You'd have to get a real stylist like Wes Anderson to do it justice.
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NerD: Blattella
11/21/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
Ozymandias was a no win situation. There isn't an actor who could really embody everything he was supposed to be (natural athelete; smartest man in the world).

The only real life person I can think of who embodies that is Dolph Lundgren, and now that I've written that, I will be pissed that they didn't get him. Although Dolph isn't the greatest actor in the world.

Thank god for the relative anonymity of the internet.
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Diziet_Sma
11/21/09

@NerD: Blattella: Daniel Craig?
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Captain_Tripps
11/21/09

@NerD: Blattella: I'd have a hard time thinking of Dolph as the smartest man in the world, but he definitely has the look. Right age, right physique, he even some what resembles the images from the comics.
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Annalee Newitz promoted this comment Captain_Tripps was starred Captain_Tripps was unstarred

laddibugg
11/21/09

@Captain_Tripps: he's pretty damn smart, though. Fulbright Scholar smart.
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Annalee Newitz promoted this comment laddibugg was starred laddibugg was unstarred

Karmacoma
11/22/09

@Diziet_Sma: Hey, you´re right!! He would have been an excellent choice!
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NerD: Blattella promoted this comment Karmacoma was starred Karmacoma was unstarred

Annalee Newitz
11/22/09

@NerD: Blattella: No way. I vote Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson - he looks badass, and manages to play smart unexpectedly well. Unlike Dolph, who may be a brainfarm in real life, but always seems dumb as a post when he's acting.
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Edited by Annalee Newitz at 11/22/09 5:38 PM Annalee Newitz was starred Annalee Newitz was unstarred

NerD: Blattella
11/22/09

@Annalee Newitz: Hmm, I am torn between inspired casting, and the fear you may need to share my shack in the woods hiding from Mr. Lundgren.
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M.C.-Action
11/23/09

@NerD: Blattella: I don´t know why they took this boy instead of a real man to play Ozzy!?
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NerD: Blattella promoted this comment M.C.-Action was starred M.C.-Action was unstarred

Wookie1972
11/21/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
I realize it barely counts as sci-fi, but Altman's Popeye had some of the best and worst casting. Robin Williams was not a good popeye, but Shelley Duvall was born to play Olive Oyl.
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Peace_Love_MoonPeople
11/21/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
why isn't Rogue on here??? she was my favorite character from the comics and the animated series, and the movie turned her into some whiny emo teenager whose only dialogue throughout the 3 movies was screaming. the writers didn't develop her at all as a character, but i suppose out of this crap heap she was the lesser of the evils.
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burlybax
11/21/09

@Peace_Love_MoonPeople: Good call, plus not to sound sexist here, but the women in the Marvel world were sexy, curvy.. Anna Paquin is not sexy.. I dont even want anyone to argue that point with me, I will not concede..
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tetracycloide promoted this comment burlybax was starred burlybax was unstarred

Wookie1972
11/22/09

@Peace_Love_MoonPeople: Rogue was supposed to be a little bit older than the other X-men, and very sassy. Paquin is my homegirl, but yeah, she was not right for the part.
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Peace_Love_MoonPeople
11/22/09

@Wookie1972: that was exactly it though, rogue was supposed to be this sassy, southern girl and paquin can do a sassy sountern girl, just look at True Blood.....she will be stupid and annoying as hell, but she could do it.
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tetracycloide
11/23/09

@burlybax: well, in anna's defense she is limited by having a human musculoskeletal system and internal organs while the marvel women from comics are not.
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Wookie1972
11/21/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
Is it too early to say Sherlock Holmes?
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Diziet_Sma
11/21/09

@Wookie1972: Absolutely not. RDJ? Fuck off.
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Captain_Tripps
11/21/09

@Diziet_Sma: Let's not pretend the man has spent his career turning out cinematic cold, hmm kay?
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Diziet_Sma promoted this comment Captain_Tripps was starred Captain_Tripps was unstarred

Diziet_Sma
11/22/09

@Captain_Tripps: Oh honey, I love him; but Sherlock Holmes? Nah.
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Gothamite88
11/23/09

@Wookie1972: There've been worse versions of Holmes and its not like there aren't also dozens of other true-to-text interpretations of the character. It isn't like this one movie is going to erase all that.
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Wookie1972 promoted this comment Gothamite88 was starred Gothamite88 was unstarred

Wookie1972
11/23/09

@Gothamite88: Mebbe not, but for some this could be the first exposure to the character. I dread the idea that kids will put down the original stories because they don't have enough explosions.
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bartelnathaniel
11/21/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
what about keanu reeves as constantine? best comic book ever, worst miovie ever.
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Jassen approved this comment bartelnathaniel was starred bartelnathaniel was unstarred

Jassen
11/21/09

@bartelnathaniel: I actually liked both the movie and the comics. i see them as very different things.
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Lincolnsbeard33
11/21/09

@bartelnathaniel: well at the end of Constantine where he tricks the devil is the one part they managed to get right which is more then most of these movies have done.

But yeah a good Hellblazer movie would be nice.
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Jassen promoted this comment Lincolnsbeard33 was starred Lincolnsbeard33 was unstarred

Wookie1972
11/21/09

@Lincolnsbeard33: James Marsters, considering he was essentially playing a Sting/Billy Idol simalcrum on Buffy.
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snark_shark
11/22/09

@Wookie1972: I always thought that Callum Keith Rennie would be perfect as Constantine. Or, given his look on Supernatural, a blonde Misha Collins.
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MISS MERCY STREET promoted this comment snark_shark was starred snark_shark was unstarred

Wookie1972
11/22/09

@#c17023085: That would be good, although Rennie is not exactly a "name." It would have to be a TV series (which would make sense, at least more sense than the movie did).
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Edited by Wookie1972 at 11/22/09 1:46 PM Wookie1972 was starred Wookie1972 was unstarred

Killjoy
11/23/09

@Wookie1972: Paul Bettany is John Constantine, but who knows whether producers will figure that out before he dies. And if they insist on an American, Denis Leary is the American John Constantine.
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Wookie1972 promoted this comment Killjoy was starred Killjoy was unstarred

reesiekitty
11/23/09

@Lincolnsbeard33: Yes, I don't mind Keanu as a rule, but Constantine he was not. I'd like a sort of seedier Sean Bean or something like that...
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Wookie1972 promoted this comment reesiekitty was starred reesiekitty was unstarred

Wookie1972
11/23/09

@Killjoy: Well, Sting is Constantine, but he's pushing 60.
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Wookie1972
11/23/09

@reesiekitty: No, Sean Bean should have been Chas.

I have to admit I saw the movie before I read the comic, and I thought it wasn't bad. When I finally read the comic, I felt so cheated.
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tralfaz23
11/21/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
Ozymandias's look was terrible. That was the one actor that just didn't look like the part
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Wookie1972 promoted this comment tralfaz23 was starred tralfaz23 was unstarred

Wookie1972
11/21/09

@tralfaz23: This is an example where going low-budget on the casting just did not work. The character is supposed to be Robert Redford, for pete's sake: the all-american blond superhero. They should have gone for his 21st century equivalent Brad Pitt. And while I suppose you could argue that Ozymandias is supposed to be slightly effete and not appear superstrong, Goode looked like he would break if one of the other guys so much as brushed up against him.

And while we're on the subject of Watchmen, Malin Ackerman looked the part but gave one of the worst performances I've seen, period.
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OW-Holmes:Bringer of Fear
11/21/09

@Wookie1972: The shouldn't have cast him so young. He just came off as a petulant child.

And why do people let Malin Ackerman act?
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BlueBeard
11/21/09

@Wookie1972: I don't think it was Ackerman's fault- Look at that one(and only) awesome sequence she gets, where she's filmed in super cool slow-mo, smashing through the floor of the burning building to the level below...
where she then directs foot traffic the window where archie is waiting to get them out. The character wasn't given anything interesting to do, but damn did she look the part.
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Jassen
11/21/09

@OW-Holmes:Bringer of Fear: I have 2 words for you .. Bo & obs
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Wookie1972
11/21/09

@BlueBeard: Which pisses me off because the character in the book was one of the more interesting (although slightly sexist, i admit) The way they handled her big revelation was a travesty.
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Rogue Justice
11/21/09

@tralfaz23: Having never read Watchmen, I thought the actor who played Ozymandias was awesome. I also thought that he was the most interesting character in the movie. Unfortunately, I can't compare how different he might have been.
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Jassen promoted this comment Rogue Justice was starred Rogue Justice was unstarred

OW-Holmes:Bringer of Fear
11/21/09

@Jassen: Well whoever this Bo guy is he sure must have a lot of sway to get her so many parts.

#speakup
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Jassen
11/21/09

@Rogue Justice: Well worth getting your hands on the comic. If only so that you have an appreciation of how close some of it is and also how far some of it fell short in the movie. I appreciate both for what they are but must admit a preference for the comic.
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snark_shark
11/22/09

@Jassen: Sad thing is, there are actresses out there who are hot and can act (Tricia Helfer, for example). The failure of the character in the movie can be blamed on the writing (even in the comic she's just kinda there rather than a real character) and the crappy actress. She's especially lame in the scenes with her mom, whose actress had actual talent.
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Jassen promoted this comment snark_shark was starred snark_shark was unstarred

Jassen
11/22/09

@snark_shark: It' s kinda funny, i have seen the movie 3 times now and each time i get so caught up in it i fail to notice a lot of the flaws i know are there. I think for me it's one of those movies i just wont ever analyze as i want to enjoy it for what it is to me. i have the same thing with 5th Element, i just cant bring myself to analyze it and take away from the joy i get from watching it.
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snark_shark
11/22/09

@Jassen: I definitely get caught up in the parts that don't feature her. I'd say the one bit where she worked for me was when Rorschach goes into the bathroom to kill the mobster and she says "Christ" all disgusted. That moment was more like her in the comic. But usually I can get into a movie like you do too(hell, even could in the Matrix sequels to an extent).

#tips
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Mike White
11/21/09

In reply to Page-To-Screen Fail: The Worst Live-Action Versions Of Book Characters
Every character in Breakfast of Champions.
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Wookie1972 promoted this comment Mike White was starred Mike White was unstarred

Wookie1972
11/21/09

@Mike White: I think you could expand that to every character in any Vonnegut adaptation. (although Mother Night is supposed to be pretty good).
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Mike White
11/22/09

@Wookie1972: That's definitely an exception. Keith Gordon did a terrific job with that one. I also recommend Gordon's "A Midnight Clear."
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Wookie1972
11/23/09

@Mike White: I may have to see it. I've avoided it on account of the depressing subject matter. But with the possible exception of Slaughterhouse Five, the other VOnnegut movies are not good, period (Slapstick, anyone?)
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