Not the one with the lizards, the other one.

[iainjclark]

Colour me ambivalent, but it looks like they're making a movie of Alan Moore's superlative graphic novel, V for Vendetta.

If you haven't read it, a) do so immediately, and b) it's a very fine, very political story of a parallel 1984-style totalitarian Britain, and a mysterious figure who dresses as Guy Fawkes and brings anarchy and individualism to the system. It has all the intelligence and technical skill of Watchmen, but a much rougher, freer, more emotional feel. I loved it when I first read it, many years ago.

Comments

[wg.livejournal.com]

V is very, very good, but I shall join you in the ambivalent corner over a movie. I couldn't bring myself to watch the film of From Hell, despite the many charms of Johnny Depp, as I knew they would miss out all the stuff I loved. Hmmmmm.

[iainjclark.livejournal.com]

I watched the movie of From Hell and it had, perhaps, five or six moments or images that were strongly inspired by the graphic novel (some of them quite minor).

Other than that it bore almost no resemblance to the comic - none of the original's complexity, none of its earthy realism, none of its mythic power, and none of its (frankly) insane level of research. :-)

Taken on its own terms it was.. not bad. The worst thing I can say about it is that it was Just Another Jack the Ripper Movie. Johnny Depp is always watchable, as is Heather Graham, but the whole thing felt far too clinical. Like setting a Jack the Ripper story in the Disneyworld version of Victorian London, where all the buildings look perfect, but all the grime, stink, sweat and blood has been hosed away. (Although blood was one thing the movie did manage!)

[wg.livejournal.com]

Well, thats sounds like I might watch it if it shows up on telly. Thinking 'this is a different entity to the book' is probably the way to go, but I find that really hard with adaptations where I know the source.

[fba.livejournal.com]

Alan Moore and movie adaptations are generally not a good mix.....

Am currently reading Top 10 - *so* much crack!

[immortalradical.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Love this - it may be my favourite Moore - but ... a film? So very not convinced it can be done well.

[fba.livejournal.com]

I maintain that *no* Alan Moor comic can be made into a good film. You want evidence?

[immortalradical.livejournal.com]

I think you're probably right - Moore's success is that he knows better than any other the properties of the graphic novel, and uses this understanding to tell incredibly literate stories. It's arguable that, like the best novel, the best graphic novel cannot be made into a film. And vice versa.

[iainjclark.livejournal.com]

Although good books can sometimes make very different, but equally good movies. Sadly, the adaptations of Moore's work don't even have that distinction.

I do reagrd The League of Extraordinary Gentleman movie as a bit of a guilty pleasure, but in no way does it equal the comic. It manages to capture its superficialities quite well, whilst entirely missing the actual essence of it.

[immortalradical.livejournal.com]

Although good books can sometimes make very different, but equally good movies.

Or mediocre books (Mario Puzo, anyone?) can make brilliant films. But these are quite different prospects, and require a director of real vision. Which it is not clear we had for V for Vendetta. :)

It also seems a very English work for an American studio to tackle ...

[fba.livejournal.com]

Must borrow my nephew's LXG video - I couldn't bring myself to watch it at the cinema.

[fba.livejournal.com]

A suitably complex novel just plain can't be condensed into a two hour movie. Jackson did a great job with LotR (regardless of what you think of Tolkien - it is a complex story) - but generally it is the rhelm of TV to do good book adaptations as they can take their time over them. Remove the layers (and the crack - LoEG Vol II is completely unfilmable) and simplify the story and everything that makes Moore great is gone.....

[snowking.livejournal.com]

While I think V has much more raw feeel to it, it doesn't come close to the sheer technical perfection of Watchmen with the mirror issue and the repeated motifs building up.

I don't think a film will end well. It's gonna end up looking like a sub-Matrix crapfest, I bet you.

[iainjclark.livejournal.com]

But (warning: user about to commit heresy, please look away now) Watchmen at times is too perfect for its own good, if you ask me. The emotional power of the story feels stifled by its own structural complexity. At times. A bit.

[snowking.livejournal.com]

Hmm, hard to talk about them both without spoiling but I think Watchmen really does have the much better ending. And it's got Mars in it! Win!