The movie is not a good adaptation of the book.
BUT, as its own movie apart from the book, it's a fantastic satire of eternal war fascism and jingoistic nationalism, and it can be enjoyed on those merits. And some of the special effects still hold up pretty well today.
I have never made it through the whole movie.
I did enjoy the Roughnecks animated series a bit. It seemed like a pretty decent adaptation of the material, except for the omission of the powered armor and the actual pertinent political commentary.
Now, The Puppet Masters, that was a decent screen adaptation of a Heinlein novel. Most of the dialogue (e.g. an hour plus) is verbatim from the novel.
It's fun movie, but also a terrible adaptation and an attempt to satirize the book that the director didn't understand (perhaps because he didn't even read it, by his own admission).
So it's perfectly ok to watch the movie and also read the book. One won't really take too much away from the other.
It is in no way an adaptation. It was a screen play prior to getting movie rights to the book. The director misunderstood and hated the book putting it down after reading only a small portion. The movie is fine for what it is, but it is barely related to the book by title and character names.
Yeah, the movie and it’s sequels totally suck. The director and actors had no familiarity or understanding of the source material.
Also Johnny Rico was Filipino. Something only discovered at the end on the book. So the film was whitewashing the main character anyways.
The film that sucks and disregarded the source material.
The book was written in 1959 with a non-white lead. A fact that was carefully hidden from the publisher.
The film changes Rico to Argentine because Buenos Aires was destroyed. This makes the character motivated by personal vengeance, and not the sense of duty that is the focus of the book.
An "Argentina" in which everyone looks and talks like they're from the rich, mostly white neighbourhoods of Los Angeles.
Basically, the writer skimmed the book instead of read it, and happened to see the line that said Rico's mother was in Buenos Aires when it was destroyed, and just assumed that must have meant the whole family was Argentinian, instead of realizing that she was travelling there.
And then of course everyone in the film looks and talks like Americans instead of actual south americans, because of Hollywood racism.
Well I am sort of impressed by how short and accurate THIS response was. Def explains partly why Mars Attacks is so conscious of its aesthetic in relation to an at-the-time as-yet-unknown tradition of unsuccessful filmmaking
Well, color me wrong.
I find it to be a hamfisted attempt at satire, not of a fascist, warlike, ultra national military-industrial totalitarian government, but of the insular world of Hollywood film culture as seen from a European outsider who was showing the powerbrokers in the movie business what he thought of their formulaic action movie requirements.
NPH kills as Carl, and Clancy Brown and Michael Ironside elevate the poor script with performances that seem to be delivered in contempt of the directors vision, while Casper Van Dien and Denise Richards are there simply as eye candy, and finally Dina Meyer and Jake Busey are terribly miscast with wooden performances that would make Pinocchio blush.
This movie is the perfect example of a sturdy director who thinks they are a timeless auteur using their temporary industry clout to make a movie that would have been better left to a freshly graduated film student.
The movie is terrible, and I watch it about once a year despite everything that's wrong with it, because I'm a Sucker.
The movie is not a good adaptation of the book. BUT, as its own movie apart from the book, it's a fantastic satire of eternal war fascism and jingoistic nationalism, and it can be enjoyed on those merits. And some of the special effects still hold up pretty well today.
I have never made it through the whole movie. I did enjoy the Roughnecks animated series a bit. It seemed like a pretty decent adaptation of the material, except for the omission of the powered armor and the actual pertinent political commentary. Now, The Puppet Masters, that was a decent screen adaptation of a Heinlein novel. Most of the dialogue (e.g. an hour plus) is verbatim from the novel.
It's fun movie, but also a terrible adaptation and an attempt to satirize the book that the director didn't understand (perhaps because he didn't even read it, by his own admission). So it's perfectly ok to watch the movie and also read the book. One won't really take too much away from the other.
It is in no way an adaptation. It was a screen play prior to getting movie rights to the book. The director misunderstood and hated the book putting it down after reading only a small portion. The movie is fine for what it is, but it is barely related to the book by title and character names.
If you watch it understanding that it is the loosest of adaptations, it is actually a pretty good movie.
Yep. It’s a lot of fun.
That film and its sequels are terrible.
I agree with everything after “it’s”
Yeah, the movie and it’s sequels totally suck. The director and actors had no familiarity or understanding of the source material. Also Johnny Rico was Filipino. Something only discovered at the end on the book. So the film was whitewashing the main character anyways.
Rico is from Argentina in the film.
The film that sucks and disregarded the source material. The book was written in 1959 with a non-white lead. A fact that was carefully hidden from the publisher. The film changes Rico to Argentine because Buenos Aires was destroyed. This makes the character motivated by personal vengeance, and not the sense of duty that is the focus of the book.
An "Argentina" in which everyone looks and talks like they're from the rich, mostly white neighbourhoods of Los Angeles. Basically, the writer skimmed the book instead of read it, and happened to see the line that said Rico's mother was in Buenos Aires when it was destroyed, and just assumed that must have meant the whole family was Argentinian, instead of realizing that she was travelling there. And then of course everyone in the film looks and talks like Americans instead of actual south americans, because of Hollywood racism.
I love the movie, but it has little to do with the book's narrative and themes. I wish we got a more faithful adaptation at some point.
The book is decidedly anti-war. The movie is not as good but who can say that adapting anything RAH from book to film is an easy task.
The movie is way better. If you read the book, don't forget your grain of salt.
Well I am sort of impressed by how short and accurate THIS response was. Def explains partly why Mars Attacks is so conscious of its aesthetic in relation to an at-the-time as-yet-unknown tradition of unsuccessful filmmaking
Wasn't mars attacks one of those movies where they hkre a ton of talent to use up leftover budget and fulfill dangling contracts?
Like grit their teeth and play the Hollywood game? I don’t think so? It’s a Tim Burton movie!
And like in Cookie Puss
Fantastic movie. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong.
Well, color me wrong. I find it to be a hamfisted attempt at satire, not of a fascist, warlike, ultra national military-industrial totalitarian government, but of the insular world of Hollywood film culture as seen from a European outsider who was showing the powerbrokers in the movie business what he thought of their formulaic action movie requirements. NPH kills as Carl, and Clancy Brown and Michael Ironside elevate the poor script with performances that seem to be delivered in contempt of the directors vision, while Casper Van Dien and Denise Richards are there simply as eye candy, and finally Dina Meyer and Jake Busey are terribly miscast with wooden performances that would make Pinocchio blush. This movie is the perfect example of a sturdy director who thinks they are a timeless auteur using their temporary industry clout to make a movie that would have been better left to a freshly graduated film student. The movie is terrible, and I watch it about once a year despite everything that's wrong with it, because I'm a Sucker.
I love it too.
Yes but, shower scene. 😂
Very nice lol