|
Post by Aqualung on May 16, 2009 16:23:49 GMT -5
Just got back from the theater with starbrewer. I was rather disappointed by how much they changed from the book. The whole beginning was just...wrong. I was sitting there going no no, that's not what happens! A lot of the scenes were changed quite drastically. I suppose I'm getting caught up in details, since the plot was still the same, but I don't care. It is almost two and a half hours long, but felt much longer because it felt almost like it was happening in real time. I really liked the book, mind fucks and all; the movie...meh. I want a do-over! I think why I liked the DaVinci Code movie so much was because it was so true to the book. It's too bad this one wasn't too. I thought the music was really good though; I think it was by Hans Zimmer, who also did the Pirates of the Caribbean films. So, anyone else seen it yet? (Side note: $5.25 for a small popcorn?! No wonder I never go to the movies anymore.... )
|
|
|
Post by SimSim on May 16, 2009 16:49:46 GMT -5
Haven't seen it yet, but am thinking about it. It worth seeing in the theater or better to wait for it to come out on video?
|
|
|
Post by Aqualung on May 16, 2009 17:11:33 GMT -5
Meh, I love seeing films like it on the big screen. I doubt I'll buy the DVD though.
|
|
|
Post by erictheblue on May 16, 2009 17:14:15 GMT -5
I was rather disappointed by how much they changed from the book. The whole beginning was just...wrong. I was sitting there going no no, that's not what happens! That's what I did when I went to see The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. It's one thing to change minor things for simplicity, or because the exact details wouldn't translate well. (The Harry Potter films did this a lot.) It's another to drastically change things. I liked the book better than DaVinci Code, and had been considering going to the movie. Now I'm not so sure...
|
|
|
Post by Old Viking on May 16, 2009 17:27:50 GMT -5
I've tried to avoid Hollywood's version of books since watching The Brothers Karamazov, starring Yul Brynner.
|
|
|
Post by ausador on May 16, 2009 18:07:39 GMT -5
I've tried to avoid Hollywood's version of books since watching The Brothers Karamazov, starring Yul Brynner. Truly one of the finest films of 1958 as I recall, and completely faithful to the book version...NOT! lol
|
|
|
Post by deliciousdemon on May 16, 2009 19:30:36 GMT -5
First off I think Dan Brown is a bit crap. Honestly, I am thankful to him though because I have been to many lectures regarding the Christian gospels due to curiosity sparked by the DaVinci Code and that knowledge has been priceless for me.
Angels and Demons is probably the superior novel, but after the DaVinci code stinker of a film I just cannot be bothered to pay to see it in the cinema.
|
|
|
Post by MaybeNever on May 16, 2009 19:45:21 GMT -5
I thought it was an okay movie, although it felt sort of... confused. Something was always happening, which was great, and it was easy enough to follow, but I got the sense that a better editor could have cut maybe half an hour from the movie and really tightened it up. I don't care about even big changes from the source material, because a shift in medium creates new possibilities and new challenges and sometimes a big change is necessary or beneficial, and here it felt like they were willing to make some big changes but not enough. So the movie dragged for me.
The major problems that I spotted were rooted in the fact that everyone seemed very flat. None of the characters had any depth to them, and my dim recollections of the original book and The DaVinci Code weren't enough to imbue the character of Langdon with more the slightest humanity. He wasn't much more than a puzzle-solving robot; the rest of the cast, being completely new to this film, were even more flat. Vittoria lost some guy with two lines, and although I'd be pissed too if somebody killed Carmen Argenziano I don't recall any explanation of their relationship or why she was even in Vatican City. The bad guy's motives were never clear beyond maybe power-hunger. The head of the Swiss Guard seemed awfully incompetent, especially after Langdon redeemed himself from his mistake at the Pantheon, and there's no indication of how he got his post. A throwaway line of how he's the somewhat slow brother of the Swiss liaison or something would have gone a long way toward explaining him. The only justification I could find is that he's possibly the least incompetent of a generally intolerable security staff. Impenetrable Vatican security my ass.
Also, Langdon's evasiveness when directly asked if he believed in god. My sense was that the scene was written specifically to try to make him sympathetic to the maximum number of people, but he comes off as a twit who doesn't know his own mind. I guess that's characterization, of a sort.
All of that aside, it's probably worth seeing. The art and the music are both very good, and if you don't pay too much attention to the plot it won't matter too much.
|
|
|
Post by Aqualung on May 16, 2009 20:19:51 GMT -5
Vittoria was in Vatican City because she knew about the antimatter and needed to help them find it and try to defuse it.
Yeah, it's too bad Langdon's character wasn't more, er, personal? in this one, because I love his character and how brilliant he is.
In the book Vittoria is the one who asks him if he believes in God when they're on the plane. We looked it up when we got back, because I couldn't remember it.
I think if you hadn't read the book first it would be worth seeing. Maybe if I see it a second time I'll like it more, when it comes out on DVD or something. :/
|
|
|
Post by Tiger on May 16, 2009 22:58:28 GMT -5
I just got back from seeing it, and thought it was very well-done. I liked pretty much all the changes they made, though I haven't read the book in a few years. Especially getting rid of the scene where Robert parachutes into the river. Using his jacket.
I agree about the music. I have to look into buying that soundtrack.
|
|
|
Post by lunarxero on May 17, 2009 3:28:02 GMT -5
I just saw it yesterday. Not bad on its own if you haven't read the book (I Have, my mates that were with me hadn't). I was rather disappointed that they didn't use the diamond.
|
|
|
Post by Tiger on May 17, 2009 11:56:40 GMT -5
I just saw it yesterday. Not bad on its own if you haven't read the book (I Have, my mates that were with me hadn't). I was rather disappointed that they didn't use the diamond. Refresh my memory on what that was?
|
|
|
Post by Aqualung on May 17, 2009 12:31:33 GMT -5
It was the fifth brand--the earth, air, fire and water logos put together into one diamond-shaped logo. Yeah, that kind of disappointed me too. What was the point of the crossed keys? :/
|
|
|
Post by Sigmaleph on May 17, 2009 14:03:04 GMT -5
There's no diamond? Fuck that! Actually, I'm probably going to watch it regardless. But i liked the diamond.
|
|
|
Post by lunarxero on May 17, 2009 19:46:38 GMT -5
Yeah. I don't remember too much of the book any more because I haven't read it in ages but if I remember correctly Langdon references the Illuminati Diamond a lot in the book. So much that you think it's a real diamond, only to find out it was the fifth brand.
I was sitting in the cinema going, what the hell is with the cross keys thing?
|
|