Anyone Else With Moore?

[Sasso]

I was wondering, am I alone with 'boycotting' the Watchmen movie? I feel that it shouldn't be adapted at all, but I figured I should read Tse's script to see how it was going to be adapted, who knows? Maybe someone was able to adapt it well enough to somewhat match the greatness of the book....

...needless to say I was horrified by the script. I'm with Moore with this one. I will not be seeing this film. Am I alone with this view?

 

[Acid Snowman]

I understand why Alan might feel that way about such a work being adapted, but if you want to see the film for the performances or effects, there's no reason not to go. It might not be up to Alan and Dave's book but it won't harm them to have it made.

 

[Lobster Charlie]

Alan Moore actually gave some praise to the David Hayter script. A film will never be a comic book, so I'm just hoping we get something faithful to the spirit of the source material.

 

[Shmoil]

Wait, where can you go to read the script?

 

[Johnichi Chiba]

Alan Moore actually gave some praise to the David Hayter script. A film will never be a comic book, so I'm just hoping we get something faithful to the spirit of the source material.

He actually never gave his script praise. He basically said it was the closest Hollywood has come to adapting his book, but that by no means implies that he likes it.

 

[Sasso]

Wait, where can you go to read the script?

Downloaded it off of watchmenmovie.com but they have since taken it down.

 

[Shmoil]

Is there anywhere else to get it? I'm just now reading Watchmen, but I love it, so I'm wondering how the movie'll be.

 

[Sawyer]

The trouble with Alan Moore is that I'm not sure if he hates these movies just for the sake of hating them. Like, I dont think he goes into these movies optimistically. I'm pretty sure that, when he hears about the movies, hes just like "Its a piece of s***. I hate it." Like he never really gives it a chance. As good of a writer as he is, if this is a good movie and he hates it, I wont hate it just cause he does.

 

[ThatDamnNinja]

In all fairness, there hasn't BEEN an adaptation that did his work any sort of justice. League was pure sh**, V was a decent movie on its own merits but totally subverted the message (and thusly, the point) of the comic, Constantine was sh**, and Alan Moore actively took creative issue with From Hell. And the studios have been actively manipulative and deceptive toward him. So he has every reason to feel that way.

However, I think Snyder is motivated by a desire to impress Moore, or at least provide a counterexample to the other movies, and if he wins his battle with the studio and gets a final cut that is basically the comic transposed onto the screen, then perhaps Moore would be willing to change his mind, see it, and come out with an opinion something to the effect of "There is no reason it should have ever been a film of Watchmen, but that was the best one reasonably could hope for from one. It didn't butcher it."

 

[Danny No-Shame]

I see your points, but how can anyone who read the books when they were originally released not watch the film?

I watched Dawn of the Dead again last night, and was astounded at the opening and closing sequences alone. If Snyder can acheive that level of excitement then I'll be one happy fool.

 

[cryptic name]

like moore, i expect my name to not be listed in the credits.

but i will see the movie.

 

[Max Doobermin]

like moore, i expect my name to not be listed in the credits.

but i will see the movie.

Zing.

 

[spectre]

i understand why he no longer supports the adaptations of his books considering almost every one of them was turned into a mindless action film. i mean sure there are always differences between a film and its original source materials, but what happened to his works is downright insulting.

the reason why i'm so optimistic about watchmen is because snyder is a comic book fan who, like the rest of us, reveres Alan Moore. he genuinely wants to make this film as faithful as possible to the book. he said something to the effect of he knows alan's not gonna see it but he hopes that maybe on a rainy day he'll pop the DVD in and say "you know, that didn't entirely suck."

 

[Mladen]

having the same director behind 300 directing Watchmen immediately raised red flags for me. Once I see the trailer I'll know whether its something I care to see or not. If there's slow-motion every scene and over saturated music-video visuals I'll definately pass.

That and I can't think of an Alan Moore story (or even most comic book adaptations) which wasn't completely butchered in its movie version.

Being 'faithful' shouldn't mean a perfect panel for panel copy. Thats why I feel Sin City and 300 miss the point. It shouldn't matter if you completely change plot elements. You can completely mess around with all of the components (like the X-men movies) and still achieve something great if the spirit of the source material is still there.

 

[brobdingnag]

having the same director behind 300 directing Watchmen immediately raised red flags for me. Once I see the trailer I'll know whether its something I care to see or not. If there's slow-motion every scene and over saturated music-video visuals I'll definately pass.

That and I can't think of an Alan Moore story (or even most comic book adaptations) which wasn't completely butchered in its movie version.

Being 'faithful' shouldn't mean a perfect panel for panel copy. Thats why I feel Sin City and 300 miss the point. It shouldn't matter if you completely change plot elements. You can completely mess around with all of the components (like the X-men movies) and still achieve something great if the spirit of the source material is still there.

The visuals of 300 were spot on in terms of the look of the book itself, but then 300 the book was totally different in tone and style from Watchmen. I expect he knows the difference between the two.

 

[Mladen]

The visuals of 300 were spot on in terms of the look of the book itself, but then 300 the book was totally different in tone and style from Watchmen. I expect he knows the difference between the two.

thats the hope. that it wasn't a case of that already being the director's preferred style. He hasn't done many other films so its hard to tell.
like i said, if the trailer looks like 300 but with watchmen, then we'll know.
the stills of watchmen available now haven't convinced me either way.
the sets they showed in wizard magazine looked good though.

 

[CaptainGenerica]

thats the hope. that it wasn't a case of that already being the director's preferred style. He hasn't done many other films so its hard to tell.
like i said, if the trailer looks like 300 but with watchmen, then we'll know.
the stills of watchmen available now haven't convinced me either way.
the sets they showed in wizard magazine looked good though.

Wait--there are Watchmen stills? Since when?

 

[Mladen]

Wait--there are Watchmen stills? Since when?

there's that one which was hidden in the 300 online trailer...

Spoiler

and then these pics, which i think are just set photographs (though hopefully its the look of the film as well, without too many contrast/tone effects like in 300).

Spoiler

 

[Agentsands77]

I was wondering, am I alone with 'boycotting' the Watchmen movie?

I'm not going to boycot it. I'll see it regardless of what it looks like, even though I'm very, very scared about how the film will eventually shape up.

there's that one which was hidden in the 300 online trailer...

That's not a still from the film, or at all indicative of what WATCHMEN will actually look like. It was a little goof they decided to do while shooting 300, and didn't have a lot of the WATCHMEN team involved.

 

[arman200]

Moore only took his name off it and said he won't be watching it because it wasn't meant for the medium. He has no hatred for them to adapt it, and if he really didn't want it done he wouldn't give his rights to Dave gibbons. He said he wrote to be enjoyed in a certain way, like next to a fireplace with a cup of coffee. And they respect his decision so they won't screw him over like the other flicks, they'll just remove his name, end of story.

The David hayter script is damn good, but the end ruins it, and seeing as Snyder mentioned he will be using the original ending, that's fine. Whatever you read in a script means very little, as Snyder barely uses that and uses the source material much more.

 

[arman200]

sorry, double post.

 

[Nepenthes]

No, I'm not with Moore at all. He's a jerk. He may be the greatest comic writer ever and one of my favourite overall writers of all time, but I think it's safe to say that in person the man is obviously a jerk.

 

[Mladen]

No, I'm not with Moore at all. He's a jerk. He may be the greatest comic writer ever and one of my favourite overall writers of all time, but I think it's safe to say that in person the man is obviously a jerk.

is this based on other interviews etc, or just about how he doesn't want to talk about this film? The man has been personally burnt time and time again by awful adaptations of his books, each of which manages to completely alter the original intent of the work and slightly damage his reputation (and/or his ego) each time. I can understand him reacting this way in this particular situation. If I were in his place, I wouldn't bother to pretend to be nice/interested/supportive either, after being slapped in the face so many times.

Generally from what I see in interviews and blogs of his friends (Gaiman), he seems like a totally wierd character. then again, being a bisexual polygamist snake-worshipping wizard might do that to you. i can imagine he'd be hard to talk to, and probably a bit of a snob to boot.

 

[Overman27pj]

Good thread.

I think the movie will never really capture the book, but It will be a good watch and own on DVD nonetheless. Watching a movie doesn't take anything away from the novel for me.

I really liked the movie V for Vendetta, even though they changed some things.

 

[Sandman138]

Moore suffers from the same aversion to Hollywood that Ursela K. Le Guin does. They both came into the scene with idealistic expectations, sold their rights, and then got their works bastardized because they expected the movie industry to operate the same way that the publishing industry does. Both of them now hate Hollywood on principle which is entirely understandable, but they sold the rights to their properties. These movies are going to be made with or without them, I would personally rather see them made with their authors' input. Now, I love Moore, he has great ideas and when he can execute them well he is damn near peerless in this medium. However, whenever I hear him talk about his work and how Watchmen is unadaptable or other such rubbish I just think of Garth Mernghi. Zack Snyder wasn't even on the list of directors I would accept for Watchmen, but as far as I can tell, he gets it more than anybody else who has been attached to this project. Tse's script worries me and I would really like to get my hands on the script they shot before I make my final call, but as far as all the pictures we have seen and all of Snyder's interviews I'm feeling good.