A coherent and entertaining story. I want to see character motivation, I want to see an internally cohesive plot, I want set ups in the beginning that get payoffs in the end, I want character growth, I want a solid villain or a seemingly insurmountable problem.
That's why I liked Tropic Thunder but hated Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
That why I liked The Wedding Planner but hated Star Trek Into Darkness
That's why I liked the Hunger Games movies (so far*) but generally hate the HP movies**
*I hate book three of the HG and I hope they fix it.
**the HP movies, for me, are really bad adaptations that have rendered the movies almost incomprehensible; too much was cut so the story doesn't make sense unless you've read the books. (I also think the acting in them is pretty bad and they fail to deliver on the emotion in the books, partly because they're bad adaptations and partly because the acting is bad.)
MAJOR disagree; modifying book material is sometimes necessary to make a good movie adaptation.
Breaking Dawn Part 2* changed the end in the movie which was a major improvement on the shitfest that is the books**.
*(My mom made me see them all with her.)
** The movies are still shitty, don't get me wrong, it's just that the movies are just a tiny smidgeon less shitty than the books because they fixed the end of BDp2. That the fixed end of BDp2 is literally the only redeeming quality of the movies.
The changes made to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (the US version) were, IMO, almost all positive; Lisbeth in the books is very off-putting and making her a more approachable character was necessary to win a film audience to her side, and there's so much nonsense in those books that if the movie were faithful to the books it would be 2 hours of snoozing followed by 30 minutes of good story-telling. The Swedish versions were good, too, but Noomi Rapace wasn't weird enough to pull off Lisbeth. (I really hope the two following books are made into movies with Rooney Mara, her Lisbeth is spot on, IMO)
The Great Gatsby has never been made into a decent movie despite the fact that the movies are usually hugely faithful to the book.
Yes.
Exhibit A: Gravity. Weak story, relied entirely on fantastic GCI.
That's why I liked Tropic Thunder but hated Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
That why I liked The Wedding Planner but hated Star Trek Into Darkness
That's why I liked the Hunger Games movies (so far*) but generally hate the HP movies**
*I hate book three of the HG and I hope they fix it.
**the HP movies, for me, are really bad adaptations that have rendered the movies almost incomprehensible; too much was cut so the story doesn't make sense unless you've read the books. (I also think the acting in them is pretty bad and they fail to deliver on the emotion in the books, partly because they're bad adaptations and partly because the acting is bad.)
(February 13, 2014 at 12:49 pm)BrokenQuill92 Wrote: 5. If going from a book please stay as close to the source material is possible
MAJOR disagree; modifying book material is sometimes necessary to make a good movie adaptation.
Breaking Dawn Part 2* changed the end in the movie which was a major improvement on the shitfest that is the books**.
*(My mom made me see them all with her.)
** The movies are still shitty, don't get me wrong, it's just that the movies are just a tiny smidgeon less shitty than the books because they fixed the end of BDp2. That the fixed end of BDp2 is literally the only redeeming quality of the movies.
The changes made to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (the US version) were, IMO, almost all positive; Lisbeth in the books is very off-putting and making her a more approachable character was necessary to win a film audience to her side, and there's so much nonsense in those books that if the movie were faithful to the books it would be 2 hours of snoozing followed by 30 minutes of good story-telling. The Swedish versions were good, too, but Noomi Rapace wasn't weird enough to pull off Lisbeth. (I really hope the two following books are made into movies with Rooney Mara, her Lisbeth is spot on, IMO)
The Great Gatsby has never been made into a decent movie despite the fact that the movies are usually hugely faithful to the book.
(February 13, 2014 at 12:56 pm)Faith No More Wrote: I value when action and CGI isn't mistaken for substance.
Yes.
Exhibit A: Gravity. Weak story, relied entirely on fantastic GCI.
Teenaged X-Files obsession + Bermuda Triangle episode + Self-led school research project = Atheist.
