Guardians of the Galaxy: Lessons Learned

MaxxQ wrote:

dreamrider wrote:
Certainly anyone who had attempted or <shudder> forced themselves to read all of the source novel knew it was a disaster waiting to happen.

dreamrider

I actually read it several times, and enjoyed it for what it was - fluffy yarn. It's not a great story, but it's not the worst thing I've read either.

That said, it doesn't negate the last part of your sentence. I pretty much knew from the first announcements of the movie being in production that it was going to end badly.

It would have been better with more of the "wild Scottish clans" vibe <grin>. Any adventure is better with howling Highlanders.

I myself enjoyed reading BE. And I'm no scientologist. The movie sucked but could have been better. It's really a two part story "the retaking" and "how they kept it", and the best part of it was the second half anyway. IMHO. 45 more minutes could have included that or even a second part. Let's face it there are plenty of 3 hour long movies out there and Hollywood loves making one book into several movies anyway. But this is me and I think all movies taken from books sux anyway. I'm a purist. Too many people out there that think they can do better than the OG writer and they can't. Too many details get changed, plot points are missed or changed and of course the diehards get disappointed when things are supposed to be this way and it happens on film a completely different way. Or they leave out important details that need to be explored for continuity. I sit here and B!#+$ about it though knowing I will watch it any way. Whether I enjoy it is a different matter.

Movie adaptations can be done well, with the best recent example being the Hunger Games. I thought the movie captured both the tone and essential plot of the book (I read the book first) very well. Certainly that is a much lower bar than trying to convey the Honorverse -- Hunger Games is short and fairly linear -- but it is a good example of doing it well.

SethStar wrote:Movie adaptations can be done well, with the best recent example being the Hunger Games. I thought the movie captured both the tone and essential plot of the book (I read the book first) very well. Certainly that is a much lower bar than trying to convey the Honorverse -- Hunger Games is short and fairly linear -- but it is a good example of doing it well.

I just hope they do a better job with the third movie, as I thought the third book was the weakest of the three. In fact, I thought it was so weak, it kinda turned me off from re-reading the series again, and I rarely read a book (or series) that I don't ever read again.

The E wrote:

strapakai wrote:I like your idea of opening the movie with Honor dreaming. What if it was Young trying to rape her in the shower? We'd get action, intrigued, someone to love and someone to hate right off the bat. It would be a hint for future movies. We'd get to see Honor's moves. A hint of skin, for those who it attracts. It would also explain the depth of her reaction to what later happens to Madrigal's crew.

She wakes, out of breath and hugs a cute and cuddly Nimitz.
Instant caring!

Does not work. One, it undermines a lot of Honor's character and credibility. The first introduction to a female character should not be her being threatened with rape. Show her in her area of competence, make the viewer see her as a competent officer first, not a victim.
Two, the plotline this scene belongs to isn't relevant to the story of HotQ. The payoff for it wouldn't happen until Short Victorious War, which is far off into the future.

totally agree! sex and nudity are great...in the right place. opening scene for a movie? one based on books where the main character is NOT sexually promiscuous, not so much.

fit and awesomely kicka$$ at the same time? why not open with any of her shipboard gymnasium "workouts" - kicking some brute of a marine around the salle?

The E wrote:

strapakai wrote:I like your idea of opening the movie with Honor dreaming. What if it was Young trying to rape her in the shower? We'd get action, intrigued, someone to love and someone to hate right off the bat. It would be a hint for future movies. We'd get to see Honor's moves. A hint of skin, for those who it attracts. It would also explain the depth of her reaction to what later happens to Madrigal's crew.

She wakes, out of breath and hugs a cute and cuddly Nimitz.
Instant caring!

Does not work. One, it undermines a lot of Honor's character and credibility. The first introduction to a female character should not be her being threatened with rape. Show her in her area of competence, make the viewer see her as a competent officer first, not a victim.
Two, the plotline this scene belongs to isn't relevant to the story of HotQ. The payoff for it wouldn't happen until Short Victorious War, which is far off into the future.

Not to mention that a "cute and cuddly" Nimitz is basically the opposite of the "serious, believable alien partner" image that Evergreen and David have been in agreement is needed for the last two years.

dreamrider

--Snip--

dreamrider wrote:I like your idea of opening the movie with Honor dreaming...

Apologies perhaps for waking up an old thread but as a writer who has done everything from poems to plays to one novella now, and a novel in progress, it's not a bad opening, just done recently, aka Pirates of the Caribbean, Curse of the Black Pearl. That said, if you look at the first scene in the new Star Trek series, before they even show the opening credits, an OBS flashback could be well fit, without requiring a dream sequence.

Personally I'd have the flashback lead into Admiral Courvosier coming into her day cabin to discuss bits of the new assignment, maybe she's touching the bent tip of the sailplane on her award, and he asks her about it:

C: (voice only) "Did that happen in Basilisk?"
H: (coming into focus out of the flashback) "Yes. It was that close, I don't know what would have become of me if I'd lost Nimitz."

Now we have the excuse to pan to our favorite Honorverse companion, at that point on her shoulder, intense, regal, compassionate, and just enough claw visible to hold her shoulder or whatever, etc. that you realize "this is a very cool, very intelligent alien cat that will defend Honor to the death". Given that he's shared the nightmare in her flashback, the transition of his emotions would do that, yes?

Thoughts?

SharkHunter wrote:--Snip--

dreamrider wrote:I like your idea of opening the movie with Honor dreaming...

Apologies perhaps for waking up an old thread but as a writer who has done everything from poems to plays to one novella now, and a novel in progress, it's not a bad opening, just done recently, aka Pirates of the Caribbean, Curse of the Black Pearl. That said, if you look at the first scene in the new Star Trek series, before they even show the opening credits, an OBS flashback could be well fit, without requiring a dream sequence.

Personally I'd have the flashback lead into Admiral Courvosier coming into her day cabin to discuss bits of the new assignment, maybe she's touching the bent tip of the sailplane on her award, and he asks her about it:

C: (voice only) "Did that happen in Basilisk?"
H: (coming into focus out of the flashback) "Yes. It was that close, I don't know what would have become of me if I'd lost Nimitz."

Now we have the excuse to pan to our favorite Honorverse companion, at that point on her shoulder, intense, regal, compassionate, and just enough claw visible to hold her shoulder or whatever, etc. that you realize "this is a very cool, very intelligent alien cat that will defend Honor to the death". Given that he's shared the nightmare in her flashback, the transition of his emotions would do that, yes?

Thoughts?

Not too bad. Introduces the character in a positive light, and gives you a chance to meet Nimitz early, and fits into the opening for HotQ.

SharkHunter wrote:Apologies perhaps for waking up an old thread but as a writer who has done everything from poems to plays to one novella now, and a novel in progress, it's not a bad opening, just done recently, aka Pirates of the Caribbean, Curse of the Black Pearl. That said, if you look at the first scene in the new Star Trek series, before they even show the opening credits, an OBS flashback could be well fit, without requiring a dream sequence.

Personally I'd have the flashback lead into Admiral Courvosier coming into her day cabin to discuss bits of the new assignment, maybe she's touching the bent tip of the sailplane on her award, and he asks her about it:

C: (voice only) "Did that happen in Basilisk?"
H: (coming into focus out of the flashback) "Yes. It was that close, I don't know what would have become of me if I'd lost Nimitz."

Now we have the excuse to pan to our favorite Honorverse companion, at that point on her shoulder, intense, regal, compassionate, and just enough claw visible to hold her shoulder or whatever, etc. that you realize "this is a very cool, very intelligent alien cat that will defend Honor to the death". Given that he's shared the nightmare in her flashback, the transition of his emotions would do that, yes?

Thoughts?

Not bad.