Book vs. Movie

[digitaldiscipline]

Just finished reading Starship Troopers [saw the movie first].

I'm glad I did it in this order, though I suspect that, much like the case with The Princess Bride, the fact that the book is so much more detailed in some respects lets you retroactively appreciate the movie more, as opposed to Tolkien purists being annoyed by the LotR movies' adaptation. . . a Heinlein purist might be unwilling or unable to give the movie the benefit of the doubt and go in "innocent."

That said, delicarose, I think you -would- appreciate the movie - it's far from faithful to the book, but, having now read it, there's a lot more meat on the animated caricature that I had previously slotted it as.

Any of you who have not yet read TPB. do yourselves a favor and get the 25th or 30th anniversary edition and sit down with it. Read the preface. Read the foreward. Read everything but the frigging publication page, because the backstory on the making of the movie is almost as entertaining as the story itself, and the original Morgenstern text is a fucking -riot-. You'll still love the movie afterwards. I promise.

Comments

Starship Troopers

[bynner.livejournal.com]

I read Starship Troopers first (and quite liked it), but I have a long-standing and well-evolved disconnect between books and movies. I don't expect a film adaptation to be an identical recreation of my inner experience of the book, and what's more, I don't want it to be. I mean... I know what I think of the piece already. I want to see how someone else takes a crack at it. Like I can enjoy Lewis Carroll's, Walt Disney's, and American McGee's interpretations of Alice in Wonderland without resenting their dissimilarity, I feel the same way about books and movies.

What I liked most about Starship Troopers: The Movie was the way it eschewed the Star-Trek-esque politically correct view of cross-species interaction. Humanity and the arachnids have no common ground whatsoever... no basis to establish a mutually respectful and enlightened dialogue in celebration of their cultural diversity. That sort of iron is rarely seen in film storytelling, so it was nice to see.

~Bynner :)

[argylerockstar.livejournal.com]

TPB will always go down as my favorite book. The idea that the book is annotated is hilarious, and the descriptions of what is "cut out" of the "original text" is hilarious.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

you mean there =is= no "S. Morgensten"?!?!?!?

*big, wide-eyed anime expression*

[*cough*]

[argylerockstar.livejournal.com]

Heh. You know, a lot of people really do believe that it isn't the original text.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

i wish the parenthetical asides had gone on more. . . those were my favorite bits.

[argylerockstar.livejournal.com]

I think that my favorite part is when he spends a few pages discussing what the original text said about her packing for her trip and unpacking on the same trip. He spends pages on it, but assures us that we are much better off because the original text had, like, 20 pages on it.

[critus.livejournal.com]

I saw the movie first as well (in both cases) and could not agree with you more. I thought Starship Troopers was a great popcorn movie and I really enjoyed it. Had I read and been expecting the book, though, I probably would have walked out long before they even got to the bug world.

[angel-renewed.livejournal.com]

Under no circumstance should one read 'Battlefield Earth' before going to see the movie. The book is pulp drivel, but its at least readable. The movie? Unbearable. Seeing the movie first will at least provide some small matter of improvement when one gets to the book. I read the book and then, pretty much immediately, went to opening night of the film.

I still cringe thinking about it.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

I think "BE" falls into the category of "avoid the whole thing at all costs, or at least get outside of a fifth of liquor before trying."

[smaugchow.livejournal.com]

The book was fine - up to a point. At about the time when the humans, who had been beaten down into near-extinction, start being smarter and more clever than ancient space-faring races, I had to raise and eye and say, "let's pretend this didn't happen and just enjoy the book up to here." Actually, I didn't finish it for that very reason - it went south in a hurry.

The film was just dumb.

[inlaterdays.livejournal.com]

"heh" at a certain sentence.

haven't seen starship troopers, but i've read the book...your description is making me want to get the 30th anniversary edition of princess bride and re-read.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

-do- get TPB and read it. it goes fast, because it's fun.

[inlaterdays.livejournal.com]

i've read it, bunches of times...but not any of the editions which talked about the making of the movie. :)

[etcet.livejournal.com]

well, there's a scene with a blonde in a bikini that's good, but my favorite bit was the first reading by the cast, and the interaction of all of them in a hotel room; and the bits about goldman's son and whatnot, too.

[ladysoleil.livejournal.com]

Same here- I've read my old paperback copy to death, but don't have any of the new, with more fun stuff editions.

Perhaps a trip to the book store is in order.

[thefeline.livejournal.com]

Never read the book...but Starship Troopers was a damn fine movie...I think they're coming out with part 2 now?

[etcet.livejournal.com]

the book, imnsho, is better. it won't win the movie an oscar [it was campy and cheesy, but intentionally/unabashedly campy and cheesy], but it definitely gives things a different spin.

i hope they don't make a sequel. or if they do, they at least have the sense to not call it as such. whither the tradition of the unofficial sequel?

Starship poopers

[kungfugimp.livejournal.com]

:o) I can't help but make other names for things. Didn't read the book, but I thought the movie was O.K. I much prefer the animated series Roughnecks. I would highly recommend that for viewing pleasure since much of it is closer to what I hear the book is. Especially the armor. This series is done by the company that did Reboot. I have a few of the DVD's but they aren't cheap, no matter where/how you try to obtain them - even on ebay, they cost as much as they do in a store. About $25 to $30 per disk.

As for TPB - love it. Read the book and saw the movie many times. I think they both work quite well.

"Inconceivable!"
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Re: Starship poopers

[etcet.livejournal.com]

read the book. it's superb. really.