Actually, that's a lie, as I didn't actually see any muthafuckin' snakes on any muthafuckin' planes, and so I'll be talking about another movie entirely.
I was going to see it. Really, I was. I'd heard it was fun, and crazy, and all that it was promised to be.
But it didn't happen. My friends and I thought about going out to see it... and instead stayed at home and played video games. Personally I'd like to think that, deep down inside, just knowing that a movie named "Snakes on a Plane" exists is enough.
Anyway,what I did recently see was "V for Vendetta."
I know, I know, it came out months ago. But, given my usual lackadaisical nature, it took me this long to get around to watching it.
And, having done so, I must confess to being extremely glad I never read the comic book.
Not because I think the comic would be bad, no. Nor because I thought the movie was bad - the opposite, rather.
I liked the movie a hell of a lot. I thought it was fantastic. And I am grateful that I didn't have any preconceived notions that would have detracted from the experience.
I know that it is a different story than the graphic novel of the same name. I know that, from what I've heard, it manages to capture some elements of the original while betraying others. I think it is safe to say that both of them are exceptional works, but also fundamentally different ones.
It is a dilemma. It is hard to appreciate something derivative in its own right when one has familiarity with the original. I've had it happen to me before - even with Batman Begins, a phenomenal movie, somewhere deep inside there was a tiny fanboy nitpicking over the pettiest little details.
I can't think of any easy solution. In the case of V, I saw the derivation without seeing the original - but does that mean I should now avoid the original work itself? And if I read it, will that experience be itself affected by expectations from the movie?
I could, similarly, avoid any adaptations of books and comics and other things I am a fan of - but doesn't that defeat the entire point of their creation? That they are created for the fans? If I do watch them, how do I toggle off that switch that obsesses over changes, and if I do so, should I truly be trying to turn off my previous appreciation for the series in order to adequately enjoy the adaptation?
Well, I seem to have a lot of questions, and a significant dearth of answers. Maybe, as usual, I'm overthinking things.
Maybe I should leave such philosophical film questions to the masters of the art, and stick with watching planes, and the snakes perched quite merrily upon them.
1 comment:
Cough.
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