The movie WHITEOUT is being released next Friday. Talking with Joey over at Kings yesterday he was unaware that the movie it supposedly based on a comic. Not surprising. I have the comic. I have the sequel. I was watching trailer for the movie wondering what this movie is supposed to be about.
The comic by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber is very very good. Eisner Award winning good. So why change story to the point that I as a fan can barely recognize it? The story does hold up and does work. It would actually translate quite well into a movie. There seems to be three schools of thought in taking comic book intellectual properties to the big screen.
First: go as accurate as possible, using the comics themselves as a type of storyboard. Sometimes having to add a little and take away a little here and there to accommodate running time and the like. Examples: 300, SIN CITY, WATCHMEN.
Second: really try to the get the heart of the story. Sometimes things need an update, or the story doesn't translate too well onto the big screen, so a few changes are made to make it work, however fans still identify the story. Examples: SPIDER-MAN, X-MEN, HELLBOY.
Third: just that the title, and a few character names maybe a line or scene or two, and then just do whatever the hell you want. Example: WANTED, LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN.
WHITEOUT looks like it's going to be in the third category. So, if I go see it, I'm going to have to try to dismiss all of my knowledge of the story if I'm to have any hope of enjoying the movie. It worked for LEAGUE and I ended up enjoying the movie more than the comic. This is the cue for the Alan Moore fans to grab their pitchforks. Sorry kids, the movie was fun, the comic was boring. Deal.
For the record, I like Kate Beckensale, but I don't see her as Carrie Stetko at all. Too tall, too thin, and not enough freckles. Why she wasn't cast as Lily, I'll never know.
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