Post by DTH on Aug 14, 2006 5:02:32 GMT -5
Both Famous Mortimer and I are big fans of Phillip K. Dick's novels and short stories.
The majority of PKD's stories all revolve around paranoia and the perception of reality. Speaking for myself, I prefer his short stories because he tends to lose his way and go off on random non-sensical tangents half way through his novels (and this has absolutely nothing to do with any drug habits he may have had...).
It has been en vogue to make movies of PKD's work for quite a while now. Thus far we have seen Blade Runner (source: "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"), Total Recall (source: "We Can Remember For You Wholesale"), Screamers (source: "Second Variety"), Paycheck (source: "Paycheck"), Minority Report (source: "Minority Report"), Impostor (source: "Impostor") and the forthcoming, A Scanner Darkly (source: "A Scanner Darkly").
Now, the majority of these films are taken from short stories and take the basic idea and transform it in to something completely different. Some are more faithful than others (or even can be, considering their length and depth) depending on the film. So a lot of them tend to be faithful in concept, if not in execution.
The problem is that, more often than not, the films sometimes lose the essence of the story in the transition in to movie script. Which is what I feel happened with Paycheck.
I can imagine the scene at the movie pitch;
Writer: Have I got the movie for you! A man is hired to do a job at the end of which, he'd have his memory wiped for confidentiality. While he's doing the job, he discovers something really wrong and decides to do something about it. Since he won't remember anything he did whilst he was working on the project, he sends himself some clues so he can unravel the mystery.
[Blank looks from Studio Execs]
Writer (sighs): Its like a cross between Total Recall, Blade Runner and Minority Report rolled in to one.
Studio Execs: Cha-ching!
Some of the other films work well though, so it is not a symptom of PKD's writing or the translation to film.
I personally think Blade Runner is superior to the novel because it takes the idea of the book and doesn't get bogged down with PKD's tangential writing. It is also a really great, atmospheric film with some great acting and casting. What really sets Blade Runner apart from the other interpretations is that it stays true to basic idea behind the novel and still manages to become a thing of its own.
Unlike Total Recall which merely makes some suggestion toward the underlying story that PKD was exploring (a man has the memory of a holiday implanted which then confuses his reality) and ends up being a big Arnie-led action fest. There's nothing wrong with that as I think it is one of the better films, however, its not quite art haus flick that another director/studio might have made of it.
Minority Report is somewhere in between Blade Runner and Total Recall because it is fairly true to the story and is a good film, however, it completely drops the idea of what the Minority Report even is! The basic underlying result of the conspiracy involved (the whole idea of 'future crime' becoming suspect) is still there, however, the method to its existence is very different.
SPOILER FOR THE SHORT STORY
In the short story, there are three "precogs" (psychics) whom predict the future. Where two precogs predict a future, that is considered to be 'legitimate' and they stop the crime from being committed. The third prediction is the minority report and that is effectively binned. No one questions whatever happens to the minority report until such a prediction is the truth and it undermines the whole principle of 'future crime'.
The film handles this somewhat differently but still manages to tackle the basic idea.
All these aforementioned films take one of PKD's stories and make an interesting film out of it, even if its not always that faithful. I can respect that.
Paycheck is in another category entirely. The short story is very basic (an engineer is hired to do a job and has his memory wiped, however, whilst doing the job, he learns something vitally important and resolves to act upon it, thereupon leaving himself a metaphorical trail of breadcrumbs to do so).
That basic premise could have been a really good film, however, it ended up trying to have the Minority Report/Total Recall chase element and lost its way. And the worst thing about this is that I think that it heralds PKD novels becoming movies becoming increasingly formulaic.
I.e. take a PKD story, add in a well known actor/actress, sprinkle some action in there et voila! Hollywood blockbuster.
So, where we had a situation where I would look forward to a new PKD interpretation, I am becoming more and more wary.
A Scanner Darkly looks amazing and I think it is going to be great, however, I thought the same about Paycheck and, to a lesser extent, I, Robot (which took another classic sci-fi author and took a well known actor, sprinkled in some action and got a "Hollywood Blockbuster") so I am a little bit wary of this one.
If A Scanner Darkly isn't very good, then I am afraid that PKD's stories are just going to continue being fuel for an increasing number of poor Hollywood movies. Considering that there are still a large number of really good stories left, I shudder to think how many are likely to become good movies.
The majority of PKD's stories all revolve around paranoia and the perception of reality. Speaking for myself, I prefer his short stories because he tends to lose his way and go off on random non-sensical tangents half way through his novels (and this has absolutely nothing to do with any drug habits he may have had...).
It has been en vogue to make movies of PKD's work for quite a while now. Thus far we have seen Blade Runner (source: "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"), Total Recall (source: "We Can Remember For You Wholesale"), Screamers (source: "Second Variety"), Paycheck (source: "Paycheck"), Minority Report (source: "Minority Report"), Impostor (source: "Impostor") and the forthcoming, A Scanner Darkly (source: "A Scanner Darkly").
Now, the majority of these films are taken from short stories and take the basic idea and transform it in to something completely different. Some are more faithful than others (or even can be, considering their length and depth) depending on the film. So a lot of them tend to be faithful in concept, if not in execution.
The problem is that, more often than not, the films sometimes lose the essence of the story in the transition in to movie script. Which is what I feel happened with Paycheck.
I can imagine the scene at the movie pitch;
Writer: Have I got the movie for you! A man is hired to do a job at the end of which, he'd have his memory wiped for confidentiality. While he's doing the job, he discovers something really wrong and decides to do something about it. Since he won't remember anything he did whilst he was working on the project, he sends himself some clues so he can unravel the mystery.
[Blank looks from Studio Execs]
Writer (sighs): Its like a cross between Total Recall, Blade Runner and Minority Report rolled in to one.
Studio Execs: Cha-ching!
Some of the other films work well though, so it is not a symptom of PKD's writing or the translation to film.
I personally think Blade Runner is superior to the novel because it takes the idea of the book and doesn't get bogged down with PKD's tangential writing. It is also a really great, atmospheric film with some great acting and casting. What really sets Blade Runner apart from the other interpretations is that it stays true to basic idea behind the novel and still manages to become a thing of its own.
Unlike Total Recall which merely makes some suggestion toward the underlying story that PKD was exploring (a man has the memory of a holiday implanted which then confuses his reality) and ends up being a big Arnie-led action fest. There's nothing wrong with that as I think it is one of the better films, however, its not quite art haus flick that another director/studio might have made of it.
Minority Report is somewhere in between Blade Runner and Total Recall because it is fairly true to the story and is a good film, however, it completely drops the idea of what the Minority Report even is! The basic underlying result of the conspiracy involved (the whole idea of 'future crime' becoming suspect) is still there, however, the method to its existence is very different.
SPOILER FOR THE SHORT STORY
In the short story, there are three "precogs" (psychics) whom predict the future. Where two precogs predict a future, that is considered to be 'legitimate' and they stop the crime from being committed. The third prediction is the minority report and that is effectively binned. No one questions whatever happens to the minority report until such a prediction is the truth and it undermines the whole principle of 'future crime'.
The film handles this somewhat differently but still manages to tackle the basic idea.
All these aforementioned films take one of PKD's stories and make an interesting film out of it, even if its not always that faithful. I can respect that.
Paycheck is in another category entirely. The short story is very basic (an engineer is hired to do a job and has his memory wiped, however, whilst doing the job, he learns something vitally important and resolves to act upon it, thereupon leaving himself a metaphorical trail of breadcrumbs to do so).
That basic premise could have been a really good film, however, it ended up trying to have the Minority Report/Total Recall chase element and lost its way. And the worst thing about this is that I think that it heralds PKD novels becoming movies becoming increasingly formulaic.
I.e. take a PKD story, add in a well known actor/actress, sprinkle some action in there et voila! Hollywood blockbuster.
So, where we had a situation where I would look forward to a new PKD interpretation, I am becoming more and more wary.
A Scanner Darkly looks amazing and I think it is going to be great, however, I thought the same about Paycheck and, to a lesser extent, I, Robot (which took another classic sci-fi author and took a well known actor, sprinkled in some action and got a "Hollywood Blockbuster") so I am a little bit wary of this one.
If A Scanner Darkly isn't very good, then I am afraid that PKD's stories are just going to continue being fuel for an increasing number of poor Hollywood movies. Considering that there are still a large number of really good stories left, I shudder to think how many are likely to become good movies.
). That's very basic concept which both the book and film use. However, PKD (of the stuff I've read) doesn't ever really explore moral issues and I like how it was tackled in the movie. 