CycleChat Investigates - SciFi

[wiggydiggy]

The one which is leading the poll was an adaptation of a short story (The Sentinel by Arthur C Clarke - I read that long before seeing the film) - and then spawned a full novel and sequel, also written by Clarke.

Dune, of course, was based on the novel by Frank Herbert (Again, I read it long before the first film was made). Not on the poll, but mentioned several times in the thread. I haven't actually seen the film, so not sure just how accurate an adaptation it is.

Starship Troopers was based on the Heinlen novel, and is actually a fairly accurate adaptation.

Another good one (IMO) not in the poll is I Robot, based on a story from the Asimov I Robot collection.

And The Bicentennial Man, also based on a novel by Asimov and Silverberg, which was itself based on a short story by Asimov.

There have been a few, some of which have been pretty good.

Starship Troopers - for the shower scene Paul Verhoeven agreed to also be nude, along with his cinematographer Jost Vacano, to put the cast at ease. It's probably one of the best nude scene I've seen as all the characters are talking as if they are in the mess rather than the showers.

I, Robot - Love that film, it gets criticised (rightly ) for too much product placement but that doesn't make it bad. I'd have loved a follow on TV series set in that world but it hasn't happened.

 

[MontyVeda]

Clarke wrote the book at rhe same time he was writing and continuously fiddling with the screenplay, so in most regards they are closer than is typical.

The main difference ie the book has the final destination as Saturn, and the film Jupiter. It was all originally written as Saturn but the effects supervisor, Douglas Trumbull, was struggling with recreating Saturn's rings so the setting was changed to Jupiter.

Interestingly, Trumbull later went on to work on Silent Running and technology had advanced sufficiently in those few years to do a convincing job of Saturn's rings.

not true. the initial intended destination was Saturn, but they had better images of Jupiter close up and since the book and screenplay were written at the same time, it's also Jupiter in the book.

 

[Drago]

Yes, you're agreeing with me! Trumbull couldn't reproduce Saturn to a satisfactory standard. Clarke describes it all in the wee bit at the end of the book.

In my book (published 1988) its Saturn - just checked. Clarke describes using Jupiter for the slingshot maneuver. Discovery is left in an orbit around Iaptus, and the original signal from TMA 1 is sent in the direction of Saturn.

In 2010 (also 1988 printing in my case - I can remember buying them for something to read on the many train journeys I was doing while in the army) it reverts to Jupiter and aligns with the film.

This book reviewer has read the same edition as me...

https://space.nss.org/book-review-the-odyssey-series-2001-2010-2061-and-3001-by-arthur-c-clarke/#:~:text=In the novel 2001, Discovery,around the Saturn moon, Iapetus.

 

[Rezillo]

Iain M Banks I've never read, just put his first 'Culture' book on my reading list.

There is a downside to this. If you take to Iain M Banks' SF novels then, as you work through them, the literary quality of almost all other SF will be cruelly exposed to you. He develops an elegance to his writing and his plot structures that few in the field can match. I have a favourite (Surface Detail) but they are all good, imho.

I have his last ever (non-SF) book - I can't bring myself to read it as that would truly be an end.

 

[wiggydiggy]

There is a downside to this. If you take to Iain M Banks' SF novels then, as you work through them, the literary quality of almost all other SF will be cruelly exposed to you. He develops an elegance to his writing and his plot structures that few in the field can match. I have a favourite (Surface Detail) but they are all good, imho.

I have his last ever (non-SF) book - I can't bring myself to read it as that would truly be an end.

I have a secret passion for bad* sci fi, so reading good sci fi will not affect me. This is a book I've got on my reading list, check out that cover!

• Cravat!
• Cocktail!
• Lasers!

*Bad is subjective to reader opinion!

 

[MontyVeda]

...
In my book (published 1988) its Saturn - just checked. Clarke describes using Jupiter for the slingshot maneuver. Discovery is left in an orbit around Iaptus, and the original signal from TMA 1 is sent in the direction of Saturn.

In 2010 (also 1988 printing in my case - I can remember buying them for something to read on the many train journeys I was doing while in the army) it reverts to Jupiter and aligns with the film.

This book reviewer has read the same edition as me...

https://space.nss.org/book-review-the-odyssey-series-2001-2010-2061-and-3001-by-arthur-c-clarke/#:~:text=In the novel 2001, Discovery,around the Saturn moon, Iapetus.

Just dug mine out to check and you're right, it is Saturn. Must've miss-remembered that one. Apologies

 

[Drago]

Don't sweat jt, we'll put it down to a warp in the space-time continuum caused by the density of my Y fronts.

 

[cyberknight]

Waiting for a decent attempt to be done of any by William Gibson from his cyberpunk phase, Johnny mnonic was dire

 

[Profpointy]

You have to be very careful with an adaptation, too much meddling turns a great story into something generic that neither people who know the story or people that are new would want to see.

I've just finished reading Phillip Reeves Mortal Engines quartet and its really annoying they mucked up the first film so bad, he really hits his stride by the time of Books 3 + 4 and it's got a lot of interesting things going on that we'll never see. The film version they did make for some reason decided they needed a big 'attack the deathstar' moment to finish rather than the books rather tragic ending for characters they don't even bother having in the film. You can probably tell I'm quite annoyed about it still!

Iain M Banks I've never read, just put his first 'Culture' book on my reading list.

I enjoyed the Mortal Engines film, and bought the books susequently. Am half way through 2nd one. I thought the film very much followed and was true to the first book, which, as I say, I read afterwards. Shame the film lost money as there will likely be no more in the series. Having seen the huge sum spent on the film, which did look great to be fair, there was little hope of ever making it back

 

[Profpointy]

Waiting for a decent attempt to be done of any by William Gibson from his cyberpunk phase, Johnny mnonic was dire

I liked Johny Mnemonic

 

[matticus]

I liked Johny Mnemonic

I vaguely remember it was pretty okay. How do we rate his future predictions?:
In 2021, society is driven by a virtual Internet, which has created a degenerate effect called "nerve attenuation syndrome" or NAS. Megacorporations control much of the world, intensifying the class hostility already created by NAS.

 

[matticus]

I've got the book adaptation of the 1990 version of Total Recall, making it a book based on a film that's based on a short story

Oh dear god ... 🙈

It's one of my favourite action movies too!

 

[Drago]

Sitrep. 2001 in the lead, Star Wars hanging on like a stubborn dangleberry.

 

[wiggydiggy]

I enjoyed the Mortal Engines film, and bought the books susequently. Am half way through 2nd one. I thought the film very much followed and was true to the first book, which, as I say, I read afterwards. Shame the film lost money as there will likely be no more in the series. Having seen the huge sum spent on the film, which did look great to be fair, there was little hope of ever making it back

I definately enjoyed it, theres too few films about giant cities eating each other lol I understood why a couple of things might have been cut for pacing, but they made Valentine the main villain rather than Crome whereas in the book Valentine actually comes accross as a more tragic figure in the end and Crome is the real madman. The book has the big explosion that a hollywood film would like at the end, but brought about by a different way. They changed it to the 'death star ending' where these airships suddenly act like they are X-Wings and take out this huge city

.

The books are great, I'm just about to start the Fever Crumb series which is a prequel to the Mortal Engines books and set around the time that the first traction cities are coming into existance.

Oh dear god ... 🙈

It's one of my favourite action movies too!

It's actually quite good and pulls a few plot points in that were dropped from the film.

 

[cyberknight]

I liked Johny Mnemonic

bad acting , bad screenplay , i wait with baited breath for a take on neuromancer