posted
First off, I highly suggest anyone who hasn't read the book Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause to do so. It's a very good, nontraditional werewolf novel, one with some genuine surprises and twists to the story. It also has a protagonist who is utterly convincing and sympathetic...even though she's a supernatural shape-shifter.
The book has -no- relation to the movie you'll see in the theater...other than some character names and werewolves being involved.
Why do I hate this movie so much? It's not just that they changed the novel...it's that each change is so completely stupid.
Vivian, the conflicted, tormented girl from the novel now comes off as a terminally constipated dullard.
Aiden, the quirky, friendly teen poet of the novel is now an obsessive, creepy, guilt-tripping, violent young man...who quite frankly seems to be a better killer than -any- of the werewolves.
Oh, and the werewolves of the film are all tittering psychopaths, blood-thirsty fanatics, or just-plain-stupid.
In fact, everything wrong with the film can be summed up by the scene where the "Alpha" werewolf instructs his lackeys to lock Vivian up in a car.
The lackeys quickly put her in the car, she escapes out the other unlocked side (!) fifteen seconds later. They don't even turn around. So much for enhanced senses.
I could go on and on. A sculpture of Romulus and Remus being fed by the she-wolf is continually shown...even though it has nothing to do with werewolves and the film is set in Romania, not -Rome-!
By the way, one of the things that gave the original novel its punch was that it was set in AnyTown, USA...who doesn't expect some supernatural creatures in Eastern Europe?
And I like that the wolves in the movie aren't huge wolf/man creatures. They are men, who turn into ACTUAL wolves. Go figure. It's refreshingly NON CGI.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
I'm very sad. Vampires actually would have fit the brand new story created for this movie a tad better.
Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: And I like that the wolves in the movie aren't huge wolf/man creatures. They are men, who turn into ACTUAL wolves. Go figure. It's refreshingly NON CGI.
While seeing actual, beautiful wolves was a refreshing change, the transformation sequences themselves are completely lame.
Each werewolf gets a running start, leaps up into the air....flies for 30 seconds or so like Mighty Mouse. Arms stetched straight ahead and everything. They then get surrounded by an unconvincing nimbus of light that provoked loud guffaws from the theater audience. WHAMMO! Insta-wolf.
Oh, and the clothing the werewolves were clad in does -not- need to be taken off for the transformation...but is apparently vaporized when they turn back. Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
The Blood and Chocolate movie came out at exactly the right time for my personal pedagogical purposes, as I always mention the book as an example of an excellent title. The kids came jabbering in to tell me about the movie a couple of days later.
My work here is done. Posts: 834 | Registered: Jun 2005
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