agent817
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Post by agent817 on Sept 12, 2022 0:45:13 GMT -5
What are your general thoughts on these? I remember when I was a kid when I went to bookstores, I would see novelizations of movies. I remember reading some as well, and I noticed that there were scenes that weren't in the film, as well as scenes being written differently than what the final product of the film. It didn't bother me, though.
Recently, I had bought the novelizations of the first two "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" films (I doubt one was made for the third film). I had read through them as well. I liked how there were different takes on some scenes, as well as narrations of a character's perspective. I noticed that the novel version of the first film was mostly adapted from the original script, hence why it's mostly different from the film. I also had bought the novelization of Good Burger, which I will read (I think I should get Good Burger 2 Go, the sequel story; it's only in book form, though).
Also, because I didn't want to start a separate thread about this, I also want to talk about comic book versions of movies. Keep this in mind, I mean a comic book adaptation that came out to tie into the movie, not so much what the movie was adapted from (you could say the same about book-based movies as well). I remember getting the comic of Batman Forever when I was 11 and I remembered seeing some things that weren't in the movie. The intro had a bit that implied Two-Face's escape and had graffiti on the wall at Arkham Asylum that said "The Bat must die," which I saw a clip of that in the U2 video of "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me." I would assume that the scene was filmed but wasn't used (I wonder if that deleted scene was on the DVD). One other thing that I found interesting about that version was the circus bit had Two-Face's thugs dressed like clowns, instead of the typical look in the movie of Lucha masks with red and blue sides and leather vests/jackets. I also remember seeing that there were some different bits in the comic versions of the first two Transformer films.
What are your general thoughts on movie novelizations, as well as movie comic book adaptations?
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Post by Big DSR Energy on Sept 12, 2022 1:02:53 GMT -5
My understanding is the novelization is often written from the script, so the novelization and the film can be released at about the same time. Then the film-making process changes all kinds of stuff. I've read a couple of novelizations, the Stallone Judge Dredd movie and Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, they were perfectly serviceable. The character in Demon Knight played by Jada Pinkett Smith seems to have originally been written for a white girl. Thought that was interesting.
I have the comic book adaptation of the 2003 Daredevil movie. I want to say they made Kingpin look like a cross between Michael Clark Duncan and the comic book version.
(Oh, also I've read Good Burger 2 Go, it was fun.)
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Post by Limity (BLM) on Sept 12, 2022 1:16:24 GMT -5
I was big into them when I was younger, and was always confused when they had additional scenes not in the movies.
Do they still do them to this day? I can't imagine the mdemand being there anymore.
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Post by Big DSR Energy on Sept 12, 2022 1:30:19 GMT -5
I was big into them when I was younger, and was always confused when they had additional scenes not in the movies. Do they still do them to this day? I can't imagine the mdemand being there anymore. A couple weeks back I was at the local thrift store, saw they had a novelization of the 2016 Ghostbusters movie. Boutique Blu-Ray label Severin Films has a number of novelizations on their website. These were recently written books adapting films from the 70/80/90s. I have one, haven't read it yet, but my understanding is the author, Brad Carter, added a bunch of stuff to make them more raunchy and/or violent.
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Post by GodzillaIsMyMonster on Sept 12, 2022 1:46:04 GMT -5
I've got quite a few of these. I enjoy them.
Its cool to see a side character expanded on, or experience a big moment from a different characters perspective.
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El Pollo Guerrera
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Post by El Pollo Guerrera on Sept 12, 2022 2:01:15 GMT -5
Funny, just heard last week on the radio a story about movie novelizations and the authors who write them. I think the guy who did the Star Wars novel only worked from the script and couldn't see the movie.
Someone on the show made a neat point... a novel can be adapted to a movie and that movie can win awards for the script, but no novelizations of any movie haven't been nominated for any awards.
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Glitch
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Post by Glitch on Sept 12, 2022 2:33:44 GMT -5
I remember reading snippets of the junior novelization of Jurassic Park. The Nedry scene is the same layout except he doesn't get sprayed on. When he finds himself trapped in the car with the Dilophosaurus, it says that Nedry at that moment knew he was doomed and leaves it at that.
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pinja
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Post by pinja on Sept 12, 2022 3:56:27 GMT -5
I'm collecting them and it's among the more expensive niche of book collecting. I'm mostly interested in horror novelizations, action movies and really odd ones like Home Alone. Best one I've read so far? Clearly The Omen, but the scriptwriter also wrote the novel. Halloween 3 is also quite good for it's extensive characterization. E.T. is just plain odd, but then again, Spielberg requested William Kotzwinkle to write it, so naturally E.T. is creepy with the mom.
It's a fascinating genre, really. Most novelizations are written with the script in mind and not the final product, so content may vary. But some authors didn't get to read the script nor to see the movie. All they've got were brief explanations of a movie.
Some of the more interesting ones in terms of format are Blair Witch Project 1 and 2, which serve more as companion pieces. The Alien novelizations are highly regarded. Some novelizations are marketed as such, but were the actual source material for the movie. Like The Hole, even the Divine Comedy was sold as a weird kind of novelization for the video game Dante's Inferno. And then thete're novelizations of movies based on novels. Bram Stoker's Dracula for example and I think Sleepy Hollow.
Most of the genre is absolute trash, but still entertaining and interesting from a culture studies perspective.
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Post by Mighty Attack Tribble on Sept 12, 2022 3:58:44 GMT -5
My understanding is the novelization is often written from the script, so the novelization and the film can be released at about the same time. Then the film-making process changes all kinds of stuff. Yeah, novelisations are generally written during filming from the most up-to-date script available. Given just about every movie has to undergo reshoots, it is rare to find a novelisation that doesn't differ one way or another. For example, the Independence Day novelisation contained the original ending in which Russell is rejected when he volunteers to fly in the final battle because he is drunk, and so steals a missile and straps it onto the side of his crop-duster and flies it into the city destroyer's main gun. Do they still do them to this day? I can't imagine the mdemand being there anymore. They're still released pretty frequently. The last one I saw on the shelf in a book store was this: And apparently Tarantino himself did actually write it without the aid of a ghost writer. The Alien novelizations are highly regarded. Honestly, I will take the novelisations over the movies every time. All of them are excellent, including – remarkably – Alien: Resurrection.
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Futureraven: Beelzebruv
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Post by Futureraven: Beelzebruv on Sept 12, 2022 5:58:13 GMT -5
My understanding is the novelization is often written from the script, so the novelization and the film can be released at about the same time. Then the film-making process changes all kinds of stuff. Yeah, novelisations are generally written during filming from the most up-to-date script available. Given just about every movie has to undergo reshoots, it is rare to find a novelisation that doesn't differ one way or another. For example, the Independence Day novelisation contained the original ending in which Russell is rejected when he volunteers to fly in the final battle because he is drunk, and so steals a missile and straps it onto the side of his crop-duster and flies it into the city destroyer's main gun. Do they still do them to this day? I can't imagine the mdemand being there anymore. They're still released pretty frequently. The last one I saw on the shelf in a book store was this: And apparently Tarantino himself did actually write it without the aid of a ghost writer. The Alien novelizations are highly regarded. Honestly, I will take the novelisations over the movies every time. All of them are excellent, including – remarkably – Alien: Resurrection. I can believe Tarantino had a hand in the cover. The Revenge of The Sith one is really good, you get the inner thoughts of the characters which helps a lot.
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MiLB Fan
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Post by MiLB Fan on Sept 12, 2022 7:29:47 GMT -5
I read movie novelizations when I was a kid. The one I remember most clearly is the one for the 1990 TMNT film, which I recently found in its entirety online.
Reading it again, the movie and novel match closely aside from minor dialogue changes. One interesting part is when we see the Foot Clan’s warehouse for the first time; the author describes it much as it appears in the film, with teenagers smoking and playing video games and pool. However, the novel includes a scene that isn’t in the movie: a group of trainees removing bells from a dummy’s coat without making a sound.
Sound familiar? It should, because that was Keno’s test in TMNT 2: The Secret of the Ooze.
Also, remember when Tatsu loses it and takes his frustration out on that young Foot Clan member? While the movie leaves the young man’s fate ambiguous, the novel explicitly states that he died from his injuries.
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Post by Vice honcho room temperature on Sept 12, 2022 8:09:19 GMT -5
I saw a novelization of Halloween Kills in a bookstore last year. I was gonna buy it for my friend but she hated that movie.
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Post by WoodStoner1 on Sept 12, 2022 8:24:17 GMT -5
I remember the Batman ones (Burton movies) giving Bats more dialogue. The one I tend to remember would be the extension of Batman/Catwoman's first meeting and Bats saying "Hanging on to every word" as he is, well, hanging by the end of Catwoman's whip.
There was a novelization released in 1989 of Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and 5, which is infamous for saying Freddy was a child molester.
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Post by WoodStoner1 on Sept 12, 2022 8:25:55 GMT -5
My understanding is the novelization is often written from the script, so the novelization and the film can be released at about the same time. Then the film-making process changes all kinds of stuff. Yeah, novelisations are generally written during filming from the most up-to-date script available. Given just about every movie has to undergo reshoots, it is rare to find a novelisation that doesn't differ one way or another. For example, the Independence Day novelisation contained the original ending in which Russell is rejected when he volunteers to fly in the final battle because he is drunk, and so steals a missile and straps it onto the side of his crop-duster and flies it into the city destroyer's main gun. Do they still do them to this day? I can't imagine the mdemand being there anymore. They're still released pretty frequently. The last one I saw on the shelf in a book store was this: And apparently Tarantino himself did actually write it without the aid of a ghost writer. The Alien novelizations are highly regarded. Honestly, I will take the novelisations over the movies every time. All of them are excellent, including – remarkably – Alien: Resurrection. I almost ordered the OUATIH audio book for our library's collection...only the product was cancelled. Curious to see if he references Screen Gems in the book, AND the instance the logo pops up in the movie.
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agent817
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Post by agent817 on Sept 12, 2022 15:47:36 GMT -5
My understanding is the novelization is often written from the script, so the novelization and the film can be released at about the same time. Then the film-making process changes all kinds of stuff. I've read a couple of novelizations, the Stallone Judge Dredd movie and Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, they were perfectly serviceable. The character in Demon Knight played by Jada Pinkett Smith seems to have originally been written for a white girl. Thought that was interesting. I have the comic book adaptation of the 2003 Daredevil movie. I want to say they made Kingpin look like a cross between Michael Clark Duncan and the comic book version. (Oh, also I've read Good Burger 2 Go, it was fun.) I must note that I had ordered the comic adaptations of the Punisher movies, both 1989 and 2004. I read through some of the 1989 one and that had more emphasis on Frank's partnership with Louis Gossett Jr's character at first before Frank's family is killed. As for the 2004 version, I felt like some of the action scenes ended too quickly. I might check out the novel version The Punisher (2004) as it does exist. I'm curious as to how that played out. It might include sequences that were found in the extended cut.
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Ultimo Gallos
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Post by Ultimo Gallos on Sept 12, 2022 20:09:41 GMT -5
I have collected these movie novelization books for a long time. But usually only grab ones I find cheap.
Existenz-The Cronenberg film got a novelization. Never read it sold it to a huge Cronenberg fan I know. Got the copy for 2 bucks at a used bookstore.
Godzilla-The Monsterverse film. Found this at Dollar Tree and sold it to a big Kaiju fan I know.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake-Local library had this and while it is getting hard to find it isn't good. Only real new stuff is Biel's character being pregnant and Kemper having a ring in his pocket to propose to her at the concert.
Catwoman-Yep the Halle Berry film. Had never seen this one and at a con a dealer had a pile of cheap books. Was 2 bucks. Never read it.
The Funhouse-IIRC this novelization of the Hooper film came out a year or so before the film. Written by Dean Koontz under a pen name,it is pretty good with a few new additions.
Adventures in Babysitting-Had this one since the film came out. Decent but nothing added to the novel.
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Feyrhausen
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Post by Feyrhausen on Sept 12, 2022 20:49:00 GMT -5
The Star Trek All Good Things novelization had some scenes added with minor characters from the shows run. Like Sonya Gomez and Robin Lefler.
The TMNT comic book movie adaption had a scene at the end where April and Danny try to sell a comic book of the Turtles to a publisher.
And an interesting bit for Batman. In the Mad Magazine version of it they had the scrapped scene after the confrontation in Vickis apartment where Batman uses a horse to chase Joker who is gassing people on the street. Proving Mad was receiving advance scripts and were just another corporate cog.
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Post by wildojinx on Sept 12, 2022 23:28:20 GMT -5
Not really a movie novelization, but I have a copy of the book version of the Death and Return of Superman by Roger Stern. Pretty much an abridged version of the comic storyline, but it's still pretty good and well-written.
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Paul
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Post by Paul on Sept 13, 2022 9:11:04 GMT -5
The TMNT comic book movie adaption had a scene at the end where April and Danny try to sell a comic book of the Turtles to a publisher. Just FYI- This scene was actually filmed (I believe there's a picture of it on a trading card or in a novelization or something...) but it was of course removed from the film before the final edit. I would love to see all the deleted scenes from TMNT added back into the movie.
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Feyrhausen
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Post by Feyrhausen on Sept 13, 2022 9:15:40 GMT -5
The TMNT comic book movie adaption had a scene at the end where April and Danny try to sell a comic book of the Turtles to a publisher. Just FYI- This scene was actually filmed (I believe there's a picture of it on a trading card or in a novelization or something...) but it was of course removed from the film before the final edit. I would love to see all the deleted scenes from TMNT added back into the movie. I knew it was scripted but I never knew if it was filmed. The scene in the comic had the turtles eavesdropping on the meeting outside the window of a high rise. It seemed like it might be too hard to film with their budget.
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