During a recent Twitter discussion with a Faithful Spoilerite, I was reminded that Wonder Woman’s first animated appearance came during an episode of the cartoon version of ‘The Brady Kids.’ Of course, her first live-action shot at fame (not counting a quickie pilot from ‘Batman’ producer Bill Dozier during the time when that show was a media juggernaut) came as a blonde gadgeteer/martial artist in the Emma Peel vein, played by future ‘That’s Incredible’ presenter Cathy Lee Crosby. While not particularly successful (or, for that mater, sensible), it was nonetheless a gateway to the eventual, more successful Lynda Carter take from the late 1970s, which was both successful and iconic enough to remain the general ‘consensus’ view of the public of what the character should be like, even decades later…
The MS-QOTD, (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) still has a sore spot about Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, asking: What’s the most misguided/unsuccessful adaptation in your eyes?
20 Comments
I am not a Final Fantasy fan. I never have been and I never will be. Yet even from that perspective, Spirits Within felt like a betrayal to the franchise. It is a movie that somehow transcends “In Name Only.”
Probably the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie. I wasn’t a fan of the books but the movie got it horribly wrong. They tried to turn it into an action flick, adapting something that has very little action in it.
I was irked with the adaptation of V for Vendetta.
They got so much right, but the populist spin that it got really ruined a lot of the subtext.
Does the Double Dragon “movie” count? Actually for that mater all of the various video game adaption have been brutal.
On the comic side, I have a huge soft spot in my heart for the Incredible Hulk TV series staring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. Although it wasn’t a pitch perfect adaption of the comic book, it was a great effort in its own right…until they got to the 3 movies…which were really abominations. A skinny Thor and a ninja Daredevil?!?
The movies were misguided adaptions and a horrible way to treat your own TV series.
Flash Gordon (Sci-Fi Channel 2007)
What a wasted opportunity. It had no sense of space adventure. Or even just adventure.
Possibly tied with War of the Worlds from the late 80’s who’s man conceit was that the aliens looked just like us now. Convenient, in a budget-minded sort of way.
I am in the minority, but all the Mission Impossible Movies. They are Tom Cruise vehicles, having little in common with the 1960s series.
I’m not saying they are bad movies, but they don’t reflect the team orient subterfuge series that the original MI was.
I once saw an interview with Martin Landau where he says he thinks it’s a fine movie he just wishes they had called it something else.
I think the first one actually took that team concept and turned it on it’s ear by killing the team and setting the character off on his own.
The others were pure Tom Cruise dreck and lost that sense of espionage and subterfuge.
the new bsg or soap opera in space.
Aeon Flux…the discrepancy between the ridiculous movie and the amazing animated series is still hard to believe
Starship Troopers. Lost the whole point of the book.
The Jonah Hex movie. I actually clocked to see how long it would take until I got mad at the film… 93 seconds. There are actors in it I like, but the script felt like it was done by somebody’s cousin.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is one that really sticks out in my mind. Aside from a couple of vague adaptations of concepts, it just didn’t have anything to do with Final Fantasy. The movie looked nice enough, and I’m sure I’d have enjoyed it under another name, but as a Final Fantasy movie it just felt bad-touch wrong.
There are also a number of adaptations from the 90’s that rub me the wrong way too. Double Dragon, the Captain America movie with the rubber ears on the suit, the never officially released Justice League TV movie, the last few Batman movies with Clooney and Kilmer, etc.
The Eragon movie. That was a great book series and it could have been an awesome fantasy epic but they really screwed the pooch with the film. They couldn’t even give the elves pointy ears!
The really sad thing is I actually expected it to be a bad adaptation when it was announced. I don’t know why, but I just had the gut feeling it wouldn’t match the books other than a few names and concepts. I really wish I’d been proven wrong. Same thing with the Percy Jackson movie. I wish they had gotten both of those movies closer to the books.
Where to start? honestly the worst adaptation by far it must be the DragonBall Movie…..just…NO.
I also kinda hated the spiderman 1 movie, i felt they made peter such a huuuggee dork\pushover.
Oh god, eragon… Probably the ultimate could have been great movie. For me, though, it’s got to be dragon ball evolution. The most terrible adaptation of something everyone hates to love and loves to hate.
Tim Burton’s Batman, actually.
Tomb Raider, Wanted and Max Payne are runner-ups.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
The book was actually a really well done historical novel with some fantastical vampire stuff thrown in. They actually managed to weave the vampire storyline into the events of Lincoln’s life in an interesting way.
The movie took history, bent it over, and well, you can guess the horrible things that happened afterwards.
The worst part – the author of the book is the one who adapted it into a screenplay
JJ Abrams’ STAR TREK