The best adaptation of a Heinlein novel, ever

[james_davis_nicoll]

"Sarah Brightman & Hot Gossip - I Lost My Heart To A Starship" (Watch on YouTube)

Comments

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Now, now. The Puppet Masters feature film had it's moments.

"I can fly a helicopter!"

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

Have you read this? (http://dvdnewsflash.wordpress.com/what-went-wrong-with-the-puppet-masters-1994/)

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

Yep. Pretty much a classic examination of how a novel never survives first contact with Hollywood.

[sean o'hara (from livejournal.com)]

“I hated the dialog. I hated the story. I hated the characters. It doesn’t work on any level.”

That's exactly how I react to Heinlein, too. Thankfully a few years later we got Starship Troopers from a director who realized the only way to adapt Heinlein is straight-up kitsch comedy.

[bruce munro (from livejournal.com)]

Since that wasn't a very good movie even on entirely non-Heinlein merits, perhaps we should just call Heinlein unfilmable and quit while we're ahead? :)

[sean o'hara (from livejournal.com)]

I don't know what you're talking about. Starship Troopers is the best comedy of the '90s. Neil Patrick Harris playing a Heinleinian superman as a Nazi dominatrix is funnier than everything Kevin Smith's ever done.

[tandw.livejournal.com]

...as a Nazi dominatrix....

I didn't realize he played the part in drag.

[fridgepunk.livejournal.com]

Rocky Horror Picture Show was the best adaption we could hope for of any of the late heinlein novels.

[seth ellis (from livejournal.com)]

Plus one.

[bruce munro (from livejournal.com)]

I suppose I just don't care about "Starship Troopers" either positively or negatively for a satirical take to have much of an impact.

[matgb]

I think the only thing that detracts from the movie is that the satire is too subtle, far too many people watched it and thought it was lauding the society, an some of them even thought it was a good societal model. Which surprised me as I thought the attack was quite blatent. Ah well, YMMV.

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure Have Space Suit Will Travel could be filled as a surrealistic European comedy, with Ace Quigley showing up as a hallucination.

[ross-teneyck.livejournal.com]

I really despised the Starship Troopers movie.

I have mixed feelings about the book myself, but I think I'm willing to formulate as a general principle, "Movie adaptations of books ought not to be made by people who actively hate the book." If you're not willing to take the work on its own terms, then find something else to adapt.

Also: get off my lawn, kids these days, etc.