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NEWS: Book of Eli's Albert Hughes: Warner Wants PG-13 Akira


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TokyoGetter



Joined: 28 Nov 2006
Posts: 416
Location: CA. You can tell by the low moral standards.
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 12:27 pm Reply with quote
Also, to whomever was speaking on the "why are depictions of violence integral to the plot?" topic: the violence is integral in that it's a great narrative tool for this particular story.

Look at it this way: these characters are undergoing scary, dark, and terrifying changes in their lifestyle, psyche, and physiology. Meanwhile the society is undergoing cataclysmic change as well. In this way the intrinsic and extrinsic are both covered via really striking visual elements and metaphor.

At the risk of getting to Film Master's Degree(tm!) on you, I consider that to be one of the biggest reasons why the film still resonates: Akira's about change. Neo-Tokyo's about to E*P*L*0*D*E*...
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Fletcher1991



Joined: 14 Apr 2009
Posts: 514
Location: Long Island, NY
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 2:09 pm Reply with quote
Im just glad to see it start moving. PG-13 doesn't mean it's going to be bad. Hopefully this turns out well.
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ArsenicSteel



Joined: 12 Jan 2010
Posts: 2370
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 3:11 pm Reply with quote
Worse then the 1988 film, implying that one was bad?
Okay.

Attempting to tone down material that is not pg-13 for an adaption is another excuse to tamper with the source material.
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The Xenos



Joined: 29 Mar 2004
Posts: 1519
Location: Boston
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 4:14 pm Reply with quote
I'm reading about the producer's comments here.
http://www.collider.com/2010/06/17/producer-andrew-lazar-interview-jonah-hex-akira-get-smart-2-joe-namath-one-finger-salute/
Again, who in their right mind thought mentioning Jonah Hex after it bombed this past week is a good way to get talking about future projects? "Jonah Hex was a smash hit... right? We should mention that movie to nitpicky rabid anime fans to ease their fear about Akira... right?"

Of course, ten to one the interview was done and set to print before it bombed this past weekend. Ouch. Bad timing.
Zac wrote:
The Xenos wrote:
fanboy baaarrgrggh

You have an incredibly simplistic and not-at-all-accurate view of how movies get made.
Gee. I think looking at all these other adaptions that have been neutered, watered down, and made into generic mass market messes is fairly realistic. How do we gauge future results? By looking at prior ones. Then notice how this one is following down the same path. Go ahead, list me a good and successful comic book adaption Warners has done that doesn't involve Batman? Heck, even then the bad ones almost outweigh the good.

I'm simply pointing out that adapting comics into movies has a long jaded history of failure. Even as recently as last week the studio has proven they don't know jack about adapting a comic book into a good film. Really, can you provide any proof why Akira will not be another in a long line of failures? None of the comments made by the director or this horrible producer point otherwise.

Hell, only Green Lantern has a glimmer of hope in that Warners and DC finally has an actual writer of the books working with the film to make it resemble the comic. Wow. It took them this long to think of such a revolutionary idea? So hopefully the days of Bat-credit cards is behind us.
Sunday Silence wrote:
For a minute there, I thought you were talking about Megan Fox. "Wait, she was in Dragonball Evolution?" And you forgot The Karate Kid. Cause Kung Fu and Karate are the same things..... Rolling Eyes
To be fair, that horrible and questionably racist remake actually sold like crazy in the middle of a Hollywood slump. So get ready to see Will Smith's brat and Jackie Chan in a sequel. Maybe in another bizzaro move opposite to the original sequel, Smith and Chan go to America.
Quote:
I should dig up Happy Harry's take on the Akira Movie: link

"And the proooooom's tomorroooooow!"
Quote:
And honestly, there is one person I don't want even mentioned in passing about this project: this guy.
I'm gonna plead the fifth on Kanye. He likes Akira and works with favorite artists like Takashi Murakami or Daft Punk. Aside from that.. ugh.

prime_pm wrote:
You know, I liked Watchmen, I don't see what was so wrong with it.
Course, not something to watch with parents or church goers, but still.
I'm rather torn on Watchmen as an adaptation. I can take it as a short neat fan film even if it didn't fit enough in and deviated in some parts. Plus I thought the performances were all fantastic and it was great to see the characters that made it on screen even if only for a little bit.

Yet it can't be denied that Watchmen totally underperformed in sales. It didn't tank, but it didn't soar like Warners wanted it to. I agree with comments that its under performance is very likely a reason why Akira is not getting an R.
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Altare



Joined: 26 Apr 2010
Posts: 37
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 5:02 pm Reply with quote
". . .The trick for me is to simplify everything for the audience because you can't come in with that complexity."
So they're dumbing it own for kids. Can't wait.
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KanjiiZ



Joined: 28 Jun 2009
Posts: 661
Location: Central Coast
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 5:22 pm Reply with quote
Just stop Xenos. You're making huge posts about stuff you know nothing about dude.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 5:46 pm Reply with quote
The Xenos wrote:
I'm reading about the producer's comments here.
http://www.collider.com/2010/06/17/producer-andrew-lazar-interview-jonah-hex-akira-get-smart-2-joe-namath-one-finger-salute/
Again, who in their right mind thought mentioning Jonah Hex after it bombed this past week is a good way to get talking about future projects? "Jonah Hex was a smash hit... right? We should mention that movie to nitpicky rabid anime fans to ease their fear about Akira... right?"

Of course, ten to one the interview was done and set to print before it bombed this past weekend. Ouch. Bad timing.


Warner Bros. does not care about whiny fans. Warner Bros. cares about creating a film that appeals to a broad enough audience to justify the film's budget.

You complaining means nothing to the executives greenlighting the film. Nothing at all.

Quote:
Gee. I think looking at all these other adaptions that have been neutered, watered down, and made into generic mass market messes is fairly realistic. How do we gauge future results? By looking at prior ones. Then notice how this one is following down the same path. Go ahead, list me a good and successful comic book adaption Warners has done that doesn't involve Batman? Heck, even then the bad ones almost outweigh the good.

I'm simply pointing out that adapting comics into movies has a long jaded history of failure. Even as recently as last week the studio has proven they don't know jack about adapting a comic book into a good film.


X-Men
X-Men 2
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Watchmen
Kick-Ass

...were all just fine. Comic book movies have had a renaissance lately. Yes there have been some bad ones. No they are not all bad. No it is not reasonable to just BAWWWWWWWWW and spew negativity out your blowhole in excess every time they announce an adaptation.

Quote:
Really, can you provide any proof why Akira will not be another in a long line of failures? None of the comments made by the director or this horrible producer point otherwise.


No, neither can you "provide any proof" that it's going to suck other than spinning wildly out of control with kneejerk fanboy outrage based on a handful of comments.

Oh, and speaking to my earlier point about you apparently not knowing anything about how films like this get made, you're foaming at the mouth over this one producer because he was involved with Jonah Hex.

Jonah Hex had 12 producers. TWELVE. One of them was TV's Matt LeBlanc, who you may remember as the lovable Joey on the hit show Friends. But you're 100 percent sure that all the problems with Jonah Hex were caused by this one guy! Yep, everything wrong with that movie boiled down to Andrew Lazar!

Quote:
Hell, only Green Lantern has a glimmer of hope in that Warners and DC finally has an actual writer of the books working with the film to make it resemble the comic. Wow. It took them this long to think of such a revolutionary idea? So hopefully the days of Bat-credit cards is behind us.


Are you living in 1998, where referencing Batman & Robin as though that's still the standard for comic book movies is a relevant thing to say?

Quote:
To be fair, that horrible and questionably racist remake actually sold like crazy in the middle of a Hollywood slump. So get ready to see Will Smith's brat and Jackie Chan in a sequel. Maybe in another bizzaro move opposite to the original sequel, Smith and Chan go to America.


Oh, I figured out what's going on here! You escaped from your natural habitat! Back from whence ye came, wretch!
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triangle_man



Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 67
Location: Texas, USA
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 6:39 pm Reply with quote
I enjoyed Watchmen for most part as well, except for the repeated shots of Dr. Manhattan's blue junk, which was only shown in the book once. Anywaay.....

Also, I kinda liked The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Never read that one, but it's not a requirement for enjoying a movie.

Yes, I own Akira the anime. I never read Akira the book(s). So, I intend to watch this with as open a mind as possible and see if I enjoy it for what it is.
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15279
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 6:45 pm Reply with quote
Zac: Kick-Ass sucked. But geeks like it because it's *supposed* to suck, so waddya gonna do? And Watchmen was good up until the ending. Iron Man 2, OTOH, suffered from "too many supporting characters" syndrome. Anyway, it's not comic book movies which have problems right now as much as Hollywood adaptations of anime and manga. And Akira's going to fall flat on its face because they not only have to make it pallatable but also Westernize some of its ideas.
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ArsenicSteel



Joined: 12 Jan 2010
Posts: 2370
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 6:55 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
X-Men
X-Men 2
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Watchmen
Kick-Ass


I thought the concern was about WB comic adaptations(excluding Batman) and not Paramount, Universal, and Fox.

Anyway there will always be some sort of concern from the existing fanbase of a franchise when a movie adaptation is made. Reasonable fans should give the producers some leniency when it comes to making a movie that is intended to be enjoyed by fans and the general public.
For every Dark Knight there is also a Batman & Robin. Fans just read, wait, and hope for the best.
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Charred Knight



Joined: 29 Sep 2008
Posts: 3085
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 7:08 pm Reply with quote
ikillchicken wrote:
Okay, are you even reading the responses to your posts? Because with samuelp and now again with me you've just sort of shrugged off what we've said and proceeded to go off on a tangent.

Charred Knight wrote:
claiming that an urban movie by the Hughes Brothers (the Directors of Menace II Society) is going to be bad without it even going into production is silly.


Never once claimed that.

Quote:
No one is saying that Akira shouldn't be Cyberpunk, or not set in the post apocalypse.


Uh huh. Also, I never suggested you we're saying this.

Quote:
Yes, making it PG 13 would be harder than making it R, but it certainly wouldn't kill the movie. If the movie is bad than it's going to be for more reasons than not enough blood.


Again, I never said it will definitely be bad. What I said is that I don't think it could really be Akira. It would sort of lose a core part of what made Akira what it was. Maybe it still will be good. I'm generally skeptical though. Once you start to get away from the original work you're in uncharted waters.

The Akira anime skipped most of the second half of the manga.

Akira is about the rebellion of youth, and the corruption of Goverment, you don't need onscreen graphic violence for that. I should also point out that going overboard like haing Testuo just constantly explode people could get silly, like 8-Bit Theater the movie.
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15279
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 11:29 pm Reply with quote
Getter: I think Freeman's a better actor than he gets typecast for, but he's still wrong for Akira. And if you recall, Bruce Almighty's one of those times where he was in charge. Wink

Charred: Actually, the anime sort of spliced parts of the second half of the manga into the middle and end of the film, and cut out most of the espionage and post-apocalyptic stuff which padded the story. I think if there were any real personal gripes about that adaptation, it's that Miyako wasn't given as much depth as she had in the source material, and I'd kind of like to have seen what they could do with Chiyoko. I never got why they didn't go the tv show route, but it's probably also because Otomo wanted to be true to the content of the manga, and couldn't get away with that stuff on Japanese tv back then.
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TokyoGetter



Joined: 28 Nov 2006
Posts: 416
Location: CA. You can tell by the low moral standards.
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 11:52 pm Reply with quote
Charred Knight wrote:
ikillchicken wrote:
Okay, are you even reading the responses to your posts? Because with samuelp and now again with me you've just sort of shrugged off what we've said and proceeded to go off on a tangent.

Charred Knight wrote:
claiming that an urban movie by the Hughes Brothers (the Directors of Menace II Society) is going to be bad without it even going into production is silly.


Never once claimed that.

Quote:
No one is saying that Akira shouldn't be Cyberpunk, or not set in the post apocalypse.


Uh huh. Also, I never suggested you we're saying this.

Quote:
Yes, making it PG 13 would be harder than making it R, but it certainly wouldn't kill the movie. If the movie is bad than it's going to be for more reasons than not enough blood.


Again, I never said it will definitely be bad. What I said is that I don't think it could really be Akira. It would sort of lose a core part of what made Akira what it was. Maybe it still will be good. I'm generally skeptical though. Once you start to get away from the original work you're in uncharted waters.

The Akira anime skipped most of the second half of the manga.

Akira is about the rebellion of youth, and the corruption of Goverment, you don't need onscreen graphic violence for that. I should also point out that going overboard like haing Testuo just constantly explode people could get silly, like 8-Bit Theater the movie.


That may be your reading, but it's not mine. You're entitled to your reading of it but I think you're possibly dismissing a major reason why the film was creepy and scary in the first place and conflating it with a splatter film at the same time. Those elements were, indeed, there.

I think the bummer signs are more along the lines of the following: Hughes has said that he doesn't want to get into the complexity of it, yet at the same time he doesn't want to make it R, and he's not into the idea of a sequel.

So NOBODY goes home happy?
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14746
PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 11:57 pm Reply with quote
Altare wrote:
". . .The trick for me is to simplify everything for the audience because you can't come in with that complexity."
So they're dumbing it own for kids. Can't wait.


Nah, they're probably cutting down the conflicts and/or themes. Kinda like a physicist simplifying the theory of relativity to a layman - it still requires an adult to understand it, but not a science man.

Or as I mentioned before, the Ghost in the Shell movie. The GitS manga is not just all about the "puppeteer," y'know. But to fit a 2-hr movie, they focused on just those chapters of the manga.
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Sunday Silence



Joined: 22 Jun 2010
Posts: 2047
PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2010 12:44 am Reply with quote
ArsenicSteel wrote:
Quote:
X-Men
X-Men 2
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Watchmen
Kick-Ass


I thought the concern was about WB comic adaptations(excluding Batman) and not Paramount, Universal, and Fox.


And I thought the concern was good adaptations of comic books. AFAIK, X-Men actually had a few insults to the fans of the comics, not to mention the usage of enough leather to make a Gay biker bar look like rejects from Joanns.
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