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Jul. 12th, 2003 06:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ealgyldenI'm not in any hurry to see The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen- I read the comic once a billion years ago, and while it was good, it also pretty much satisfied my curiosity. I'm not much of an Alan Moore fan, actually. I've eagerly shelled out mucho dinero for the hardcover editions of Promethea, but that's as much for the J.H. Williams art as for the writing, and it's also the extent of my Moore-ish enthusiasm. But I've been seeing reviews everywhere (except on LJ- at least, not yet) sniping about something in the film, and it's irritating me.
A lot of reviews have been harping on the fact that Mina, a vampire, can wander around in full daylight. Mina in the comic isn't a vampire at all, but it sounds like an interesting character adjustment. And it sounds also to me that there are bigger problems with the movie than her sun tolerance, but the way some of these folks go on, you'd think it was a major plot point. "Impossible! How dare she!" they sneer like Comic Book Guy. "That defies every bit of vampire lore! Wrong, wrong, wrong! Worst idea ever!" From what they're saying, these reviewers don’t really care that it’s a change from the comic, since most of them don’t know it any better than I do; they're upset because the movie's approach doesn't fall in line with Hammer Studios, Anne Rice, Joss Whedon and everybody else.
So yes, it is true that many modern takes on the vampire myth state that vampires have to stay out of the sun or the sizzle. But the one that doesn't say this, the one that actually matters when it comes to Mina Harker? Dracula. The book in which she first appears. The Count, arguably the grandfather of all modern vampires, influentially-speaking, has no problem going out into the sun if he wants to (he also has very few of the traditional vampire powers, so there's something of a trade-off to his sun tolerance. No prizes for being first, I guess).
If one of these reviewers said, "It bothers me because Moore didn't do that in the comic," I'd be fine with that. I certainly can't mock anyone for obsessive attention to details in beloved source material, particularly comics. Pot, kettle and all that. But like I said, these guys don't know this source comic any better than I do. They're snippy because one detail doesn't fit their assumptions about the vast, nebulous, contradictory modern canon of vampire lore. But that detail is derived from one of the most important, most influential works to form that canon. And that annoys me. Read a book, people!
Still don't know when or if I'll see it, although I do sort of want to see Nemo and the Nautilus.
Oh, and while I'm here...
Your pirate name is:
Captain Bess Cash
Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. You're musical, and you've got a certain style if not flair. You'll do just fine. Arr!
A lot of reviews have been harping on the fact that Mina, a vampire, can wander around in full daylight. Mina in the comic isn't a vampire at all, but it sounds like an interesting character adjustment. And it sounds also to me that there are bigger problems with the movie than her sun tolerance, but the way some of these folks go on, you'd think it was a major plot point. "Impossible! How dare she!" they sneer like Comic Book Guy. "That defies every bit of vampire lore! Wrong, wrong, wrong! Worst idea ever!" From what they're saying, these reviewers don’t really care that it’s a change from the comic, since most of them don’t know it any better than I do; they're upset because the movie's approach doesn't fall in line with Hammer Studios, Anne Rice, Joss Whedon and everybody else.
So yes, it is true that many modern takes on the vampire myth state that vampires have to stay out of the sun or the sizzle. But the one that doesn't say this, the one that actually matters when it comes to Mina Harker? Dracula. The book in which she first appears. The Count, arguably the grandfather of all modern vampires, influentially-speaking, has no problem going out into the sun if he wants to (he also has very few of the traditional vampire powers, so there's something of a trade-off to his sun tolerance. No prizes for being first, I guess).
If one of these reviewers said, "It bothers me because Moore didn't do that in the comic," I'd be fine with that. I certainly can't mock anyone for obsessive attention to details in beloved source material, particularly comics. Pot, kettle and all that. But like I said, these guys don't know this source comic any better than I do. They're snippy because one detail doesn't fit their assumptions about the vast, nebulous, contradictory modern canon of vampire lore. But that detail is derived from one of the most important, most influential works to form that canon. And that annoys me. Read a book, people!
Still don't know when or if I'll see it, although I do sort of want to see Nemo and the Nautilus.
Oh, and while I'm here...
Captain Bess Cash
Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. You're musical, and you've got a certain style if not flair. You'll do just fine. Arr!
