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Reviews4
sad_antoine's rating
I really don't know how to rank this.
On the one hand, it's a bunch of actors who cannot act, and can barely speak English, in a farcical plot involving zombies, with some really terrible special effects, some gratuitous sex and nudity (and slurping noises!), and a script consisting of nothing but clichés.
But you cannot take your eyes off it! Udo Keir's shrieking manic Baron is hypnotic, he is probably the second-most compelling German ranter in history. As long as you don't in any way take this film seriously, you cannot help but be entertained! There is one much discussed line in the film which in itself is very funny and worth quoting. But honestly... trust me... you have to see Udo's delivery to get the full effect!
On the one hand, it's a bunch of actors who cannot act, and can barely speak English, in a farcical plot involving zombies, with some really terrible special effects, some gratuitous sex and nudity (and slurping noises!), and a script consisting of nothing but clichés.
But you cannot take your eyes off it! Udo Keir's shrieking manic Baron is hypnotic, he is probably the second-most compelling German ranter in history. As long as you don't in any way take this film seriously, you cannot help but be entertained! There is one much discussed line in the film which in itself is very funny and worth quoting. But honestly... trust me... you have to see Udo's delivery to get the full effect!
I read and loved the books, and was keen to see this adaptation. Now I finally have seen it, and as an adaptation of the concept it was quite good.
But you have to understand the limitations - it's not all about budgets.
There is nowhere on Earth like Riverworld - an endless river with a flat plain on each side leading to unclimbable mountains. The locations were beautiful, but they could never be like Riverworld. So already the concept has to be altered. So why not make use of the terrain you have, and have fortresses on hills and cliff top dives. A movie with the same scenery is going to get dull, however good the story.
As for the characters, I've no problem with excising Burton and replacing him with Mr All America. Few viewers will have heard of Burton, and while a novel has the luxury of as many pages of back story as it needs, a teleplay demands quicker narrative. Besides, the character was basically the same, just given a different name and an easier background to take in. And any Riverworld virgins who didn't recognise Mark Twain straight away should be ashamed... although I don't think it was made clear enough exactly which Alice Alice was.
It's also understandable that Herman Goering would make an unsuitable bad guy, and perhaps King John's profile in America isn't that great (wretched lion in Disney's Robin Hood?). Nothing wrong with Nero, someone everyone will know about, and far back in history enough to take some liberties with.
It was obviously intended as a pilot for a show that never happened, but which would have had a terrific scope for infinite plots - worth the sacrifices in my opinion. I hope it is revisited someday more intelligently and more closely to the books - perhaps with a Final Fantasy-style fully CGI look.
But you have to understand the limitations - it's not all about budgets.
There is nowhere on Earth like Riverworld - an endless river with a flat plain on each side leading to unclimbable mountains. The locations were beautiful, but they could never be like Riverworld. So already the concept has to be altered. So why not make use of the terrain you have, and have fortresses on hills and cliff top dives. A movie with the same scenery is going to get dull, however good the story.
As for the characters, I've no problem with excising Burton and replacing him with Mr All America. Few viewers will have heard of Burton, and while a novel has the luxury of as many pages of back story as it needs, a teleplay demands quicker narrative. Besides, the character was basically the same, just given a different name and an easier background to take in. And any Riverworld virgins who didn't recognise Mark Twain straight away should be ashamed... although I don't think it was made clear enough exactly which Alice Alice was.
It's also understandable that Herman Goering would make an unsuitable bad guy, and perhaps King John's profile in America isn't that great (wretched lion in Disney's Robin Hood?). Nothing wrong with Nero, someone everyone will know about, and far back in history enough to take some liberties with.
It was obviously intended as a pilot for a show that never happened, but which would have had a terrific scope for infinite plots - worth the sacrifices in my opinion. I hope it is revisited someday more intelligently and more closely to the books - perhaps with a Final Fantasy-style fully CGI look.