Sin City, ah, Sin City
I’ve been genuinely surprised at how little desire I have to see this film. I loved the comics, and I can prove that: Any of you who have the back issues will find my name in many of the lettercols.
I’m also amused at Tarantino’s involvement, just because I remember saying to editor Bob Schreck at a convention many years ago that I thought he could make a good adaptation. He poo-pooed the idea.
So I’ve trying to figure out why my gut feeling is to give this a miss, and I’ve come up with a handful of reasons. In no particular order:
One of the first previews I saw, showing the makeup they used to make Marv look like Marv and That Yellow Bastard look like That Yellow Bastard gave me Dick Tracy flashbacks, and that’s bad.
I’ll be vague about this as to avoid spoilers. But, assuming what happens to Carla Gugino’s character is accurate to the graphic novel…I almost wish this didn’t bother me. I have to admit it didn’t in the comic. But I can’t unknow what I know.
Just in general, reproducing a comic onscreen accurately doesn’t necessarily impress me. IMO, the best comics adaptations (let’s say the Spiderman movies, X-Men, and first two Supermen) have been made by filmmakers who made good movies first, and faithful adaptations second.
I saw a clip the other day on Ferguson’s talk show, and had that weird thing of watching a scene I remembered well from the book and thinking “No…that’s not how Marv sounds.”
Obviously I’m pleased to see comics creator Frank Miller as involved as he was, and he’s got more right to decide how Marv should sound than I do. I haven’t seen the movie, I’m not saying it’s bad, and I don’t wish it failure.
I’m just saying, I don’t think I’ll be putting down six bucks for it any time soon.
