Adaptation of Stories

I've spoken a bit about adaptations in my "Stories that Made Me" series - but recently it's been something that has been cropping up in my general thoughts due to a few stories that I know being adapted into new, different forms.

My Dad and I have been watching the new tv series "Foundation" on Apple TV. Foundation is an adaption of Isaac Asimov's classic science fiction trilogy of the same name - (or it once was a trilogy until he "expanded" the universe). It was one of the very original set of novels that I read from my Dad's old collection of science fiction books and I highly doubt I understood much of it beyond the vague concept of psychohistory and that Harry Seldon was cool and I wish was a mathematical genius. My Dad, my older brother and I would often remark to each other that Foundation was unadaptiable for television or a movie. The three books, "Foundation" - "Foundation and Empire" - "Second Foundation" - don't really follow the sort of thread you could use to build a television series from.

Well, that's what we thought anyway.

Somehow, they've managed to do the impossible - though they're not really sticking to the books - more picking bits and pieces and from the books and then building out from that. You wouldn't know what's from the books unless you've actually read the books.

I think what I am enjoying the most from the series is the visual aspect. It is a visually stunning show, and I highly recommend checking it out if you are into science fiction. It's not action packed boom-boom - it's a nice, unfolding story that you can really appreciate with each episode. I am really happy that this story - a story I loved, from an author I have deeply cherished for most of my life - is being told in a different format that being discovered by people who may never have known its tale.

That's the power of an adaption and it's why I love that we can retell stories again, and again, time over time.

So I am a bit of a fan of a series of games called Resident Evil - I appreciate the aesthetics of these games, and the world and story that is slowly built with each game.

My favourite character to play as is Leon S. Kennedy. I adore his sarcastic, witty dialogue and sense of dark humour throughout the storyline.

I myself am terrible at playing shooting games - games which require a considerable amount of skill to shoot targets, but I really enjoy the sheer effort I have to put into it. I may have to do a game a dozen times before I start to get the hang of the mechanics with my weird brain moving both of my hands at the same time. (which is very annoying if you're gaming) But despite my horrible lack of gaming skills, I still love these games. (I'll just never play a game that requires these types of skills multiplayer, cause, I know my place and it's ALL single player and spending hours, days, weeks trying to pass one boss.)

Anyway - Resident Evil has been adapted into several different non-game variants. There is, of course, an entire movie franchise of the same name and loosely has some bits taken from the games but mehhhhhh - yeah - it's sorta its own thing. I prefer the animated movies that pretty much look like extended cutscenes from the games. They've got the aesthetic that I like - and Leon's in most of them, and therefore, so is his sarcasm and awesomeness.

No - what I'm waiting for is Wednesday - 24th of Nov - when Netflix brings out a live action version that is supposed to follow the first game and I think it even have some of the Manson game too. I was personally pretty impressed with the first trailer I saw, they seem to have try to keep everything pretty aesthetically similar. They've also decided to follow Claire Redfield - and not Leon - as the focal character. In the games usually you can choose between a male or a female character to follow a storyline. Claire is one of the few female game characters I like - as she has some serious flaws that make her believable and interesting. As weird as it sounds, this an adaptation I am invested in. I think because I've spent so long with these games, having to play them over and over - and over - trying to get good enough to just beat them.

So, marked on my calendar is the date for the movie release.

And I guess we'll find out how it goes.