How you would have changed the movie
 

Yeah I know the purist argument of "letting the story from the writer tell itself" so ill get the first answer out of the way for everyone - not change it from how the original writer wrote it! Best answer because Hollywood still butchers, tweaks, and bastardizes stories to where they can be unrecognizable from original story.

My first pick IMO is an exception to that rule. Yes there are exceptions as Speilbergs JAWS dwarfed Benchleys JAWS by leaps and bounds. Im gonna get a revered classic out of the way, and its not a surprising choice.

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The buildup and character development in this movie was in-cre-di-ble! Beautiful work, but of course IMO, the ending - bleah.

I would have ended this just like The Good, The Bad , & The Ugly.
I dont care how uncreative it sounds, but the campy mystical like qualities of competency surrounding the character of Anton Chigurh, it may not have been too much of a stretch for the reader or viewer to accept.

Just off the top of my head, Se7en could have been better. If the Somerset (Freeman) actually stepped in front of John Doe to protect him and Mills shot him ... then John Doe ... double murder, much better ending. As is, the ending is kind of at odds from what most of the film was, almost hopeless.


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Re: How you would have changed the movie
 

Wait, do you mean that the ending is almost hopeless, and this is at odds with the film, or the other way around? Not sure I agree with either, mind you. ;)

I was just stating how I would have changed NCFOM. I still think it would have won best picture unless the voters in the academy would feel they should have stuck to the book (they did). With how much Hollywood changes books or scripts that probably wouldnt have held it back though.

The movie had a pretty hopeless ending as it is man. Freeman mightve taken a bullet for Pitts character, but sure as hell wouldnt for Spaceys.

"The movie had a pretty hopeless ending as it is man. Freeman mightve taken a bullet for Pitts character, but sure as hell wouldnt for Spacey's."

But that's just it. If you believe in Justice. you have to stand up for the people you detest, everyone deserves a chance at redemption. However, if you're already judge and jury, that's basically John Doe's mind set. He kills and tortures people for trivial fantasies. It's just a degree of who's the bigger thug.

"Wait, do you mean that the ending is almost hopeless, and this is at odds with the film, or the other way around? Not sure I agree with either, mind you."

The ending suggests redemption. Mills will do his penance, maybe get time off for good behavior. And go on with his life, which seems to be at odds with rest of the film, that particular city is almost a swirling moral cesspool.

Re: How you would have changed the movie
 

I never thought the ending implied any redemption whatsoever, but we often have divergent opinions.

Re: How you would have changed the movie
 

I liked the ending to Se7en... it's real.


Makes a change from all the typical Hollywood feel-good crap that gets churned out.


No Country is the same. They didn't go for the typical "everything's ok and they run to each other and embrace" luvvie-duvvie crap.




A film I would change though...
Beowulf (2007).
Got it on the DVR the other night and some of the changes in the story are, as Tongo said in the OP, the typical Hollywood twisting of the original story.
Making Grendel's Mother some sort of Goddess in looks and having her seduce the Heroes in some kind of love triangle, and Grendel being some sort of mentally handicapped creature with hearing problems and is the King's Son.
Then throwing in that the Dragon is Beowulf's Son.


It's the usual default setting of "must have a love story" and "we must explain why stuff happens"... why does Grendel need a reason to attack?
Why add backstories and change the fates of characters?


It's just stupid. Surely the audience would appreciate a closer adaption.


Typical Hollywood crap by adding stuff so they audience can "connect". Ugh.

Re: How you would have changed the movie
 

Seven is depressing and there's really no need to watch it more than once. I would change the movie by having it not exist.

Or I would at least get rid of Morgan Freeman.

Re: How you would have changed the movie
 

Flightplan.

The daughter was dead all along and Jodie Foster was bonkers.

Oh yeah... ugh... spoilers.

IT WAS A TERRIBLE MOVIE!

Re: How you would have changed the movie
 

I don't see how John Doe's murder was at all at odds with the film. He wanted Mills to kill him. It was the completion of his masterpiece.

Re: How you would have changed the movie
 

The ending of Se7en is probably the best part of the whole movie (although I like the rest of the film too). I wouldn't change anything about it.

Re: How you would have changed the movie
 

I definitely don't think Seven was about redemption. Whose redemption? For what? Brad Pitt's character arc was that of a tragic hero whose foible (uncontrolled rage) causes his downfall. Think of Macbeth and his weak-minded desire for power. The only person who has a positive change is Freeman's character. But if you killed him he wouldn't be able to complete his transition from bitter to hopeful.

Also, NCFOM is a devoted shot-for-shot rendition of Cormac Mccarthy's book. Mind you this is a Pulitzer Prize winner. If you think you could teach a Pulitzer winner a thing or two about climaxes I'd have to argue that you may be sadly mistaken.

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The Town

I think the ending should have been different, I do like the movie but I felt for dramatic effect Ben Affleck should have be caught or killed. If he was killed it should have been The Departedesque (unexpected kill).

Re: How you would have changed the movie
 

Oh, don't talk about changing The Town. It might wake that creature who comes around here only to speak volumes about how much she'd like to change that movie.

I don't think much of it should be changed at all, I just thought it would have had more of an impact if Ben Affleck would have been killed in the end

Re: How you would have changed the movie
 

It'd just be a better film all round if Ben Affleck wasn't in it.

Re: How you would have changed the movie
 

Ssssshhhh. Sssshhh. Sssshhh. Speak no more of this.

Wow really I thought he did a good job in this movie... have you seen Jersey Girl or Gigli???

Re: How you would have changed the movie
 

Doesn't matter how good anyone else in the film is, or how good the story or screenplay are. If you stick Affleck on the cast sheet, the movie immediately becomes unwatchable.