SubJeff on 18/6/2008 at 19:12
There was an alternate script? Or are we talking about the other cut?
rachel on 18/6/2008 at 19:40
I don't reject the actual product we got, it's a good movie although it has its weaknesses. That said, after reading the rejected script you see there are definitely some artistic choices that were made during production that the movie could have done without. The script has too many characters and some of the fantastic stuff reads more like they landed on Captain Sky's Totenkopf Island, however a few key moments in there had a really great potential, and it's a bit hard to understand the producers' decision.
Plus the ending was totally ace. (Up until the wedding. For that I do prefer the more subtle one we got)
Morte on 18/6/2008 at 19:44
True. All sorts of production snags could've turned City of the Gods into a worse movie than Kingdom of the Crystal skull, and the Darabont screenplay is hardly perfect. It's running pretty fat at 140 pages, there's too many bit characters to keep track of, and then there's that cringeworthy giant snake bit. But unless there was some big changes with regards to characters and story (admittedly not entirely unthinkable) between Lucas approving the script and shooting, Darabont's script was a hell of a lot better as a starting point. When by all accounts the only thing holding it back was the guy that hasn't accomplished much in the last twenty years except inflicting the Star Wars prequels upon the world, it's understandable if people get a bit more irate than usual.
And really, if getting angry when mediocrity triumphs over quality is wrong, I don't want to be right.
Angel Dust on 19/6/2008 at 04:38
Quote Posted by Morte
And really, if getting angry when mediocrity triumphs over quality is wrong, I don't want to be right.
I agree and great blog post there Scotts. Even before I read the Darabont script it was clear to me that the single biggest problem with KOTCS was the script. It is, quite frankly, not up to scratch and downright awful in places. The fact that it took them 19 years to come up with this script is what makes it worse. None of the CGI, goofy action, fridge scene, alien plot etc would have mattered that much, indeed all of that stuff is in the Darabont script, if the script had some of the heart and characterisation that is in Darabont's draft.
