I noticed a review last week on Ain’t it Cool News of the alleged V for Vendetta script. To be honest it was really scathing, but it did read like someone who hated the entire idea from the outset.
Today there’s news over at Comic Book Resources through Film Rot that J. Michael Straczynski has also read the script and the AICN review, his words are strong and very much in defense of the script:
I saw this and though everything in me yells against getting into these things, I have got to respond.
Understand: I work with Marvel, I have no vested interest in defending DC or Alan or anyone or anything else.
The anonymous individual who sent AiCN his ‘review’ has his head well and duly up his butt. That he had a copy of the script is obvious; that he understood it, less so. There’s an old saying: a book is like a mirror, if an ass peers in, you can’t expect an apostle to peer out. This person clearly has no idea what’s actually going on in that script despite having read it (or having it read to him). You can take anything — ANYthing — and by casting it in a certain light, make it sound stupid. ‘Oh, and at the end of Blade Runner, there’s this REALLY stupid scene where the android guy’s, like, hugging a pigeon and talking about moons on fire.’ It’s all in how you phrase it. Making fun of something is easy…
…All you’ve got is one anonymous guy who takes a few things out of context to make them look stupid…
Well that’s pretty strong, and pretty solid but what did JMS think of it, well here’s the real promising bit:
I think it’s one of the smartest, sharpest, insightful and well-crafted scripts I’ve ever read. It’s emotional, evocative, heart-rending, biting, sharp, relentless and just plain garden variety powerful. It’s not just a good film, it’s an *important* film, and there’s a great deal of subtlety and nuance in it that was clearly lost on the idiot that read the script so he could make fun of it and stir the pot…
…As someone who’s not just written over two hundred produced scripts and read hundreds more, someone who is a fan of Alan’s work, I’m telling you straight-up, with absolutely no agenda: the ‘V for Vendetta’ script is a work of freaking genius.
Wow. So there you have it, I think JMS is a top class writer, so I’d take these words well and look to Vendetta with a good expectation. As for the anonymous guy from AICN…I wonder how his career compares to JMS?
