Sci-Fi Adaptation

I recently watched Charly (1968, Ralph Nelson) which is an adaptation of the little known sci-fi novel Flowers for Algernon.

It’s not Space Opera, and it was set during the time of writing, but it qualifies as sci-fi through the use of fictional medical techniques. Reading the synopsis of the novel you’d think it sounded like a strange one to adapt into a film; retarded man undergoes a medical experiment that makes him incredibly intelligent, but emotionally detached from the rest of the world, the results are only temporary and he finally lapses back into a child like state of mind.

But then I found out the driving force behind the film was Cliff Robertson, the lead actor whose portrayal of the titular Charly won him the best actor Oscar in 1968. I’m not absolutely sure but maybe this was the fist example of Oscar success attained through playing a retard (without, of course, going ‘Full Retard’). Cliff is more recognisable as Peter Parker’s uncle Ben in the Spiderman films (I always thought it was that guy from Highway to Heaven).



Charly has the same kind of vibe to it as a film called Bigger Than Life in that it’s well made on a modest but not tiny budget, and without attempting to cause too much controversy, it deliberately questions the state of contemporary American society. Charly plays it completely straight throughout, although the following ‘drug-fuelled-bender’ sequence from the middle of the film is very out of place;



A clear example of a director stepping out if his depth.

There have in fact been eight adaptations of Flowers for Algernon and according to Wikipedia there is one in the works with Will Smith in the lead role (you’ll win that Oscar yet Big Wille).

This got me thinking about a few sci-fi novels I’ve read that would make good films;

Galaxies Like Grains of Sand, 1960 by Brian Aldiss
This is a collection of short stories, a lot of sci fi novels, including Flower For Algernon started out as shorts published in science fiction periodicals. Each story is set farther into the future than the last, following the evolution of mankind, much like Olaf Stapledon’s First and Last Men, only GLGOF doesn’t make the mistake of trying to predict the near future and getting it very wrong.

I think this particular collection would suit the ‘Animatrix’ style treatment that has become slightly popular. A series of short animated films set in a particular universe is a medium that worked well for Batman and Halo....speaking of which....

Ringworld , 1970 by Larry Niven
If you’ve played any of the Halo games you’ll be familiar with the concept of a Ringworld; an artificial ring so vast that the surface area of the inner face is a million times greater that of the surface of the Earth, at the centre of the ring is a star. The titular constructions from the Halo series are the same idea but on a smaller scale without a central sun. The best sci-fi novels are the ones which have the most imaginative ideas and Niven’s most famous work is full of them. Science fiction writing is often categorised (somewhat unfortunately) as ‘Hard’ or ‘Soft’ depending upon how closely the laws of physics are adhered to and how accurate the use of known technological constraints are. In the wake of Avatar, the sci-fi epic is in vogue again, but I don’t thing Ringworld will likely be adapted anytime soon for the reason expressed in the following equation:

(Ringworld + Warhammer 40,000 + Aliens) – Star Trek = Halo

If someone wants to adapt an ambitious story about large artificial ring shaped orbital bodies, they’re probably going to pick the far more recent and popular property.

The Forever War, 1974 by Joe Halderman
Joe Halderman was drafted and served in Vietnam, while he was there he may have read Starship Troopers. When he returned to the States he wrote The Forever War based upon his experience of returning as a veteran of an unpopular war. In the novel, the protagonist boards a star ship to fly off and engage an alien enemy light-years from earth, then makes the return trip. Though only a few months have passed from his perspective, due to relativity and all that jazz, 10 years have passed on earth and nothing is the same as it was when he left. This one was apparently close to being made by Ridely Scott, but he’s working on the Alien prequels now.

Neuromancer, 1984 by William Gibson
I recommend this novel the most, and would most like to see it faithfully adapted. A lot of this one has already made to the big screen in a round-about way. Neuromancer is set in a future Earth known as The Sprawl, Gibson wrote a three novels and a collection of short stories set there. One of the shorts ‘Jonny Mnemonic’ became a 1995 film staring Keanu Reeves (the character Jonny is referenced in Neuromancer). A few years later the Wachowski brothers wrote The Matrix, which for all its originality ‘borrowed’ extensively from various sci-fi sources (in Neuromancer the central character is a guy who plugs his brain into a huge computer network called ‘The Matrix’). The whole cyberpunk thing started with Gibson.

The Forge of God, 1987 by Greg Bear
I mentioned this one in my last post. The Forge of God is good, if slightly depressing story about the destruction of the Earth by robots from outer space. ‘Knowing’ and ‘2012’ have pretty much covered the whole destruction of the earth theme, so a similar film probably won’t be made in a while which is a shame as ‘Forge’ would have made a far better film than either of them. I didn’t care much for the sequel novel ‘Anvil of Stars’ though.