Day of the Triffids

[RottingCorpse]

Mrs. RC asked me about the 'Day of the Triffids' remake the other day. I'll let her know it's on hiatus.

I imagine if Swine Flu really becomes something to reckon with, then we'll see them further postponed. If it's just a blip, then  2010 will bring the PA story roaring back in. After all, there's 2012 to capitalize on.

[nacho]

I'm pissed off... Swine flu is gay, man!  Stop this shit!  Survivors ended with a really poorly done cliffhanger and they're promising to be more like the original now, so I'm excited again.  And, of course, Triffids has me all hot and bothered.  I grew up on the 81 series... Ruin it or not, I want my 28 year goal fulfilled:  To see a high budget Triffid gun effect.  Jesus.  Is it so much to ask?

[RottingCorpse]

How much do you bet they bring back the old gun design for "nostalgia's sake?"

[nacho]

I'm sure they will.  But it won't be made of cardboard and aluminum and feature an effect that makes you pine for some 60's Doctor Who.

Plus, hopefully, it won't take longer to unpack and prime than it does for a Triffid to schlep over to you.

[nacho]

So it's been de-listed from BBC One.  We may never get to see this...

[nacho]

New rumors... Supposedly the Beeb are going to attach it to one of the holiday Doctor Who episodes.  Let it ride the coattails.

[nacho]

Part one (of two) quietly premiered last night with little fanfare and terrible reviews.

Downloading now!

I'm really glad that they've taken all of my favorite Sci-Fi and ruined it.  I grew up on Doctor Who (which hasn't been ruined), Day of the Triffids, Prisoner, and V. 

My only source for Day of the Triffids was a weird one-time airing on PBS.  My friend taped it and I borrowed the tape like once a week and obsessively watched the show till he finally just told me to keep it.  I still have that tape... It's older than my girlfriend.

[RottingCorpse]

Oooo . . . bring Mrs. RC and I a copy this weekend.

[nacho]

New website (with wrong release date):

http://www.prodigypictures.com/dayoftriffids

Part two airs tonight and...done!  So, um...guess that's that.

I won't have a chance to watch it before this weekend, RC.  Need to force the NW to watch the old version first.  So I'll throw it onto my jump drive and bring it along.

Also -- can we get the guest bed for Saturday night? 

[RottingCorpse]

Guest bed is yours!

[nacho]

Well, most of the reviews are shocked that something with such an obviously insanely high budget can go so wrong, and I keep seeing folks say that the 80's version was miles better on no budget.

A shame.  What's being described are just disjointed scenes designed to blow the budget, but no real adaptation of the story. 

I'm still holding out hope...

Sad that the British Apocalypse has become so glitzy and two-dimensional.  Survivors was awesome in the 70's, but it's tedious melodrama in the 00's.  Now Triffids gets raped.  Next they'll remake Threads with muppets.

[nacho]

The SFX review:

The Trouble With Triffids

I'll be upfront: the BBC's 1981 adaptation of The Day Of The Triffids ranks in my top five all time fave sci-fi TV shows, maybe even top three. I love it. It's a very straightforward adaptation of a brilliant novel, and has aged surprisingly well. So last year when the Beeb announced it was making a new version I was both excited and apprehensive at the prospect.

I'd like to think I'm not a pedant or naysayer but despite my positivity I could hear a small voice in the back of my head saying, “It'll not be as good,” and like many I sat down to enjoy the new version broadcast over Christmas, and discovered that… it wasn't. But it was fun for what it was, so I won't get all picky with criticism…

Actually no, I will, because I bloody love the triffids. Can you can survive a plane crash by covering yourself in life jackets? Can you accurately drop flyers into the front yard of a farmhouse from the window of a passing aeroplane? Er, we can't actually see the triffids, they're all in the dark - Oh hang on – they're all CGI, and in the dark. Did the budget not stretch to one triffid model so that we can see it close up? Or even better so Dougray Scott can appear to be looking at something at the end rather than staring into a blank space filled by a cgi stinger? Please? Apparently not.

That's okay, I'll just whack the DVD on and watch John Dutine going mental with a garden fork on a large marrow wrapped in painted fibre glass and I'll calm down. That's better.

The main problem with the new adaptation wasn't the CGI triffids, or the unnecessary addition of an aboriginal MacGuffin mask. I think the main problem was the format.

Both 1981 and 2009 versions run to around three hours, but in having six half hours the former had the chance to breathe, used the episodic perk of acknowledging the passage of time between episodes, is quite measured in pace and even jumps ahead six year in the final episode.

The recent version is afforded no such luxury with two big chunks of one and a half hours and a pacy narrative more akin to an episode of Spooks. If anything the new version suffers because the shape of the story didn't fit the scheduled hole it's going into.

But this is where I have my dilemma, because I like my pacy slick modern telly shows, as much as I realise that my beloved old telly shows, like Triffids circa 1981, are a thing of the past, and as much old can inform new, times have changed, audiences have changed, and we must move on.

So I'm not sure what the answer is. In the case of Triffids 2009 the modern style of its TV drama detracted, and in some case ignored altogether the substance of a great book. Saying that I'd hate to be a pedantic naysayer bitching at future TV producers to stop touching the sci-fi classics for fear of them making a balls up. Mainly as I'd love to see modern take on Wyndham’s other greats such as The Kraken Wakes or Chocky.

In fact, here's an idea producer people: unless you're doing a straight adaptation of a classic, why not go the whole hog and re-imagine the whole thing. Yes, that's it – that's where the new triffids went wrong, it was too slow. What we really needed was triffids that can run! Maybe a big giant boss triffid, subtitles so we can hear what they are saying and a younger conflicted triffid, with freckles.

[nacho]

So I've been waiting for the NW, but figured tonight, fuck it, V and Prisoner sucked, and everyone says this sucked... I started it up.

And the first ten minutes are awesome.  Had to stop it and go back to waiting for the NW.  Bah.

[nacho]

Okay!  I'm watching it without the NW!

I just can't wait anymore.  This thread started in 2007, for god's sake!  We're four years into blathering about this fucking piece of shit remake.  So here goes... Hold my breath and dive into the goddamn BBC sewers.

[nacho]

So, okay, the first ten minutes were awesome.  Now I've started it up again, and it all goes wrong at the 13 minute mark when Bill Mason (his eyes bandaged, as in the original) goes blindly out into chaos feeling his way around and demanding to know what's happening.

All of that tension and paranoia in the first 30 minutes of the 80's adaptation is translated into 90 poorly written seconds.