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Debateably MAJOR SPOILERS FOR RED MARS PLOT BELOW.....
Proceed with caution, particularly if you haven't read past page 23














I still lack about 100 more pages of Red Mars and haven't touched Green Mars or even purchased Blue Mars, so I can only speak for what i have read of Red Mars. With that said, i'm not sure that these books would fare well as movies in today's market. There is alot of depth and interest in the books that can only be appreciated through reading it. I'm reminded of kavajava's constant mentioning of how the books should be read slowly and how he feels that they can only be fully appreciated in such a way. I agree. I think that if i weren't immersing myself in Red Mars and taking time and getting inside the character's heads and situations, that i wouldn't be interested in the book at all.

Although something did just happen of interest right before I entered the next to last section of the book, frankly, i've found the last 70+/- pages to be devoid of any majorly exciting event, and it is only maintaining my interest because of my interest in the characters and the future pages of the book. Does this say that these are bad books? No, but there are times in Red Mars where there isn't a sense of urgency and no climactic action. It's rich in politics and theoretical economics, not fight scenes and supernatural heroes.

It is an exciting book, and an interesting one, but again, I only find it to be this way because of the time and effort i have put into the book, particularly the time spent growing attached to the characters. This attachment is much more difficult and perhaps impossible to do in a movie. Would anyone care if John Boone died if they had just been introduced to the character an hour and a half before (which opens up another question of the placement of his death in the movie, that is, chronologically or in keeping with the book)? Perhaps, given the right montage of music they would care, etc, but that is manufactured and not nearly the same experience one gains from reading and living through John Boone's mind and life.

Which brings me to another point which i have struggled with in reading the book lately: John Boone is dead. If Red Mars had a hero, it was John Boone, the likeable do-gooder who tries to keep the peace and solve mysteries. Most movies these days center around one larger-than-life hero, and Red Mars only loosely had that hero in the quickly deceased John Boone. Which is fine for the purpose of the book, but the majority of the world doesn't want much out of a movie past a retelling of the Hero Myth (see Spiderman, the Matrix, Star Wars Episode IV, Lord of the Rings, BraveHeart, etc. etc. etc.).

Luckily for a possible movie, there is a devoted fanbase. But i think the screenplay would need to deviate greatly from the book in order to grab the audience, entertain them, and, more importantly to Hollywood, sell tickets and merchandise.

i do think its interesting that dreammemory is against reading the book slowly but also states an inability to remember much of it. for me, savoring something gives it lasting value

I think Gary Coleman would be equally qualified for any of the roles...

or perhaps he could play all of the roles, just using costume changes and wigs. if it got confusing they could put name tags on the various characters.