I just had the most hideous thought!

[litlover12]

I don't even know where this came from. You know the movie Frequency? In case you don't, it's a charming sci-fi flick about a son (Jim Caviezel) reconnecting with his long-dead father (Dennis Quaid) via ham radio and some exceptionally powerful Northern lights, and setting right all the things that went wrong in their past. The words "charming" and "sci-fi" don't always go together, but trust me, they fit here. I'm very fond of this movie.

Anyway, I'm rewatching it so I can write about it for an online magazine. I want to concentrate on how it has a much more optimistic worldview than much of modern sci-fi/fantasy, and how it's willing to allow the possibility that the past really could be changed for the better without all sorts of horrible, irrevocable prices being paid and so forth. And then out of nowhere this came into my head:

What if Joss Whedon had written this film?

. . .

I -- I think I need to go curl up in the fetal position for a while.

Comments

[allisnow.livejournal.com]

What if Joss Whedon had written this film?

Death. Lots of death and also death.

(I was just talking to someone today about my Joss issues...)

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Yes! Exactly. It's awful to contemplate. I'm not denying the man has talent, but as you say, he certainly has a knack for giving people issues.

[allisnow.livejournal.com]

I decided midway through Angel that he was a talented writer but a horrible person and I wasn't going to watch anything else he did.

Seriously, if I had realized he directed Avengers I might have waited until it came out on DVD. Thankfully when he's playing in someone else's sandbox he has less carte blanche to kill people.

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Yes. And he also has to refrain from making the entire ensemble sound like a bunch of little Josses. Thank God for small favors. :-)

[allisnow.livejournal.com]

Indeed.

[jobey-in-error.livejournal.com]

You wouldn't be calling it 'charming', I bet!

Mind you, I adored Firefly, enjoyed Serenity, and am assured that his other stuff also ranges from good to amazing. But never 'charming'. It always has to wow or darkly and energetically amuse.

I -- I think I need to go curl up in the fetal position for a while.

*puts a blanket over you and leaves you to come out of it on your own there*

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

Oh, THAT'S him!

I missed the whole 'Firefly' thing, but because I kept hearing how awesome it was, I went to see 'Serenity'. I was enjoying it greatly and even as I was sitting there, I was considering going back and renting 'Firefly', even though I hate when shows are canceled in the middle like it was.

AND THEN HE DID THAT BAD THING to a character I'd just met and was really liking and it came out of nowhere and I nearly screamed out loud and I was so horrified!

Never. Again.

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

Yeah. That's pretty much his M.O. And the worst part is, he has the talent to create good characters, so it really knifes you in the gut when he does that!

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

Bah! I didn't realize it was a 'thing' with him. It's good to be warned.

[jobey-in-error.livejournal.com]

mosinging1986: It might still be worth it to see Firefly. Not as devastating. Tons of fun, actually. The movie was super-dark, what with covering the spaceship with corpses and MOUNDS of death etc. The show, while still no sitcom, is much healthier.

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

"Healthier" is a good word.

[mosinging1986.livejournal.com]

Does it have some sort of conclusion? Or is it left truly hanging FOREVER? All I've heard is the shrieking of fans even still!

[ever-maedhros.livejournal.com]

I haven't even seen the movie in question, but you've already blown my mind.

[litlover12.livejournal.com]

I saw the unedited version of your comment, and realize I may have confused you a bit. :-) What I'm getting at is, some of the more negative aspects of his worldview would have wrecked this particular film. I wasn't referring to writing quality. (Although "Frequency" is a very well-written film and so wouldn't have needed a writing doctor, anyway.)

[ever-maedhros.livejournal.com]

That's okay. I loved the Avengers movie, and having not read/watched any of his previous work, decided he was one of my favorite writers right off the bat after that, without delving into his previous work. Now I'm going to do that and get a more well-rounded view. I didn't realize he liked killing off characters. (Not many character deaths in Avengers. Too many important characters he has to keep alive for the franchise. XD)

[nisie.livejournal.com]

Ouch...