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Soul Music (1997) (V)
10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Terry would've been proud. (Actually, he is!), 8 June 1999
Author: Headrock from Jerusalem, Israel
It is said that no movie may ever surpass the book it was adapted from. It's wrong. Although it is completely incorrect to say that Soul Music, the animated film (or series, depends on how you watch it. :)) is better than the book, because they are two completely different kinds of media, Soul Music managed to capture a deep essense in the book and give it life. The result - a movie filled with humor and fun, with the sort of fiction you can only bring to life with animation. If you see the movie after reading the book, unlike with other book-based movies, you will most certainly not be disappointed, because since Pratchett himself helped direct the movie, he managed to recreate the Discworld down to the tiniest detail just the same way he did in the books.
4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Yes, you read that right, I am an American fan of Pratchett..., 14 August 2002
Author: Raptor in Black from San Francisco Bay Area
After stumbling across Pratchett completely by accident two years ago ("Sourcery" was my first book), I underwent a 5-month long intensive crash course in getting *anything* discworld that I could get my hands on. This was quite a feat, as not all the books were published in America at that time. Once I got all the books, my fervor diminished to an extent, but it was still enough to inspire me to actually *buy* both the Soul Music and Wyrd Sister's DVDs.
I was hesistant to watch Soul Music for fear that it would destroy my mental image of my favorite Pratchett book. But between the two, Soul Music does a better job of adapting the book and pacing the jokes. I felt that Wyrd Sisters was a little too rushed, and some jokes were even mumbled at points. Soul Music favored pacing over cramming in every little detail. (My favorite part is probably the scene where Death is talking with the guru-guy on the mountain and they're arguing about the color of the infinite.) The musical numbers were quite entertaining as well, and I loved how each of the tour concerts they did had a specific parody theme. The casting was good and bad. Susan was good, the Band members were good, though I do agree that the Dean and Quoth the raven grated on my nerves very quickly. Christopher Lee as Death totally made up for any poor jobs in casting, and in fact it was these movies that introduced me to Lee and made me realize how cool he is. And suuure, the animation is, frankly, weak-sauce. However, though I enjoy artful quality as much as the next guy, you don't need eye-candy to tell a good story.
4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
"The turtle moves!", 4 April 2002
Author: Heather from Vancouver, Canada
I have to say, when I heard about this movie I searched and searched and finaly asked my parents to search (they were far more successful) and so after 2 years of fruitless searching, Happy 19th Birthday Heather! It was fantastic. Even thought I think they got a couple of the characters wrong (Like the Dean- I like Paul Kidby's version better)and that the Raven was just damn annoying, I still really enjoyed this film. Christopher Lee is the only one who could do Death's voice (besides James Earl Jones)and they have managed to include most of the best parts from the book. Plus I really like The "we're bigger that cheeses" line (an nice nod to John Lennon). However, you can't say that it is better than the book because really it is almost impossible to be better than the original work. But even though this is true, it is still really good in its own way. It's a little strange in parts, but hey, so's the book. I have to say that my favourite part of the movie was Glod. He was done really well and got to keep all of his cynical, witty one-liners. The only thing I have to ask is how many letters they got about the blatent ethnic-steriotyping (and if you've seen it you'll know what I mean)? Even so, I recommend this movie to Discworl fans and non Discworld fans alike (although if you're not a Discworld fan and live outside the UK I'll be very surprised if you've even heard of it).
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
A good attempt, but not a winner for me., 2 May 2001
Author: Fanged_Eddie from Norfolk, England
I watched the videos all the way through, and somehow I feel them to be an embarrassment to the books - I found the animation to be a bit crude, and not as I had imagined the scenarios. But of course, it's impossible to make an animated film that's totally accurate, as everyone's view of the Discworld and the characters who people it is entirely different, and nothing could capture the humor in the narrative of DW books. The animated version of Soul Music is something to watch once if you like Terry Pratchett, but I don't think I'll be watching it again. Long live Great A'Tuin!
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Fantastic!, 14 August 1999
Author: soulbird from London, England
One of the rare films I've seen which really does justice to the book upon which it was based. 'Soul Music' is particularly suited to a small-screen transfer, and much time and effort has obviously been lavished on this production.
A great, funny, intelligent film. Don't miss this one.
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
A decent movie with an excellent soundtrack, 6 June 2005
Author: DanielWPow from College Park, Maryland, United States
I actually thought that the movie was pretty good. I didn't notice the looped animations that several people have mentioned and the animation itself was pretty good for what is essentially a low-budget production (probably due to it being a relative unknown in terms of success).
A lot of my favorite jokes were in. Of course not all of them could make it, but it was still pretty good at conveying the weirdness and dry sense of humor that the book possesses, especially about the music industry.
I would ordinarily give this movie (or series, however you want to put it) a seven. It has decent animation, the voices are well done in some places and adequately done (at best) in others, but the soundtrack made all the difference.
The soundtrack is a work of art. I only wish that they had included the full length songs on the DVD. The parodies are excellently done, with Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Beatles, the Blues Brothers, 60's flower power, Jimi Hendrix, and Van Halen-like songs all being represented. The songs are all masterfully done. Terry Pratchett himself said that he wanted a copy of the soundtrack.
All in all, a decent recreation of the book with a 10-star soundtrack.
If someone could post in the forum on whether or not a soundtrack CD was made (and where to get it), I and many others would be grateful.
2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Great for the open minded!, 1 August 2002
Author: Apogee_
First of all, I would like to say that I have not YET read the book when I first saw this, simply because I had never even heard of Discworld (besides seeing some of books around here and there). I've read quite a few complaints about the animation technique used in this film. I personally think it's great! It somehow fits excellently together with the weird and unique universe that the Discworld is. Although, I gotta agree that the use of recycled characters (such as the maids at the Unseen University) could have been done better. Just like they shouldn't have looped scenes etc. But these small "flaws" doesn't even come near into ruining this great series. The story is interesting, though I gotta say that I enjoyed the scenes with the band, more than with Susan. There's no doubt that most of the voice talents are excellent, even for some of the minor characters. Such as the wannabe "Music With Rocks In" band and the long haired assisant at the Unseen University. The music is nicely made too, and it's funny to listen to how it starts with Elvis type music, moves up to Jerry Lee Lewis, then The Beatles, heads into Jimi Hendrix and ends with a Van Halen 80's style rock.
1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Decent Animated Version of Terry Pratchett's Masterpiece, 2 April 2004
Author: Noel (Werewolf-Moviesdotcom) from Bromsgrove, England
In many ways this Discworld cartoon is perfect -- for example, who else could play Death but Christopher Lee? And the soundtrack, which charts the history of rock n' roll from Elvis, through the beatles and psychodelic rock as 'Music With Rocks In' is introduced to the Discworld, is simply brilliant.
But there are times when it just fails to capture the same atmosphere and intelligence that is present in Pratchett's writing.
Maybe someday soon a film with be made, after the success of Lord of the Rings, and particularly if the upcoming Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie is successful. And cast Christopher Lee as Death!!!
1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
A good attempt, but not a winner for me., 2 May 2001
Author: Fanged_Eddie from Norfolk, England
I watched the videos all the way through, and somehow I feel them to be an embarrassment to the books - I found the animation to be a bit crude, and not as I had imagined the scenarios. But of course, it's impossible to make an animated film that's totally accurate, as everyone's view of the Discworld and the characters who people it is entirely different, and nothing could capture the humor in the narrative of DW books. The animated version of Soul Music is something to watch once if you like Terry Pratchett, but I don't think I'll be watching it again. Long live Great A'Tuin!
2 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Actually, I was disappointed..., 10 April 2000
Author: Morpheus-20
Well I WAS! The book is FAR superior!!! The series is more like a children's comic. ´The animation was shoddy, and a lot of the voice acting sounded forced. The only real laugh I got was when Death speeds toward a cliff edge and shouts: "Oh, BUGGER!" Christopher Lee (Death) was the only really good actor. His voice is as close as a mortal can get.
On a brighter note: The music was very good indeed. Especially the sixties, hippie track.
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