Friday, April 4, 2008

by Ari

So here's an interesting piece of news. Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to the Hyperion series by author Dan Simmons. Trevor Sands will adapt the first two novels, Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion, into one feature-length movie.

I don't mean to immediately knock the writer, but I don't see how you can possibly condense those two novels into one film without losing the heart of the story. But if Sands has figured out a way to adapt these brilliant sci-fi epics into one powerful, thought-provoking film, then he's probably some sort of genius. It's like the upcoming adaptation of Atlas Shrugged. To me it seems nearly impossible to properly tell that story in one film, but if the filmmakers have found a way to do it without losing the central thematic purpose of the story, then I'll be there to praise them and enjoy it. There's no doubt Sands will have to edit major aspects of Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion if he's going to mix both novels, but the thing is, what do you cut out? Hyperion is so carefully constructed and detailed that removing even the most subtle plot-point can hurt the film. Or at least it can for admirers of the books. Every character is essential, and this story has a lot of characters with a lot of important back-story.

For those not familiar with the novels, the story is not as straightforward and simple as this ridiculous description from the Hollywood Reporter:

"Hyperion" deals with a space war, with most of the action taking place on a planet named Hyperion, known not only for its electricity-spewing trees but also for the Time Tombs, large artifacts that can move through time. The tombs are guarded by a monster called the Shrike, which impales people on metal trees."

Seriously, that's a sad attempt at summarizing the story, and I wonder if the person who wrote that has read the books (probably not). It makes it sound like some crazy, uninspired b-movie that you should have little to no interest in seeing. This is far from what Dan Simmons has accomplished with these novels. First off, any filmmaker who wants to bring this story to the screen is ambitious and daring, because the themes in Hyperion are definitely not the most accessible or mainstream ideas you'll find in contemporary science-fiction. Hyperion explores some very challenging and controversial themes regarding technology and religion, and the universe Simmons created is conceptually intriguing with a complex, visionary sensibility. It's not Star Wars-space opera (some people seem to think it is, though), although there is a fantasy element to the story. It's not The Matrix either, although there is a a very similar twist regarding the artificial intelligence that exists in the world of Hyperion.

If handled correctly, this film will be science-fiction of the 2001 sort, which is to say it will concentrate more on its themes than its sense of spectacle (not to take anything away from the brilliant ideas in The Matrix or the imagination of Star Wars, but you know what I mean). There is violence and adventure in both novels, but this isn't the central focus of the story and it shouldn't be the central focus of the films. At its core, Hyperion is about technology developing to the point of having supernatural capabilities, about an artificial intelligence re-defining the universe and how humans have become an inferior being to the thing they created hundreds of years before. It's about technology transcending space and time, and how these brilliantly conceived artificial creations have changed the course of human existence. Like a lot of science-fiction, the surface ideas are familiar and often explored sci-fi themes. But the way Simmons weaves his story is something else entirely.

The plot follows seven pilgrims who travel to Hyperion on the eve of invasion to settle their matters with the mysterious entity known as the Shrike, a horrifying supernatural figure that some worship as a God. There's some hope that these pilgrims will prevent all-out crises by confronting the Shrike and the time-traveling tombs it guards, but the story is much more complex than that. Like a Philip K. Dick novel, Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion reveal layer under layer under layer of twists and turns until a fully realized thematic puzzle is complete. Each character is pivotal to the story that unravels, and the amount of information revealed throughout the two books is enough for three films, at least. There's also a twist with one particular character that works specifically for the form of literature. How Sands will translate this to the screen and make it work cinematically should be fascinating to see.

It will be very special if this film works.