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A review by churd
Chopping Mall: The Novelization by Joshua Millican
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Note: This review is for Joshua Millican's edition which is a completely different book from Brian G. Berry's book that came out a month ago.
It's impossible to not talk about this adaptation without talking about the cancelled-but-accidentally-released edition that released one month prior. There's no amount of polish that can turn Chopping Mall into anything resembling a great story, but clearly there's still some stuff you can work with. Berry's book was a very trashy read; it was disgusting and nasty, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a lot of fun to share excerpts with my friends. Conversely, this edition is actually a halfway decent novel, but it lacks the horridness that made the previous edition so much fun to rip on.
It might not sound like it, but what I'm trying to say is that this is a fun book. There's a lot of little nice moments that add to the barebones (but fun) characters, and I'm a little more forgiving of some of the clunkier prose since I know that real-life circumstances made this a total rush job that was thrown together in next to no time at all. Considerations aside, you're still left with something that's enjoyable enough to tear through in a day.
The last third or so of this book completely flies by (a bit too fast), but it's really tough because that's the portion of the film that has next to no dialogue and just a bunch of running and shooting. It's a problem that Berry had as well, and quite honestly I preferred a faster tear through the least exciting part of the story. Normally I'd object to the ending being the worst part of the book, but hey... I get it!
It's a lot of fun to compare and contrast the two editions. They both have wildly different epilogues and the little bits of added characterization deviate quite a bit, with this book seeming way less nasty than its predecessor. There's a very clear winner here, and it's a shame that the better version only exists because someone put people through serious pain. I'm never touching another Berry book again, but I might check out some of Millican's other stuff someday.
Josh cut the Rambo-gram line though, and for that, it's unforgivable.
It's impossible to not talk about this adaptation without talking about the cancelled-but-accidentally-released edition that released one month prior. There's no amount of polish that can turn Chopping Mall into anything resembling a great story, but clearly there's still some stuff you can work with. Berry's book was a very trashy read; it was disgusting and nasty, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a lot of fun to share excerpts with my friends. Conversely, this edition is actually a halfway decent novel, but it lacks the horridness that made the previous edition so much fun to rip on.
It might not sound like it, but what I'm trying to say is that this is a fun book. There's a lot of little nice moments that add to the barebones (but fun) characters, and I'm a little more forgiving of some of the clunkier prose since I know that real-life circumstances made this a total rush job that was thrown together in next to no time at all. Considerations aside, you're still left with something that's enjoyable enough to tear through in a day.
The last third or so of this book completely flies by (a bit too fast), but it's really tough because that's the portion of the film that has next to no dialogue and just a bunch of running and shooting. It's a problem that Berry had as well, and quite honestly I preferred a faster tear through the least exciting part of the story. Normally I'd object to the ending being the worst part of the book, but hey... I get it!
It's a lot of fun to compare and contrast the two editions. They both have wildly different epilogues and the little bits of added characterization deviate quite a bit, with this book seeming way less nasty than its predecessor. There's a very clear winner here, and it's a shame that the better version only exists because someone put people through serious pain. I'm never touching another Berry book again, but I might check out some of Millican's other stuff someday.
Josh cut the Rambo-gram line though, and for that, it's unforgivable.