It wasn't faithful to the book, but the author was one of the scriptwriters, and wanted to do particular things with it.
I've come to the conclusion that Tony Hiller is right about his books being adapted to TV or film: "To make the film, you have to kill the book." They're not the same media. You go for the core of the book, or you work out that the film is going to be its own beast, and you hope that either way the adaptation stands on its own, separate from the book. I enjoyed Omega Man for what it was - a pretty radical film for its day, especially given the interracial pairing of hero and heroine. The book is its own being. The film should be its own being. The only real question should be "Does it work on its own terms?"
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I've come to the conclusion that Tony Hiller is right about his books being adapted to TV or film: "To make the film, you have to kill the book." They're not the same media. You go for the core of the book, or you work out that the film is going to be its own beast, and you hope that either way the adaptation stands on its own, separate from the book. I enjoyed Omega Man for what it was - a pretty radical film for its day, especially given the interracial pairing of hero and heroine. The book is its own being. The film should be its own being. The only real question should be "Does it work on its own terms?"