MovieChat Forums > Lethal Weapon (2016) Discussion > Compare the synopsis for this with the o...

Compare the synopsis for this with the original

posted 8 years ago by johnrobbie
21 replies | jump to latest

Original film
A veteran cop, Murtaugh, is partnered with a young suicidal cop, Riggs. Both having one thing in common; hating working in pairs. Now they must learn to work with one another to stop a gang of drug smugglers.

Remake series
TV show based on the popular 'Lethal Weapon' films in which a slightly unhinged cop is partnered with a veteran detective trying to maintain a low stress level in his life.

So hes gone from being a suicidal cop in the movie to being slightly unhinged?
Whats that means? That he keeps worrying he forgot to lock his front door when he left for work in the morning?

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[–] Navaeh 8 years ago

Um no he is very suicidal in the show. Or at least has a death wish but is unable to do it himself. I think I remember at least 5 times in the first episode he explicitly stated he wanted to die or asked someone to kill him

Cause I can't post without a body

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[–] GaelinW 8 years ago

As the other poster said, it is very clear that the Riggs of this show is also suicidal. He just can't seem to do it himself so he puts himself in situations that could get him killed. Just like he original movie.

That said, since "unhinged" means "mentally unbalanced" which could also be used to describe a suicidal person, I don't see your point. Are you having a semantics problem?

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[–] johnrobbie 8 years ago

slightly unhinged is what the synopsis says. Since when did slightly unhinged (definition of slghtly-to a small degree, not considerably) somehow be akin to accurately describe suicidal?

Point being, the original synopsis states Riggs is a suicidal cop
remake states hes slightly unhinged which cant even possibly come close to describing someone who is suicidal.

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[–] johnrobbie 8 years ago

From what it seemed by that synopsis, it appeared to me that what we were getting was a diluted Martin Riggs without the drama of being dangerous to himself and others but if as Navaeh points out hes the same, then maybe there is hope for it after all
I mean, besides the fact that Murtaugh is being played by a Wayans

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[–] GaelinW 8 years ago

So your problem is semantic?

Since when did slightly unhinged (definition of slghtly-to a small degree, not considerably) somehow be akin to accurately describe suicidal?

Maybe he only slightly wants to commit suicide.

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[–] johnrobbie 8 years ago

no my problem was that judging by the synopsis what we would be getting was a Riggs character that was diluted and only a mere shadow of the films character

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[–] GaelinW 8 years ago

And? What you saw didn't fit the written synopsis? The TV show wasn't comparable to the movie? You didn't like the Riggs character depicted in the TV show? You would just plain feel better if they had used "suicidal" instead of "unhinged"?

You know, you could always write the admins of IMDB and see if they'll change the synopsis for you.

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[–] johnrobbie 8 years ago

Clearly i have upset you, my apologies.
That said, i don't live in the United States, hence the show has not aired in my country yet.
And yes, I would like to see some evidence that the characters in the show will be reflective in the movie. A synopsis that does not reflect the original or the movie character is worrying to me.

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[–] GaelinW 8 years ago

I'm not at all upset. I just think your "complaint" is laughable. Even more so now that you've explained that you haven't seen the show yet. And you still have it despite the numerous posts on the board - two on this thread - that have not only compared the character in the movie with the character in the show, but have also spoken about how the character in the TV show is indeed suicidal.

I don't trust people who don't like pets and I don't trust people who pets don't like.

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[–] johnrobbie 8 years ago

You seem to be dismissing my post where i acknowledged Navaehs comment that maybe there was hope after all.
That said, do i not have the right as a film fan of the series to be concerned about a franchise i love pre-watching the show?
Why do i have to take a neutral stance to anything pre viewing it?
Not only that, but you seem to be dismissive of the fact that you state "maybe hes only slightly suicidal"
If that is the potential take, then my argument stands

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[–] teadogg4 8 years ago

Well, it turns out he was only 'slightly suicidal'.

He's still alive... if he were 'strongly suicidal' he'd probably be dead.

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[–] johnrobbie 8 years ago

"

Maybe he only slightly wants to commit suicide.

Exactly my point, a watered down version of Riggs is not in the spirit of the film.
With the film we got someone who was crazy, who, once we saw him in tears with a gun in his mouth, we knew this guy was dangerous.

Even film lore described how even the editor of the film had jumped up screaming not to pull the trigger.

If what we get in the tv series is only someone who kinda sorta, slightly wants to do it, then its merely a shadow of the character lethal weapon fans love
Thats what my point is
If my view of that offends you then my bad

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[–] teadogg4 8 years ago

A tv show can't have Rated R content. So to expect the same level of violence or controversial material in a primetime television show is ridiculous.

That said, the show was very faithful to Lethal Weapon 1 despite being in the form of a police procedural. Riggs was suicidal and it made sense in the show how Murtaugh 'saves' him, as what happens in the film version. As a fan of the original movie like you, I think nobody with common sense who's seen both versions would complain.

HEY BABY LOOK AT MY EYES. I LOVE YA BUT I HATE YOUR LIES.

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[–] magicalpig 8 years ago

It's a good version of Riggs. He has a definite deathwish and you feel for the guy because you see the cause of his pain. He can't kill himself because his wife would have been disappointed if he did, but he hopes to die in action and enjoys physical pain as it supresses his emotional pain.

Murtagh is a bit young and funny though. Wayans just doesn't fit the "i'm too old for this" mold, seeming more of a cop desperate for action than one wanting to make it to retirement.

On the whole it seems a good show so far with good action and humour. While it might not be 100% faithful to the movies I think it's doing a good job of capturing the spirit of them.

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[–] 8 years ago

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[–] macsen573 8 years ago

The synopsis is written by a fan.

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[–] MovieKnut 8 years ago

This is just knit-picking based on your interpretation of the synopsis. I see no contradiction here.

Also remember, this is not the Lethal Weapon movie franchise. This is a television series based on it. There will be different plot/character developments.

You can't palm off a second-rater on me. You gotta remember I was in the pink!

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[–] huldu 8 years ago

One thing I don't like is that they're both trying to be "funny", while in the original Murtaugh was the down to earth character. Murtaugh was kinda like Clouseau(Peter Sellers) in that regard. It would have been better, in my opinion, if only one character was the "comic relief" and the other one was the serious one.

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[–] 8 years ago

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[–] kuntext 8 years ago

As others pointed out, there's a difference in what is allowed on network TV versus a full-length feature film with an R rating.

Also, many members contribute to this site by creating pages and by providing the information you see. It's volunteers and they do it for the love of film and story. There's a feature in which you can challenge what others have written, and you can offer your own revised version. If you are interested, look into it.

So hes gone from being a suicidal cop in the movie to being slightly unhinged?
Whats that means?

I'm going to throw this thought into the mix... in the years since the first Lethal Weapon film came out, America has become ever increasingly litigious. (Law suits) The stigma and misinformation surrounding mental health and illness is a hot topic. A "suicidal cop" in today's world, would not have his weapon and would not be in the field. Years ago, it would be easier to hide such conditions underneath the alcohol abuse and "crying for help" antics such as bar fights.

So, the wording is going to evolve because society has evolved.

If you see the actual shows, it's very clear Riggs is struggling to find reasons to keep breathing.

"Thinking" involves a lot more work than simply "having a thought"!

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[–] 8 years ago

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