The Moon Is A Harsh Movie
So I heard that they’re going to make a movie out of The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.
I was, of course, immediately thrown into unabashed excitement. But then I thought about it. And my excitement became thoroughly bashed.
I’d like to think Hollywood can make a good movie out of this. I mean, I don’t expect any Professor Bernardo de la Paz soliloquies about rational anarchy. Just like you can’t make a good movie with a 40-page John Galt speech*, some of what de la Paz goes into will be way over the heads of the typical audience member. It’s not that I want a Heinlein fanboy or hardcore libertarian directing this movie, because that’s one way that you can turn an awesome book into a preachy, boring position piece.
Still, there are some pretty interesting things in the book. It’s the book that actually gives a realistic account of what anarchy might actually look like. A scene where some young hooligans who were slighted by a tourist pick a random guy out of a diner to adjudicate their “case” against him? I could see that actually playing well on screen, and introducing people to the idea of polycentric law at the same time.
And TANSTAAFL? I’ve hoped for years that this concept would catch on.
But then, I remember what happened to Starship Troopers.
And I get very scared. This book is about themes that *should* resonate with everyone. Freedom. Self-determination. A “powerless” colony being plundered for their wealth trying to fight back. And I know they’re going to F it up.
Maybe I’ll be proven wrong. Maybe they’ll get it right. And maybe cats will start walking through walls.
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