Let's Talk: Book to Film Adaptations

Friday, May 4, 2012




Let's Talk is a new weekly feature here at i swim for oceans. I think it's important that we all have our say, and there's something to be said for raising our voices. Simply put, here on the little old blog, I like to host some of my very own discussion posts because, well, I like to converse with you all.

And so, Let's Talk will feature questions or prompts, which I will answer, too. Love it or hate it, weigh in or don't, it's my hope that Let's Talk will at least get you thinking...and maybe even get you discussing with the rest of us!
Question: What are your favourite and least favourite book to film adaptations, and why?

Book to film adaptations are notoriously bad, my friends. I mean, seriously…who are we kidding here? There are so many films that just have not lived up to their literary counterparts that I often forget that there can be good ones. You guys know the bad ones I’m talking about; those movies that take excessive liberties, completely conceal the plot and spin the story into something that’s merely a shadow of what the book once was? Do I really need to illustrate those for you? Probably not, but here are some of the worst ones I’ve ever seen…EVER.


That said, there are (occasionally) those book to film adaptations that actually manage to impress me. Now, that’s no small feat, mind you because when they do it’s because of a few things. 

1. They don’t deviate too far from the book’s storyline. 
2. The actors actually fit their literary counterparts and do them justice. 
3. The movie doesn’t skimp on the book’s details simply for shock value or ratings. 

Yes, I know. I’m picky. But hey, when you like a book, do you really want to see that book have a crappy film fail at its sad attempt to do it justice? The answer’s no, and you know it. The point is, I can probably count on two hands the number of films that have measured up, but below are my top three.


What do they have in common? They run in the same vein as the books, which is like gold to me. I seriously love them. The fact of the matter is that while I allow for creative freedom, I love a book for a reason, and it saddens me when films lose that reason.

28 comments:

  1. I thought The Hunger Games was a fantastic adaptation of the book, although I wouldn't go so far to say it was better than the book as some people were claiming around its release.

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  2. I agree with your opinion of Percy Jackson. 

    I got to admit that as a movie by itself, it was hilarious. However, I did get this vibe of it being dumbed down (wait, they have to go and find three pearls before they can enter the underworld? And that scene wasn't in the book!).

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  3. I enjoy book to movie adaptations. While I do realize that most movies fail to live up to their bookish counterparts I still enjoy seeing them on the big screen. A few movies that I thought were better than the book were The Devil Wears Prada and Mao's Last Dancer.

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  4. I also thought the Narnia movies are better than the books. The Golden compass did the book justice although I wouldn't necarsilly say the film was better than the book -- but it was good. The Harry Potter movies were good but nothing can top the writing.

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  5. Oh GOD no...the book was still way better for THG, but the film definitely did it justice. Fingers crossed for Mockingjay!

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  6. I know, right?! I love the Percy Jackson books...I just felt like they dumbed the films down and made them less interesting and hilarious haha

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  7. I'd say one of my worst is Bridge to Teribithia. I remember we read the book in Year 7 (which I never really liked anyway) and then watched the movie, and the whole thing was just full of plot inconsistencies. It was ridiculous.

    And they totally ruined the ending in My Sister's Keeper.Harry Potter, on the other hand, is awesome.

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  8. I agree with the worst 3...I agree that A Walk to Remember and Hunger Games were great adaptations.

    I am a huge fan of Harry Potter (my absolute favorite)...read the books, watched the movies...both too many times to count! I thought the adaptations were fantastic...they cut what needed to be cut for the movies. BUT my beef is with the last movie...they ruined the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort. In the book, it was so powerful to me to have it in the Great Hall with Harry explaining what was going on with EVERYONE watching. I wish they would have played out that scene as they did in the book. Including the scene with Bellatrix and Molly...

    That's my two cents! 

    Great post!!!!

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  9. I definitely see where you're coming from with HP. To be honest, the last flick wasn't my favourite. I think the fifth would have to be, for sure.

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  10. Oh, that really was bad (BtT). My Sister's Keeper made me so, so angry bc the ending is what made the book!

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  11. I am definitely with you on Hunger Games and Harry Potter. :) 

    And while I love the Percy Jackson movie as it's own separate entity, it was not the greatest adaptation.

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  12. Ooh, the film version of Ella Enchanted deserves to be on the worst list, it is so terrible I still haven't forgiven Anne Hathaway.

    Best, one that I adore is Babe! A lot of people don't even know that it was a book, but I am not even ashamed of how much I love that movie. "That'll do, pig." Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

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  13. How did I not think of Ella?!?! That film just blew! 

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  14. I see what you're saying about PERCY, and I guess I can accept that ;)

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  15. Ugh, Dear John was the WORST. Even though I love Channing Tatum. :) Great picks!

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  16. They better not go with the "split the last adaptation into two" route. That can tank the movie's quality.

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  17. Not a big Nicholas Sparks fan, so missed those movies. The Hunger Games was really well done, which is awesome. I was so nervous that they would butcher it. 

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  18. Good call on the Hunger Games and Harry Potter. I don't know if it's blasphemous to say, but I think I liked the Hunger Games movie even more so than the book. 

    I've got a "Let's Talk" post on my blog. Check out my pics!

    whyfiction.blogspot.com

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  19. I somewhat liked the Percy Jackson movie when I first saw it, but after reading the books, there really is no comparison. The books were amazing! 

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  20. You know how I feel about Percy. Poor, poor Percy. Such a great book series. I cannot bring myself to watch My Sister's Keeper or Dear John. Just, no. The books were enough. I don't love the sappy ones like that, though. Although I WILL say that A Walk To Remember was really good. 

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  21. I get so nervous when I hear there's going to be a book adapted into a film, which is happening a lot now lately... They don't get the characters right, skip scenes and just don't deliver as well as they did in the books. I agree with The Hunger Games as an exception. (I still haven't read the Harry Potter books) & I agree with Percy Jackson being a horrible movie adaption.

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  22. I was SO disappointed with the adaptation of Eat, Pray, Love. The movie just didn't capture the message of the book, at all.

    Agree with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings was awesome too.

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  23. Easy. Dune, any version of Dune. They seem incapable of making a good movie of this book.
    The best is easy too, Lord of the Rings :D

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  24. Not even the miniseries with William Hurt? I thought that was pretty true to the books.

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  25. I'm finding Game of Thrones is a great adaptation - but as a TV series, it has a lot more room and doesn't have to cut as much for time or convenience.

    The film adaptation that makes me want to throw things at my screen is  ELLA ENCHANTED. Talk about missing the entire book's point! The book was a FANTASTIC retelling of Cinderella, and why she had to take orders and work around that, but the movie completely did away with the Cinderella story, and just made a big joke about "hurr durr a sassy girl has to take orders this is funny!"

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  26. Might be true to the books but still, no, that one sucked too. They make it boring and weird

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  27. Oh yeah The Lightning Thief is definitely one of my LEAST favorite adaptions. It was just so bad compared to the book. I really like Logan Lerman as Percy but other than that it's just bleh. 

    I wouldn't say that My Sisters Keeper was bad but it certainly was very different from the book. I liked the book better but the movie was good in it's own way. 

    As for my favorite adaptions I love The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hunger Games and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. :)

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  28. The Hunger Games was a great movie adaptation. So is The Notebook, Shutter Island, and Jurassic Park! :) I have to say I hated A Walk to Remember (I thought Mandy Moore was just NOT Jamie Sullivan to me) although that guy was a great Langdon.

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