Hey guys, today I’m coming at you with ANOTHER discussion! I feel like I never write discussion posts but, all of a sudden you’re getting three in a row??? (with more to come WHAT???)
I think in the book community we like to trash book-to-movie/tv adaptations but, I thought today I would talk to you guys about the pros and cons of book-to-screen adaptations because I happen to love them!
THE PROS
- Book-to-screen adaptations are a really easy way for non-readers to still experience the story.
- It can be so much fun to see your faves on the big screen.
- It’s really helpful for people like me who have trouble picturing the characters when reading.
- They give us something to trash/talk about if it all goes badly
- It’s a talking point – it gives us a way to connect with other readers
- The movie can bring a lot of attention to the book, which is rarely a bad thing.
- Watching the movie/show might convince someone to read the book!
- Depending on the age group, it could be a family event – I often will take my youngest brother to the cinema and we will read the book together afterwards.
So, by the title, you guys can probably tell that I do actually enjoy book-to-screen adaptations! If you’ve been anywhere near the book community over the past few years, you will have realised that we tend to shame book adaptations and never talk about some of the good ones. And let’s face it, Percy Jackson was a good movie, it just wasn’t a good book-to-movie adaptation.
I personally, love adaptations for all the reasons I listed above. I find them really enjoyable and really helpful because I am not the most creative person and have a lot of trouble picturing characters and locations when I’m reading. Basically, my brain is lazy.
BOOK-TO-SCREEN ADAPTATIONS WORTH MORE HYPE
as hat hype
THE CONS
- They’re not always accurate (Percy Jackson, Shadowhunters)
- You’re telling me that 20-something-year-old is playing a 15-year-old???
- So many are made poorly
- It either goes terribly or they turn a 300-page book into a trilogy because that makes sense!
- There are often a lot of details that are missed out on, due to a limited amount of screen time.
- Characters can be completely changed (think along the lines of Ginny Weasley)
So, as much as I love book-to-screen adaptations, even I can admit that some of them are pretty darn bad. I mean, I didn’t enjoy The Mortal Instruments but I do understand why so many fans of the books don’t enjoy the show! I mean, if Stalking Jack The Ripper came to life and it was terrible I would probably be crying and raging constantly.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT BOOK-TO-MOVIE ADAPTATIONS?
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE?
FRIDGE ANTS 
allonsythornraxx 
I actually love some movies a little better than the books! For example Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, One Flew over thee Cuckoo’s Nest, Princess Diaries. But yeah, some others are just meh!
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Oh, I agree, I much prefer watching Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka than I do reading the book!
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I feel like (or maybe I’d like to feel like!) I’m usually pretty open-minded about book to film adaptions and I sometimes think that’s a product of growing up in the Harry Potter age when the books and films were both a big deal! I recently saw Love, Simon which was absolutely fab and I also really love TFIOS and Perks Of Being a Wallflower! I also watched The Vampire Diaries when that was on TV a few years ago and I much preferred that to the books so I think sometimes books can be a great starting point with some really cool characters that TV/film can develop and take where they want, however I can understand how that would be really annoying if someone were to do that with a book that you loved for how it actually was and wanted to see a ‘faithful’ adaption! Great discussion! 🙂
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I agree. That’s a really great way to put it! I grew up the same way. I was always getting excited for the next HP movie! I think there are so many fantastic adaptations out there but so many of us go into the cinema with biased negative opinions because we’ve already read the book. But, yeah, I guess I would be going in slightly cautious if it was based off a book I really loved.
Thank you! 💕
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Oh this is such a great post. You’re right that we in the book community are quicker to rant about a book being adapted as a movie, than praise it and talk about it all the time, haha. Yet, there are some fantastic adaptations out there and you’re right, they do bring a lot of positive things, too. I love that they bring attention to the book and I also love seeing the words come alive on the big screen. For me, reader, it’s already such a cool experience, I can’t imagine how authors feel about it, hahaha. I have to say, I’m always scared of a book adaptation being… well, bad, so I’m always a bit nervous whenever I hear about a new adaptation.
Lovely post 🙂 x
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Thank you! 💕There are so many fantastic adaptations out there and I just don’t think we talk about them enough! I agree I don’t know how I would actually feel about them as an author. I think it would be a really exciting experience, but that I would probably not watch the adaptation for a while. I’d wait until friends and family had seen it first. I’m always nervous at first too, but I think that’s just the bias we have from such bad adaptations like Percy Jackson and Eragon. We’re just used to focusing on the bad book-to-screen adaptations, so we usually just go in with that biased negative opinion.
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I like adaptations in general. Yeah, the book is generally better, but often the movie is fun. Some are really very good. I think the ones that are truly awful (coughEllaEnchantedcough) tend to be in the minority. Also, yes, they are GREAT publicity for books.
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I completely agree, I think that watching the movie can be so much fun! I think that adaptations can be great for authors in that way!
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They can be done badly, but I still love book to movie adaptations. I love there Percy Jackson books and I’ve watched the movie more than a few times. It is perfect, heck no, but it’s fun! And Logan Lerman is a perfect Percy!
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I completely agree. I still watch the Percy Jackson movies a couple of times a year. I love the books a whole lot more but I also really enjoy the movies! They are really good movies, especially if you’re just looking for a fun adventure story!
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I don’t watch a lot of movies, but I feel like it has almost become a cliche necessity for some book readers to hate on an adaption. And I understand that when it’s a favourite book, you are absolutely going to feel nervous about how it is presented because it is a way to connect with non-readers who otherwise wouldn’t have come across the story. I think it goes with everything, they aren’t always going to be good but that doesn’t mean we should be so prejudiced from the onset.
I actually kind of enjoy when the movie is (to a reasonable extent) altered because it gives you a different perspective on the original story. I’m just not a fan of the carbon-copied book-to-movies where the dialogue is the EXACT SAME as the book (looking at you Fight Club).
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I agree, I rarely see anyone talk about book-to-screen adaptations positively so it’s honestly hard to tell how people really feel about them. I think it really is a cliche to hate on them. We talk about how we’re going to see the adaptations so we can compare them but, I think really so many f us are expecting to hate them or expecting to be persuaded into hating them.
I have never really thought about that but I totally see where you’re coming from. That’s a great point, I’ll admit that it is always interesting to see how others interpret a story! I relate completely with the dialogue! It’s fun to see the inside jokes from the books and other stuff along those lines but, it’s not fun to watch a movie word-for-word like the book!
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It’s interesting though because comics are the complete opposite, all you have to do is look at all the Marvel movies.
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ohh i love the idea of making it a family thing with your brother!! so sweet. & i agree that the martian was really good! plus love, simon is, of course, the absolute sh*t. so good.
i think i usually just get so worried about movie adaptations?? b/c they can go so badly and i’m so overprotective of my fav books. like the ready player one adaptation is totally disappointing and i love that book so much. but then sometimes the movie is just as good if not better? i don’t even know my own feelings on this subject but i know i’m a huge fan of this discussion
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Haha, I guess it is, I’ve never thought of it that way.
I really love The Martian, it’s one of my favourite adaptations!
I totally see your point. I guess we’re all pretty overprotective of our books, even if e didn’t enjoy the book we don’t want the adaptation to be a trash heap lol. Haha, I think Ready Player One is better for younger audiences. My brother read the book and then saw the movie and said he really enjoyed it. He wouldn’t stop talking about it for days! But, I’ve only heard bad reviews from teens+.
Haha, thank you!
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Haha, the ages actors always got me. I think the only series with age-appropriate actors was Harry Potter. I personally love film/TV adaptations – yes they miss stuff out and change a few things and the actors might not look how you imagined that character, but they’re fun and they’re another way to connect with the story. I still often think the books are better than the films, but films can add something different to a story. The Harry Potter films, for example, massively expanded on the magical world, I think. And the fact that we got to see Hogwarts and Diagon Alley and the Ministry really helped me feel more immersed when reading the books again.
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I completely agree – I think adaptations are another way to absorb a story. I love how they give a different perspective on a story – almost like seeing a story through another set of eyes.
I feel the same way – watching the HP films really really helps to picture the sets and locations throughout the story.
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I’m from the HP era too (1991 here) and I’ve seen every movie and read every single book way before they were released. However I literally grew up with the movies and by the time the last one was released I was an older teen and didn’t really care for it as much. I still love the world of Harry Potter but I shy away from the highly toxic fandom and haven’t even seen the new movie with Redmayne. I think the fandom may have ruined it for me. I’m considering a re-read this year though, as I haven’t opened a Harry Potter book in a decade.
Does anyone remember that Delirium was adapted into a weird TV pilot with Emma Roberts or was I vividly hallucinating? I remember that they squeezed the entire book into about an hour and it was as terrible as you might expect. Check Youtube and tell me if I’m wrong.
Some movie adaptations work great (Hunger Games, the first Maze Runner) and others just completely fall apart. I loved Beautiful Creatures, I thought they did well with that. Other movies tend to feel like the director has their own ideas about how a movie should go and tries to bend it in a certain direction. It never works.
Vee @ Under The Mountain
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I totally understand what you mean. The Harry Potte fandom is a lot. Like, A LOT. I will admot to never really taking part in it. Sure, I’ve read the books and seen the films and I even have a small amount of merch. But, I actively stay away from Tumblr and the fandom in particular. I might at some point write some character breakdowns or discussions on my own blog, but the actual fandom, to me is quite harsh and unforgiving. I think part of that comes from the need to defend our faves, but mostly I think it’s just because Tumblr mainly consists or bored and angry people in their late 20s+ and 12-year-olds who just learnt about the internet. I did enjoy FBAWTFT but I definitely don’t think it will be worth the, something near 10 years we will have to wait to see the series completed (I think it’s 5 movies???).
I recommend reading the series again, I’m currently re-reading it and I am catching so many more things as an adult than I did even a couple of years a go!
Haha, yes you’re totally digging that back up from the grave WHYYY. I will admit to never watching it fully, but from what I did see, it was baaaadddd.
I agree with you on that one. I think sometimes the directors just want to put their own spin/ take on it and then of course, the adaptation doesn’t live up to the expectations or hopes of the fans of the original material. That’s the thing, it rarely works and even if it does, people will still have something to complain about. It’s a lose-lose situation, I think.
Thank you so much for your comment!
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