From a book to a movie. The good and the bad.

[bookgirl]

This topic comes up a lot, so I decided to start a thread for it. (If its already been done before, stop me)

Anyway, what movies have you seen that were inspired by books that you really liked? Or really disliked? And why?

To start off. Two movies that I actually liked better than the books were Stardust and The Princess Bride. I loved Stardust, it's one of my very favorite movies. But I didn't care for the book, for me it didn't have as much of the magic that the movie did. Princess Bride is an awesome movie, and the book is good, just a little strange...

What are some of your book to movie likes and dislikes?????

[Glede]

Eragon was a sucky book to movie. But twilight was good like that. Maybe not perfect, but good.

[Kathy Li]

That's funny. I liked Stardust so much as a book that I disliked the movie. Then again, I knew about the illustrated book five years before it was published, and that was a year or so before the text-only version came out. I have such fond memories of Charles Vess showing me the two concept pastels he'd knocked together the night before so he and Neil could present to the editors who were at World Fantasy.

Book adapations into movies I like would probably include Gone With the Wind (I honestly can't remember much from the book that isn't in the movie, the 1980 tv version of Little Lord Fauntleroy which improves on the book no end. The 1976 BBC adaptation of I, Claudius (oh so good). And the 1983 tv adaptation of Jane Eyre--of all the adaptations ever made of Jane Eyre, I swear hand on heart, that Alexander Baron is the only adapter who ever got that it's a funny book. Baron also completely rocks in adapting the Sherlock Holmes short story "A Scandal in Bohemia" for the 1980's tv series with Jeremy Brett.

The Wizard of Oz is one of those weird cases where I like the (classic) movie, but as an adaptation of the book, it kinda isn't. When it comes to Baum, the Henson flick Return to Oz did it soooo much better.

Adaptations I don't like would include LotR (oh, so close, and yet oh so far. If LotR was merely a fantasy adventure tale to you, then the movie works like gangbusters for you, I'm sure. But for me, LotR is soooo much more and the movies were flat in comparison and particularly in a handful of key scenes where the adapters Just Didn't Get It--the elimination of the Scouring of the Shire in particular).

Also couldn't stand what League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and From Hell did to the Alan Moore comics. It's why I was so pleasantly surprised by V for Vendetta. But I'm nervous about Watchmen. There's a complexity and depth to his writing that just so often never makes it to the screen.

The first X-Men movie was something of a thrill, but the second and third ones just got increasingly more frustrating. The Fantastic Four movies have been kind of a joke. The Spiderman movies are better, although a little too Stan-Lee and not enough Ditko for me. And Iron Man rocked.

LOVED American Splendor. Probably the best adaptation possible of that comic book--not only conveying the real spirit of the book, but also bringing something additional to the table and transforming the whole into something ever better.

The recent television version of Hogfather and The Colour of Magic are great fun as well--someone who knows the books and what makes them fun has finally managed to get a good version of Terry Pratchett made. The only other television version of a Pratchett story I've really enjoyed is the old 1980's Cosgrove/Hall stop-motion Truckers.

The Golden Compass movie just didn't convey the world of the books to me with the same depth and gravitas. It was ok, but I was hoping for more. The Chronicles of Narnia movies from Disney are pretty much the same--ok, but not great.

Master and Commander: Far Side of the World was an abomination. I refuse to acknowledge its existence except to throw things at it.

I better stop. I could do this all day.

[Taran]

Sci-fi / Fantasy book -> movie examples

Movies that did not live up to the book:
Neverending Story. Princess Bride (thought the movie was still good). The Lathe of Heaven (1980). Dune. Starship Troopers. Handmaid's Tale.

Movies that built on the book--you really got a lot out of the movie, but only if you read the book:
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005). Fahrenheit 451 (1966).

Movies that were as good as the book:
Iron Man. Hulk. X-Men. The first Spiderman. Howard the Duck. The Wizard of Oz. 2001.

Movies that were better than the book, and could stand alone:
Jumper. Blade Runner.

[Zirsta]

I could rant for hours about every detail left out in every movie I've seen, but I would bore everyone. So here's a summary of all of that.

The Golden Compass: The plot line got messed up and the middle and last third got switched around. The ending was left off, and the focus of the story was moved from the bears and Iorek becoming king, to the dust and the experimenting. No to mention the Magisterium was never really mentioned in the book either.

Prince Caspian: They put a whole new fight in, made Susan fall in love with Caspian (that was completely unnessiscary (spelling?)), made Caspian too old, and made the story revolve around Peter more than in the book. Other than that though, I actually thought it was fine.

Twilight: Disappointing to me. I have a longer analesis (spelling?) in the Twilight movie thread.

Ballet Shoes: The movie lost a lot of the book, and changed a lot. They made the three Fossil sisters older, and added in a romance that was completely uncalled for. Besides, Pauline is very thin, not the opposite. I think most of all though, that it lost it's side that was about how hard it was for them t make ends meet, and that they replaced it with the side that was the ambition to be famous. That ruined it for me.

I will have more later....

[alla]

Books to movies can be very hit and miss. Some of them I have loved, some of them I moan about 'why didn't you put this in? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!', others I have loved.

Lord of the Rings: I read the books shortly before Fellowship came out, and I haven't read them since. I guess that I'm due for another re-read soon, but whether I get around to it or not... I have a problem (and I know that this is a Bad Thing), that the books contain too much description; I find myself glossing over it, and that may be becasue I've read them so many times and I know what it is anyway. Until I re-read the books, I'm going to withhold judgement again, but for the moment, I actually like the movies better than the books. I know that they left out a whole lot of stuff; I was looking forward to the scenes in Buckland and the Old Forest.

Eragon, Harry Potter, Twilight and to a lesser extent, The Golden Compass, are examples, IMHO, of how not to adapt books to movies. I have come at them from both directions, Eragon and Harry Potter, I read before I saw the movies, and I didn't think that they did a very good job of getting the themes across to the screen. The Golden Compass was pathetic at managing to get the themes across, but I still enjoyed it, probably because I had not read the books in a long time, and Pan was just too damn cool (NB: I have just come back from seeing Twilight again, and I enjoyed it much more this time around, but I think that is because I now know what the bits they missed out on were, and I can fill in the rest of the storyline). Oh, do I delve into the Horror that was Seeker: The Dark Is Rising? OhEmGee... I don't know where to start...

Zirsta: The whole point that I got out of Northern Lights (Yes, Yes, I'm being Pedantic. I read Northen Lights, not the Golden Compass ) when I read it was about the dust and the experimenting, not about the bears; oh, and the Evils of becoming an adult.

The Disney/Walden Narnia movies are so-so at the moment. I really enjoy the books and the BBC adaptations more. They did, however manage to get the themes across, but then, isn't that what Disney does best?

I think I prefer books to be adapted to miniseries, rather than movie. There is more scope for fitting more of the storyline in, although on the flip side, you generally have to put up with slightly less cool special effects. For example, the Dune miniserieses (what is the plural of miniseries?) were much much much better than the movie (or at least I thought so); the Hitchhikers Guide miniseries was sooo much more enjoyable than the movie (I'm sorry, Alan Rickman, its just not the same with you as Marvin...); I am yet to find a movie adaptation of the Arthurian legend that I like more than Merlin with Sam Neill (Well, that might just be because Sam Neill is in it...).

[Zirsta]

Alla, I guess I can see where you got your perspective of the plot, but I found that the ending of a book usually is where the plot is solved, and the thing solved in the end of Golden Compass, was Iorek becoming king. I think of the Dust part as the main theme of the trilogy, not the first book. In the Golden Compass, it's more of an introduction to Lyra's world and the set up the the traveling between the worlds.

OMG I forgot to mention Ella Enchanted! The book was good, but then they totally ruined it for the movie. They left out all the parts and things that I liked (finishing school, the glass slippers, the ENDING OF THE BOOK), and replaced them with an out of wack plot. Then, to top it off, they make the time period into this modern/reinissance (spelling?) weird time. The story is suppose to resemble Cinderella in plot and time, and now we're left with this girl power based story that lacks the serious yet charming quality of the book.

[Garrett Fitzgerald]

Ballet Shoes: The movie lost a lot of the book, and changed a lot. They made the three Fossil sisters older, and added in a romance that was completely uncalled for. Besides, Pauline is very thin, not the opposite. I think most of all though, that it lost it's side that was about how hard it was for them t make ends meet, and that they replaced it with the side that was the ambition to be famous. That ruined it for me.

Which version are we talking about here? The Emma Watson version, or the older one? Because I definitely saw that a lot of their decisions were driven by making ends meet, especially Emma's decision to become a Hollywood star.

On a semi-related note, once Eldon from DW's "Love and Monsters" showed up, I was quite disappointed that they didn't find a way to work Moaning Myrtle in (don't know the actress's name, not sure I care, so shoot me). :-)

Oh, do I delve into the Horror that was Seeker: The Dark Is Rising? OhEmGee... I don't know where to start...

Don't. That Movie Does Not Exist.

It's much safer for the sanity to go on that assumption. :-)

But look on the bright side, at least nobody ever filmed The Warrior's Apprentice...

[Zirsta]

I was actually talking about the one with Emma, but really, the decision to be a movie star was part of the main plot of the book. The effect was present when she first auditioned for Henrietta, but the later decision at the end of the movie was the conclusion to the plot. What I found was missing was the parts like when they had to work hard to even have clothes to wear to the auditions. Well, that showed up once in the movie.... I guess I just think they sped it up to much and it would have been better as a miniseries type thing. Hm.

[Glede]

lol. Everybody here is so hilarious.

another book to movie that sucked was The Golden Compass. Sucky much? I think so!

[alla]

lol. Everybody here is so hilarious.

another book to movie that sucked was The Golden Compass. Sucky much? I think so!

Why thank you .

Just a thought though, Glede. Well, more of a question, really; when you post something like that, to encourage discussion adding why you thought that it 'sucked' is a good idea. I know that we're now on different forums, where things (eg short posts) might have a different effect on the forums, but its no reason to stoop below the standards that were set over at the yw.net forums. So, why did you think that The Golden Compass movie sucked?

[EricG1793]

^ Keep in mind that she just registered a week ago and wasn't around for the old forums, which only have a few topics left not pertaining to these issues, and were supposed to close yesterday. (It might be a good idea for her to read The current FAQs, though.)

As for the discussion at hand.... I did watch Eragon once, and I was definitely disappointed. It seemed as though there were quite a few parts from the book missing.

The Harry Potter movies were pretty good, in terms of reflecting the feel and plot of the books. However, as the series went on and the books got longer, they started cutting out more parts from the books.

It seems to me as though the longer the book is, the less complete the movie ends up being.

[bookgirl]

[Kathy Li]

Re: The Golden Compass, while the movie wasn't quite what I was hoping for, I do have to say that the National Theatre stage production that was made of His Dark Materials sounds like it was wonderful. The script is certainly impressive, and the photos of the puppetry for the daemons looks fantastic. I really really really do wish that the movie makers had stuck with the Tom Stoppard screenplay (yes. They had a Stoppard screenplay and dumped it. Oi. And, btw, I do believe that DD has actually read the screenplay).

[Emi]

I have avoided watching Eragon because everyone has said it was absolutely horrible... I haven't even seen The Golden Compass yet!!! (Note: I haven't read those books yet... They're on my waiting list)

I have to say that Iron Man did rock. I love Robert Downey Jr. He did an amazing job on that movie...

Twilight was an okay film to stand on it's own. I just wish that they added some of the scenes that would have helped make sense to some of the scenes. I've talked to several people who saw it and haven't read the book and they all said the absolutely loved the movie. Which surprised me because I felt that the movie was missing things.

Pride and Prejudice... I saw the version with Keira Knightly. I thought it was good. It followed the story line -- not to the exact "T" but it flowed. I didn't think it was missing any key facts...

Speak was a good adaptation. I thought it went right a long with the book.

That's all I can really think of at the moment.