There are a lot of expectations when it comes to book to film or TV adaptations. We spend so long imagining the story, the characters, and the world in our minds that sometimes it can be a disappointment when we see it on the big screen and it’s not all we’d hoped it would be. There are exceptions, The Book Thief and Stardust are two of mine, but I feel like there are far more disappointments out there.
I’ll be one of many talking about movie adaptations I’ve hated, or about new book editions with the film poster as the cover which I can’t stand, but there are positive for every book to film/TV adaptation even the terrible ones (here’s looking at you, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief).
Why I Love Book to Film/TV Adaptations (Even the Terrible Ones)
A little while back I was in my local Waterstones, not an unusual occurrence that’s for sure, and I overheard (I wasn’t eavesdropping, it’s just not a massive store) two people talking about the book they’d come into the shop to buy; Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. You could tell these were two people who hadn’t been to Waterstones in a while (the Young Adult books have been in the same place for years now) and eventually they had to ask one of the cashiers to help them find it.
By this point I’ll fully admit I was eavesdropping (I couldn’t help it, Simon Vs. is one of my favourite books and I was curious) and as they struck up a conversation with the cashier I heard that they’d just seen the film Love, Simon and heard it was based on a book so they’d come straight into Waterstones for the first time in ages to buy a copy.
That right there is the benefit, the reason I love book to film or TV adaptations even when they’re terrible. Maybe a long term fan of the book would hate the film because it didn’t stay true to the story or the world the author created, but someone who hasn’t read the book wouldn’t know that, and if they loved the film maybe they’ll then decide to read the book as well. Maybe the new book editions with the film poster as the cover are terrible when fans of the book know how gorgeous the original covers were, but they make it easier for these new fans to find the book they saw and loved so much on screen.
The Percy Jackson movie, as a book to film adaptation, was terrible. Ask anyone who read the book first and then saw the film and they’ll tell you in detail, but when I first saw The Lightning Thief I hadn’t read the book and I ended up really enjoying the film. I’ll be honest even now I still quite enjoy the film, I just take it separately from the books. The reason I picked up the book, many years later, was partly because of the reviews I was seeing on WordPress from people who grew up with Percy Jackson the way I grew up with Harry Potter, but also because I remembered seeing the film and remembered actually enjoying it.
Thank to a terrible adaptation, which I can admit having read the books was really a terrible adaptation, I discovered a series I love and an author whose work I can’t get enough of.
I’ve got so many other examples as well. Stardust was the film which led to me discovering Neil Gaiman’s books, and I finally picked up The Book Thief after having left it on my TBR list for years because there was a film being released. There are even genres and books I picked up that I never would have considered reading before, that I not only read but really enjoyed because I saw the film and was curious enough to check out the book; The Great Gatsby, Life of Pi, Cloud Atlas.
Maybe as long terms fans of the books – as people who have read and loved these stories, and hoped and prayed for an adaptation so we can see our favourite series on the big screen – we’ll be disappointed by what we see in the film or TV show, but for every one of us left disappointed maybe there’s someone else in the audience who loved it so much they’re about to rush into Waterstones for the first time in years to buy a copy of the book.
Now Onto the Discussion Part of This Post:
What are your thoughts on book to film or TV show adaptations? Do you love them or have you been left disappointed by too many to get your hopes up for the next one being released?
What are your thoughts on the movie-tie-in book covers? Do you love them, hate them, or are you not bothered because in the end the book inside is still the same?
What books have you discovered because of their adaptation?
What is the best and worst book to film/TV show adaptation you’ve seen?
Let me know in the comments below.
Reading Every Night 
Great post! I think for me, the best book-to-film adaptation is LOTR. They made some necessary changes to make the film flow better, but still remained faithful to the novels. Certain events in novel form just don’t work on screen; it’s a very different medium. The worst for me is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Really did the novel no justice, and still, after watching it many, many times, I find it to be utterly forgettable and just full of fluff. I love Harry Potter, but that film was so disappointing.
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Oh I haven’t read the books, but I have heard good things about the films (they’re kind of epic high fantasy films aren’t they? Really long but really amazing). Changes will be made when it comes to adaptations, it’s just whether they’re good changes or not.
I haven’t read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in so long I can’t really say whether I agree or not. as a whole I think the adaptations were decent, there are worse ones I’ve seen out there so that’s something in my mind. 🙂
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The thing about an adaptation is that you can’t get everything onto the screen. Indeed, you shouldn’t. However, I believe you can, and should, be faithful. I don’t know if you’ve read ‘The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie and Literary Society’ and/or seen the film. I’ve only seen the film and I’ve heard mixed reviews of its faithfulness to the book. There’s a new adaptation of ‘War of the Worlds’ on the way, which is at least set in Edwardian times. Two speaking characters have been created who are mentioned in the book. As yet we don’t know what the UFOs will look like.
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Exactly, it’s about staying true to the source material even if you make changes. I haven’t read or seen The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie and Literary Society but I’ve mainly heard good things about it. I guess there are always going to be mixed opinions, you can’t please everyone can you?
I actually saw the recent (not the new, the one with Tom Cruise) adaptation of War of the Worlds, I wasn’t aware of the original but even from my perspective that film wasn’t great.
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I read Alistair McLean’s books many years ago and a good number have been adapted, quite badly on the whole, for film. Regulars on TV are ‘Where Eagles Dare’, ‘The Guns of Navarone’ and ‘Ice Station Zebra’. One of the worst adaptations was of ‘When Eight Bells Toll’. I also enjoy Tom Clancy and I think ‘Patriot Games’ was the best of the adaptations. There are some staggering differences between the James Bond films and the books. Now, as an emerging scriptwriter, I am working on adapting a novel for film. But that’s a whole different story.
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Adaptations are always hit and miss I think, but it sucks that so many of Alistair McLean’s books have had bad adaptations. Especially if his books are ones you enjoyed. I guess it can be hard getting everything from a book onto the screen but every now and then you get a good adaptation. 🙂
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I had watched Tainspotting when I was in my late teens as something contraversial to get my mind around to say I had seen, and the months after I found the Irvine Welsh original version and read that. Loved it as it was writen phonetically in scottish so becasue I was dyslexic i found myself reading it aloud in an accent, reliving the scenes even more. The same thing happened with Filth, I made time espacilly to read the book as it was so much indepth and…fantastic for the visuals your mind conjours.
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I haven’t seen or read Trainspotting myself, but I’ve heard great things about the film for sure so I’m glad the book lived up to your expectations after seeing the film, and that it could lead you to the book as well. 🙂
Yeah it’s interesting how films can lead you to the books, and what you see/feel while reading them after watching the adaptation as well. 😀
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I think I’ve generally kind of lost interest in movie and film adaptations because I just don’t watch a lot of movies or television these days, so it doesn’t matter an awful lot to me. When I do watch one, I definitely go in with low expectations and try not to be too critical in comparing it to the book, because I know I definitely won’t enjoy it for sure if I do that. And it’s funny you publish this, because I literally just watched Love, Simon and thought it was adorable—possibly even better than the book for me! I’m hoping they do as good of a job on the adaptations of The Hate U Give and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.
And yes, the Percy Jackson adaptation was pretty bad, though I did enjoy it independent of the books (the second film was terrible, though). But the worst adaptation for me by far was Eragon. It was so, so bad!
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Well I don’t watch a massive amount of TV either, but there are some adaptations you can really escape the hype of you know? Yeah I always go in with low expectations as well. Guess it’s just the experience of past terrible adaptations but there are a few that have been amazing. Yeah I have high hopes for The Hate U Give, have you seen the trailer yet? So far it looks incredible! 😀
I haven’t seen Eragon myself, but I haven’t read the book either so it’s not really on either my to-read or to-watch lists. 🙂
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I did!! It looks so good!!!
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I always get nervous when books are optioned for screen adaptations just because there’s such a huge trend of taking stories from books and foreign films and adapting them instead of creating new, original stories. I feel like sometimes the amount of love that is put into the book doesn’t translate to the screen because the people optioning it are more worried about tailoring the story for movie watchers than anything else. That being said, I would never say no to something that gets people to read, especially people who haven’t picked up a book in a while.
Btw, Cloud Atlas is one of my favorite book to movie adaptations! You can tell a lot of passion went into that movie and I loved all of the little easter egg items that travel through the different time periods.
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Yeah there’s always that sense of nervousness from the fans. I’ve always said that I would love to see an adaptation of The Night Circus but if one was ever announced I’d be a little nervous as to what the finish product would turn out like. I mean I know there are always going to be differences between the book and the film, I guess at the end of the day we just have to hope they stick as close to the heart of the source material as they can.
Oh Cloud Atlas was brilliant. I saw a little bit of it on a plane journey home from one of my holidays and I was kind of hooked. I didn’t even realise it was an adaptation until I looked it up to try and watch the rest of the film when I was home again. 🙂
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I’ve liked pretty much all of the book to film adaptations that I’ve seen. Harry Potter is probably the one I liked the most,and I also liked Percy Jackson (which isn’t the best quality as you’ve said.) Sometimes I have read the book because of how much I’ve liked the movie. For example, I’ve recently started to read The Fault in Our Stars. The movie was really moving and I enjoyed it so much, which is pretty much the same with the book. I’ll be doing a joint review on my blog soon. I’ve also ordered the book Simon vs The Homo sapiens agenda, and after your comparison I’m even more excited to read it. xxx
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That’s actually really good to hear. I love the Harry Potter adaptations, and because I saw them first I don’t mind the Percy Jackson films either. 🙂 Oh The Fault in Our Stars is a book I picked up because of the film, I really hope you enjoy it, and same goes for Simon Vs. That’s a favourite of mine and the movie adaptation is pretty amazing too! 😀
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I love TV/movie adaptations. I am devastated when they flop and ruin the source material, but when they’re done right or do a creative modification to the source material, I’m really impressed and enjoy it all in the end! I just feel like these adaptations give us a nice alternative to a book and help reach out to more people too. I also love to see my favourite characters or stories come to life and see actors I love taking on those roles too! Awesome post, Beth! 😀
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Yeah there are a few bad adaptions I’ve seen and I’ve hated what they’ve done to the books I love, but in the grand scheme of things I don’t mind if the films step away from the books as long as they stay true to the ending and the characters you know? Definitely, it’s great that adaptations, no matter how bad they may be, open this book up to so many more people. 🙂
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Hello Beth ❤
I love this discussion post! I was very curious when I read your title, because why would anyone like terrible book to film adaptations? However as I read the rest of your post, I can't help but agree with your point. No matter how bad an adaptation is, there are people who love it, and these people (who never would have heard of the book otherwise) may feel inspired to read the book! Even if they never do pick up the book, it is good that the message of the book is spread to a wider audience, isn't it?
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Thanks so much Sophie! 🙂 Ha, yeah I’m not declaring my undying love for terrible film adaptations but even I can admit there are benefits to even the worst ones out there. I wasn’t a fan of the Golden Compass movie but there are probably a few people out there who loved it and picked up the books because of it.
Definitely good, I feel like it would be interesting if there was some kind of figure out there that showed how book sales increased when an adaptation was announced/released. 🙂
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I don’t know the figures but I would definitely think that book sales increase when a movie/TV adaptation is released!! In general, I think movie and TV have a much wider reach than books. Think about how many people have seen the HP movies first before reading the books (myself included haha). I think there are also people who don’t end up picking up the books after watching the movie/TV adaptation, but I think it is still a good thing, because the story and the message of the book is still able to reach them. If I were an author who has written a book that is adapted to a movie (my dream!!!) I would be very happy that my story is able to reach a wider audience, even if not all of them decide to read my book afterwards.
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It would be interesting to see, because I feel like movies can convince people who don’t read a lot to pick up a book again, especially if they loved the film.
Oh yeah, something like Harry Potter exploded when the movies were released. My sister actually read the series and she does’t read a lot at all. Yeah a few other people made that point, kind of like ‘I’ve seen the film, what’s the point in picking up the book now’, I think they’re in the minority at least compared to the people who will pick up the book because of the film.
Same, and wow that would be the dream right? 😀
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Definitely 🙂 I am glad that movie adaptations spreads the love for books in general.
Personally if I loved a movie, that gives me more reason to read the book (because usually the book is even better!) But to each their own right? 🙂
Great discussion topic!!
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Same here, I’ve even been lead to books I wouldn’t normally have picked up because of the film adaptations (Life of Pi and Cloud Atlas are two of the main ones!)
Thanks Sophie. 🙂 ❤
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I’m pleased to find so many other fans of the movie Stardust here! I feel like not many people in real life (aka not online!) know about it. I saw the movie many, many times before reading the book version, and I recall being disappointed by the book. It was too fluffy so I liked all the drama and romance that the movie infused. Usually, I tend to like the book better when I read the book first (Harry Potter, Ender’s Game, The Giver – what were they even thinking with this adaptation??), but I like the movie better when I see the movie first (Stardust, A Little Princess, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, The Princess Bride). I don’t make it to the movie theater very often, so I’m more likely to catch a title by book than by film.
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Oh Stardust is one of my favourite adaptations, and it seems like it’s a lot of people favourites online too (but I get what you mean because I don’t know many people outside of online who love that film). Yeah I’m the same, when I think of the film adaptations I enjoyed more than the books it’s always for the films I saw before I picked up the books. I dunno I guess maybe because you go into the film without many expectations you’re freer to enjoy it more than if you’ve read the book and have hopes as to what the adaptation will be like. 🙂
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You know, I’ve never thought of it that way, having the movie tie in cover could lead people to the book better, and even the film itself. That’s a really great point Beth! 😀 I personally don’t mind adaptations. You have to know going in that there are going to be differences. I wrote my thesis paper on this subject, and what I proved was that these two mediums are always going to be different because they are two pieces of media, they will never be the same.
You never know what you’re going to get when you go see a movie, but I kinda love that aspect too because you get to see how someone else sees the story! 🙂
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Yeah, I mean it’s worked that way for me a few times but it was only when I was in Waterstones hearing that person searching for the Simon Vs book that I realised it was wider reaching you know? That adaptations can lead people who don’t normally read back to books. Yeah I completely get what you mean, the things that made a book successful aren’t necessarily going to work when it comes to films and vise versa right? 🙂
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I love adaptations because, whether it’s a “perfect” adaptation or a really fab version of the story in its own right, movies are a different kind of magic than books. It’s very disappointing when bad adaptations are made, and I’ll always wonder about that other universe lol where things worked out. And I’m definitely motivated to read a book after hearing there’s going to be a cinematic version; sometimes that is the first time I ever hear about the book.
Some of my faves include // The Secret Life of Bees, The Outsiders, Matilda, Stardust (we get the Hollywood ending and Capn Shakespeare in the movie, a huge faerie tale mood and Charles Vess’ artwork in the book), Howl’s Moving Castle (I CAN’T CHOOSE a more preferred version here just ahhh), and A Series of Unfortunate Events (the Netflix version 😀 !!!). I’m also excited to read the book version of The Shape of Water (I really loved the movie) because the writer Daniel Kraus developed the concept with Guillermo Del Toro but they have interpreted the characters and elements of the story differently which that just sounds really fun to me. I know for a fact going into it that the book will be its own animal, or fish god as the case may be.
Thanks for the awesome post/discussion, Beth!
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I completely get what you mean. There are so many books I’d love to see adapted into films, I’d settle for ones that don’t stay wholly true to the story either because I just want to see my favourite books on the big screen. Ha, yeah bad adaptations are horrible, I wonder if that means there’s a universe out there where out good adaptations are bad ones, like Harry Potter, is there a universe where there’s a decent Percy Jackson adaptation but a bad Harry Potter one? 🙂
Oh I love Matilda and Stardust (I actually prefer the Stardust film to the book!) and oh I really loved the Series of Unfortunate Events books so I need to see the Netflix version (not a massive fan of the film I have to admit.)
I didn’t even know The Shape of Water was a book first. I’ve heard great things about the film though so hopefully the book is good as well. 🙂
That’s all right, I’m glad you enjoyed this post.
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Great post! 🙂
Recently i’ve found reading books after watching the tv/film adaptation harder to get in to. I tried reading The Maze Runner after watching the film and I just couldn’t get into it.
I read a few of the Game of Thrones books but after watching all of the TV show, I just didn’t feel like reading about some of the terrible i’d already watched.
Also, I absolutely HATE movie-tie-in book covers… why do they exist lol
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Thanks so much! 🙂 Oh that’s strange, for me it’s the other way around actually. I find it easier to get into the book when I’ve seen the adaptation first. I guess it differs for everyone though.
Ha, yeah Game of Thrones is a weird one. I’ve seen all the series but I still haven’t picked up the fifth book, just because it’s so huge.
I’m always gonna prefer the original covers too, but I get why the movie-tie-in-covers exist, they’re just not for me. 😀
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I am totally with you! I love adaptations, but I am a special kind of breed, because I just love TV and film a lot in general (sometimes more than books, but pssst! don’t tell anyone). I am okay with certain things being changed and other things not. It’s always a balance act. I definitely think that you can get an audience for books after making a good or decent movie. However, I also think that sometimes the movie is just plain better than the book. Like with Stardust. I did not enjoy reading it but the movie will forever be one of my faves. And then there’s Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Maybe those adaptations aren’t perfect, but sometimes they manage to convey something the author didn’t. So, we all connect to what we see differently, just like we all connect to the written word differently. I might comment on the faithfullness of an adaptation, but that is no real judgment on its quality or entertainment factor.
I really like this post.
Sincerely, the only girl in the bookish community who loves movie tie-ins aka Kat ❤
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Ha, yeah I’d be very surprised if you said you weren’t a fan of adaptations I have to admit! 😀 I agree with you on the changes as well. I don’t mind as long as they end up staying true to the source material in the long run. Like Game of Thrones changes a lot each season but they always end up back where the books end you know?
Oh Stardust is a movie I prefer to the book as well, same with The Princess Bride. Even though I do enjoy both books I prefer the movies that little bit more. 🙂 Yeah someone else made a point about how sometimes things added to the film can expand on the characters or the story better than the book did. So it’s kind of nice when they make changes because it gives the film something the book didn’t have. 🙂
Thanks so much Kat! 😀 ❤
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Right!? As Queen of TV, I kind of have to like those or I wouldn’t be able to watch about 75% of content these days haha
Weeeeell, I beg to differ with Game of Thrones a little bit. I do like the show more, but they went off course big time around season 4 and did not come back around to the books at all haha but it’s okay. The last two seasons were good again.
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Yep, although I can’t deny I love how many adaptations we’re seeing nowadays (makes me hope there’ll eventually be a Night Circus one!)
I suppose it’s hard to tell with Game of Thrones sometimes because we haven’t got all the books yet. Also I haven’t read some of the later books so I’ll take your word for it there (I agree the later seasons were good though!) 😀
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I do like that there’s a lot of adaptations, but I am also yearning for some original content sometimes haha
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Yeah I get what you mean. There seems to be a lot of adaptations and sequels and I’m struggling to think of more original films that have been released.
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Ooer, where to start? I’m torn – theoretically I know that books and their movies can be and often are very different beasts, but I only ever seem content with this when they are GOOD adaptations. ‘Prince Caspian’ comes to mind: there are big chunks of the movie that aren’t in the book, but I thought the new content fleshed out the characters and added to the original story. The adaptations that disappoint me are the ones where the people involved don’t seem to have READ the book, or they’ve read it and decided that a couple of its key points will do and that they can disregard the rest. To me, that speaks of a lack of care/respect for the original story.
I sometimes think that I’d be better off watching a book’s movie before actually reading the book: then I could enjoy the screen version for what it is, and then better enjoy the novel.
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Oh yeah I get what you mean. I don’t mind when films change certain aspects of the book simply because different things go into making a film successful than a book. Also like you said with the Prince Caspian film sometimes the extra content adds more to the story of the characters. As long as the film ends in the same place the book does I don’t mind (there are exceptions of course, I was not a fan of the Golden Compass movie).
I definitely agree with you there. I’ve found when I saw the film first I enjoy both because I can take them each for what they are. When I read the book first I always end up with a preference. Kind of strange right? 🙂
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This is such an interesting post Beth! I am always a bit nervous whenever I hear there will be an adaptation, because I just am way too attached to some books, sometimes and I am scared it will never live up to my expectations. That being said, there is some kind of magical feeling when you get to see one of your favorite books on the big screen and I love that so, so very much 🙂 I also love that some people pick up a book because there is an adaptation, I love that it can make people want to read a book, such a great feeling ❤
Lovely discussion, Beth! 😀
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Thanks so much Marie! 😀 See I’m thinking back to the last adaptation I heard about (Love, Simon) and about the next one coming out and I don’t think I get that scared. I’m not sure if it’s just because of the hype or what but I just get so excited I never seem to get to the scared part you know?
Yeah I love that feeling, and there are so many books I want to see adapted so I want that feeling all over again when it comes to my favourites. 😀
Thanks so much.
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Oh yeah maybe it’s that – it’s better, in a way, if you manage to be more excited than scared about it, we all should be able to feel that way about adaptations 😀 I guess the protective bookworm in me, just, can’t, haha 🙂
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I tend to always be more excited than scared when it comes to releases, not just adaptations but book releases as well. 🙂
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Oh YES – well for new book releases, I’m never nervous, just ALWAYS SO IMPATIENT 😀
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They can never be released soon enough can they? 😀
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NO NEVER 😂 We need all the books right now. But… we might be a bit overwhelmed if that happens, we can barely keep up now 😂😂
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I can barely keep up as it is, if every book I wanted to read was released at the same time I’d be drowning in releases! 😀
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Good post! I definitely think movies make for great publicity for books – however, the downside to bad adaptations is that fans of the movie might be disappointed by the book if it’s very different. I remember watching Warm Bodies and then being quite surprised when I read the books afterwards at how adult they were compared the the more YA targeted movie. It was a positive surprise for me cause I prefer adult to YA, but I can see a lot of people being put off by the actual books.
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Thanks so much Izzi. 🙂 Yeah I get what you mean. I saw the movie version of Warm Bodies before reading the book and then picked up the book afterwards and was surprised by the differences. I guess there are some cases where you have to take the book and the film separately. I like the film version and I like the book one, not going to worry too much about which is better. 😀
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Fair! x
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Even though some movie adaptations are bad, I still think it’s really fun to see the book in movie form. Some people have very strong opinions of movie adaptations (especially when they turn out really bad!) but I don’t have much of an opinion on them tbh.
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That’s a good point, there are so many books that I love that I’d kill to see on the big screen. Granted I’d prefer a decent adaptation not gonna lie 🙂
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I don’t mind a lot of book to tv adaptions ( even the Percy Jackson ones are okay sometimes, but don’t tell my friends that I said that ). But I hate book covers that are made to advertise the movie adaptions with a passion. This is a really great post!
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Ha, actually I feel the same way about the Percy Jackson movies too. I saw them before reading the books so they’re not that bad in my mind. 🙂
They’re not really to my tastes either. When it comes to book covers I’m always going to prefer the originals! 😀
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I almost always separate the book from the movie so my expectations are never really high nor care that much if the movie stays loyal to the original material.
Also, I think it’s awkward when I hate the book but love the movie ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Yeah that’s a good way to go, and it’s what I decided to do when it comes to adaptations as well. 🙂
Ha, yeah I haven’t really had that. I’ve preferred adaptations to books but never loved an adaptation for a book I’ve hated.
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Oh boy. I do think it’s great when a movie drives a viewer to want to read a book and vice versa, but for me personally it’s usually one or the other. With the exception of Harry Potter and Sense and Sensibility, which I loved both books and movies. However, it’s a rare thing when I like someone elses vision better than my own imagination. Big Little Lies was a good example. I loved that book but just couldn’t get into the tv show and people LOVED it! It took too long and I got impatient! Lol. Great discussion thanks!
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Same, and yeah I get what you mean. It would be impossible for an adaptation to live up to everyone’s imagination, I guess you just have to hope they do as good a job as possible with what they have, and not go in with unrealistic expectations.
Ha, for me it was the other way around with one of my favourites. I enjoy The Princess Bride adaptation better than the book because it was so easy for me to follow and the book was a little too detailed and long-winded.
Thanks so much. 😀
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Oohhh! Thats a great example of a movie being better than the book!
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I don’t mind film/TV adaptations at all! They can definitely get people to search out the books, and perhaps get them to start reading more, all because they saw a movie. Even lousy films can turn people onto books, like they did for you. And as for people who constantly complain about book-to-movie adaptations not living up to the book, well… no one made them watch it. If you’re expecting an adaptation to be bad, then you’ll probably view it as bad no matter how good or bad it really was. I try not to have a lot of expectations for adaptations, as film and books are radically different art forms, and the director will have gotten something different from the source material that I did. I can’t fault someone for having a different view of a book than I did.
And personally, I don’t usually mind when they put movie stuff on the covers of the books….. There’s a controversial viewpoint! *lol*
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I think as well with adaptations there are always going to be some changes. The things that make a book successful aren’t going to be the same as what makes a film adaptation successful. For me as long as the film ends in the same place the book did I’m not that bothered what they change in the middle you know? I think I’ve ended up lowering my expectations when it comes to adaptations. I guess an early lifetime of being disappointed has left me more jaded when it comes to adaptations. Plus now I tend to see them then pick up the book which in most cases does help. 🙂
I don’t mind either, it’s not really my taste but I just think it helps people find the book the film they may have loved was based off of. 😀
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Exactly! The movie will never be able to provide the same experience as a book, but it can (usually) capture the tone. And if it helps bring a new audience to the book, then it’s worth it!
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Definitely worth it. I’d actually be interested to see how a books sales changed after an adaptation was announced or released. 🙂
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I think my issue with movie adaptations is a lot of the time a movie will come out based on a book that I didn’t know was a book and I kind of lose any motivation to pick that book up. I hate that this happens because the book is generally better. For example, I have never picked up any of the Hunger Games books just because I ended up watching all of the movies:/
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I get what you mean, one of the people I work with actually said the same thing about The Hunger Games series. They’d seem the film so wasn’t sure why they should pick up the book when they essentially already knew the story and how it would end. I guess it’s just different for everyone, some people may end up being more intrigued by how the book differs from the film rather then unmotivated you know?
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Ya I can see how that can be the case but I have never experienced that.
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I agree with you so much on this! Even though I’m usually not a fan of the movies, I love how they create more book readers. I remember I HATED the Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children movie, but so many friends were telling me they loved it!
None of these people had read the book, and after suggesting it to all of them, some actually read it. They still liked the movie, but liked the book and had to go buy the rest of the series.
When I don’t care about book spoilers I sometimes try and see the movie first. It’s easier that way to appreciate the movie for what it is, and usually they are a lot better than we give them credit for.
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I haven’t even seen Miss Peregrine’s yet, but I’ve heard some mixed things about the film mainly in regards to what they changed. I enjoyed the books but I actually picked them up because the film was being released so I guess you could say it introduced me to the series. 🙂
I feel like when you see the film then read the book it’s easier to enjoy both than the other way around you know? Yeah it’s like with Percy Jackson, I saw the film before I read the book so I ended up appreciating the movie for what it was rather than simply comparing it to the book.
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Pretty much all my favorite parts of Miss Peregrine’s were changed. It’s a movie that I want to rewatch down the road without overly comparing the two.
I actually haven’t read/seen Percy Jackson yet but decided to give it a try. I’m trying to decide between movie or book first for these exact reasons lol
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Oh that sucks, but yeah maybe re-watching you’ll find you enjoy it a little more.
When it comes to Percy Jackson definitely pick up the films before the books. You’ll enjoy both more that way I think. 🙂
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Oh this is an excellent discussion post! I’m 100% with you, as I actually don’t mind terrible adaptions as much as everyone else. Of course it’s sad to see a favorite book adapted into something that lacks maybe depths and details, but I no longer have high expectations for the adaptions. I just take what I can get and go into the movie seeing it as a separate thing and nothing that is 100% like the book. I also agree with you that these movies can create new fans that afterwards read the book! In the case of Percy Jackson, I actually saw the movie first as well and that let me to picking up the book (which was a lot different, but ever since I’ve loved Rick Riordan!) and voila: a new fan 🙂
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Thanks so much Caro. 🙂 Oh yeah I get what you mean, I feel like there’s always going to be some changes when it comes to adaptations. What makes a book successful is very different to what makes a film successful, but you want it to stay true to the source material right?
I was the same with Percy Jackson, well kind of. I saw the film first and then picked up the books but I think the main reason I picked up the books was because of things I was seeing on WordPress about them. The films helped, I enjoyed the movies so I figured I’d enjoy the books too. 🙂
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I think you bring up a good point about it sometimes motivating people to check out the books, but I also find the opposite tends to be true. Some people have the attitude of “Why bother reading it, when I can just watch the movie and get the same story?” Personally I don’t mind adaptations in general, but I find it hard sometimes to watch when they change a lot, especially when they change the ending (My Sister’s Keeper, for example!). If I’ve read the book first, it ends up feeling like the movie version is “wrong” and it bothers me.
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Thanks so much, and yeah I get where you’re coming from because I know some people who have said that. I think it was someone I worked with said they weren’t going to bother picking up The Hunger Games books because they’d seen the film so what was the point. I guess it’s down to them but at the end of the day you probably get more picking up the book because of the film than those who decide not to pick up the book because they’ve seen the film.
Changing the ending would bother me too, I don’t mind when adaptations change certain parts of the book, as long as they end in the same place.
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Absolutely, but I think some people think of it like that quote from Matilda: “There’s nothing you can get from a book that you can’t get from a television faster.” People seem to be all about the convenience now, and don’t necessarily care about taking in more, as long as they get the overall story. I generally enjoy the books more since they do go into more detail, but that’s just me.
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Oh I remember that scene from Matilda so clearly, and you know I kind of get it but there’s still a lot the books have to offer.
Also with books you can use your own imagination and you’re not constricted by what the film has already come up with you know? 🙂
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I totally agree. It might just be because I tend to read the books first, but I find the movies tend to skip over a lot!
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I guess in the case of some books it can be hard to fit everything into a movie without making it five hours long or something.
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There is nothing more motivating to many people to read a book then if there is a film to be made about it. So in that way they are great weather they are actually good or not.
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Yeah that’s a good point actually. I saw so many people picking up Simon Vs when Love, Simon was in the works, and I know I picked up plenty of books as well just because of the film. 🙂
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