Book to big screen adaptations

Ilovewishes

Ilovewishes

Member
Original Poster
Are there any book to big screen adaptations that failed to impress? Or that you love? Or that you wish they would hurry up and make?

For me, I was very disappointed with the Golden Compass film, although I loved the book. I thought the acting was iffy, there wasn't enough emphasis on the daemons and the whole film was just missing something!

And don't even get me started on Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice. One of my favourite books but the film was just...awful!!! They didn't stick to the story at all!!

As for love, I love the Lord of the Rings films, especially the extended versions and I am very much looking forward to Marley and Me later this year although I will probably cry all the way through!:cry:

And I wish they would adapt The Phantom by Susan Kay, the life story of the Phantom of the Opera as, again, it would be a complete heartbreaker!!

Anyone else??
 
DiPSU224

DiPSU224

Member
I love the Pride and Prejudice version from 2005 with Kiera Knightley and The Devil Wears Prada. Two of my favorite books that I could read and watch over and over again.

In keeping with the Jane Austen theme, I was so disappointed in the Gwyneth Paltrow version of Emma. I couldn't wait to finish the book because I was so excited to see the movie. I thought it was silly and couldn't wait till it was over.
 
G

Green Lantern

New Member
I love books and I love films, so books to films is something I always pay attention to.

Some of my favorite books to films are:

Lord of the Rings trilogy (extended version)
Christine
Stand By Me
The Green Mile
The Shawshank Redemption
High Fidelity
About A Boy
Psycho
The Princess Bride
 
DormaNesbit

DormaNesbit

Member
I thought The Firm with Tom Cruise was an ok movie but it did not follow the book as well as it could.

The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy was a wonderful book and movie that I suggest.

Janet Evanovich the Stephanie Plum novels are absolutely amazing, so funny and I would LOVE to see them made into novels.
 
PoohBear119

PoohBear119

Active Member
Some of my favorites are:
Lord of the Rings (all)
Fight Club
The Rules of Attraction

Let Down:
The Lost World

Wish they would make:
Chasing Harry Winston
 
k.hunter30

k.hunter30

New Member
Disappointments:

Eragon I'm sure a lot of people will agree that the movie did not do the book justice.

The Notebook It was a good movie overall, but I don't know how they could change the ending like that...

The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) This is probably my favorite book of all time. There is so much action and emotion and tension conveyed in the novel that is just lost in the movie. And if Alexander Dumas knew how they changed the ending in the film, I think he'd turn over in his grave.

Good adaptations:

Harry Potter movies. Granted, there are a lot of things left out in the movies, but with as long as some of Rowling's novels are, it was bound to happen. But I loved being able to see Harry's world on the big screen.

Jane Austin novels. I think most of the Jane Austin movies I've seen [Pride & Predjudice (1995), Emma (1996), Sense and Sensibility (1995)] were all rather decently done.

A Time to Kill I haven't read this book in ages and I've seen the movie only once, but I remember thinking it was a rather good rendition

I'd love to speak on movies like LotR, but unfortunately I have not gotten around to reading them yet.
 
G

Green Lantern

New Member
k.hunter30 said:
Disappointments:

Eragon I'm sure a lot of people will agree that the movie did not do the book justice.

The Notebook It was a good movie overall, but I don't know how they could change the ending like that...

The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) This is probably my favorite book of all time. There is so much action and emotion and tension conveyed in the novel that is just lost in the movie. And if Alexander Dumas knew how they changed the ending in the film, I think he'd turn over in his grave.

Good adaptations:

Harry Potter movies. Granted, there are a lot of things left out in the movies, but with as long as some of Rowling's novels are, it was bound to happen. But I loved being able to see Harry's world on the big screen.

Jane Austin novels. I think most of the Jane Austin movies I've seen [Pride & Predjudice (1995), Emma (1996), Sense and Sensibility (1995)] were all rather decently done.

A Time to Kill I haven't read this book in ages and I've seen the movie only once, but I remember thinking it was a rather good rendition

I'd love to speak on movies like LotR, but unfortunately I have not gotten around to reading them yet.
Click to expand...


I love Dumas' Three Musketeer series. I still need to read Count of Monte Cristo still.

Good call on the Harry Potter books, I forgot to list those. I also enjoyed the first Narnia film, but haven't seen the second yet.

Jaws is another great book to film. I think I actually prefer the film a bit more actually.
 
k.hunter30

k.hunter30

New Member
Green Lantern said:
I love Dumas' Three Musketeer series. I still need to read Count of Monte Cristo still.

Good call on the Harry Potter books, I forgot to list those. I also enjoyed the first Narnia film, but haven't seen the second yet.

Jaws is another great book to film. I think I actually prefer the film a bit more actually.
Click to expand...
It is AWESOME! You need to read it! I actually liked it more than The Three Musketeers.

And I totally forgot about Princess Bride (in your list). I should really go back and read that one again! But the movie is so enjoyable!
 
G

Green Lantern

New Member
I love both the book and film of Princess Bride. Goldman did a great job of making a screenplay out of his book. All of the humor is there, and while things were taken out for time, it is a great adaptation. There was an anniversary edition released a while back with the first chapter to the "sequel" book called Buttercup's Baby. It's a great chapter and I wish that Goldman would write the rest of the book.

Count of Monte Cristo is now on my "To Read" list. Thanks for the recommendation.
 
yankspy

yankspy

Well-Known Member
Off the top of my head I would say, "Troy", "War and Peace", "Frankenstein" and "The Stand" were bad. A good one would be "The Exorcist". In all fairness to film, it is very difficult to go from book to movie. If you look at the "troy" example, it would be rather difficult to accurately tell the story of "The Iliad" on film.
 
DisneySam

DisneySam

Active Member
Okay I have a few cliché favorites…

Harry Potter- No explanation necessary

The Notebook- I am with you on this one Kat! We were FURIOUS that they changed the ending from the book, because now they can’t make The Wedding. Grrrr….r I am still sore about that one! And they left out one of my FAVORITE parts where she realizes he has her painting over the mantle at his new house. :mad:

A Walk to Remember- I actually loved the movie version even though it was a little different. If they would have held true to the book and made her as sick in the movie as she is in the book, it would have been a sob fest like the Notebook.

Runaway Jury- Quite possibly my favorite John Grisham book, and the movie did it justice. Even though they changed the case…it still held pretty true to the book. But how can the movie go wrong with the unstoppable duo of John Cusack and Jeremy Piven!

Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants- I actually liked this movie better than the book, if you can believe it. The movie gave the characters better development I think than the book did.

Shop Girl- [okay I saved my rant for last] I loved this book, it’s one of my all time favorites, and the movie was a giant piece of garbage! I don’t know if it was Claire Danes (who I normally love) or the script. You would think since Steve Martin wrote it and was in the movie, it would be better. :mad:

[There are so many more I could go on for days, I love to read! :D]

A few I am ainxiously waiting on are:
Nights in Rodanthe- coming out in the fall the book by Nicholas Sparks is excellent and I think Diane Lane and Richard Gere will be great.

And maybe I am ainxiously waiting for the Twilight movie that comes out in December…:lookaroun I may or may not have shrieked like a 13 year old girl when I saw the trailer before The Dark Knight….:lookaroun
 
Dukeblue1016

Dukeblue1016

New Member
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas...


the book was too messed up to follow... the movie cut out anything that made sense in the book... so it was just two hours of WICKED EFFED UP STUFF


book was PHENOMENAL though... because you definitely did get sucked into the story and into the... experience...


I agree, I think they've done well with the HPs... I mean the books are too big and too involved to involve everything; but I think they've done a good job...
 
SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

New Member
Reading and movies: two of my faves :)

Adaptations I've Loved:

-LOTR: Honestly, just fantastic movie making all around
-Harry Potter series: same as others have said
-Pride and Prejudice (2005) -I was a bit scared of this movie at first because the BBC version is so classic but I have to admit I like this one better
-Empire of the Sun: I can't believe how many people haven't seen this!

Disappointments:
-Memoirs of a Geisha: The book was just absolutely wonderful and a great read, but I found the movie dull and felt that it dragged on
-The Grinch: Um. No. Cartoon version for me thanks.

I am very excited about The Giver finally being made into a movie. That was one of my favorites as a kid (and probably still is now!)
 
Ilovewishes

Ilovewishes

Member
Original Poster
The Hobbit

Well, Peter Jackson is involved in making The Hobbit. He's not Director like he was in LotR but he's Assistant Producer or something like that and he's one of the writers. And Ian McKellen has already signed up to play Gandalf but Ian Holm has said he's too old to play Bilbo again and has declined the offer. But Andy Serkis is rumoured to be signed up too so it's all sounding very promising!!:sohappy:
 
PotteryGal

PotteryGal

Active Member
Fun2BFree said:
If The Hobbit isn't as awesome as the LotR films, I'll riot.
Click to expand...

Right there with ya holding a sign. :D

LoTR (extendeds) were brilliantly done
Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe was very good
I love Jane Austin adaptations - the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice (I actually have no desire to see the Keira Knightly version), Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Persuasion.
Also love the Harry Potter films, although I love the books more...still, can't wait to see Half-Blood Prince in November.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom