Book to Movie Adaptations: LOTR, HP CON, Percy Jackson, other fantasy lit

[Benisse]

Ella Enchanted by Gail Devine was a delightful book, but the film adaptation was dreadful because it did not take the plot seriously and tried to make it so campy that the deep wonder and love and courage and heart of the story was lost. Alas for the mismatch of tone and story!

On the other hand, there is The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, a web series updating Pride and Prejudice to modern times with Lizzie Bennet as a graduate student in communications starting a videolog... <LizzieBennet.com> Although I have some reservations about the Lydia aspect of the adaptation, the crushing impact and shock of her fall is in some ways more understandable and accessible because it is framed from today's perspective. The times have changed but the heart and the storyline are all there stronger than ever. I especially appreciate the ways that Charlotte, Georgianna ("Gigi"), and others are given more dimension and color in its one hundred 5-8 minute installments. (And it is impressive in its use of so many types of media, from youtube, facebook, pinterest, twitter, tumblr, google and more so you get the story from many different perspectives.)

 

[inkspot]

I need to reread the LotR books, but I'm fairly certain that PJ did make Galadriel more prominent than she was in the books. Yes, she was an extremely important character in the books, but she was never in a position of authority over Gandalf, which they set her up to be in the Hobbit. (She's not even supposed to be in that story!)

PJ put a lot of the Simarrilion and the Appendixes of The hobbit and LOTR into The Hobbit film, so just because something is in the film that you didn't read in The Hobbit book, it might still be part of Middle Earth because it is in the appendix or the Silmarillion. I actually liked that about The Hobbit film, that it packed so much of the "extras" into the film.

I know there's an entire thread for Hunger Games already, but since we're talking about movie adaptions already...
Thoughts on Hunger Games?

I only read book one, and did not see the film, so I cannot comment. Based on the huge box office response though, it must have been well done.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Devine was a delightful book, but the film adaptation was dreadful because it did not take the plot seriously and tried to make it so campy that the deep wonder and love and courage and heart of the story was lost. Alas for the mismatch of tone and story!

Oh, I forgot about this one! How horrible that film was! I only watched about the first 20 minutes because I couldn't believe my eyes! The film RUINED the story way worse than even PC ...

On the other hand, there is The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, a web series updating Pride and Prejudice to modern times with Lizzie Bennet as a graduate student in communications starting a videolog... <LizzieBennet.com>

Wow! I never heard of this! I will have to check it out, as I am such an Austen-phile. Thanks!

 

[Icefire]

I hated the movie Ella Enchanted. The friend who introduced me to the story in general loved the movie and hated the book....she still doesn't like the book. I don't understand her...

 

[Narnia_bookworm]

The book is so amazing. I didn't care much for the movie. I don't Anne Hathaway should've been picked, since her and Ella weren't the same age.

 

[Narnia_bookworm]

The Eragon movie was incredibly lame! I sat through it with a cousin who hadn't read the book yet and couldn't understand why on earth she liked it! I did like the books, though I would never call them great literature....and I think he pretty much blew it with the last book.

I need to reread the LotR books, but I'm fairly certain that PJ did make Galadriel more prominent than she was in the books. Yes, she was an extremely important character in the books, but she was never in a position of authority over Gandalf, which they set her up to be in the Hobbit. (She's not even supposed to be in that story!) I think that's what bothered me most about her character. I never considered Tolkien had set her up to be like the Blessed Virgin, but I'm also not Catholic and I didn't know Tolkien was when I first read these books.
I really hated what they did with Arwen, but I am sure (again) that I am the only girl with this particular opinion. I think I may have connected a lot of the patheticness of Aragorn's character with Arwen.

I know there's an entire thread for Hunger Games already, but since we're talking about movie adaptions already...
Thoughts on Hunger Games?

I thought the movie was well adapted. All three of The Hunger Games books are amazing!

 

[Icefire]

Every time I read Ella Enchanted I find myself wishing the book would never end! I couldn't wait for the movie to end.
I hate the Hunger Games and am obsessed at the same time. It makes no sense, I know, but as much as I hated the books I had to read them. I thought the movie was pretty good for an adaption. I still don't get how they manage to stuff a month's worth of games into less than a week, but it wasn't awful as far as adaptions go.

 

[-Jewel the Unicorn-]

Some adaptations really work i find...

Like Agatha Christie's Poirot. The films starring David Suchet are brilliant! I read one or two of the books and they were pretty good too, but considering they were short stories, a bit lacking in detail which the films were able to make up for. Don't get me wrong, she's a fantastic author to come up with so many brilliant plots and murders and most of the films, i find, really compliment her work.

Another is Northanger Abbey. I watched the newest adaptation and LOVED it! Then i read the book and was very disappointed. It was Jane Austen's first novel and is quite wooden compared to her other brilliant works. However, some of the adaptations made have really improved on her romance scenes, as studying her work closer it is clear that she is more concerned with human nature and society rather than romance as much, using a lot of satire to hint at the falseness of many in the upper classes. Although I must say that, other than Northanger Abbey, adaptations of her other novels fall short on the brilliance of her writing (with the exception of a few love scenes )

 

[inkspot]

I hated the movie Ella Enchanted. The friend who introduced me to the story in general loved the movie and hated the book....she still doesn't like the book. I don't understand her...

Me neither, that is crazy, I could not even watch the dumb movie.

The book is so amazing. I didn't care much for the movie. I don't Anne Hathaway should've been picked, since her and Ella weren't the same age.

Yep.

Some adaptations really work i find...

Like Agatha Christie's Poirot. The films starring David Suchet are brilliant! I read one or two of the books and they were pretty good too, but considering they were short stories, a bit lacking in detail which the films were able to make up for. Don't get me wrong, she's a fantastic author to come up with so many brilliant plots and murders and most of the films, i find, really compliment her work.

Totally agree, I love David Suchet, and they did a nice job with the films; and I agree, the films flesh out the books very well. good call. I also liked the "Evil Under the Sun" movie with, I believe, Peter Ustinov as Poirot. He does a nice job. And of the two adaptations of I have seen of "Orient Express," I would choose the one without David Suchet; I forget who the other actor is, in the movie (Albert Finney manybe?) -- he does an OK job, but the whole ethos of the film is much better than the BBC version with Suchet. They made Poirot too dark and humorless in the BBC version. That was the only Suchet one I didn't really care for. It was OK as an adaptation, but too dark for my taste.

Another is Northanger Abbey. I watched the newest adaptation and LOVED it! Then i read the book and was very disappointed. It was Jane Austen's first novel and is quite wooden compared to her other brilliant works. However, some of the adaptations made have really improved on her romance scenes, as studying her work closer it is clear that she is more concerned with human nature and society rather than romance as much, using a lot of satire to hint at the falseness of many in the upper classes. Although I must say that, other than Northanger Abbey, adaptations of her other novels fall short on the brilliance of her writing (with the exception of a few love scenes )

I will have to check this out, I do not believe I had seen an adaptation of Northanger Abbey. Sounds good. I liked the BBC version of P&P; it was a mini-series, and, I thought, very well done.

As an aside: I started reading the second Percy Jackson series, and so far I am enjoying it. Those are good books, lots of fun.

 

[-Jewel the Unicorn-]

Totally agree, I love David Suchet, and they did a nice job with the films; and I agree, the films flesh out the books very well. good call. I also liked the "Evil Under the Sun" movie with, I believe, Peter Ustinov as Poirot. He does a nice job. And of the two adaptations of I have seen of "Orient Express," I would choose the one without David Suchet; I forget who the other actor is, in the movie (Albert Finney manybe?) -- he does an OK job, but the whole ethos of the film is much better than the BBC version with Suchet. They made Poirot too dark and humorless in the BBC version. That was the only Suchet one I didn't really care for. It was OK as an adaptation, but too dark for my taste.

Yes, Peter Ustinov was really good in 'Evil Under the Sun'- i really liked that one even though i was dead set, at first, on disliking any Poirot who wasn't David Suchet

Yes, yes yes! That 'Orient Express' with Suchet was AWFUL! It seemed like it had no morals and was so dark, with Poirot being dull and insipid... I really was disappointed with that one. I remember it being all hyped up as it was being released on Christmas Day. Fortunately I didn't watch it then as it would have ruined my Christmas...

I find that the earlier episodes of the bbc series Poirot were really good- with Miss Lemon, Hastings and Inspector Jap (*elated sigh* I miss them!). They all brought a good vibe to the series. Some of the later series are good too- especially as they more aesthetic in the filming, but i loved the old crew!

 

[inkspot]

Yes, Peter Ustinov was really good in 'Evil Under the Sun'- i really liked that one even though i was dead set, at first, on disliking any Poirot who wasn't David Suchet

Yes, yes yes! That 'Orient Express' with Suchet was AWFUL! It seemed like it had no morals and was so dark, with Poirot being dull and insipid... I really was disappointed with that one. I remember it being all hyped up as it was being released on Christmas Day. Fortunately I didn't watch it then as it would have ruined my Christmas...

I find that the earlier episodes of the bbc series Poirot were really good- with Miss Lemon, Hastings and Inspector Jap (*elated sigh* I miss them!). They all brought a good vibe to the series. Some of the later series are good too- especially as they more aesthetic in the filming, but i loved the old crew!

I completely agree with you! I loved Hastings, Miss Lemon and Japp! Like you, I love all the Suchet Poirots though, but those were the best.

Yes, I was the same like you, so excited to see Orient Express, and then so horrified at how it all came out. What a shame. I even watched this great David Suchet-hosted special about the actual Orient Express, and he was so cute and engaging, I couldn't wait for the program itself ... and what a disappointment! I wonder why they went in that direction? Bah.

you know what is also good as adaptations go, the Sherlock Holmes ones with Jeremy Brett as Sherlock. He made the character so manic and crazy, I liked that. I haven't seen all of them like I have the Poirots because Poirot is my favorite, but I did like them and thought they made the Holmes mysteries very engaging.

 

[SunshineRose]

I also didn't like the Polar Express adaptation. The book had such an air of imagination, wonder, light, joy, and innocence about it, but then the movie was dark and had a sort of cynical, jaded edge to it. It was the most depressing version of the North Pole ever, in my opinion

I was disappointed because movies about Santa and the North Pole have such potential to be interesting and uplifting, but Polar Express seemed to want to be a dark, brooding movie, so I wish that they had chosen to adapt another book that would have been better suited to that disillusioned mood. A movie about disillusionment is fine, just don't tell me that it's an adaptation of Polar Express, because then I won't believe that you read the book or glanced at its gorgeous, light-filled pictures

A childhood movie adaptation I did like was Summer of the Monkeys. I thought the characters were as I pictured them in the book, and the setting was consistent with how I imagined it. The ending was changed, but it has to go down in history as about the only time that an alteration a movie made was for the better. The bittersweet ending where Jay sacrifices his dream of owning a horse (and just rents the horse for a morning with the reward money he receives for finding the lost monkeys) so that his crippled sister, Daisy, can have the operation she needs to be able to walk is beautiful and makes me cry tears of pain and joy whenever I see it. That ending more than the one in the book shows that Jay really has grown up and come of age by the end of the story. He has learned that love involves sacrifice and knowing what you really want (which is what is best for those whom you care about, not a fulfillment of your own desire for excitement).

Like everyone else, I thought the Hunger Games was a good adaptation. The setting was basically consistent with how I imagined the Districts and the Capital of Panem to be. The costumes were fitting, and the acting wasn't bad given the relatively young cast. The media change allowed a couple of additions that worked with the information we found out later in the series--the showing of the man who organized the Games being forced to commit suicide and the depiction of the riots in other Disticts, for instance--that I felt demonstrated that the script writer and director had actually read the series, understood it, and wanted to adapt it as successfully to the screen as possible. I don't enjoy the Hunger Games books as much as I did the Harry Potter ones, but I think that the Hunger Games movies, as a whole, could turn out better than the HP ones. The only annoyance in the Hunger Games movie that I had was the fact that some of the camera angles were a bit odd, causing me to feel a bit sick by the end of the show, but, overall, I would have to say that Hunger Games movie is a good example of how a popular book can be modified to fit the big screen without changing the storyline into a completely new one.

 

[Benisse]

What did you all think about the adaptation of Inkheart, a wonderfully creative story?

The visuals of the book world creatures etc. coming into this world were cool.I personally enjoyed it a lot even though the ending truncated the trilogy. The movie ending was poignant, satisfying and dramatic at the same time.

 

[inkspot]

I didn't see it, but I may rent it based on what you've said. I enjoyed the trilogy. Wasn't Brendan Frasier in the film? Was he the father? I thought based on his age, he must be, but he didn't seem to me like a good fit for that role ...