From Book to Film: The Hollywood Treatment

Since one of my favourite books is getting a movie adaption and I’m more than a little bit very concerned about what I’ve seen so far in the trailer, I’m here to talk about the best and worst movie adaptations that I’ve seen and there have been a few (my research list for this post includes roughly 30 books or book series that got the Hollywood treatment. For those of you interested, the rest of the research list will be at the bottom of the post.) Some books are so well loved that they needed a movie and some books should never have got a movie in the first place. Some films are faithful to their source but others make you think that the writers saw the book cover and said ‘Yeah we’ll make that one’ and, when asked if they read it, the writers laughed and tossed the novel in the bin. So, let’s have a look at a small number of the good and the bad and never forget the book is always better than the movie.

THE GOOD

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy – Shot by fans for fans and, boy, does it show. Of course, the LotR movies are missing parts from the novels but, with the original text being so dense and so massive, I think I’ll give Peter Jackson a pass. Critically acclaimed across the board, the trilogy has become a cultural milestone and, in the not too distant future, there will probably be directors stating that these were the movies that inspired them to be filmmakers. It’s clear that Jackson and his team spent a lot of time finding this cast and putting together scripts that not only tell the complete story from start to finish but create a Middle Earth that Tolkien himself would be proud of. These films are all the better for having the Director’s Cuts readily available extending each movie, with all 3 films adding up to 11 hours and 23 minutes of run time.

Harry Potter – Now, before I get murdered by Potter fans everywhere I said good, not perfect. Yes, there was no S.P.E.W in the movies. And no Peeves. DIDYOUPUTYOUTNAMEINTHEGOBLETOFFIYAH?! Dumbledore asked calmly. I get it, I do. Did I have issues here and there? Yes, absolutely, but these films always captured the magic of the Wizarding World and the magic of life at Hogwarts for me and were faithful (to the best of their abilities) to the books. Based on seven densely packed novels, the movies culminated in one of the first really big movie franchises based on a book series and everyone had their favourite book and not every detail of every book could be crammed into the movies very limited run time. They tried and succeeded in capturing the world’s imagination and because of these movies more people read the books. It doesn’t matter where you started, be it with the books or films, you always found your home at Hogwarts eventually.

THE BAD

The Percy Jackson Movies – This is a case of huge potential gone to waste. There was an amazing source text and a great cast but where was the influence of the source text in the movie? To me, it felt like the script writers decided to hit specific plot point and call it a movie and you know it’s bad when the author says it was like “my life’s work going through a meat grinder”. Ouch! We lost all the personality that was built into our core characters in the novel that made them lovable and unique. The actors did their best to recreate the characters faithfully but, with a very crammed script, good character development was put on hold to progress the plot. But, rejoice demigods everywhere! There is a TV series being made with input from the beloved author Uncle Rick Riordan in the near future! I, for one, hope Logan Lerman (OG Percy), Alexandra Daddario (OG Annabeth) and Brandon T. Jackson (OG Grover) make appearances this time around too. Logan as Poseidon, Alexandra as Athena and maybe Brandon as Chiron? That would be amazing but just a suggestion!

Ella Enchanted – Now don’t get me wrong I do like this movie as a stand alone thing but there is only so much Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy can redeem about this movie when it is compared to the book it was based on. In the book, Gail Carson Levine introduces us to a reimagining of the Cinderella fairy tale in which the lead character, Ella, is blessed/cursed to obey any order she is given. This is relatively similar to the movie (so far so good), however, the movie plot differs so much from the plot of the novel that the author recommended “regarding the movie as a separate creative act.” You know it’s a bad representation of the story when independent, brave Ella who rescued the prince more than once in the book becomes your typical ‘I need a man to save me’ damsel in distress. Ella Enchanted, the book, is worth looking at because it teaches young women to embrace their weirdness and not be anything but themselves, regardless of the orders that they are given and I definitely prefer that message.  

BONUS ROUND – THE WTF?!

The 50 Shades Trilogy – This isn’t a case of whether or not the movies were good or bad; this is more about did we really need a visual representation of these books? Seriously?! How about thanks but no. As great as it was to have Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey, we didn’t really need to see every moment of Ana and Christian’s relationship on the big screen. Nope. No thanks. Definitely did not need that. These movies go into the same bin as that Harry Styles fan fiction movie, After.  

My Research List of Books

(These books are definitely worth reading, then go watch the movies and tell me what you think. Where the names differ both titles will be included)

Forrest Gump by Winston Groom

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum Movie: The Wizard of Oz.

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 

Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant by Suzanne Roth

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure by James Dashner

The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

Room by Emma Donoghue

The Chronicles of Narnia: ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ and ‘Prince Caspian’ by C.S. Lewis

Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African-American Women Who Helped Launch Our Nation into Space by Margot Lee Shatterly

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Northern Lights by Philip Pullman Movie: The Golden Compass TV: His Dark Materials

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

To All The Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard Movie: Jackie Brown

Jumper by Steven Gould

Fallen by Lauren Kate

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare Movie: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones T.V. Shadowhunters 

A Game Of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Horns by Joe Hill

One For the Money by Janet Evanovich