Book or Movie: Who Did it Better?
Here is a hotly debated topic that definitely merits a little investigation by your good buddies at Bookfari. Why is there always so much dissent between the Book Lovers and the Film Lovers?
Films That Did it Well:
Lord of the Rings (2001-2003): A lot of people really dislike this adaptation, but having read the books and watched the films… I can tell you I’ve watched the movies a WHOLE lot more than I’ve read the books. Tolkien created a fantastic world of depth and culture, but at the end of the day, he was a historian, not a storyteller. Peter Jackson brought that vivid world to life in a way no-one else could.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992): There are definitely some things this movie could have done without (Keanu Reeves’ wooden acting) but Gary Oldman is such a chameleon that you quickly stop paying attention to Reeves and become enthralled by portrayal of Stoker’s Dracula. For once, not a cheesy Dracula, and quite true to the book.
Jane Eyre (2006): Technically a mini-series, but I’m still going to include it, because as one of my most favourite books in the world, I’m still amazed how well this series translated the story into film. I cannot express how much I love this adaptation. Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens make the perfect Jane and Rochester – it follows the story quite closely, and I dare any Jane Eyre fan to dislike it.
Harry Potter (2001-2011): This quite nearly goes without saying, but I just couldn’t leave it out. I’ve read the books a million times, and watched the movies just as much. I recently re-read the books, and then watched each film after each corresponding book. It was fantastic, and I picked up so much that goes on between the books and movies. Admittedly, a lot is left out, but never anything essential to the story.
Game of Thrones (2011): Another series, but it’s HBO, so cut me a break! If you haven’t watched it, watch it now! This is an amazing adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s series A Song of Ice and Fire featuring political intrigue, snow zombies, dragons and a King you will love to hate. Every fan of the book I know loves this show.
Films that Failed:
Robot (2004): If anyone happens to mention this film in front of me, it will always trigger a rant about what a travesty it was. The sad thing is, if this had been a stand-alone film that did not claim ties to Asimov’s classic, it would be fine. It’s a great mindless sci-fi flick. However, this book features nothing in common with Asimov’s collection of short stories, except for a) the title, b) the 3 laws of Robotics and c) some character names.
Alice in Wonderland (2010): I should probably mention here that I am so over Tim Burton’s style of film. As a kid it was pretty cool, it was all kooky and stuff, but now it’s just like, Yes Tim, we get it. You like to make everything all weird and stripey. But bias aside, this film was nothing at all like the book.
The Time Traveller’s Wife (2009): It is with a heavy heart that I have to include this one here. This is literally my favourite book in the world, so I desperately wanted it to be good, and I guess it does okay but the story is so complex and interwoven that a film could never really do it justice.
The Hobbit (2012): Whew, was this one a disappointment! I think the biggest issue for this is that they’re drawing it out into, two… three films? As a result, the film is filled with unnecessary padding, and I found it to be too “comical” as compared with the book.
Starship Troopers (1997): Now, don’t get me wrong; I love this movie. I think it’s hilarious and terrible all at the same time. I also love the book by Robert Heinlein, but let’s not kid ourselves, the movie was not really “true” to the spirit of the book.