This has been an idea that has been floating around in the back of my head for a few years now. As a big lover of both books and movies, it's always interesting when a new one comes out. Despite the old bookish mantra that the book is always better than the movie, there are a few cases where I personally believe it goes the other way.
Just a few quick disclaimers before we get into the bulk of this post. Firstly, when I say "movies", I am going to also include TV show adaptations. There are a couple of TV show adaptations that I've seen and have opinions on. Secondly, I am only going to be comparing on screen adaptations with books I've read. There are a few where I haven't read the books yet, which would make it unfair to compare the two. Thirdly, it is perfectly okay for you to disagree with me, but please remember these are my opinions.
How Will I Be Rating Them?
The main way I judge if a book to on screen adaptation is something I like, is mostly how accurate it is. Accuracy is a key point in adaptation. You can't take an existing story and radically change it, unless it is loosely based on said story. Overall enjoyment is another key factor. It will also be taken into account whether or not I saw the film first or if I read the book first. Without further ado, here are my thoughts on some book to on screen adaptations.
Books Over Movies
Let's start with a classic and that has the be the Harry Potter series. This is one of the first book vs movies I ever remember being involved with and caring about. In my household, we made it a rule that you couldn't see the movies until you had read the books. I only saw the last three movies in the cinema, even though at the time of seeing Half Blood Prince, I was reading Deathly Hallows for the first time. This is 100% a case where I prefer the books to the movies. It's not that the movie adaptations are bad, they're fairly solid. It's more a case that the movies will never beat the original text. I adore the books so much.
Another book that beats its movie adaptation is City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Although I do owe a lot to the movie, and I'm fairly certain that I watched the film then read the books, the movie adaptation is widely viewed as bad. It is still a film I watch every now and then for nostalgia purposes, but the book will always hold a special place in my heart. The movie did it very little justice and I haven't heard the best thing about the recent TV show adaptation.
The Divergent series was one of the first YA series I remember reading when I properly got into books in my early teens. I remember going to see the film with a friend before either of us had ever read the books. Although they are not the most high brow books and the ending of the series was somewhat disappointing, they are superior to their movie adaptation. I never even finished watching the movies. I think I got halfway through the second one and I just couldn't do it.
The final one on this list has to the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. The fact that it was written and directed by Tim Burton, made it a pretty good movie in it's own rights. However, the fact that they changed some of the key elements about the books and it's been almost four years since it came out and there has been no hint of a sequel, it just ended up being a bit of a flop. As a movie on it's own, if it was not adapted from a book, it would have been an incredible movie, but knowing the back story, it has to go on the books over movies list.
Movies Over Books
My first entry on this list is actually where my idea for this post came from and that is Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. Here, I watched the Netflix TV show adaptation first and fell head over heals in love with this world and these characters. However, when I read the book, it was nothing like the show and I was hugely let down. Douglas Adams is a phenomenal writer, but it was a book from the 80s and he didn't stop talking about iMacs throughout the whole thing. The original text just felt very dated to me, whereas the TV show was modern and exciting. I'm still bitter that they never finished it properly.
Another TV show adaptation is the Poldark TV show vs the books. This was one where I watched the on screen adaptation first. I then read the books. I've read six out of the seven I own and it is a twelve book series. I think I prefer the show as these books, like Dirk Gently, are very dated. They were written in the fifties and sixties, and feel very cheesy. I love the world and characters but this has to be a case where the TV show is just easier to follow. It cut a lot of the minor plots out and gets straight to the heart of the action.
The next one where I prefer the movie is the Lord of the Rings, however I can only say that after having read just the first book. It seems to be a reoccurring theme in this post, but the novel felt dated, mainly due to the language choice and attitudes. I grew up watching the film adaptations, so they will always have a special place in my heart. I do intend to read all of the books in the LotR series, but for now the movies will always be it for me.
Finally, I have the Scott Pilgram graphic novel series vs the movie adaptation. Once again, the common theme is that I saw the movie adaptation first. I just reread the summary for the graphic novels and realised how impressive it is that they turned a six book series into one movie. I like how fast paced and fun the movie is.
On-Screen Adaptations I'd Love to See
Here is just a little list of books I'd love to see adapted for the screen:
- Serpent and Dove
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
- My Dark Vanessa
- Strange the Dreamer
So that concludes my post on books vs movie adaptations. What are your thoughts on book vs movie adaptations?
Carenza :) x
