Worst Book To Movie Adaptions
We all have those rare few movie adaptions we love, but I think more often than not we find ourselves feeling the opposite about them. Adapting a much-beloved book to the big screen is a massive undertaking and I think most readers will agree that it's not always a success - in fact, it's not even usually a success. The bookish community seems, for the most part, to be pretty resolute about their stance on movie adaptions and it's not good.
I have definitely watched a few movie adaptions that I've absolutely hated. Some of them I even saw in theaters because I was that hyped. The saddest thing is that not even a good cast or massive budget could save these failed movies.
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Divergent
I read the Divergent series by Veronica Roth in middle school. Dystopian was all the rage at the time and Divergent was no exception. I think every teen at that time read it whether they were interested in the genre or not. It was almost like an initiation for many readers similar to The Hunger Games or, slightly less revered, Matched.
I reread all the books before going to see the movie in theaters. I went through the entire series in about a week as I never put the books down. I had mixed feelings about the books with the first being great, the second being awful, and the third being meh. I, however, don't have mixed feelings about the movies which are some of my least favorites.
I was initially excited enough for Divergent to see it in theaters because, while I had mixed feelings on the series as a whole, the first book was in my opinion the best out of them all. The young gay in me was also stoked to see my woman crush Shailene Woodley take on the role. And, despite still loving her, I couldn't help but dislike the movie.
The casting itself was pretty good but I don't think the written script lived up to what the actors could do. The world Veronica Roth created felt generic and flat on screen. I desperately wanted to love the movie but it left out so many of the best elements of the books which resulted in a mildly disappointing movie.
Also, they never made the last movie which I think sums up the movies perfectly.
Divergent Purchase Links: Here and Here
Cirque Du Freak
I was absolutely obsessed with Darren Shan's books as a young teenager. My first venture into his books was the Demonata series, a series I still recommend as a middle-grade pick. I became hooked on his writing as my best friend and I had a two-person book club where we read them together and discussed them. This lead me to his other series Cirque Du Freak.
I really enjoyed Cirque Du Freak, though the Demonata series will forever be my number one. The books are definitely written in the author's signature style so there's no doubt that they both come from the same person. I started these with my friends and ran with them through the numerous published books.
I had very little hopes for the movie if I'm honest just because the trailer was really bad. Going in with these limited expectations, I was still disappointed. The movie was atrocious and I don't even think I finished watching it. The casting was my biggest problem and honestly, I still will never get over the butchering they did. It was clearly not for me and didn't display the strengths of the source material.
Spare yourself watching this one if you can.
The Giver
I don't know if everyone's read The Giver by Lois Lowrey but they probably know about it at the very least. I read it fairly late in the game in high-school but it was still one of my few dives into dystopian. It's definitely a literature staple I would say even having only been released in the 90's.
I enjoyed the book a good bit when I finally read it. The premise was interesting in a society where their lives are viewed as the perfect utopia but in reality, are far from it. The main character, Jonas, is given his life assignment, a government mandate of what he will do with his life. He is chosen as the receiver of all memories that others have forgotten in a sacrifice for a monotonous and unruffled world.
I will be the first to admit that I mainly watched The Giver movie for Taylor Swift. She may have only had a minor role in the movie but it was enough to catch my attention. I also was curious having read the book to see what all the fuss was about. In addition, the cast lineup aside from Taylor Swift was extraordinary with the likes of Meryl Streep.
The movie was very much like the world the book is set in, dull and bland. It had lost any spark of the original and replaced it with an uncompelling storyline. It just came across as an overproduced movie that was easily forgettable - much like the memories in the book. Personally, I don't think even the best cast could have saved this one.
The Giver Purchase Links: Here and Here
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