Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.
This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic:
Book to Movie Adaptations
It's equal parts exciting and terrifying when a good book is adapted for the big screen. Because it can be awesome (The Hunger Games) or it can go horribly wrong (*cough* City of Bones *cough*). For my list, I'm only including adaptations where I've seen the movie and read the book so I could actually make a fair assessment.
It's been a long time since I read the trilogy but I do remember seeing the movie for the first time and thinking, "Yes! They got it right!" From the casting to the story to the sets... nailed it.
Here's an instance of the movie actually surpassing the book. I liked the book but I thought Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller truly brought those characters to life.
This one is an example of not one but two great adaptations. After reading the book I watched the 2009 Swedish adaptation which was excellent and then saw the U.S. version in 2011 which was every bit as good (if not better).
This is another case where I might like the movie just a tad better than the book. There were times in the book where Bridget was a bit much to take, but in the movie Zellweger made Bridget funny and charming and relatable. And say what you will about Hugh Grant, but he plays the smarmy jerk role very well. :)
Loved this adaptation. Yes, there were some changes but I felt like they did so much right that I could overlook they few things I wasn't wild about. Loved Moretz, loved Kat and Denny, loved the music... big thumbs up.
This might be cheating since it was adapted as a TV mini-series and not a film, but I'm going with it anyway. While nothing could 100% encompass the epic nature of the book (I mean, it's 1,153 pages of Stephen King), the mini-series pulled me right in and I tuned in night after night to watch it unfold. Gary Sinise and Rob Lowe were total stand-outs.
I've gotta say, I'm not the biggest John Green fan. In fact, TFiOS is his only book that really did anything for me. But the movie adaptation really struck gold. Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort became Hazel and Augustus and I was totally on board for it.
Amazing book... stunning film.
Back in the day when I first read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants it was a decent read. But subsequent re-reads had me finding all of the girls pretty insufferable. The movie version managed to lose the qualities that drove me crazy in the book and make the girls likable and really showcase their bond. I admit, I still can't help watching this if I ever see it on TV.
All my picks have been in no particular order, but I will say that Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda/Love, Simon comes in at #1. One of my favorite books ever is also my favorite movie adaptation. I was so nervous when I heard about the movie but there was no need. Because they nailed it. Yes, there were a few changes (Leah in love with Simon... say what??) but they managed to capture all the charm and sweetness and humor from Albertalli's amazing book and translate that to the screen. Nick Robinson was perfection as Simon Spier and the rest of the casting was just as spot-on. (Right down to Natasha Rothwell as Ms. Albright.) There's no telling how many times I've read the book and listened to the audio, and I've watched the movie over and over again. Love. It. ♥
What's your pick for best/worst adaptation?
