At the end of this article are my top six movie adaptations. Enjoy!
Many people are strongly against books being turned into movies, and there are many who think it’s a fantastic idea. This is such a controversial topic and in the end, I don’t believe there is one answer, because it all depends on the person’s opinion. So, I’ll give you a list of both the benefits and disadvantages, and it’s up to you to decide what you think is better.
Cons:
1. There are many adaptations that are done poorly, and the director doesn’t follow the book, and even sometimes goes the complete opposite of the book's plot. This is a big disappointment, especially if the book is well-known and widespread, because people look forward to the movie of this amazing book they read, and it's just an awful movie.
2. A movie adaptation can leave people who read the book after seeing the movie as only seeing the characters and scenes as they're depicted in the movie. One of the joys of reading a book is being able to independently imagine what the characters look like and what they sound like. Taking that away is taking away something that many readers hold dear.
3. A movie is, at most, only around three hours or so. This is a short time compared to a book, which can take much more time to read. There's so much detail in books that's missed when it's turned into a movie. The director decides what's best to keep in and what should be taken out. It’s a tough decision, because there will always be things that the the audience wanted to see that wasn’t in the movie, because the director thought it wasn’t as important.
Pros:
1. A movie is a very good way for a not-so-popular book or story to become much more well-known. "The Passion of The Christ" is a perfect example, because of the amount of people that just knew the general story as compared to the amount of people that watched the movie. Movies appeal to a larger population than books. With today’s technology, books have become minuscule, and movies and TV shows rule. Having a movie adaptation of a book will spread the author's ideas even further.
2. For those that can’t completely imagine what’s going on in a book when they read it, a movie helps these people enjoy the story more. Not to mention, even people who basically have a movie in their head already from reading the book can see what’s different, and can see it being played out on a screen. That’s something I’ve always liked about movie adaptations, being able to see the characters and scenes come to life.
3. Movies that originated as books could become one of the greatest movies of all time. Take "The Lord of the Rings," for example. It's one of the greatest series of all time, and it was created into one of the greatest movies. This is because if the acting, director, directing, and story are all done by the book, so many people will enjoy it. "Harry Potter" is another great example of this. They were all books, but turned into amazing movies loved by the world. There are so few that succeed in this but, when done right, it can be a successful movie.
Now it’s your turn to decide. What is the better decision? Leave a book up to interpretation, or to turn it into a masterpiece to watch the emotions and feelings on a screen? It’s your choice, but whatever you choose, “may the odds be EVER in your favor,” because there will always be someone who’s going to argue with you.
1. "The Lord of the Rings" series
2. "The Princess Bride"
3. The "Harry Potter" series
4. "The Hunger Games" series
5. "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"
6. "Divergent"
