Bookish Discussions: Book to Movie Expectations

Posted January 18, 2016 by Zeee in Discussions • 9 Comments

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Do you expect too much in book to movie adaptations?

Readers know that books are waaaaaay better than the film/TV adaptations, right?  But why do we still watch these adaptations?

2016 is a great year for adaptations because we have quite a lot of those releasing this year.  Some of them, I’ve read already and others I haven’t.  But this discussion is about my expectations for books I’ve read.

Honestly, I love watching these adaptations but more often than not, I get utterly disappointed by it.  I mean, let’s not talk about The Mortal Instruments, shall we?

The funny thing is, if I hadn’t read the book, I wouldn’t even think that the adaptation was horrible because some of these movies are actually good – just not what was written in the book.  I’m looking at you Breaking Dawn Part 2 (not that I liked the book).

When watching a movie or series based on something that I read and loved, I try not to expect too much.  You might say that I am too hard to please, but I feel that by setting the bar too high, I ALWAYS get disappointed.  So, I try not to be.  I mean, I do want to enjoy my movie-going experience.

I guess what I’m saying is that when reading, you let your imagination take over and you are transported to a different place.  I know movies do that too, but you don’t really use your imagination when you’re watching a movie, right?  You get to imagine what the characters look like and when that doesn;t match the actor/actress cast for the role, it would be really hard for you to love the movie.

That being said, these are a few book to movie adaptations that I am excited to see this year:

  1. The Fifth Wave
  2. Allegiant
  3. Alice Through the Looking Glass
  4. The BFG
  5. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

 

Do book to movie adaptations ultimately disappoint you?  Let’s discuss!

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9 responses to “Bookish Discussions: Book to Movie Expectations”

  1. Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

    I actually haven’t seen many book to movie adaptations for books that I truly loved, so I haven’t gone in with huge expectations. I did see the movie for The Host by Stephanie Meyer, but I kind of went into that one wondering how they were going to make it all work since a good portion of the book takes place inside the MCs head – I won’t say that I was blown away by the movie, but I thought they did a decent job. Then there’s the Hunger Games, which I thought did a fantastic job, and I was fairly pleased with Divergent. I’m really looking forward to The 5th Wave, but the one movie I REALLY hope gets it right is Unwind by Neal Shusterman. If that one isn’t done well, I’ll be really sad!!
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  2. Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight

    This is hard, because the first book to movie adaptation that MATTERED to me- as in, it needed to be good for my fangirl heart to keep beating- was The Hunger Games, and aside from a few things in the first movie that annoyed me, they were as close to perfect as a book to movie can get. So now, I am spoiled! But the good news is, I likely would never have that big a need for the perfect movie either. Like, I find the Divergent movies to be complete messes. But whatever, I can live with it.

    To be honest, I think I have found more good adaptations than bad! (Now I have jinxed myself hahha.) I loved TFIOS, and Paper Towns and If I Stay were also good. OH and I liked The Maze Runner movie MORE than the book! On the flip side, the aforementioned DIvergent debacle, and the cringe-worthy Beautiful Creatures lowered the bar.

    I am excited for The 5th Wave- but again, not so invested that I’d be concerned if it wasn’t great. As for Allegiant, I figure if the movie sucks, then it may actually make the book look better in comparison 😉 And if the movie is good, it will help me forget about the book- a win-win if you ask me 😉

    VERY fun discussion topic!
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  3. Zoe @ Stories on Stage

    I completely agree. Sometimes if you love a book a lot you end up having really high expectations for it when it’s adapted to a movie, and that just makes it even more disappointing when it turns out to be mediocre. I’m definitely excited for The 5th Wave though! Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! ♥
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  4. Terri M., the Director

    My memory sucks from the time I read the book to when I actually see the movie. However, I will say that I did find the first Hunger Games movie disappointing and the 2nd one made me want to take a nap. So I’m passing on the 3rd one.

    My favorite adaptation…The Green Mile.
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    • Carey

      I’m like you and tend to have forgotten the details of the book by the time I see the movie. I find that after seeing a movie I usually want to go and re-read the book to find the differences. I think I also realize ahead of time that the movie won’t be the same and therefore go into it optimistic. I rarely come out hating the movie.
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  5. Alyn

    It’s hard to say. I already know the film won’t be as good as the book. I think I am most disappointed when the film leaves out things that I love from the book, or things I think was crucial to the storyline.

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