*So you may notice this has absolutely nothing to do with otome/otoge…sorry…maybe the next post…*
Ahem…so…
I love movies…I love books…hell, I even love movies based on books….But with that said, it is a fact that few things translate perfectly across media. They can get close to the original source, but nine times out of ten, they just don’t match up. Don’t get me wrong not all movies based on books are crap, some are far better than their book counterpart (I’m having a hard time thinking of any right now…but I’m sure they exist). The Harry Potter movies, while not as awesome as the books, definitely did a good job at channeling the magic. But, more times than not a director will take some liberties when translating a beloved story to the big screen.
For true fans of a work film adaptions may seem like a watered down or diet version of their book sources. But in their defense movies have to contend with time and audience attention. I for one am not willing allot more than two hours on a movie…anything longer than that better be damn good! The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit Trilogies are the exception…and even then I had to fight the urge to take a nap!
I have seen my share of duds… some movie adaptions have made me cringe, cry, and just walk out of a theater in frustration (and with ticket prices at $13, that says a lot). But there have been others that so perfectly captured my image of the characters and story that I could have sworn the director had been peeking into my imagination. But then there are some adaptations are so different that its hard to find the connection to the source material.
So let’s all, Not judge books by their movies!
Well said. What other flicks have you found to be close to the mark? I thought Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas did a damn good job; Hunter S. Thompson himself said it was a masterpiece. But you’re right, good transpositions are definitely hard to come by. In spite of missing Tom Bombadil—which was understandable given how much screen time he’d have taken up—I think The Fellowship of the Ring did a pretty good job as well. That moth sequence was a trip.
Hmm to be honest I can’t think of any off of the top of my head… but I can absolutely think of all the terrible adaptations. I agree about Tom, he should have his own book…or at the very least mini series
Neil Gaiman’s ‘Stardust’ wasn’t too shabby now I think about it. Now he’s a bit older, Jim Carrey could probably pull off a good Bombadil; not sure if you saw him on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, but he’s a high energy guy. Just read some of your other stuff, you’re talented. Followed: check.
Thank you for the compliment!
If Harry Potter was five hours long, I would watch it. Haha! I guess the appeal of films to non-fans is the reason why it’s restricted to the standard film runtime. Now if only they made films for fans.
Lol I have to agree! I wish there were films only for fans. I don’t know how that could happen but it sounds neat! Also, imagine if Harry Potter land at Universal had some secret park that only those who’d read the books could enter!?
Oh yea, like if you knew the common room password or something 🙂
That sounds amazing! Shall we start drafting the letter to Universal?!
Haha! Maybe we should!
OOO yes!!!