Movie adaptations

[Dean Baxter]

Let's hear your favourite movie adaptations of novels, and the ones you hate, if you like. I'd like to start with two corkers: Drive and Out of Sight.

 

[Robert M Derry]

I feel that a good movie adaptation is one that understands that a novel & a film are different mediums and need to be executed differently. Some of the best adaptations for me include The Shining & its sequel Doctor Sleep, I also like The Prestige, Jaws, Harry Potter films, Slaughter House 5, Soylent Green, The Lord of the Rings films... the list goes on.

As for poor adaptations, I recently saw The Girl with all the Gifts which I felt was a bit dull

 

[Hannah F]

Good = Gone Girl. The Light Between Oceans. Lovely Bones.

Bad = Discovery of Witches

 

[KateESal]

My husband (and I tend to agree with him) gives a golden vote to Clueless, which is a modern adaptation of Emma

There have been some great movie adaptations of historical novels. I must confess to a soft spot for Merchant Ivory productions of various novels (A Room With A View is probably my favourite).

Agree with the points Rob made I'm likewise fond of The Lord Of The Rings movies and also liked most of the Harry Potter series — especially HP & The Prisoner Of Azkaban, where the film successfully built on and added to the time paradox of the novel. Another successful adaptation of a huge-selling fantasy trilogy is The Hunger Games, which I felt was done very well.

 

[Hannah F]

I love "A Room with a View".

 

[RK Wallis]

And The Lost World (Juassic Park). I found the book so full of great scenes, I think the screenwriters split the good scenes over 3 movies (well, at least 2 of them).

 

[Tracey (T)]

Although i’ve watched all the Harry Potter films, they annoyed me because they missed out so much detail which made the books so good. I loved the Netflix series of ‘normal people’, particularly as I didn’t enjoy the book at all. Loved both the Winona Ryder version of ‘Little Women’ and the newest one. Also, ‘Sense & Sensibility’ and the Colin Firth series of ‘Pride & Prejudice’.

 

[Hannah F]

2015 version of "Far from the Madding Crowd" with Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts and Michael Sheen.
"Suite Francaise" with Michelle Williams, Kirsten Scott Thomas and, once again, the swoon-worthy Matthias Schoenaerts.

 

[Mythobeast]

Good = Watchmen, 300
Bad = Dune, Last Airbender

 

[RK Wallis]

Good = Watchmen, 300
Bad = Dune, Last Airbender

The Last Airbender movie was so bad (I heard), I'm afraid to watch it!

 

[HayleyG]

Great: IT part 1
Terrible: IT part 2

 

[Dean Baxter]

I recently watched the adaptation of Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, with Ansel Elgort playing the lead. It's pretty decent

 

[HayleyG]

I recently watched the adaptation of Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, with Ansel Elgort playing the lead. It's pretty decent

I enjoyed that too, although I think mainly because it looked pretty and I love the book. It was a lot of story to cram into one film.