The adaptation of books into movies has been a practice for centuries dating back to 1899 with Georges Méliès’ “Cinderella,” based on the Brothers Grimm story, and for good reason. According to Wordsrated.com, it has been shown on average that films adapted from books generate 53% more revenue compared to original films.
Sometimes books will be turned into movies many times, with each variation a little different from the last but still paying homage to the book. Sometimes directors can make more money reinventing a movie, or with more advanced technology available they believe they can recreate it even better. A prevailing example is the book-to-movie adaptation of “A Christmas Carol.” There are 16 different variations of this in movie and T.V. form, each one different than the last but all with the underlying theme of a selfish person haunted by past choices to become a better person.
Henry Phillips (9) has seen many movies that were based on books. Some he loved, like “The Lords of the Rings,” and others not so much, like “Ready Player One.”
“My favorite book-to-movie adaptation would have to be ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ I love how the movie perfectly balances fantasy and adventure while also showcasing an epic battle and hero storyline. The way the movie brings to life the author’s attention to detail in the book is amazing,” Phillips said. “My least favorite book-to-movie adaptation is ‘Ready Player One.’ Even though the book is one of my personal favorites, the movie does not do it justice and falls short in comparison.”
This brings up a recurring problem when producing a movie from a book. When writing a book, the author has unlimited pages to create background and character development. Books can even include internal monologues letting the reader know what characters are thinking, sometimes switching perspectives. When creating a movie though there is a limited amount of time, and the producers must condense the story by cutting scenes from the book. This can lead to criticism from the audience.
Casting, cutting scenes, and taking creative license in movies that are based on books when done poorly, can cause the movie to fail from an audience’s perspective. “A Winkle in Time” and “Divergent” are just two of many movies audiences say don’t do their respective books justice. For example, the directors changed many memorable moments from the book in the movie adaptation of “Divergent.” The major scene that caused an uproar among book lovers was letting the main character live at the end of the movie trilogy, when in the books she dies.
English teacher Taleisha Moore reads “The Great Gatsby” with her class every year. This book has been made into four film transitions. Moore has seen many of them and has an opinion on which is the best.
“My favorite book to film adaptation is ’The Great Gatsby,’ but the 1974 version, because it aligns more to the novel. In the 2013 version of the movie, the music ruins the movie for me as well the deviation from parts of the plot,” Moore said.
On the other hand, book-to-movie adaptations can be done well, creating images for the scene’s readers love. Movies like “The Hunger Games,” “Little Women” and “Jurassic Park” brought in lots of money and received positive feedback from audiences.
The release of the movie adaptation “Of Songbirds and Snakes” the prequel to “The Hunger Games,” has caused many people to revisit the beloved book series turned movie trilogy to prepare for the new release.
Ava Fleifel (11) is one of those people. Fleifel is a passionate reader and enjoys watching her favorite books be transformed into movies. She was pleased with the adaptation of this series.
“My favorite book-to-movie adaptation is the Hunger Games Series because it was very close to the books and amazing in its own way,” Fleifel said.
