Eragon. Anytime you try to shove a 1k+ book into a minimal amount of movie time you're setting yourself up for failure. For starting to write those books at fifteen and finishing at the age he did, I was impressed. The movie was TERRIBLE. I'm a huge Frank Herbert fan and have even read the spinoffs his relative worked on. I think Dune is one of my favorite movies. That and The Crow. Now... Dacre Stoker on the other hand killed Bram Stoker's book with his sequel. I almost burned the book.
@Lyrical - I agree with you that the 2nd and 3rd HG movies were way better. I rather loved the 3rd one actually - lots of character development and drama in an action/dystopian setting, which is right up my alley I liked Jennifer Lawrence, but no one else Oh Maze Runner - I haven't seen the film because I read the book already, and the book kinda sucked. It needed so much editing... and my word was the writing plain. Pity because I thought the premise had potential. Have you seen Maze Runner's Honest Trailer? Although yeah, watching the film first would get you the best of both worlds. I can only imagine how I'd have foamed at the mouth if I'd read All You Need is Kill before I watched the Hollywood adaptation Edge of Tomorrow. The Japanese, as usual, had lots of depth in their story. The Americans, as per usual, turned it into an action comedy that barely made sense. It was a fun blockbuster, but utterly forgettable. The manga, combined with the beautiful artwork, was amazing.
I have definitely come to appreciate Jennifer Lawrence since the first movie! She was wonderful in the second and third. I have repented of my previous outrage at their casting choice. For her. I still think Peeta lacks a bit, but we've all grown so used to Josh that I am unable to imagine anyone else. I love the Honest Trailers! The Maze Runner one was wonderfully funny and accurate, as usual. I agree that the writing seriously lacks. So...random/strange story. About two years ago, I was in Barnes and Noble looking for a book (now I can't remember which) and there was an author sitting alone at a table with an empty rope queue stretched out in front of him. He was just sitting there drumming his fingers on the table. I barely glanced at him. I didn't recognize the name. As I was walking out, I saw the advertisement for his signing at the front and saw that he was the author of the Maze Runner. "Sad," I thought. "Isn't his book about to be a movie?" Now I wish I'd spoken to him. He isn't a great writer, it's true. But he is published! Haha I should have talked to him for that reason alone. Is Edge of Tomorrow the one they inexplicably renamed Live, Die, Repeat a few weeks after it came out? I liked the movie...but I didn't love the ending.
Oh! I forgot. The Giver. That one was made to resemble more recent YA dystopian novels...but the book was much more subtle. That movie was sigh-worthy.
Another Animorphs fan here. I didn't see the adaptation, which I'm now very glad about. If TV series count then I'm going to have to nominate the recent Hannibal. Not bad in themselves but the Hannibal in them is so so wrong. I can't reconcile the actor's portrayal of him with the Hannibal in the books.
This is what I instantly thought about when I read the title. Only, I'm sorry you had to watch the second one. Yep.
How anybody could diss 'The Little House on The Prairie' is frankly beyond me. Very reactionary and completely unnecessary. How about the 'Banana Splits?' I bet she never even read it.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin was a tragic episode. Long time ago now - but Nicholas Cage with his banjo destroyed everything really. Also...well, we might argue about 'Clockwork Orange?' That's always fun, taking the high ground with some movie bore, say how the book is better. Thinking on... Tintin.
Gatsby was 'effing awful. I didn't expect Baz Luhrmann to stay completely on-book and I have liked a lot of stuff he's done, but he seriously screwed that one. F. Scott Fitzgerald was rolling over in his grave, I imagine.
I have to agree. In the movie, letting the grandfather get away with unleashing dinosaurs like that destroyed the message inherent in the book. On another note... I believe it was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (or maybe it was The Sting) in which the book was complete crap compared to the movie. But to be fair, the book was a novelization back when such things weren't taken very seriously.
Even that computer game scene? I love Danny Boyle, but all his movies have a cringy moment eg.; 28 days later- the humanity zombie equivalence head beating at the army base; Sunshine- the strangely supernatural burnt captain; Trainspotting- the middle-class, artsy, pretentious take on lower class drug use. I do enjoy his films though.
I tried to find it on Youtube, but could only find a silly version where someone had superimposed an actual computer game interface over it (or maybe that was actually in the movie... can't remember). There is a scene where DiCrapio isn't shouting to portray emotion (which is a first), but is instead running through the jungle, and it is this absurd computer game pastiche; an allegory that clubs you over the head without any subtlety whatsoever.
Ooh, yes. I remember the scene. I think all films have their flaws, but overall I thought it captured the book perfectly. I do wonder how it would have turned out if Ewen McGregor had played the lead as originally planned.
Ewen McGregor is fantastic, he even survived Lucas' awful script and direction relatively unscathed, which is commendable.
Oh! The Dresden Files tv show. On its own, it was an okay show, for the Sci Fi Channel (as I believe it was still called then), but if you've ever read the books, it was like a slap in the face.
@Lyrical - Live, Die, Repeat? It does sound like it could be the same, yes, but I've not heard that title before. As for The Giver - wasn't interested in the film 'cause I thought the book was awful lol. Excellent premise, like Maze Runner, but the writing was sorely lacking! It was just so damn bland!
Before I go any further, I have to admit to not yet reading the Hunger Games. I started the first one but really couldn't get into it but my son loved them all. But, although I didn't love or hate the film (more a 'meh') the thing I didn't like about it, was the lack of dialogue. There were too many quiet bits. Now, it could have been quiet contemplation - or bits where there was lots of narrative in the book, but I found those bits quite boring. Maybe I should've stuck it out with the book? I may go back and give it another go.
The Hobbit films. As a kid, I really liked the book, and even though the same magic hasn't grabbed me as an adult, the movies intrigued me. But everything was horrible. So much ugly CGI. None of the magic of the book. I didn't like the actors, stuff happened that wasn't even in the book, and it was just too long and unorganic and overblown and trying too hard. Boo
I've only seen the first hobbit movie, but it was alright. How they managed to stretch the shortest book in the series into three full movies, I don't know.
World War Z. The film was a huge disappointment for me, it was nothing like the book. It would have worked so much better as a mini-series.