Books have been transitioned into movies since the beginning of film, some with success, and others with disappointing failure.
Movies based on books are often nitpicked and criticized for not sticking 100% to the original text, but when directors are able to stick to the book, they are highly praised. Movies such as The Hunger Games saw a great deal of success, especially from fans of the books.
“Overall it was a pretty close adaptation other than some elements that could go either way,” said avid fan and economics teacher Craig Brown.
Conversely, movies and directors who diverted away from the books have felt the whiplash. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters were part of a hugely successful series of books, but were both heavily criticized by fans as movies. Movie critics and fans alike aired their anger in reviews, where both of the movies average sub 50% reviews on “Rotten Tomato.”
Most of the time, the directors are challenged with the task of compacting a full length novel into a 2 hour movie. Novels can take weeks to read and are full of detail and character development, but movies are forced to gloss over such components to fit time constraints.
“Books are long, most would be mini-series if they stuck completely to the book,” said film studies teacher Barbara Waltor.
Movies can sacrifice time to include more details, but there is a balance to be found. Longer movies can bore audiences, while ones that cut scenes can deter book fans.
“Longer movies allow the story to develop better, and that’s what matters,” said junior Andre Sobert. Directors are even stretching the boundaries of what books can be movies. Books like The Lorax and Where the Wild Things Are have been turned into full length kids features. Shorter children’s books can have an easier time translating to film, as there is less information to fit into the 2 hour time span.
“I would rather have a movie stay true to the plot… I don’t want a three hour movie, but I want them to follow an accurate story line,” said Brown.
Often times movies are based off books, but people don’t even realize it. The box office hit, Drive was actually based off a book with the same title. Movies like Drive don’t have to face the criticism that other movies do, as their novels don’t have as large of following.
“[Directors] can change things in the story and no one will notice,” said Sobert.
We know that when directors put all these elements together, they can create award winning movies.
“Most of my favorite movies are based off books” said Sobert.