- Do you typically enjoy films that are based off of books or do you avoid them? This has more to do with the story than anything else. For example, "based on the book by Nicholas Sparks" = heck, no, I'm not gonna see it. But I love speculative fiction, and so a lot of fantasy & sci-fi films are on my to-see list.
- Would you rather read the book or watch the movie first? Movie first. There's always more detail in books, and they have the ability to get more inside the characters' heads, so there's always details I would've liked to see in the movie that just didn't make the cut.
- What are some example(s) of films or movies based on books that got it right? The Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park, The Princess Bride, The First Wives Club, The Princess Diaries, Holes, Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH, The Hunger Games, Choke, Gone with the Wind, The Running Man, almost all Jane Austen adaptations are good -- especially Pride & Prejudice (2005) & Clueless.
- What are some example(s) of films or movies based on books that got it wrong? The Cat in the Hat, The Hobbit, Ella Enchanted, A Wrinkle in Time, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, EVERY SINGLE movie EVER made from a Dean Koontz novel.
- If you see a film based on a book does it make you want to go and read the book? Depends on whether or not it's a good film, I guess!
omg The Cat in the Hat. I'm so torn on this, because I disagree and agree! I'm definitely not a fan of the adult humour thrown in for cheap laughs, but I also feel like because production went this direction it's not a "wrong" adaptation since it's not 100% based on the books. I hope that made some sense lol
What about The Hobbit do you think they got wrong? The love triangle got under my skin, but other than that I think it was still fairly well adapted.
I didn't even know there were movies based off Dean Koontz novels!
We won't even show The Cat in the Hat in our classroom (of 4th-6th graders!!!!) because they absolutely get the blatant adult humor in it. And besides that it's just not good, IMO.
Oh, god, that love triangle. I wasn't even thinking about that! It's just bloated all to heck with unnecessary stuff they added from the appendices in order to stretch it into 3 movies (and to add in popular characters from the LotR trilogy...), when there simply isn't 3 movies' worth of material. It was successful as a franchise in that I'm sure they made a ton of money, but as standalone films, there isn't even a clear narrative thread amongst them. Like, there's a reason why fan edits of The Hobbit have become such a big thing online.
They are always so poorly cast and so poorly written, it breaks my heart. Fucking Phantoms, man. I LIKE THAT CAST, but NOT FOR THESE ROLES!
I'll admit I'm biased when it comes to LotR & The Hobbit, so I've never really thought that much about it although, like I said, the love triangle was just ridiculous. There's this one thing that bothers me a little though and it's the fact The Hobbit seems much more toned down (drama wise) and humorous compared to LotR. I know they're separate stories, but it doesn't sit right with me that The Hobbit doesn't blend well into LotR.
Ben Affleck lmao I might watch it just for the heck of it. I looked up the movie adaptations and they're all under 6 out of 10, yikes.
Well, The Hobbit book is that way, too. It's more of a kids' story, whereas LotR... just isn't.
The character Rose McGowan plays in the film was 14 in the books. IIRC, they don't even outright say the character's age in the film, but she was 23-24 when it was filmed.
It could just be my perception of it, but it feels like they wanted to tie The Hobbit into the LotR movies so it's not like they couldn't have adapted it to flow better. I think with the books it's not as obvious of a difference because it's lengthy, detailed, and as a reader you can kind of perceive it as you want, where as with the movies it's rather black & white.
I definitely get that instant "NO THANKS" reaction to some films based on movies (Rosamunde Pilcher is the first that comes to mind), but obviously that's because I already know what the basic plot will be and it's not something I'd enjoy. It doesn't have to do anything with it being based on a book but more, like you said, with the story.
Yeah, I think having a book out just means that there's already a built-in 'awareness' -- whether people generally like or dislike the book, they still know about it.
Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jurassic Park was SO good!
I like reading the novelizations of movies for this reason also. They go into more depth and it gives me more insight to the movie. The novelizations of the Star Trek movies are particularly good.
Oh my gosh, Ella Enchanted. I could rant allll day about that movie. I read the book within a year or so of the film coming out and I was incredibly disappointed by what they did to the film when I saw it. They left the entire Lela of Bast part that I loved so much out and it was just crushing. Not to mention they made the book look like a joke if you go just based on the movie when it's actually a good book. It's incredibly frustrating.
What was it about the Hobbit that really got you? My dad and I are HUGE Tolkien fans and we were both pretty frustrated by a lot of what they did that wasn't necessary, though I can't say any of the films are actually that bad because I feel like they could have been a lot worse - and I think my nostalgia goggles are on a bit because I loved The Hobbit when I was little and I still love the book.
I remember reading an incredibly negative review of "The League..." and thinking: "Hey, there's not possible a movie could be this bad", but it was. I can't get out of my head the picture of Nemo's giant submarine emerging from Venetzian Canals - it must have used time warps for turning!
- Would you rather read the book or watch the movie first? Movie first. There's always more detail in books, and they have the ability to get more inside the characters' heads, so there's always details I would've liked to see in the movie that just didn't make the cut.
- What are some example(s) of films or movies based on books that got it right? The Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park, The Princess Bride, The First Wives Club, The Princess Diaries, Holes, Mrs. Frisby & the Rats of NIMH, The Hunger Games, Choke, Gone with the Wind, The Running Man, almost all Jane Austen adaptations are good -- especially Pride & Prejudice (2005) & Clueless.
- What are some example(s) of films or movies based on books that got it wrong? The Cat in the Hat, The Hobbit, Ella Enchanted, A Wrinkle in Time, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, EVERY SINGLE movie EVER made from a Dean Koontz novel.
- If you see a film based on a book does it make you want to go and read the book? Depends on whether or not it's a good film, I guess!
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What about The Hobbit do you think they got wrong? The love triangle got under my skin, but other than that I think it was still fairly well adapted.
I didn't even know there were movies based off Dean Koontz novels!
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Oh, god, that love triangle. I wasn't even thinking about that! It's just bloated all to heck with unnecessary stuff they added from the appendices in order to stretch it into 3 movies (and to add in popular characters from the LotR trilogy...), when there simply isn't 3 movies' worth of material. It was successful as a franchise in that I'm sure they made a ton of money, but as standalone films, there isn't even a clear narrative thread amongst them. Like, there's a reason why fan edits of The Hobbit have become such a big thing online.
They are always so poorly cast and so poorly written, it breaks my heart. Fucking Phantoms, man. I LIKE THAT CAST, but NOT FOR THESE ROLES!
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Ben Affleck lmao I might watch it just for the heck of it. I looked up the movie adaptations and they're all under 6 out of 10, yikes.
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The character Rose McGowan plays in the film was 14 in the books. IIRC, they don't even outright say the character's age in the film, but she was 23-24 when it was filmed.
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omg Does she at least pass for a teenager?
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Jurassic Park was SO good!
I like reading the novelizations of movies for this reason also. They go into more depth and it gives me more insight to the movie. The novelizations of the Star Trek movies are particularly good.
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Novelizations are so rehash-y though. I usually can't manage to finish them.
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What was it about the Hobbit that really got you? My dad and I are HUGE Tolkien fans and we were both pretty frustrated by a lot of what they did that wasn't necessary, though I can't say any of the films are actually that bad because I feel like they could have been a lot worse - and I think my nostalgia goggles are on a bit because I loved The Hobbit when I was little and I still love the book.
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