This Week’s Top Ten Tuesday is Books/Series that you’d like to see adapted for Movies/TV Shows. I had already scheduled this post to go out today so now I’m looking at it as my anti-TTT post. lol.
This is is why I couldn’t choose 10 books I’d like to see adapted for the screen.
Dear Film-makers, please stop.
First you turned Twilight into such a farce I nearly got thrown out of the cinema for laughing AT IT so hard. You made Edward look like Lurch and there was something really wrong with Jasper’s face.
You also made to the only person in it that was not supposed to be hot, really hot. Well done.
Then you turned one of the most awesome and exciting books I ever read into a complete SNOOZEFEST when you tried to adapt The Hunger Games. I realise that I might be the only person in the world who hated that film, but it was RUBBISH. I mean, I really love Jennifer Lawrence but even she couldn’t save it.
1. Katniss was supposed to be starving but that didn’t really come across so it kinda just looked like Peeta tried to kill her by throwing a brick of burnt bread at her head. Luckily he missed. 2. Peeta…oh jesus, really? NO! 3. The fights were lame, the mutts were pointless and the training scenes were just too boring. Haymitch was alright though. So +1 point to The Hunger Games. Actually no, make that 1 pt to Woody Harrelson and 0 to The Hunger Games.
And don’t even get me started on The Time Traveller’s Wife. There are just no words to describe how awful that film was and how perfect the book is. Or Inkheart, or Cirque Du Freak. Or Five Children and It. Truly, truly terrible all of them. I could go on but I’ll spare you for now.
I think the only adaptations that I have actually liked have been Interview with a Vampire, Tuck Everlasting, Peter Pan (the live action version) and The Neverending Story. The Narnia films were enjoyable but obviously nowhere near as good as the books, or the BBC version for that matter. And The Host was surprisingly OK.
But now, there is The Book Thief. Why, why why? The trailer is not giving me much confidence really, it’s bound to be difficult to adapt a book in which the narrator is Death and I just can’t see how they will translate that so the essence of the story is intact. It just won’t be will it!?
For some reason I am kind of looking forward to The Mortal Instruments – City of Bones though which I’m going to see tonight. I didn’t love the book so hopefully I won’t get that ohmygodwhathaveyoudonetomyfavouritebook feeling. I do have CASTING RAGE with it though, as is standard. I mean, really?
I don’t know why I continue to go and see film versions of my favourite books because afterwards I can’t help but picture the characters that way instead of how I pictured them in the first place. It totally ruins it. But I do it every time. I have issues, I know. I do really enjoy slagging them off though.
Lipsyy Lost & Found 
I’m not going to list 10 books that I want to see adapted, because I’m still cherishing the fond hope that I’m going to adapt them myself, but I’d like to add The Hobbit and the version of A.S. Byatt’s Possession with Gwyneth Paltrow to your list of absolute travesties – even Jennifer Ehle couldn’t save that one. (I really liked the film version of The Hunger Games.)
Here’s a list of some adaptations I have really liked, though: Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter films (especially 3, 5 and both parts of 7), the BBC Jane Eyre with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (both the BBC Alec Guinness TV series and the recent-ish film with Gary Oldman), the ITV Persuasion with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones, the Joan Hickson version of Agatha Christie’s Nemesis, Michael Winterbottom’s Jude, the Emma Thompson/Ang Lee Sense and Sensibility.
Actually better than the book/(s): Game of Thrones
Hey you! 🙂 I’m sure I’ve seen loads of good adaptations where I’ve not been in love with the source material…it’s just my favourites being adapted that I can never get on with…they are just never as good and I don’t seem to be able to watch them as a separate entity…which I’m sure is all my own doing. But I wish they’d stop. Get some original ideas people!!
I am yet to read Game of Thrones, I kind of think why bother, the show is so awesome anyway so why invest the time! Sorry George.
I wasn’t a big fan of the Hunger Games movie, either. I mean, I don’t think it sucked, but… so much of the essence of the book and the greatness that is Katniss was lost by a movie just not being able to give us her internal monologue.
I also hate when I lose the idea of what a character looks like in my head when I watch the movie version. It’s really bad with Harry Potter, since there are so many movies – I don’t understand why I watched them all.
I love Interview with the Vampire, as well! No one believed that Tom Cruise would make such a great Lestat – I was flabbergasted! I never see Tom Cruise when I watch that movie, I just see Lestat. I did enjoy that 2003 Peter Pan, as well.
Yes!!! I don’t know how it worked but Tom Cruise was so perfect in Interview… Very odd!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! And I add: Amen!
Here’s my Top Ten!
Hahaha you’re welcome 😉
Loved your rant! I thought Interview with the Vampire was perfect, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt were just so unexpectedly amazing!
haha thanks! I do love a rant. And now I just want to go home and watch Interview with a Vampire. Screw The Mortal Instruments!
So, I’m now dying to know what you thought about The City of Bones. 😀
And, long ago, I dubbed Interview With a Vampire “The Ultimate Hot Guy Movie.” I don’t think there’s any other flick that features the likes of Tom Cruise (hot Tom, not crazy Tom), Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, and Christian Slater all in the same movie. (I really need to read the book!)
And, long ago, I dubbed Interview With a Vampire “The Ultimate Hot Guy Movie.” I don’t think there’s any other flick that features the likes of Tom Cruise (hot Tom, not crazy Tom), Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas,
Hi Krista, The book of Interview with the vampire is really good. I will warn you that it is not quite so much like the film though. There’s a great deal more of Louis moping about for one thing. I also feel it’s a really important book in the evolution of the genre, their first step on the road to becoming sparkly, if you will, although they are by no means as user friendly as in Twillight.
It is SO the ultimate hot guy movie!! The same can not be said about City Bones, however. I need to rant SO HARD about it right now. Ahhh. Hopefully my review of the book and an added rant about the film will be posted tomorrow…..!
It’s so therapeutic having a good rant. Now, not to start you off again but I’ve just posted 10 books I’d like to see adapted *gulps*.
Seriously, this is a topic that just riles us book lovers but there are some good adaptations out there. Really.
I hate to say it, and maybe you’re not a fan of the books but LOTR? Wasn’t totally mad for the Hobbit I’m afraid – it feels too epic, rather than the short story it really was (now I’m going into a rant!)
Hope you enjoy City of Bones – I’ve been to see it and read the books so will wait to see what you think.
Lynn 😀
I’m like Hannah, the books I love I’d hope to adapt myself. And yes, teh Hunger Games film did feel kind of flat for me. And although I love most of the Harry Potter adaptations both Harry’s parents, the maruders and Snape have been cast way too old (although I do love Alan Rickman’s voice) as they’re only supposed to be 35 or thereabouts. Does any one else find it wierd that James and Lily Potter of ten plus years ago look more or less the same age as their still alive school friends?
I would definately recomend the first Game of Thrones book. After that though they become incrediably frustrating and a bit liek wading through treacle (although the writing itself and the characters are great). It’s a huge effort, especailly as the last two aren’t out yet.
I may post a similar rant after I’ve seen the Daughter of Smoke and Bone movie. That is the first book I have been amazingly passionately crazy about for a long time. Looking forward to it with aprehension.
Hope you enjoyed the rant 🙂
Oh I really want to read Daughter of Smoke and Bone, it looks amazing…of course it’s being made into a movie already! haha excellent rant! I’m not much of a Potter fan though so can’t really wade in on that one…terrible, I know!
Oh read it. It’s amazing. And certainly before you see the film in this case.
I can totally see how people could not like Harry Potter. I think they can be a bit marmite.
I’ll def get round to it at some point. 🙂 And yeah, I think with HP the hype just put me off and then the films were being made and I just didn’t really feel the need to read them, I think I only saw 3 of the films as well, they were OK I guess, nothing special.