Favorite Book-Movie Adaptation?

[mistershow]

I'm in the midst of reading The Memory Keeper's Daughter and saw this preview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10yOhWb2hWY) for the movie, that is apparently airing this weekend.

It really does seem like books are turning into movies at a crazy rate .. what are your favorite adaptations, and are they faithful to the book?

[Bear]

Hmm, probably the Harry Potter series. <3 I am a huge fan of the books, bigger than the movies, but I make a note of it to see them.

[Dunlop]

fight club would be my favorite, and then it would be harry potter

[Morkula]

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was one of the few movies that I thought was better than the book. The changes and additions really fit the story, and in the end it didn't deviate TOO much.

The Lord of the Rings movies, while great movies, aren't very faithful to the books. But I love them anyway.

[firepokemon]

^ I didn't know this was reply by being lazy and making a one line post.

Anyway, my favourite adaptation of book to movie is Empire of the Sun. One of Steven Spielberg's most underrated films which, I personally find his best. I've heard criticisms that he didn't show everything that the book containted. But I consider that opinion to be a farce. A good book-movie adaptation is when a film takes the most important content and make that content into a movie that is meaningful. That is what Spielberg does in this film. He portrays a boy living in China in the 1940s. Japan invades china and he is then faced with the separation of his parents. Thus he lives in some containment camp, separated from his parents for many years.

The film is just magical, the music used is beautiful, the photography beautiful and haunting and Christian Bale was just the perfect person to play the role of the main character. I just love this movie, and I;ve read the book and that was great as well. The book has the opportunity to take a much more bleaker views of things but the author who is co-incidently the person in the book removed some of the harsh realities from the book itself.

Every time the boy gets reunited with his parents tears start flooding in my eyes. Just a wonder of a film really and more people need to watch it.

[Motoko]

I think the best one I've ever seen so far is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. That was the only movie that had a lot of what the book, unlike other movies.

Take Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for example. In the book, Dobby gives Harry the Gilweed, but in the movie, Nevel (sp?) does. And Winky doesn't show in the 4th or the 5th movie. To me that was a big disappointment. =/

I am waiting to watch Inkheart though. I read the book and thought that was the best book I've ever read. And plus the author of the book is one of the producers. ;)

[Bear]

Take Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for example. In the book, Dobby gives Harry the Gillyweed, but in the movie, Neville does. And Winky doesn't show in the 4th or the 5th movie. To me that was a big disappointment. =/


[sorry, I'm such a HP geek XP]

I totally concur. I get the feeling they were too lazy to go through the CG to make Dobby so they just left it to a real actor. >_> Same with Winky, even though she wasn't and integral part of the story, I was looking forward to seeing her..

[Horizon]

I was always dissapointed with how much the HP movies differed from the book and how much was cut out, and more seems to becoming cut out as the films progress. The final scene of OoTP was severely cut down, for example.

[Gummy]

I can't really complain about the HP movies as I only started reading after the 4th book and watched the ones before that. Sure I had to research one or two things, but the movies still allowed me to enjoy and understand the majority of the story.

[IgnorantUser]

I didn't know so many people enjoyed the Chronicles of Narnia movie. I actually didn't like it that much. It was pretty faithful to the book, sure, but it just seemed to be missing something. I don't know what, but something that made the movie fall flat for me.

I really don't like book to movie adaptations that much. When I think of them on their own, they're fine, but I'm someone who always compares them to the book, and always feel like there was too much left out or altered.

A great example is the Lord of the Rings movies. I love the movies by themselves, but one thing that really irritated me was the whole love affair between Aragorn and whatever that female elf's name was. In the book, the only hint to even a slight interest in her that Aragorn shows is a passing mention. "Oh hey, why wasn't what'shername at dinner?" and that was it.

Maybe I'm just too picky. D:

[Anti Pop Culture Warrior]

For me it's To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Great book, wonderful movie.

[.gaia]

For me it's To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Great book, wonderful movie.

I've actually got to that book. :3 Not such a favorite for kids like me; but it made me feel warm inside with the vivid description and excellent writing style. :3

[Allstories]

'No Country For Old Men' and 'There Will Be Blood' are some really good, and recent, book-to-film adaptations. There's also the 2002 movie 'Adaptation', which is pretty good, but that one probably doesn't count.

[Styl3s]

Into the Wild or No country for old men have to be my favorites because they stayed true to the book, almost page for page

[Ichi-chan]

Ahh, mine would have to be The Green Mile. Both the book and the movie were amazing. ^^

[Fitzgeraldo]

Though I've never read the book (Oil! by Upton Sinclair), There Will Be Blood is an excellent movie.

If graphic novel-movie adaptations count, then 300 is a favorite of mine.

Oh! How could I forget? The Bourne movies are incredible, as well. While they may not be completely faithful to the books, they're great on their own.

[Ryoutarou]

No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood and the entire Bourne trilogy were all pretty good adaptations.

I'm interested in what's going to be done with Inkheart. I really hope we'll get another fantasy book to movie adaptation that isn't Harry Potter or Narnia that can get off the ground. I was hoping for His Dark Materials to be a good movie franchise, but I didn't like The Golden Compass too much, though it would be great if a Subtle Knife movie were to ever be made.

[Shadowfaith]

Lord of the Rings would be my favourites. But there are quite a few movie adamptions of books that I like, I just won't go into it other than my favourite one.

Though my worst was I am Legend and Harry Potter XP

[Toblerone]

Definitely the Harry Potter series! I think it is genius, the Harry Potter books.

[Tr@ce]

The Harry Potter series, and, um, well, I can't think of any more right now. DDDD:

[El Gofre]

The harry potter films were a mess tbh. Great movies, terrible for adaptions. Each one has had lots of vital parts missed, thank god the next one is going to be in two parts.
It's gotta be Battle Royale