Don't Judge a Book By Its....Movie

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Are you as excited about The Hunger Games movie as I am? I'm pretty stoked. And not in a Twilight I'm-excited-but-won't-admit-to-anyone-because-it's-so-lame way. I'm standing up on the (online) roof shouting about it.

Everyone I know who has read the book is super excited too see it on the big screen, partially, I think, just to see how they can possibly make the raw violence of the book into a PG-13 movie. I mean, we're talking about a book that has little children gruesomely hunting and murdering other little children....on TV. (For those of you who haven't read the trilogy, if that description hasn't scared you away, read them. READ THEM NOW.)

I have a friend who won't read anything on the bestseller list, on point of principle. I'm the opposite - I enjoy reading books that "everyone" is reading because it's one of the few opportunities to engage in those high school English class discussions: "What do you think about the ending" "What's this character's motivation,""Are you Team Gale or Team Peeta" ... well, ok maybe not that last one. Reading the book also gives you free leave to dissect the movie, line by line and shot by shot, until you inevitably conclude that the books is "like, way better."

While, in general, I agree that you shouldn't judge a book by its movie (I saw that on Pinterest) there are some great movies that do real justice to their books:

via Pinterest

 I'm a big Tolkien fan, but I have to say that in some ways, the LOTR movies improve upon the books. It's comparing apples and oranges, really - the books are an amazing work of world-building and imagination while the movie improves upon that framework in story telling and characterization. I love them both.

via Pinterest

 The Help was one of my favorite book/movie combos of the last few years. The movie definitely stayed true to the nature of the book, but added a really important element by elevating Aibileen to the role of narrator. In that way, I think the movie and book complement each other - one showing the young white writer's perspective, and one the black maid's.

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I had an English teacher in high school who always let us watch the movie versions of the books we were reading. Oftentimes, it was a good way to get past the tricky language or plots of a book and really get into the story. Much Ado About Nothing is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays - and it's been adapted into a wonderful movie, with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson (Keanu Reeves makes an appearance, as well.. in a Shakespeare.. I know.) 

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The Host is Stephanie Meyer's lesser-known, infinitely more interesting and better written adult sci-fi novel. Yes it's about aliens inhabiting human bodies, but the real theme, as usual, is love. I'm excited to see that Saorise Ronan, the badass girl from Hana, is taking the helm. Too bad we have to wait until 2013...

So those are some good one. But then there are those movies that so heinously deface their literary inspirations  that you just want to scream. Take for example, these ...

don't look it up, it sucks

This movie made me want to barf. I loved this book so so much as a kid, and after her breakout in Princess Diaries, I really thought Ann H could handle representing  such a great main character -- but, no. It's a total train wreck of cosmic proportions.

 

Ok, this is starting to reveal a trend in my literary tastes - I don't just read teen and pre-teen fantasy novels, ok? When I watched this with my bestie, she literally could not sit still she was so busy angry-whispering all the things the movie was getting wrong. Too bad - these books could have been made into really good movies .. but at least that'll keep too-young-to-have-chest-hair author Christopher Paolini in the millionaire range instead of the billionaire range - it's less depressing for me that way.

I know there's more I hated ... can you remember any?

PS See you at the Hunger Games, y'all. I know you're coming. But don't eat your popcorn too loud - I mean it!