People have been passionate about books and movies since they both
have been around. It is no surprise then, when combining the two
together, that passions get even further inflamed. It is notoriously
hard to please lovers of books with a movie adaptation. Despite this,
there have been many famous books adapted into movies. Nearly all the
classics have at one point or another had at least one director take the
plunge and make the attempt.
The past twenty years or so has seen even more proliferation of book
to movie adaptations. More specifically, the genre of fantasy has
recently made a huge splash into movies, much to the majority of the
populace’s delight. To name a few, we have the eight Harry Potter
movies (from the seven books), the three Lord of the Rings and soon the
Hobbit, the Twilight series, a television series based on George R.R.
Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice, and more recently the Hunger Games.
All of these have enjoyed an almost surprising amount of success as
well, especially considering the reputation fantasy has enjoyed in the
past, which was very nearly a social stigma. Fantasy books have recently
earned a higher acceptance in general society, and this newfound love
has further driven Hollywood to produce more fantasy based content.
Hollywood has been, for the most part, careful to keep as true to the
original story of these recent book forays as possible. The Lord of the
Ring trilogy did remarkably little wandering from the plot, and managed
to keep the whole of the story intact, with maybe a few little
additions. This preservation has been cited as the success of these new
movie adaptations. Not to mention the newfound popularity of the books,
of course. It also doesn’t hurt that with recent movie technology
innovations, it is easier than ever before to bring fantastic worlds to
life. The recent conversions of fantasy books to movies really created a
snowballing effect, helping bring fame and recognition to both the
realm of fantasy and Hollywood. Yet some book lovers have had some
reserves toward these new movies.
Books are so long and detailed that it is just impossible to fit the
entirety of the novel into even a three hour movie. This is of course
the crux of the problem. From here, it is clear that some things have to
be cut out. What is not always clear, much to the dismay of book lovers
everywhere, is just what should be cut and what should stay. It is also
notoriously hard to match the tone of the novel for a movie. Movies
tend to add more action to spice things up. And so we have the inflaming
of passion.
What book lovers need to recognize is that movie adaptations (even
bad ones) can do nothing but help books in general. With the advent of
television, movies, and the internet, it is too common in society today
to find people who no longer pick up books. So even a bad adaptation of a
book can do nothing but gain books recognition with those who no longer
finding books entertaining enough. That is why based on books, along with their , that generate so much excitement and social consciousness, can be nothing but a blessing.
