It's Showtime!
Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly feature hosted
by The Broke and
the Bookish.
Combining both a passion for all things bookish with an obsessive love of
list-making, this rad meme was born. This week's post is Top Ten Best/Worst Movie Adaptations.
You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this week's TTT (considering this is a book and movie review blog). I had a tough time narrowing this list down to just ten, so twelve will have to do! So sue me!
The Oscar Worthy
The Princess Bride based on The Princess Bride by William Goldman - Name one person who doesn't like this movie. Go ahead. I dare you! There is no movie more perfect than this one.
The Hunger Games based on The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I watched the film before I ever read the series and the depth to which the actors portrayed these tormented characters and the tactful way in which they chose to show such gruesome deaths, left me totally moved. Honestly, the movie is what made me a fan first.
Harry Potter (all movies) based on The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling - I know I sort of cheated on this one by listing all of the movies but, seriously, it's Harry-Freaking-Potter! They brought every magical detail to life in these movies all whilst managing to remain faithful to the entire series. I'd say they definitely had their work cut out for them!
Warm Bodies based on Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion - It's a rare thing for me to admit that I actually liked that a movie wasn't faithful to the book, but this happens to be one of those rare occasions. The movie screams more Y than A (the book vice versa) but it's funny and touching and gave me all the FEELS. Even if you're not a zombie fan, you need to see this one.
The Great Gatsby (1974) based on The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - The 1974 version may be lacking the glitz and glamour of the 2013 version, but what it lacks in looks it more than makes up for in heart. NOBODY will ever be Gatsby the way Robert Redford was Gatsby. Sorry, Leo.
Romeo + Juliet (1996) based on Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare - Baz Luhrmann may not have wow'ed me with his take on Gatsby, but he certainly nailed the modern take on The Bard's most famous tragedy. Brilliant!
Barefoot In The Park based on Barefoot In The Park by Neil Simon - Another instance of Robert Redford wooing me with his understated sexiness. And tell me who could possibly play a cuter Corie other than the flirtatious Jane Fonda?!
Who Framed Roger Rabbit based on Who Censored Roger Rabbit by Gary Wolf - Didn't know this one was based on a book, did ya? Well, yeah it is and the book is just as looney (see what I did there?) and zany as the movie. And I love them both!
The Razzies
Twilight based on Twilight by Stephanie Meyer - Okay, I know the book was bad but when compared to the movie version, it looked like a work of art. I mean, c'mon!
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl - As much as I love Tim Burton's work, I don't care what you say, this movie was just plain weird and altogether creepy. I much preferred the 1971 version.
Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code based on The Robert Langdon Series by Dan Brown - No. Just no. I can't even talk about these movies, they make me so freaking mad!
The Three Musketeers (2011) based on The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas - Ridiculous. Just ridiculous. If you want an authentic period piece that shares some shred of similarity to the bookish version, you're better off watching the one from 1993.
Have you seen any of these movies? If so, which ones did you enjoy/not enjoy? I tend to watch films before reading the books --- what about you? Let's discuss our favourite adaptations in the comments below!
I love the Harry Potter adaptations. They're fabulous.
ReplyDeleteThey really were! I know they had to cut out a lot of material but those were some thick books and I think they did a fantastic job of highlighting the most important aspects of them.
DeleteI get a kick out of your love of books-turned-movies with Robert Redford. Perhaps he is the secret ingredient!
ReplyDeleteHa, yes! I seem to think so! I know the older version of Gatsby was lacking in a lot of things, but for me, it really held the tragedy of the book in a way that the new one didn't. And yeah, it's Robert Redford sooooo....
DeleteFYI: I married a redhead that kind of looks a bit like Mr. Redford but, shhh, don't tell him I said that cause he'll think that's the only reason why!
I'm the opposite -- I have to read the book first (although then I end up super-critical of the movies, so perhaps not the best strategy :) ). I love the Gene Wilder version of Willy Wonka, but yeah, the Tim Burton one was just weird and creepy. I still need to see this version of Romeo + Juliet (I've always loved the 1960s-era movie!)
ReplyDeleteLisa
Ah, see I learned long ago that reading the book first just wasn't a strategy that worked for me. I LOVE movies and I love to love movies and I found that I'm much more forgiving of the film if I read the book afterwards. But to each his (or her) own! :)
DeleteI do appreciate Tim Burton's style but for Willy Wonka and even Alice in Wonderland, it just wasn't working for me. Johnny Depp can pull off weird but weird just wasn't working in those roles. And yes! Watch that version of Romeo + Juliet! I'm not Luhrmann's biggest fan, per say, but R+J I'd say was the pinnacle of his filming career! Brilliant!
I bet you thought about this list for literally hours ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm not the best movie watcher, but I agree, the old version of Charlie and the Chocolate factory is much better than the Tim Burton version.
Romeo + Juliet just reminds me of the huge crush I used to (and perhaps still have, just a littl) on dear Leo. I must have fawned over that movie a dozen times.
I MUST SEE WARM BODIES *hangs head in shame*
I did! It was SO hard to narrow it down too! In fact, I think that was the toughest part. Ah, yes. R+J was the start of my Leo crush as well, but c'mon, how could you NOT love him after that?!
DeleteWait, wait, wait... you HAVEN'T seen Warm Bodies yet?! I must procure you a copy STAT!
Haha, I was this close to putting Romeo and Juliet on my list too. You just can't go wrong with Leo as Romeo. Great list :)
ReplyDeleteHere's my Top Ten!
Thanks, Jessica! It was certainly hard to choose but I always manage to come back to R+J.
DeleteI can name one person who doesn't like The Princess Bride movie: me! That said, I think it's an excellent adaptation. The movie just isn't to my taste.
ReplyDeleteLove Romeo & Juliet. And I really want to read Who Censored Roger Rabbit.
Wow! I really think you are the only person I know who doesn't enjoy that movie. But to each their own! You should totally read Who Censored Roger Rabbit and then let me know what you think! Not to many people I know have actually read it.
DeleteMy list ended up 12 movies as well, though they were all bests. I didn't include The Princess Bride, but it was on my short list before the final cutting; it sure is a fun film!
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to narrow down when there are so many good (and not-so-good) options!
DeleteWe share a lot of movies in common! I should rewatch the old Gatsby again. I remember watching it in school after we read the book, and I was just bored by it. The new Gatsby is flashier, so it holds my attention better, lol, but I'll give it another go to see if my opinion has changed :-) Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteVyki @ On The Shelf
I think I'm one of the only people to actually prefer to the older version of Gatsby to the newer one, but it may or may not have something to do with my love of Robert Redford, haha!
DeleteThe 1974 Great Gatsby is a good one, I can't believe I forgot that for my list. I debated putting Warm Bodies on mine, but something about the movie (maybe the female lead?) kind of bothered me. Great list!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear I'm not the only person who enjoyed the '74 version of Gatsby! I seem to be in the minority there.
DeleteAs for Warm Bodies, I thought it definitely gave off a lighter vibe than the book version but it was still cute and fun nonetheless. And I totally fell for Nicholas Hoult. He's so dreamy (even as a zombie!).
I am so glad I'm not the only one who prefers to watch the movie first! It really is more enjoyable when I go in with no expectations. I totally want to read Warm Bodies, and loved the movie! I also loved The Hunger Games and I thought about putting HP on my list as a group, but decided to go with my favorites (Prisoner Of Azkaban and Deathly Hallows as a whole) and least favorite (Half-Blood Prince) instead. It wasn't until a couple years ago that I even knew Princess Bride was a book- I may have to read it soon!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ WCW
Yay! Yeah, I really want to enjoy the movie versions and I tend to be less judgemental when I see them before reading the book. Usually, I find that the movie won't ruin the book for me but the book most certainly can ruin the movie.
DeleteI recommend Warm Bodies as a book, just so long as you're aware that it's got a bit of a darker vibe. I descibe the movie as more Y than A and the book as more A than Y (if you know what I mean). And yeah, Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire were my favs of the HP movies.
No worries, it wasn't until a few years ago that I knew The Princess Bride was a book too! It's amazing.
The Princess Bride! :D Great list. Wow, it's been ages since I've seen Roger Rabbit.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jennifer! If you have Netflix, Roger Rabbit is now available on Instant Stream, so you should check it out again!
DeleteI love that you discovered The Hunger Games after the film. I'm sure that was the case for a lot of people! I wonder if I'd seen the film before reading the book, I might have enjoyed the film more.
ReplyDeleteWarm Bodies was such a great book AND film, but quite different in tone, as you pointed out.
Honestly, I really didn't get too into YA until just before I started blogging last year so I'm still behind on a lot of books. I'd read a lot about The Hunger Games prior to the movie coming out but didn't get a chance to read them until after I saw the film. I adored both versions!
DeleteThis was the perfect Top Ten Tuesday for you! I am not a zombie fan and I haven't read Warm Bodies but I rented the movie and I really enjoyed it! It was cute and hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI think The Hunger Games and Harry Potter book to movie adaptations were done really well. There are always a few things left out, but nothing huge and I got over my issues with that pretty quickly and still love the movies, although not as much as the books. :)