I’m not saying this is bad. Actually I’m quite excited to see books and comics I like turn into movies. However, more often than not I find the movies just don’t live up to my expectations as much when compared to the books. That’s just my personal opinion since I know people interpret books differently than what’s displayed on the screen. Still I have to say I can be disappointed by such a big hype and having my hopes up only to be squashed at the end of the 2 or so hours. Therefore it’s easier if I don’t get as excited because then I won’t be as disappointed if a movie does not live up to my expectations.
I know there are a lot of people who have not read the original story to either enjoy the movie since they don’t know what they are missing out from the book or find it confusing since the movie skims over some facts assuming that people have read the book. It’s just interesting to see how others react to a movie based on what they do or don’t know about the original story.
Still, I do enjoy the visual elements of seeing a movie come to life based on written/illustrated stories. At the end of watching a movie I usually still prefer the book/comic probably due to the execution, actors/acting, or overall mood of the movie. I do have times where I feel the movie lived up to their expectations but those movies are rare for me. Most of the time the movie is either lacking or just satisfying, most of the times I’m not super excited with how the movie played out or ended unless it was well done.
I understand there are other factors to consider. Sometimes movies don’t have the time or money to add everything from a book. The 2 hours or so time limit can inhibit the execution and pacing when trying to fit everything from a book into a movie. I know there are scenes which have to be cut out, rearranged, and re-scripted to ensure the movie still flows smoothly and stays true to the story but that’s a difficult feat in itself. It makes a fan discouraged and sometimes confused when it’s done during a movie. Especially when they expect the movie to play out like the story.
I’ve noticed that people in the movie industry, I’m not sure if it’s the directors or producers, either keep or change the stories.
- They either stay true to the story and play it out almost exactly. (Hunger Games – left some unimportant things out)
- They change, cut, and rearrange the story so that it’s out of order but still similar outcomes from the story. (Harry Potter series – kept only the important parts and rearranged them accordingly)
- They change the mood and story almost entirely while loosely basing the story off the original. (The Last Airbender – changed the mood and execution almost entirely)
These are just my observations but I find that I prefer the first two. I either like the story going almost exactly like the original with maybe a unique twist at the end to keep one on their toes or the second because the essence of the story is still there if not cut and mishmashed back together.
As a fan of the original stories I prefer seeing the movies play out the story visually, I know there are other factors that play in it such as resources but with such a huge fan base you’d think the movie industry would prolong it enough to gain enough resources based on such a huge following. You really don’t want to let a fan down in the case of The Last Airbender for me. I loved the original series but when I saw the movie I thought, “Are you kidding?!” Glad I listened to the reviews and waited to rent it out. Bad movies definitely speak for themselves. I was super excited to see the movie as it was in development but the execution was horrible and it only adds to my disappointment because I know it could have been so much better.
Nevertheless, I’m thrilled that there have been an increase in books/comics to movie adaptations! It’s awesome to see your favorite characters come to life. Still movies don’t tend to live up to my expectations but I would still pay to see them try and to encourage the movie industry to keep going and improving their execution skills. I await the time when the movie industry will execute the books/comics flawlessly and beautifully….but I wouldn’t hold my breath over it. lol Still they are improving and that’s what matters. 😀
What are your thoughts and opinions over this topic? Or am I the only one who’s thought about this? (Please let me know I’m not)
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