There’s no doubt about the fact that a movie with a great storyline makes for an entertaining watch. Once a novel becomes a best-seller, it makes complete sense for its screen adaptation to take place, thus tapping onto the novel’s already existing fanbase, and even creating new fans. Book to film adaptations are not a new phenomenon, with readers creating casting predictions based on their favourite actors. Whether it’s a romantic novel such as the Notebook, or the gripping Hunger Games series, everyone anticipates the visual look and the feel of the movie.
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So what should one expect from a book to film adaption? We’ve jotted down a few tips on what to expect when watching the cinematic adaptation of a novel.
1. Sticking To The Original Plot: Should the movie remain true to the original plot right down to the nitty-gritty details? Or should the directors have room to experiment with a few scenes, perhaps an alternative ending? Books lovers are surprisingly rigid when it comes to the film version of their favourite series, and do not take well to surprise plotlines or non-canon endings. However, in order to accommodate the non-literary fans, movie directors often sway a little from the original source material. Movie endings might be radically different from the novel, thus making it far removed from the pages.
2. Adjust (Lower) Expectations: The above scenario preps us mentally to not expect the film version to be of stellar quality. As book aficionados, we expect every single part of the novel to be portrayed onto the screen, even if it a thousand-page novel. Realistically, acting out every tiny detail would stretch the movie into a very, very long cinematic journey (not that we book lovers mind!). But for everyone else who has yet to be acquainted with the literature, a 20 hour movie marathon would be far too tedious. Hence, we must prepared to be disappointed, and expect the omission of events and characters, sometimes even key ones.
3. Characterization On Point: Don’t we all wish that our favourite character was portrayed perfectly? Hermione should have had bushy brown hair and a freckly face and Ronald Weasley’s hair could have been redder. The antagonist could be a little more diabolical, the heroine could be a little less wooden. Casting decisions are completely hit and miss. Fans will either adore the chosen actor or abhor it completely. For example, Jamie Dornan’s casting as Christian Grey was not well-received, whilst fans revered Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings series.
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4. CGI and Special FX: If the adaptation is from a fantasy novel, fans expect the graphics and actions scenes to be top notch. Recent movies which have wowed audiences with their superior special effects and mesmerizing action sequences include the Jungle Book and the Hunger Games trilogy.
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5. Unforgettable Dialogue: “Okay? Okay.” “We accept the love we think we deserve.” “Always? Always.” If at least one of these quotes have never been your wallpaper/screensaver at some point in time, you’re probably lying. Such profound quotes demand an on-screen translation, and are too good to remain trapped within the confines of the book.
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Shall we pick a book to film adaptation for our next movie? Feel free to share your ideas in the comment section below.