The Book Was Better!!! -

We’ve all been there. You read that one of your favorite books is being made into a movie. You are filled with anticipation and scour social media looking for more information. The first disappointment comes when the cast is revealed. The actors look nothing like the characters in your head. Then, the previews start, and you notice subtle changes. Scenes don’t look quite right, characters say things they would never see. Part of you wants to skip the movie know, but you can’t resist. Out of loyalty to the book, you have to see it.

At the theater, you bite your tongue to keep from shouting out. Why are they in a different city? Why is it now a comedy? Why are characters who were twelve in the book now being played by adult actors- and where did that love triangle come from?

But nothing could prepare you for the ending. The screenwriter probably had good intentions. They genuinely thought they were improving the story by making the ending happier or more dramatic. But it really did was change the entire message of the story. This person clearly did not understand the story at all.

There are exceptions, but the book just won’t live up to the book in most cases. Part of it is inattention to detail. Part of it is that some things don’t translate to the screen, primarily if the book focuses more on characterization than action. But your brain just isn’t as engaged watching something created by someone else as when it has to formulate the movie in your head from the words on the page.