Whenever people hear a book is being adapted into a film, there is a sense of both excitement and absolute dread that comes with it. Fans understand that these movies cannot be word for word what occurs in the novels, but it also should be somewhat similar. Here are my ratings of some book to movie adaptations that either brought the book to life on the screen or created something completely different.
“Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”
Rating: 0/10
Whenever you think of book to movie adaptations going disastrously, your thoughts probably land on this atrocity. The only part of this movie correctly portrayed from the novel written by Rick Riordan were the character names. Everything else was its own original train wreck. The movie immediately begins with a high school-aged main character instead of the 12-year-old we expected from the books. From this moment forward, the movie heads in a downward spiral. However, the absolute worst part of this “adaptation” is what they did to Annabeth Chase. They took any idea the author and fans had about this character, threw it out the window and replaced her with someone completely different. The movie, even when separated from the book, is just terrible and is definitely worth avoiding. Hopefully the new adaptation of the book that is currently in production by Riordan and Disney+ will actually give this series the justice it deserves.
“Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children”
Rating: 5/10
As someone who is a huge fan of these books written by Ransom Riggs, I was ecstatic to hear it was being adapted into a film by Tim Burton. However, I was surprised to see how much Burton had changed — and not for the better. Characters’ ages, personalities, looks and powers were drastically changed. Some characters were simply added by Burton and served no purpose to the plot whatsoever. While this movie did not do well in the adaptation category, it is actually worth a watch. The cast includes some of my favorite actors and the movie is aesthetically beautiful, even if it is not totally faithful to the books.
The “Harry Potter” Franchise
Rating: 8/10
Setting the author aside, the Harry Potter books have always held a special place in my heart and this goes for the films as well. While the movies do skip over some of the scenes some fans believe were necessary to include, the films do a decent job in presenting the movie audience with the same feelings the books give. Compared to other adaptations, I truly believe the Harry Potter movies did well and are worth a watch.
