Personal rant: Unnecessary changes from books to movies

[BlaqueKatt]

Also, I pity anyone who's ever seen a movie based on a Stephen King novel that has never read his work.

I agree, especially when they leave out MAJOR plot points such as:
(highlight due to spoilers)

Dr Creed getting touched by the wendigo after burying gage, thus going insane.
Thad Beaumont had blonde hair.
numerous things from IT(cosmic turtle, beverly having sex with all the boys, the dinosaurs, it's babies, the town collapsing)
they totally left out Mr. Grey from dreamcatcher.
Larry underwood's first girlfriend who OD'ed in the tent, and was used by randall flagg against larry.

[fireheart]

One thing that got me, was Harry Potter's eyes should have been green, and in the films they were blue. A huuuuuuuuuge deal was made of his emerald eyes in every book, yet they digitally enhanced Dan Radcliffes eyes to be a very blue colour. Never understood that.

His eyes are actually blue. He originally wore green contact lenses, but had a reaction to them (not sure if it's all of Philosophers/Sorcerers Stone or not, but there are a couple of scenes in that film where he has Green eyes). I'm also guessing that the actress who played Lilly in nearly all the flashbacks also had blue eyes. The big deal moment was still there though.

[MoonCat]

I don't generally get annoyed at changes from book to screen. Major changes, yeah, depends on the change and why; minor, no, it's not worth wasting time on. One I did was the ending to The Golden Compass...

I think the best way it was put was when I saw a short interview with George RR Martin just before Game of Thrones premiered on TV - he speaks of a situation where he thinks a fan will whine at him because 'Ned Stark's horse was black in the book and brown in the movie!! They ruined it!!' and his response was: "it's a horse!! Who cares what colour it is? It doesn't matter!!"

He got lucky, though. From what I've seen they've generally been pretty faithful to the books. Some of it was changed, yes, but not to the point of being unrecognizable.

[Sarlon]

Having read the Percy Jackson books AFTER watching the movie....


yeah I can see the major problems with what they changed and left out...*spoiler*like the shield, was given until the second book by his brother the cyclops, the girl from the Ares Cabin being completely out of the first book, since she plays a greater role in the second book, and the tree that is actually Zeus' daughter, and what about the prophecy...oh and why there are satyrs at the camp and whos camp consoler, and what exactly...*spoiler* ok I'll stop there...this rant is for an entire post by itself....and I'm only in the 3rd book.

[firecat88]

Having read the Percy Jackson books AFTER watching the movie....


yeah I can see the major problems with what they changed and left out...*spoiler*like the shield, was given until the second book by his brother the cyclops, the girl from the Ares Cabin being completely out of the first book, since she plays a greater role in the second book, and the tree that is actually Zeus' daughter, and what about the prophecy...oh and why there are satyrs at the camp and whos camp consoler, and what exactly...*spoiler* ok I'll stop there...this rant is for an entire post by itself....and I'm only in the 3rd book.

Is it true that they left Dionysus and the rest of the gods pretty much out of the story entirely? Because that's what I've heard, and that's just....ugh.

[ArcticChicken]

He got lucky, though. From what I've seen they've generally been pretty faithful to the books. Some of it was changed, yes, but not to the point of being unrecognizable.

Well, he's been heavily involved with the series. I'm pretty sure he wrote the first and last episodes.

[Squeaksmyalias]

They killed Ella enchanted, I stopped watching less then five minutes in, and it took me years before I could watch the movie without cringing and wanting to cry. Gosh darn it I loved that book! I have NO clue what the were thinking, the book was beautiful, they didn't need to add new characters, add stupid fan girls (GAH!!!) and musical numbers, fight scenes, ridiculousness. Sigh at least Anne Hathaway was the perfect Ella in my mind, they left me that much.

[Bella_Vixen]

I live in fear that they will make a movie/movies out of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Even if they do it as a made for cable mini series, it still will be awful to me.

[firecat88]

They killed Ella enchanted, I stopped watching less then five minutes in, and it took me years before I could watch the movie without cringing and wanting to cry. Gosh darn it I loved that book! I have NO clue what the were thinking, the book was beautiful, they didn't need to add new characters, add stupid fan girls (GAH!!!) and musical numbers, fight scenes, ridiculousness. Sigh at least Anne Hathaway was the perfect Ella in my mind, they left me that much.

Yes! Gah. I've read the book so many times that my copy of it is kinda falling apart. I hated the movie.

I live in fear that they will make a movie/movies out of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Even if they do it as a made for cable mini series, it still will be awful to me.

I feel the same way about...pretty much every book Tamora Pierce has written. If those get adapted for movies or TV, I will cry. And not in a good way.

Well, he's been heavily involved with the series. I'm pretty sure he wrote the first and last episodes.

Lack of author involvement is definitely the kiss of death for many book-to-movie-or-tv adaptations. I point to Dresden Files, Percy Jackson, Eragon, and Inkheart.

[celticgrl]

I live in fear that they will make a movie/movies out of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Even if they do it as a made for cable mini series, it still will be awful to me.

I feel the same way. When she announced there was going to be a musical based off the books books all I could think is WHY!!!

[DeltaSierra]

I hated how they changed the ending of The Time Traveler's Wife. I absolutely LOVED the book, and the movie ending makes everything just seem so "left in limbo."

SPOILER
In the book, Clare finds a letter from Henry asking her not to wait for him, and revealing that she'll see him one last time in her old age. As the book ends, she's an old woman, and that's when they finally have their last meeting. It was so sweet and poignant.

In the movie, he appears in the meadow behind Clare's childhood home, and talks to Alba his daughter who is there in the meadow. Alba tells her friends to run and inform Clare that Henry is there. Clare rushes to the meadow to see him, and she runs and hugs him before he vanishes.

It left me feeling very "That's it?"

[delidewd]

...and this is why you, when able to, watch the movie first and then read the book. That way you can actually enjoy the movie then read the book and tear the movie apart afterwards.

[Cazzi]

FlashForward.. another series that only vaguely resembled the book it was based on. I watched the series before I read the book... I enjoyed the book much more

Last night I watched the Lincoln Lawyer, I read the book ages ago. There wasn't that much in the movie that seemed familiar.. but then again, I could be losing my memory, will have to find the book again for a refresher

[Kara]

Well, the Lost World novel annoyed me anyway. Ian Malcolm was dead at the end of Jurassic Park, and is somehow alive and well in the Lost World. I thought that was the most half-assed thing I ever read from a quality novelist.

I remember reading something from Michael Crichton about that, back when the book came out. Someone actually asked him how the hell Ian Malcolm came back and he said that Sherlock Holmes died and came back ("The Final Problem" was intended to be Conan-Doyle's last Sherlock Holmes story). Although if memory serves correctly, Sherlock Holmes claimed he faked his own death. Then again, i do remember that in The Lost World, Malcolm mentions he had been "clinically dead" for several minutes.

Not that it makes it any less of a half-assed way to bring back a character who was well and truly dead....

[RealUnimportant]

I have only 2 words to say on this subject:

Starship Troopers.