People have been passionate about books and movies since they both have been around. It is no surprise then, when combining the two together, that passions get even further inflamed. It is notoriously hard to please lovers of books with a movie adaptation. Despite this, there have been many famous books adapted into movies. Nearly all the classics have at one point or another had at least one director take the plunge and make the attempt.
The past twenty years or so has seen even more proliferation of book to movie adaptations. More specifically, the genre of fantasy has recently made a huge splash into movies, much to the majority of the populace’s delight. To name a few, we have the eight Harry Potter movies (from the seven books), the three Lord of the Rings and soon the Hobbit, the Twilight series, a television series based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice, and more recently the Hunger Games. All of these have enjoyed an almost surprising amount of success as well, especially considering the reputation fantasy has enjoyed in the past, which was very nearly a social stigma. Fantasy books have recently earned a higher acceptance in general society, and this newfound love has further driven Hollywood to produce more fantasy based content.
Hollywood has been, for the most part, careful to keep as true to the original story of these recent book forays as possible. The Lord of the Ring trilogy did remarkably little wandering from the plot, and managed to keep the whole of the story intact, with maybe a few little additions. This preservation has been cited as the success of these new movie adaptations. Not to mention the newfound popularity of the books, of course. It also doesn’t hurt that with recent movie technology innovations, it is easier than ever before to bring fantastic worlds to life. The recent conversions of fantasy books to movies really created a snowballing effect, helping bring fame and recognition to both the realm of fantasy and Hollywood. Yet some book lovers have had some reserves toward these new movies.
Books are so long and detailed that it is just impossible to fit the entirety of the novel into even a three hour movie. This is of course the crux of the problem. From here, it is clear that some things have to be cut out. What is not always clear, much to the dismay of book lovers everywhere, is just what should be cut and what should stay. It is also notoriously hard to match the tone of the novel for a movie. Movies tend to add more action to spice things up. And so we have the inflaming of passion.
What book lovers need to recognize is that movie adaptations (even bad ones) can do nothing but help books in general. With the advent of television, movies, and the internet, it is too common in society today to find people who no longer pick up books. So even a bad adaptation of a book can do nothing but gain books recognition with those who no longer finding books entertaining enough. That is why Hollywood movies based on books, along with their trailers , that generate so much excitement and social consciousness, can be nothing but a blessing.
