BOOKS VS. THE MOVIE
I love movies a lot and my friends can testify. But what I love more, are books!
Nerd alert!
Now, if you are like me that always want to see movies adapted from books, or always look for the book a movie was adapted from, then this piece is for you.
And if you are a movie critic, you are welcome to join our party.
When you see a movie trailer, what’s the first thing you do when you find out it was adapted from a book? As for me, I storm the internet with a force that Thor’s hammer can’t compete with. I search and search until I find the free eBook.
But, there’s a downside to this.
In 2014, the movie Divergent was released. I saw the movie and I fell in love with everyone that starred in it especially Theo James and Shailene Woodley. So you can imagine the joy I felt when I learnt that Divergent was adapted from the book written by Veronica Roth. Much more it had two sequels; Insurgent and Allegiant.
Oh, I was so thrilled. I stormed the internet and was able to find the free copy of Insurgent only. I was disappointed that I couldn’t find all three books to read. But the good thing about it was that I would get to read Insurgent before the release of the movie.
So I read the book. I laughed, cried, and read more. I even dreamt about the book until I finished it. Fast forward to 2015, it was time to watch the movie. This is where the story gets disheartening.
With all the images my mind had created while I read the book, I had some serious expectations. I predicted each scene because I knew what had happened in that scene from the book. Or so I thought. Then I would wait for my predictions to come to pass but they wouldn’t. All I saw where twisted versions of what I had hoped would be. Eventually, I stopped hoping and at the end of the movie, to say I was heartbroken is an understatement.
That day, I vowed never to read the book from which a movie was adapted before seeing the movie. But I broke my vow a year later. And only one person could make me do that. Jojo Moyes. Jojo is the author of the amazing Me before You.
That fateful day, I was multitasking. Doing house chores and watching TV when the trailer was shown. And you know they would write, “From the book Me before You.” I picked up my phone and since luck was on my side, I found the free eBook. But I was scared to read the book. I didn’t want my heart to get broken like the last time but I decided it was a risk I was willing to take. So I read the book, and trust me I enjoyed every bit of it.
When I saw the movie, I was careful not to predict each scene as I had done with Insurgent but it was a struggle. But something else happened.
I noticed that all the scenes I had enjoyed the most in the book were also in the movie. Like they didn’t omit them nor alter their originality. I was so thrilled. I rewound the movie and purposely set expectations of all the scenes I hoped to see, and I saw them.
So book lovers like me, you may have had a terrible experience with movies adapted from books. If you haven’t, then you are lucky. Movie critics, these questions are for you. What can you say to justify the heartbreak these directors or producers or maybe the scriptwriters give us book lovers? How can you justify their actions? Should we stop reading books before seeing the movie?
As for me, I won’t stop. In fact, the next movie on my To-watch list is the Netflix movie; To All the Boys I Loved Before. I read the book written by Jenny Han last year and I loved it. I have even read the sequel; PS: I Still Love You. While I wait to see the movie next month, pray for me.
