Discussed! by Danny – Books Into Movies, or better not?

Posted 10 September, 2011 by Danny in / 18 Comments

Happy Saturday Friends! 
and… I would like to discuss something with you..
Something that occurred to me when I heard the news that one of my favorite series EVER 
is discussed to be made into a movie… 
now, do I truly want to see that happen? 
Or… rather not? 
Let me start by stating that I normally LOVE when a book I love is going to turn into a movie. I know that movies never can be the same as the book, but I normally thoroughly enjoy watching beloved characters come to life. 
But, there are some stories I’m afraid on seeing on the big screen. 
why? 
Because I doubt that it can come even close to the awesomness that is the book. 
Can the movie really pull this off? 
I doubt it…
I’m talking about The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning! 
The rights have been opted by Dream Works and read more about it here. 
Normally I would jump up and down on the prospect to see
books I love and adore so deeply on the big screen. 
Here? 
I’m scared…
The story is so rich and full of details. 
All the darkness that are in the world KMM created, the dark Fae
the whole destruction of an entire city?
And..The characters… 
I bet they would find someone perfect to play Mac, but.. 
Barrons? Can one man really pull of playing a believable Barrons
Will all the imaginations I had about this mysterious character 
and man be crushed? 
So instead of being happy, thrilled and excited about this movie, 
I’m warily – scared and… would rather not see this happen. 
Again, most of the times I absolutley love seeing a beloved book make into a movie. 
Often, they make a great job!
Harry Potter – OMG those movies have been fantastic, even if they 
had to cut out story lines. 
Take Eclipse – Eclipse was awesome! 
Or, I Am Number 4 – it was really good! 
Also, I’m pretty sure the Beautiful Creatures movies will be awesome! 
Lord of the Rings – Oh my Epicness! 

So let’s discuss! 
Are there books you DON’T want to see made into a movie? 
Or am I exaggerating because I’m so invested in this series? 
What are the best Movies-from-a-Book for you? 
Share your thoughts, I’m excited to hear them and discuss with you! 
Much Love, 
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Obsessive Reader by Night - Scientist at Day! You can also find me on goodreads. I'd love to get to know you so, don't be shy and say Hello!

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18 Responses to “Discussed! by Danny – Books Into Movies, or better not?”

  1. Britta

    I always like seeing books being made into movies. Even if they don't exactly do the book justice. This is because if I loved the book, not only did I like everything about it, but I liked the story line. The movie usually has the same storyline (sometimes simplified) and it is like reliving the book in a different light. I have had the experience with being involved with the movie industry (not high up or anything) and so I have a pretty good grasp of how everything works. I can sit through a movie and not compare a book to it at ALL if the movie is different. If it is close though, I do find myself comparing the book/movie a lot.

    This is a very good question! I know a lot of people feel differently.
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  2. The film industry needs books. It's the only new material they really get anymore.

    That's what makes me laugh when people make fun of readers.

    Those same people who don't enjoy books would be lost with out authors.

    While the film is rarely as good as the movie, I do enjoy them.

    What I do is see the movie first so I don't spend the film comparing the book to the far more superior book.

    Great question.
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  3. hrose2931

    I hate seeing books being made into movies! First, they never do the book justice. Second, no one reads the book and third, whenever I think of the characters, I think of the people in the book after I've seen the movie, or commercial or trailer. Yes, there are some that do a pretty good job, but the first couple of Twilight movies were awful. The HP movies have been pretty spectacular. But I don't know if they'll pick the right actors or what. It so depends on the director. We;ll just have to see, but as a general rule, I prefer the book stay a book.

    Heather
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  4. Deb@Deb''s Book Bag

    This is one of those things that I have mixed feelings about. Obviously, I love to read. I also enjoy a good movie. I agree that movies made from books rarely do them justice. An hour or two hour movie can't pick up the nuances and feelings evoked in a book in such a short time span, but they do serve their purpose. I just have a rule that I have to read the book before I see the movie. That way I can kind of separate the two in my minds eye. But I always look forward to seeing what a director and producer can do to the story an author created. It' s almost like seeing a different side to the story. But I try not to compare the two, there is no comparison really. The Fever series worries me a little bit too. Jericho is such a commanding character, I'm not sure who they could get to play him that would be able to pull it off, but it should be interesting. Another series that bothers me a bit as far as wondering how it would do as a movie… is Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments or Infernal Devices. Not sure anyone could pull that off either!

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  5. Deea

    Yay, finally someone who gets it!:D *hugs* I'm sooo right there with you about The Fever series! This is my favorite series EVER too and though I trust KMM and I'm sure Dreamworks are really good, I'm so scared I'll be disappointed by the movies! Because, just like you said, the Fever world is too rich and complicated and powerful to be easily put on the big screen. There are so many important details… And don't even get me started about Barrons!*thud* IMO there's NO ONE good enough to play him. :)) There are good possibilities, of course, but… not good enough. I'm not always so weary about books turned into movies/TV shows, but with the Fever series… Yikes! *bites nails* We can only hope everything will be ok…

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  6. Britta, I love your answer – especially "The movie usually has the same storyline (sometimes simplified) and it is like reliving the book in a different light." I think you hit the nail with that one.

    I agree, most of the times when sitting in the movie and actually see the movie I just let the book behind and watch the movie. Worse thing is though, when they change the story line … that is sad.

    And how awesome is it that you are working in the movie industry!
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  7. Ha, yes the first Twilight movie was nothing compared to the book,yet I still enjoyed it! But, I'm also someone that does both, I read the book AND watch the movie. Most of the times I read the book first, but sometimes it is the other way around – I watch a movie I enjoyed and then read the book, to get more backstory and more time with awesome characters…
    Nowadays .. more and more books are turned into movies, just like JuJu said – the movie industry needs the book industry and all those talented authors that come up with great story lines!
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  8. Agreed! and you have a valid point here. Two hours of a movie can NEVER take every nuance of a book that is around 400 pages long, they have to leave things out. The important things are always what exactly they decide to cut out.

    The Fever series really and truly worries me… and I'm looking anxiously about what they will do with it… And Oh My I sooo very much agree with TMI…already the cast doesn't convince me so let's see how this turns out. I will absolutely go and see the movie – but … I'm not sure how they can turn this awesome story into a movie…
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  9. Deea! Thank you so much!! I was a tiny bit scared when I put this post together – seeing the excitement this announcement got from the fans. Yet here I am a huge and obsessive fan that cringed the first time I heard that they are planning to shoot the movie. Barrons? Who on earth could play him? Not many could do him justice – such a magnetic, mysterious compelling and dark man so many readers fell in love with ?

    Also, will it be a horror movie? I mean with all this Dark Fae even reading the book made me cringe, how can they transform this and still reaching a broad audience?

    Thanks for your support *hugs* <3
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  10. Suz

    Well, since I’m taking a film/lit class this semester, I can honestly say that I don’t think film adaptations are EVER a bad thing. However, it lies solely on the director and his/her vision of interpreting the novels and/or the complex characters, scenery, etc… Some films are completely different from the book, but still exceed expectations: (example, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest-novel and movie are completely different tones).

    Since this is Dreamworks, I wouldn’t be too afraid of them butchering your beloved books. In fact, the good thing is that hopefully people who are not familiar with Moning’s work will go back and read her books for comparison. When you love a book, it’s hard not to want to see it made into a movie and that seems to be the big push this season with production companies looking for best selling novels to convert.
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  11. evening-green

    I'm also torn when it comes to movie-adaptions of books I've read, I both love watching movies and I love to read. Sometimes that's means I can enjoy the same story in two different formats, but it doesn't always work for me of course.
    Movies I'm concerened about are The Host and Vampire Academy…I'm afraid I'm not going to like what they do with it and that would be horrible since I loved the books.
    I'm not sure what I think about KMM's book being turned into a movie yet but I just got my copy of Shadowfever a couple of days ago and I think after the cliffhanger in the book before I had to distance myself from the story enough to not go crazy while waiting for the next book…let's see how I feel when I finish it.

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  12. Small Review

    aaah I'm so torn. Ok, sometimes they do such an awesome job that I'm so, so happy they made movies of the books (Harry Potter, Anne of Green Gables), and on very rare occasions I even like the movies better than the books (The Lord of the Rings, The Princess Bride). Sometimes the movie is totally changed from the book, but I don't mind (Howl's Moving Castle) and it's like a double treat to get the movie version and the book version.

    But, eerm, yeah, sometimes they do SUCH a bad job that I really, really wish they would have just left well enough alone. The worst is when the casting is so bad. I'm glad I'm not a huge Mortal Instruments fan, because the guy they picked to play Jace is awful, I think. (I'm watching him in Camelot and he actually has me rooting for Morgan La Fay to bring down the fall of Camelot). Oh, or, ok, I haven't read The Huger Games yet, but the guys they cast for the movie totally turn me off. They've even lessened my motivation to read the books (but I will).

    I haven't read the Fever series yet (I know! I own the first book though!), but it seems like people have really strong feelings on the characters. Those are usually the trickiest adaptations to make.
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  13. Hahaha! Well, Danny, on the bright side, if I see you liked the movie version down the line, I'll know I'll HAVE to see it, given your slightly crazed dedication to the books! Lol. I actually had no idea that the movie rights were optioned. Now I'm curious. I feel like they'd have to have a fairly decent budget to pull off all of the fey creatures in the books and make them look realistic on the big screen….

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  14. I think it's a tough call. Lots of die-hard fans despise the movies & their creators for failing to meet up to their personal expectations, even if a movie does a good job portraying the plot. The HP and LotR movies are probably the best examples of this. A lot of book fans like the movies because of stunning visuals, and mostly true-to-book storylines, whereas others feel every change, omission, or addition is an affront to the original literature.

    Some of my personal favorite book-to-movie adaptations are: LotR trilogy, HP series, How to Train Your Dragon, Ella Enchanted, Timeline, & The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Most of these "stray" pretty far from the book, but manage to carry the original characters, overall plot, and themes/lessons that made you fall in love with the story to begin with. Some that I didn't think worked as well include Avatar: The Last Airbender (based on the TV show [OMG soooooooo bad!]), and Eragon… My mind just blanked on other bad movies…..

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  15. hrose2931

    Danny there is a country band here called Big and Rich that have a video with the stars of the movie in it dancing to a song called "Fake I.D." I can't remember who stars in the movie Julianna Hough is the girl and I don't know the guy. But look up the song on You Tube it's pretty catchy. The woman singing is Gretchen Wilson who is also known for her song called "Red Necked Woman". I know, but we're proud of our red necks.

    Heather
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