Movie adaptations can get a bad rap, for good reason, when compared to the original book they were adapted from.
There are some I can think of (like The Tale of Despereaux, Eragon, or Ella Enchanted) that are just hard to watch. But there are others that our family has enjoyed as much as or even more than their books.
Matilda
I grew up watching and LOVING this movie and I didn't actually read the book until I was an adult. The nostalgia may be part of why I love it so much, but it's also such a well-done movie. When I read about the making of it, it made me love it even more! While I enjoy the book, the movie will always keep a special place in my heart.
Howl's Moving Castle
This is another moving I watched several times as a teenager. I didn't read the book until I was an adult (and didn't even realize there was a book until then!). While I loved the book, I really liked the changes they made in the movie and the movie is so beautiful that it is a work of art. While they did make plot changes, I felt that the movie did a great job staying true to the characters.
Kiki's Delivery Service
Unlike the first two, this isn't one I grew up watching or reading. I actually read this with my kids and then we watched the movie together. The book and movie are pretty different from each other, but both have things I really like about both. The book is more episodic and has a charm to it that my girls really loved. The movie has more of a character and plot, which is really fun, and of course the artwork is beautiful.
The Help
I read this book as a teenager before they had even made the movie and absolutely loved it. I liked it so much that when I went to the movie in theaters, I remember being very nervous about not liking the movie. I was pleasantly surprised with the movie, though, and really enjoyed it. There are of course differences (especially with how the mother-daughter relationship is resolved) but again, I felt they stayed true to the characters and did a great job bringing out the same emotions. While I don't like the movie more than the book, I still love it.
Lord of the Rings
Lord of the Rings, for me, goes way back. My mom started reading the books aloud to me when I was about 8 or 9. Right after that, the movies started coming out. I was pretty young when I went to see them in theaters. I remember, as a child, being very put out by some of the changes they made. The two I remember most are the first movie not including Tom Bombadil and the third movie ending without the last battle in Hobbiton. Of course, it was worse in theaters because those were not the extended editions.
I didn't actually read the books again as a child after that, but I watched the movies more times than I can count. I have a lot of nostalgia and a deep love for the movies. As an adult, I decided to revisit the books and was a little disappointed. I still love the characters and the world and the plot that JRR Tolkien created, but his writing style is not my favorite. I love the way the movies took the characters and expanded on those and the way the plot of the movie was tightened up. I also love the actors and actresses of the movies. I will always appreciate the books and I will always like the movies just a little bit more than the books.
What movie adaptations do you love? What movie adaptations do you hate? Let me know in the comment section below!
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