As an avid book reader, film and television watcher, I’ve noticed that in recent years the entertainment industry has been repeating itself. Lately, many of my favorite plots and characters I’ve known in book form are coming to life on the big screen, with book-to-film adaptations seeming to be on the rise.
Many fans of cinema see book adaptations as lazy, and it’s easy to say that sometimes. Directors can destroy source material by not doing it justice. However, let’s not forget that book adaptations still have the potential to be good, even great if they are done well.
In my opinion, there are a few film adaptations that even outrank the books they’re based on. ‘Forrest Gump’ is one of my top examples. In the movie version, Tom Hanks gives an incredibly memorable performance, with his character capturing viewers’ hearts as he tells the story of his life. While this movie is known (deservingly so) as one of the greatest films in history, it’s hard to say the same about its literary counterpart. Most people consider the book to be much more disturbing than the film. The tone change was a good call; from what I’ve seen, the bittersweet mood was what really made the film for most people.
Movies and television shows also have the capacity to enhance characters compared to their book counterparts. For example, one of my favorite shows, ‘The Boys,‘ is adapted from a series of comics that do not have the greatest protagonists. ‘The Boys’ portrays superheroes with a more realistic edge and is already debatably one of the most graphic shows on television. Without significant changes to the characters and plot, however, much of the story would have been excessively edgy and potentially off-putting to viewers. This can be seen through the show’s improvement of the character Starlight. In the comics, she was written as a mere damsel in distress that doubled as sexual fan service. In the television adaptation, Starlight developed into a more complex and meaningful character without the excessive fetishization found in the comics.
Besides major improvements, book adaptations still have a lot to provide. Despite the ability of books to offer relaxation and transport readers into imaginative universes, a good movie or show is much better for mindless fun when you want to enjoy a good story. They allow audiences to experience a compelling story without needing to track extensive plot points or character details. That is not to say I find reading too hard or tedious; it’s just nice to have a book adaptation when you just want to completely turn off your brain.
While I do prefer to sit down on a cozy day and cuddle up with a good book, I still think adaptations get a bad wrap and deserve to be taken seriously. We have access to so much media at our fingertips. Previously, people would wait years to see their favorite books adapted for the big screen. Movies have played a significant role in shaping society, and that includes adaptations of literary works.
