I am a huge fan of books.
I am a huge fan of movies.
I am a huge fan of movies that come from books.
And, I am a huge fan of midnight showings.
Over the last few years, I've learned that there are different types of people that view these movies that are based on books (from now on referred to as MTABOB).
The first person, is the person that wants the movie to be EXACTLY like the book. They want every giggle on paper to have its appearance on screen. They want the dress to be the exact same shade of mauve that they imagined while they were reading to appear on the girl. And, heaven forbid, a character is omitted from the silver screen.
The second person is someone who has read the book and is just looking for the movie to tell the story. Get the characters and plot there. Help them visualize the things that are happening. And if a few not-so-important details are left out or are change to help it be conveyed better on screen... No big deal.
The third person has never read the book. So they really don't care how it compares. They just want to see a movie. People tend to fall into this category without even realizing it (A Walk to Remember, Friday Night Lights, The Princess Diaries, Harry Potter.. Wait, you probably knew that last one). I try not to fall into this category. If I know that a movie is based on a book, I'll almost always read the book first.
I'm the second person. And because of that... I've found that I enjoy these MTABOB way more than some of my friends. I love MTABOB because...
1) I have little to no imagination. Okay, that might be an exaggeration.. But when I'm reading books, I've learned that the characters end up having the faces of my friends. When I read the first Harry Potter book, Hermione looked like Michelle (even though Michelle doesn't have crazy hair), Harry was Harrison (even though Harrison's half Japanese), and Ron looked like Alex (Alex's only resemblance is that has red-ish hair). I never read the books with the characters having British accents until the movies came out! As soon as they assign an actor to play a specific character, I have an image and a voice to go with it. I love it.
2) It clarifies things. I was watching Hunger Games the other night (**not a spoiler**), and this "cornucopia" plays a part in the "games". While I was reading the books, I was visualizing this Thanksgiving table sized cornucopia on a raised platform (which made the fighting scenes a little confusing in my head). After seeing the movie, I realized that it was way, way, wayyyyy bigger than I had thought.
I'm okay with random characters or certain things not making an appearance in the movie. For example, in the Harry Potter movies, I know some people didn't like that the Dumbledore's Army Galleon didn't make an appearance. It played a part in the books, but they found a way around it in the movies, because it really didn't matter.
I just understand that the studios only have so much time and budget, that certain things need to be cut. There was one thing that I specifically remember being different in the Hunger Games. But I realized that by adjusting how something happened, they got rid of a not so significant character.. So they saved money on an actress and were probably able to spend that money on something more important to the storyline.
Plus.. Everyone's interpretation is so different. You know how I mentioned the mauve dress earlier? If you go to Google and look at the Google Images for mauve, you'll see how not everyone agrees on what mauve is. And that's ONE word. One color. A book has thousands upon thousands of words.. How is everyone supposed to visualize it the same way? Give the studios a break.
I'm not saying I always love every single MTABOB. Sometimes, the storyline of the movie is awful compared to the book. At that point, I try and look at the movie from the third person perspective. Was I able to understand the story? If I had never read the book, would I have liked it?
The first movie that comes to my mind that was an awful, awful adaptation isn't a MTABOB.. It's a movie based on a TV show (which may be based on Anime?). Avatar: The Last Airbender. Oh my goodness. That sad, sad, M. Night Shamalan movie was.. I have no idea what I watched. A little guy with tattoos of arrows and people could control the different elements? I tried to enjoy it and follow. I really did. But holy cow.
I'm a huge fan of MTABOB. And I'm sure you'll enjoy them a little more, too, if you just adjust your perspective. And yes, because this is my blog.. I'm going to say that my perspective is the right perspective :)
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