TGIF #19 - Book to Movie

TGIF is hosted by Ginger at GReads!  In this weekly feature, Ginger poses a question to her followers and then asks everyone to link up at the end of the post, sharing their responses.

This Friday's Question:

Book to Movie: Which book turned movie do you feel did the best adaptation? What about the worst?

If I'm being truly honest here, I'd have to say that, in my opinion, the film adaptation of the second book in The Chronicles of Narnia series -- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe -- was the best I've seen.  It was just so magical and beautiful and spell-binding to behold.  Most adaptations can't hold a candle to the books they're based on, but I have to say that this rendition was spot-on compared to how I envisioned the world of Narnia myself.  I recently heard an unsubstantiated rumor that the studio is going to adapt The Magicians Nephew, the very first book in the series.  The first book was my favorite, so this news is exciting, but I won't get my hopes up yet; it would be kind of odd for them to produce the stories out of order.

I don't want to bash on Twilight, but that was the first thing that came to mind when I thought of the worst version of a book turned into a movie.  However, while I was pondering that it should be a really bad adaptation, not that the movie or book itself is bad, but the actual adaptation of the story is bad, I thought of Gnomeo & Juliet.  Cute film, right?  But they got it all wrong!  The story of Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare is a tragedy...the lovers die at the end.  They didn't adapt the story...they rewrote it!  Okay, I know, it's a children's movie.  Wouldn't be right to submit the children to that ending so early in life.  It's just...I really didn't want to bash on Twilight anymore.  I may have no respect for it, but at one point, I do remember liking it.

The book-into-movie I'm most excited about right now?  Yep, The Hunger Games.  I'm waiting with bated breath...aren't we all?  I could watch the trailer over and over again.  I didn't like the casting at first -- I almost never do -- but those kids have grown on me.  I think I might actually like it.  The trailer gives me hope, anyway.  I almost always love the book better than the movie, but that doesn't mean I don't like to see how someone else envisioned it.  So, here are a few other adaptations I'm looking forward to:

Do you agree with my best and worst adaptation picks?  Did I forget one that was even worse?  ;)


Week in review -- Tempest gets a lot of attention:

ARC Tour Review - Tempest by Julie Cross
Feature: Tempest by Julie Cross -- includes clip from audiobook, excerpt of first four chapters & freebie  prequel story