Whether fiction or nonfiction, books are a large part of society. Books can teach people to understand the world around them or help them escape and enter a realm different from their reality. However, it can be difficult to find the time to sit down and read a book or discuss it with others, so many people may turn to the movie adaptation. These adaptations can unlock a chance to expand the original book’s plot and form a visual description of the book’s key details.
“It’s pretty nice to see it on TV [and] get somebody else’s ideas of how it went,” Zamiya Riley (9) said.
When reading, the characters and settings are often visualized in the readers’ minds. These visualizations allow readers to immerse themselves more into the books by taking them on a journey with the characters. However, people form different images of characters in their heads which often leads to competing opinions from viewers about casting choices for certain roles. When “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” the television series, premiered in December, many fans were skeptical about the series as many believe the 2013 movie adaptation did not live up to the book series. However, the show featured on Disney Plus was well received by the media. Across social platforms like X, formerly known as Twitter, many fans have been analyzing and discussing the weekly episodes with each other. However, there are still some aspects of the series that cannot be transformed to television. For those who have already read the books, it can be difficult to make the story feel new.
“I wasn’t really too excited because they did other adaptations of it and it really wasn’t all that good, so my expectations weren’t really high,” Riley said. “[I would rate the show] lower [ than the book] but only by a little. The book has, like, an originality to it. If you read the book it’s just better in my opinion.”
However, there are also books that perform better on the screen. Many books, such as “The Notebook” or “The Fault in Our Stars” have been reported as a great movie but disappointing book. Although a book is expected to have more character development and emotional moments, sometimes it may be more focused on plot, while the movie adaptation of it is able to expand on the characters and take the viewer on an emotional journey; one example being “The Green Mile” originally written by Stephen King.
“[‘The Green Mile’] was a good book, I would just say the movie had more depth in it and more flushed out characters,” Kim Eung (9) said.
Along with the movie’s new telling of the story, the addition of actors can make the adaptation seem more realistic. The acting, cinematography and music can transform the mood and tone of a scene.
“[While watching ‘The Green Mile’] I started busting out crying, to be honest,” Eung said. “It was…sad because John Coffey died. Like, he was so innocent, and then he just died.”
Whether viewers find the movie or book better, the adaptation of a book is important. The pictures of characters and scenes painted inside the reader’s head are finally given the chance to bloom through its visual adaptations. These adaptations provide a chance to broaden the book’s audience and introduce new viewers to books.
“Read the book first, and then watch the movie,” Eung said, “It’s because you want more context in the movie about what’s gonna happen and to see what the differences would be.”
