Thoughts on...Book Adaptations

This will be another weekly segment that I will be adding to the lineup. Each will I will discuss random topics in the realm of popular culture (like the console wars, superhero movies,etc). On to the topic at hand...

I have incredibly mixed feelings about book (also comic book adaptations, especially with the . Sometimes, I feel that they can transcend their original medium and become a classic in the realm of popular culture. Other times, I feel that they either sour the original reading experience with their less-than-stellar interpretations. Instead of increasing the popularity of the author and the book/series, it can sometimes cause a backlash against both for selling the story while also questioning the legitimacy/integrity of the book.

Some extremely positive examples would be Lord of the Rings, Jurassic Park, James Bond, the Princess Bride, Sex in the City and Harry Potter (more on that later). All of these movies have all of the necessary pieces to have a great adaptation; classic quotes, dynamic/iconic actors, a great script and a passionate director. For a long time I didn't even know that Jurassic Park and the Princess Bride were even based on books, I just thought they were loved films (albeit for different reasons) that became ingrained in pop culture via quotes, theme park rides and imitations in other forms of media. In the case of the Lord of the Rings, I can say that I have seen the movies more than I have read the books and that sometimes I mix-up some facts based on how they were presented or neglected in the story (I'll never forget good ol' Tom Bombadil though). Sometimes these adaptations win Oscar's, Emmy's, or break the box-office, which add to the prestige of the book/adaptation as a whole.

Now, Harry Potter is considered to one of the most successful movie series of all time (up with James Bond) and it is also one of my favorite book series ever. It's made tons of money in box office and brought Daniel Radcliffe into super stardom but I don't feel like these adaptations were super strong or did the books a lot of justice. I felt that if I have to explain to someone who hasn't read the books about Horcruxes (for example) for them to fully get the picture, then the story wasn't fully told. I understand that there are limitations and things had to be cut but I feel like some of the stuff they added was unnecessary, and vice versa so the story felt incomplete to me. Despite these things, I try to just enjoy them as an entertainment movie and then I will read the book to get the real picture in my head. I feel like even with all of the changes LOTR made, it still blew HP out of the water adaptation wise and I consider it to be the better adaptation as I felt those changes were more thoughtful and at least attempted not to be detrimental to the story as a whole.

Of course on the opposite side of the spectrum would be the terrible adaptations which lead to critical and audience panning and and dissolution of completing the series. An example would be of The Mortal Instruments, as it did poorly and the sequel was canceled. Other movies that bombed are Vampire Academy, Eragon, The Golden Compass and the most infamous (and one of the worst box office fails in history) John Carter. These all having varying reasons from bloated budgets, lack of proper marketing, poor screenwriting, bad (or a bad perception of) animations/CGI. Sometimes the simple answer is that the popularity doesn't transfer over into seat in the (overpriced) movie theaters.
I hope that the amount of adaptations in the media goes down so hopefully the quality of the films can go up and everyone can be happy with the end result.

Book Review: His Majesty's Dragon

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Finally! I've finished the book. Sorry it took me forever but with class ending and other things going on it was hard for me to find time to read. I'll make sure that I have them out a little sooner the next time. Anyway..on to the review

 

Title: His Majesty's Dragon (Book 1 of the Temeraire Series)

Author: Naomi Novik

 

Characters:

Captain William Laurence- the main character of the story. He is a naval captain who is content with his life. He especially looks down on those that serve in the Aerial Corps (with dragons) and dreads the initial responsibility when it is thrust upon him accidentally. He soon develops not only a strong bond with Temeraire, but a respect for aerial combat and proves to be intsrumental in the war.

 

Temeraire- the strong-willed and intelligent dragon that hatched on Laurence's ship. He demonstrates amazing growth and ability in his first several months of life. He see the differences between himself and the other dragons and is curious as to the reasons why that is, which he expresses to Laurence. Other than intelligence, he doesn't show any other ability during most of the book (like poison spitting or fire breathing).

 

Setting: During the Napolenic Era, in a world where dragons are commonplace and bred for battle.

 

Plot: Cpt. Laurence captures a French frigate that happens to be carrying a rare Chinese dragon egg. As the Chinese are considered the greatest breeders in the world, it becomes a commodity to the British. Despite Laurence's best wishes, the hatched dragon, which he names Temeraire, imprints to him and he becomes his dragonrider. Together they embark on a journey to train and learn more about the ins and outs of dragon warfare under the looming threat of Napoleon, who has his own dragons and is ready to conquer the world.

 

Overview: I loved this story! Laurence and Temeraire had such great chemistry and I loved their relationship together. I did have difficult imagining the way the dragons were used for war, but the vivid descriptions always kept me interested. There was a great range of characters in this story, both likable and not. I felt very strongly alongside Laurence and definitely got angry at some parts of the story that he could hardly compose himself. I always found myself looking forward to reading more of the story and absolutely cannot wait until I get the next book in the series.

 

FanGirl Rating: 4/5 Stars