tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2271063888121299568.post9045246309599732464..comments2023-04-10T05:18:36.315-07:00Comments on amo vitam: Movies from BooksAMOffenwangerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04429398915780302831noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2271063888121299568.post-13231936835030521192013-10-23T13:20:15.726-07:002013-10-23T13:20:15.726-07:00Narnia goes: Dawn Treader, Horse and His Boy, Silv...Narnia goes: Dawn Treader, Horse and His Boy, Silver Chair, LWW, Prince Caspian, Last Battle, Magician's Nephew for me. So the badness of Prince Caspian didn't bother me anywhere near as much as the badness of Dawn Treader.<br /><br />I didn't actually care much for Fairest (although you're right, it would be IMPOSSIBLE to properly convey any of it in a movie; that's a book that really relies on its words). It felt flat to me. Loved the concept, felt like she danced around it too much and confused the matter too much. Maybe I would have liked it more if she hadn't tried tying it to "Ella" - if it had been a stand-alone, like The Two Princesses of Bamarre.<br /><br />But now I am completely and totally digressing.Louisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17840731400749105419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2271063888121299568.post-41141635411904794702013-10-22T20:48:24.408-07:002013-10-22T20:48:24.408-07:00Yes, that's probably where the difference come...Yes, that's probably where the difference comes in - after "Prince Caspian", I didn't expect much of "Dawn Treader". Plus I'm not as attached to that book (my favourite Narnia is "Horse and His Boy").<br /><br />Ella Enchanted, the movie is silly; the book - the book is amazing. As is "Fairest", also by Gail Carson Levine, which I read recently (it's a Snow White version). I don't think it would make a good movie at all; that story has got to stay in a book. A movie would not ever do it justice.<br /><br />And, yeah, I'm a sucker for Freeman and Armitage, too (that dwarf song! Sooo amazing). And for fancy special effects and wonderful scenery shots. But I'm not a big Tolkien fan, so I'm much more tolerant towards movies that mess up his stories.AMOffenwangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04429398915780302831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2271063888121299568.post-83112569947777775762013-10-22T18:59:24.797-07:002013-10-22T18:59:24.797-07:00Dawn Treader is my favorite out of all the Narnia ...Dawn Treader is my favorite out of all the Narnia books, and I went in to that movie with ridiculously high hopes. I also found that the more I thought about it afterward, the worse it seemed to me.<br /><br />The Hobbit - parts of it (much of it) was YES utterly ridiculous, but I found the actors' performances compelling enough to overlook much of that. Maybe I'm just a sucker for Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage.<br /><br />Totally with you on Princess Bride. Found the book an utter disappointment, and I adore the movie and can pretty well quote the entire thing. (I think one of the reasons I was able to forgive Ella Enchanted almost everything was the sheer joy of seeing Cary Elwes camp it up as the villain. "Westley's the bad guy!" I thought, and then chortled in glee.)Louisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17840731400749105419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2271063888121299568.post-70789257901485612852013-10-22T09:41:50.195-07:002013-10-22T09:41:50.195-07:00Yes, I agree on Ella Enchanted; the movie has a co...Yes, I agree on Ella Enchanted; the movie has a completely different feel from the book. The Percy Jackson films are actually similar; the characters are very different - changed from 12/13-year-olds to 17/18yo's for one, with all that comes with it.<br /><br />However, when it comes to Dawn Treader and Hobbit - well, I'm afraid I feel differently. I didn't mind the Dawn Treader movie (I hope you'll still speak to me after this); I found the Hobbit, frankly, ridiculous (but still tolerable). I have friends who were utterly infuriated by it, though. Perhaps how one reacts to a movie adaptation is directly related to how much one cares about the book - which, really, is my point. If you haven't read the book, you can enjoy the film on its own merits.<br /><br />And you might even end up with films that you (gasp!) like BETTER than the book. That happened to me with "Forrest Gump" and "Princess Bride" (the books are quite stupid), and, to an extent, with "Shrek" - the movie is great, the book is, well, a picture book with not much to it. AMOffenwangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04429398915780302831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2271063888121299568.post-13010452519118606922013-10-22T09:26:08.843-07:002013-10-22T09:26:08.843-07:00In some cases, I find the more a movie adaptation ...In some cases, I find the more a movie adaptation differs from the book, the better I enjoy it. I found Ella Enchanted (movie) a thoroughly delightful, frothy romp, but only because it was so very different from the book that I could take it on its own merits. I think that's the same reason why I was able to appreciate The Hobbit more than LOTR - LOTR was so close, that the few egregious errors threw me into a fury (FARAMIR!!!!!!!). Whereas The Hobbit was so different I was able to look at it as "inspired by the book" instead of an adaptation.<br /><br />But I did and do despise the recent adaptation of Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Not only was it a tremendously bad adaptation, it didn't even have any value as a film. Maddening.Louisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17840731400749105419noreply@blogger.com