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Related: TV discussion forum.

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Related: TV discussion forum.

Films

Books that just didn't work as films......

155 replies

fifteenmillionmerits · 19/10/2021 01:45

The Hobbit was a book I loved as a child. When Jackson made the film, it just didn't do it justice IMO. Overused CGI, long dragging scenes...we gave up after the first hour and that was that.

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ButYouGottaHaveASkillJeff · 19/10/2021 17:39

The Beach. Loved the book, was so excited (at the time) for the film to come out. There was no need to have the romance between Leo and the girl. Loved the book so much I forget her name haha. But yeah, hated the film so much. I just don't think the essence was captured at all.

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Standrewsschool · 19/10/2021 17:45

Marigold Hotel (can’t remember full title). Loved the book. Couldn’t get on with the film.

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CiaoForDiNiaoSaur · 19/10/2021 17:46

PS I love you.
The Secret Dreamworld of a shopaholic.

Or anything where they move it to be set in America really.

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Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 19/10/2021 17:48

The Dark is Rising. An absolute travesty.

And I still think it could be a good film.

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IpanemaPeaHen · 19/10/2021 17:49

Captain Corelli’s mandolin. I shall never get over that disappointment.

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TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 19/10/2021 17:49

The second Bridget Jones book; they missed out SO much good stuff.

They should’ve made it a series so they weren’t time constraints.

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Ijustreallywantacat · 19/10/2021 17:50

I thought IT part 2 really missed the mark. Part 1 I quite liked. Mind you, that scene would be nearly impossible to recreate, and that other scene...Well I'm glad they didn't. If you know what I mean.

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ChequerBoard · 19/10/2021 17:51

The Girl on the Train.

Ok so it's not highbrow literature, but that book should have made a great film - it reads like a movie.

The film that was made was really awful. Even Emily Blunt couldn't save it. I think it just didn't work being set in the USA plus the script tried to make a big action/drama when really it wasn't about who killed Megan at all.

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nahnahna · 19/10/2021 17:51

The Goldfinch ? apparently the film is terrible, I love the book and I really want to watch the film but according to reviews it's awful

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BlueFlavour · 19/10/2021 17:52

Anna Karenina. Sorry Keira, but you are not cutting my mustard.

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CassTheFox · 19/10/2021 17:53

I can see why Stephen King hated the Kubrick film of The Shining. I appreciate it as a stand-alone film but it does completely miss SO much of the book

I love Stephen King books and think a lot of the film adaptions lose much of the great things about the books.

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Phyllis321 · 19/10/2021 17:53

All of the LOTR films. The setting was too ‘big’. And such a big deal was made of it being filmed in New Zealand that I kept thinking, is that the north or South Island?

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ButYouGottaHaveASkillJeff · 19/10/2021 17:58

@ChequerBoard

The Girl on the Train.

Ok so it's not highbrow literature, but that book should have made a great film - it reads like a movie.

The film that was made was really awful. Even Emily Blunt couldn't save it. I think it just didn't work being set in the USA plus the script tried to make a big action/drama when really it wasn't about who killed Megan at all.

Yes that didn't work at all. Didn't feel Emily Blunt in that role. I really enjoyed the book.

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iklboo · 19/10/2021 18:01

Jumper

The Black Dahlia

The Shining - Dr Sleep was much better.

The Running Man - totally tore up the story & turned it into an Arnie Hero Movie.

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patienceandprudence · 19/10/2021 18:04

Vile bodies (the film is awful)
In fact, basically all attempts to make Waugh’s books into films are bad

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bookworm14 · 19/10/2021 18:05

@Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies

The Dark is Rising. An absolute travesty.

And I still think it could be a good film.

Yes - that was an absolute disaster. They clearly hadn’t read the book. It could be an amazing film or TV series in the hands of someone who cared about the source material!

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nancy75 · 19/10/2021 18:07

The most recent little women, terrible casting (I know it won oscars but I don’t care, Amy looked old enough to be Laurie’s mum in half the scenes & really all of them were just wrong)

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Theforest · 19/10/2021 18:08

@ButYouGottaHaveASkillJeff

The Beach. Loved the book, was so excited (at the time) for the film to come out. There was no need to have the romance between Leo and the girl. Loved the book so much I forget her name haha. But yeah, hated the film so much. I just don't think the essence was captured at all.

Totally agree with this. The Beach was a fantastic book. The film was a complete letdown.

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8dpwoah · 19/10/2021 18:12

@Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies

The Dark is Rising. An absolute travesty.

And I still think it could be a good film.

I came here to say this! Phenomenal set of books but the film was dire. I don't know how you can make such crap with such great source material? I was even prepared to forgive them not starting at the beginning for commercial purposes because of Over Sea Under Stone being a bit different.

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8dpwoah · 19/10/2021 18:13

Also @bookworm14 completely agree

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BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 19/10/2021 18:19

Pride and Prejudice and Emma both worked much better as a series than as a film, although even the series have flaws.

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AllThingsServeTheBeam · 19/10/2021 18:20

Gunslinger by Stephen King. Absolute tosh.

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ChequerBoard · 19/10/2021 18:27

@BlueFlavour

Anna Karenina. Sorry Keira, but you are not cutting my mustard.

Oh God I definitely I agree! I am banned from ever watching that film again. I may have chuntered on about how dreadful it was for some time...

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RusholmeRuffian · 19/10/2021 18:35

@IpanemaPeaHen

Captain Corelli’s mandolin. I shall never get over that disappointment.

This. 100%. It still makes me angry.

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Clandestin · 19/10/2021 18:38

@nancy75

The most recent little women, terrible casting (I know it won oscars but I don’t care, Amy looked old enough to be Laurie’s mum in half the scenes & really all of them were just wrong)

Yes, I really like Florence Pugh as an actress, but she was playing Amy March, aged about eleven, when she must be at least in her mid to late 20s, and yes, she absolutely did look (and act) considerably older than Timothée Chalamet's ickle boy lost-style Lawrie.

And don't talk to me about The Dark is Rising.

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