In recent years I have found myself questioning whether or not I like having books turned into movies. Let’s start with The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I have always been a history geek and a sucker for anything that even remotely looked medieval. I remember seeing the movie trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I thought it looked awesome. I had discovered a new movie that was going to be amazing. I told my dad about how awesome it looked and I couldn’t believe it when he told me that they were actually books…and they were old. He had an gold, cracked, and yellowed boxed set of the series in his closet. He handed them to me and told me to be careful with them; they were some of his favorite books. This was about the time that we had started to have our differences and I was so excited that I had found some common ground. By the end of the month I had read them all. I was hooked, I was in love, and have been ever since. In this instance I wouldn’t have discovered this classic not to be missed series without the movie. The movies were amazing by the way and everyone should watch them.
Then came the books that would take the YA world by storm (queue dramatic music)…Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I would scrimp, save, and beg to have enough money to get these books on the day they were released. When I heard that they were going to be movies I couldn’t wait. I thought the movies were good. I must confess that I haven’t seen the last three. I don’t know why. Don’t get me wrong I know they are good movies; look at the money they made. I guess in this case it’s more of a sentimental reason. Harry Potter was a huge part of my childhood, and as lame as it sounds contributed to the person I am today. I have read each book over and over again, and once I finish the movies it will really be over.This series opened up a whole new concept for me. I could escape to a different world through the books I read. At 22 years old now I still do. I like the movies, but I love the books.
Next we have Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. Love it or hate it you can’t deny the impact it has had on the book world and the world where movies and books collide. I’m going to be a brat and brag, I was an original Twilighter. I have my first edition paperback and hardbacks all on my shelf. I would get these books the day they came out and finish them before my head touched the pillow. I couldn’t wait for the movie to come out. I had a lot of friends who would only read a book if it was 75% pictures. Being in movie form was going to show them what they had been missing. This was a case where I was let down. The movie didn’t live up to my imagination and I think it was the same way with a lot of others. People harp and criticize Twilight left and right these days. But before the movie, before it became popular to hate it, Twilight was an amazing love story. This series opened people up to the world of teen supernatural. I know there were Teen supernatural before Twilight, but the books and movies must get a lot of credit for this. I am looking forward with anticipation and worry for 2012. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins will be released. As with all great books, I worry that the movie won’t be able to stand up to the amazing worlds that these authors create in our minds. Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series is rumored to be in the works of movie production. I beg of you PLEASE read the books before the movies. Many times it isn’t possible for us to visually see the amazing sights the mind can create. There is always the chance that the movie won’t live up. Don’t miss an amazing book because the movie wasn’t good. Movies have their place. They draw in those who haven’t discovered these books, the skeptics, and the hold outs. Just remember without these books there would be no blue print for the movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment