Imagine you’re at home, with some time to spare. It’s a weekend, and you’re looking for a way to relax. On one side of you, is the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy, and on the other, is the remote to the TV, playing the 2012 film rendition of the novel. Which would you prefer, the book or the movie?
This choice is not as simple as liking one form of entertainment to another, it takes a case-by-case judgment. One movie may outshine the book it was based on, or vice versa. Down below, we have several book-movie combinations, for you, the reader, to judge which reigns supreme.
Harry Potter
Originally published in 1997 by J.K. Rowling, the story of Harry Potter is a classic. Young Harry discovers he is a wizard, and is whisked away to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The series of seven books is full of mythical creatures, magic wands, and deep secrets, piquing the interest of millions of readers.
Nearly a year after the publication of the fourth novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), the first film was released, starring Daniel Radcliffe as the Chosen One himself. The series was divided into eight films, closely following the plot present in the books, with only minor differences.
Regardless, the battle between which is better is ongoing. Each has its advantages, as the books provide a more in-depth look into life in the Wizarding World, while the movies bring the magic fans have known and loved to life.
Scott Pilgrim
Starring the fan-favorite actor Michael Cera, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), follows the loveable, socially awkward protagonist, Scott Pilgrim, and his fight for the beautiful Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). In the romantic comedy, Scott must defeat Ramona’s seven evil exes in order to win her devotion.
What many people don’t know is that the film is based on a series of graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley. The series consists of six animated novels, initially released in August 2004. With each volume, the series became more popular, leading to the demand for a film interpretation.
The movie captures the peculiarity of each character, from Ramona’s ever-changing hair color to the comedic timing of Scott’s gay roommate, Wallace Wells. However, it can be hard to capture over 1,200 pages in two hours of a movie, making the book-to-movie accuracy debatable.
Red, White, and Royal Blue
Full of love, betrayal, and politics, Casey McQuiston’s 2019 novel Red White and Royal Blue has had astounding success with readers, specifically in the LGBTQ+ community. The novel follows the complicated love story of Henry, the Prince of Wales, and Alex Clarmont-Diaz, the first son of the President of the United States. In the novel, the two men must fight to keep their romance alive while hidden from the prying eyes of the outside world.
This success led to its recent premiere as a movie on Amazon Prime in July 2023. The film starring Nicholas Galitzine (Prince Henry) and Taylor Zakhar Perez (Alex), was showered in praise for bringing a face to characters that readers have grown to love.
It
It is one of the most popular horror movies to date, with two movies and an upcoming series in the franchise. Based on the novel by Stephen King, It follows the tale of seven young outcasts, the “Losers”, as they face the monster who has plagued their town, Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
Typically, horror book-to-movie adaptations are very successful, able to depict the suspense and gore much better than a written description can, and that seems to be the case
It’s first film adaptation was released in 1990, four years after the novel was published. The film stars Tim Curry as Pennywise, with a plot that closely resembles that of the original book.
However, the more popular versions of the film It (2017) and It: Chapter Two (2019) divide the novel into two parts, based on the two times the Losers battle Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), once as adults and once as children. Despite the extra screen time, this version does have some differences, such as characters’ storylines being tweaked, an epilogue that greatly deviates from the book, and several scenes being cut out due to them being too graphic for the screen.
Shadow and Bone
Stepping into the realm of the Grisha-verse, Shadow and Bone (2012) follows the trials of 17-year-old Alina Starkov, a soldier turned Saint when she unlocks the magic that not even she knew she possessed. With her new powers, Alina must lead her army in the battle of light and shadow, to bring her world to peace.
The trilogy written by Leigh Bardugo was turned into a Netflix TV series in 2021 and released its second season in March 2023. While Netflix’s involvement concerning season three has not been confirmed, it can be expected the show will be renewed due to its success, and support from viewers.
This adaptation of the trilogy also includes Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone spin-off, the Six of Crows duology, which takes place years after the original trilogy concludes. The duology follows the tale of six troubled teens in the slum of the city, as they partake in a deadly heist that could make them rich beyond their wildest dreams.
In the TV series, these novels meet, which raises some complications with the accuracy of each journey, such as the time period, romance, and fate of each character. Despite this, the series brings a face to characters fans know and love, exploring the intricacies of their development as they fight for peace with their Grisha-verse counterparts.
Percy Jackson
The 2010 book-to-movie adaptation Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief has received copious amounts of criticism concerning its relation to the original novels by Rick Riordan (2005).
The series follows the adventures of young demi-god Percy Jackson, as he must find Zeus’s stolen lightning bolt in order to prevent war on Olympus. Based on Greek mythology, Percy and his friends must face the wrath of gods and battle monstrous creatures, all told through the comedic narration of a twelve-year-old boy.
However, many of these aspects are completely disregarded and changed in the movie. Rather than an ongoing journey to search for the bolt, Percy (Logan Lerman) and his team must find three pearls, in order to gain access to the underworld, where the bolt was believed to be.
Yet, a Percy Jackson film adaptation does have its chance for redemption with the upcoming Disney+ TV series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is set to be released in late December of 2023.
The Witcher
The Witcher has been a fantasy icon since Netflix released the first season in 2019. Based on the series of novels by Polish author Andrejz Sapkowski The Witcher follows the intertwined destiny of Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), a monster-hunting mutant, and the young Princess Cirilla of Cintra (Freya Allen). The pair face wild beasts, battle mages, and worst of all, the deadly minds of human beings.
The cinematic world of The Witcher currently has produced three seasons and has been renewed by Netflix for a fourth. The only problem is that Henry Cavill has abandoned his role as the protagonist, saying that the plot of the show has strayed too far from the original novels. For this reason, Liam Hemsworth will be playing the White Wolf for any future seasons, which can cause some conflict with how many die-hard fans will continue to watch the show.
Regardless, Netflix’s adaptations do have some benefits, giving Sapkowski horrifying beasts lifelike qualities, choreographing high-action fight scenes, and creating a storyline full of danger, adventure, and romance.
