The hardest thing about movie adaptations is that what you think may not be what the person next to you thinks. You may be okay with the changes and someone else may be pretty pissed off about them. But to me, that’s also what makes them fun. It’s the beauty of the world that there are many opinions, many choices, and many books.
When we think about book to movie/TV adaptations, it’s hard to narrow down ones favorites. But here’s our favorite adaptations.
Harry Potter
One can’t talk about great adaptations if you don’t talk about Harry Potter. It’s 7 flawless movies that take you inside a world unlike anything that you have ever seen. The actors, the words, the scripts – everything is just perfection. Harry Potter ignited the love of adaptations and made us see what is possible when a studio pays attention to the fans, the source material, and markets effectively.
Divergent
Yes, Dystopian’s are over but the first movie in The Divergent Series is one of our favorites. It was simple, it was a reflection of the book. The thing is – Divergent didn’t worry about the grandeur – it worried about the heart of the story. I went to that set and I can tell you when you were in the cavern – you were there. You felt like a part of that world. Everything made sense. That first movie was about the books and we love it. I wanted to fall for Tris. I wanted to root for Four. I was happy to be a part of their world.
Hunger Games
The Hunger Games will always have a special place in our hearts. It’s like Twilight – a movie that we started our fandom journey on and have invested blood, sweat, and tears into. We love it so much. The movies were cast beautifully, stayed true to the story, and developed that emotional connection. The thing is – The Hunger Games franchise – the actors and the crew – they were all as invested in the fans as the fans were with them. That’s a beautiful thing.
Twilight
Everything leads back to Twilight. You can say what you want about the films but they were great adaptations. Twilight took the books and really used them as a source material. They made sure that they took the popular lines, the things that resonated with the fans, and made sure that they stayed true to the story. Twilight brought us Robsten and how can you ever say that is a bad thing. Look, I will be the first to say that Twilight isn’t the most amazing movie franchise – but it did what it was supposed to do. It ignited feelings in those that watched it. Movies are about that – emotional investment. To this day I am emotionally invested in Twilight.
The 5th Wave
When I saw The 5th Wave, I didn’t think I was going to like it. I thought it was another franchise with a bunch of popular actors and I thought that they were going to be selling it off that. But the truth is that the movie is full of action, emotion, and some pretty hot scenes. The book – like other favorites – stays true to the heart of the book and that draws us in. I can’t say enough about that – because the action and the emotional connection makes me root for the characters.
If I Stay
A movie doesn’t have to be fantasy or dystopian to catch my eye. If I Stay has always been a favorite book – but what I loved about If I Stay is that they managed to find a way to stay so true to the book that you didn’t even notice the differences. The movie has you smiling, laughing, tearing up, and at the end – it leaves you rooting for Mia to survive. Love how they made me believe that I was seeing the story through Mia’s soul and still managed to make me feel everything that the other characters feel.
The Fault in Our Stars
Seriously… can’t put this one into words. Cause it’s just perfection.
To commemorate the close of The Hunger Games franchise – we are giving you a chance to win a special prize pack.
- A Mockingjay Part 2 rose,
- Limited Edition Mockingjay Part 2 pin,
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Soundtrack,
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 on Blu-ray
To enter – leave a comment on this post and let us know what your favorite adaptation is! We’ll choose a winner April 2nd.
Mockingjay: Part 2 is available now!
I would have to say a tie between HP and the Hunger Games.
I think Field of Dreams is an amazing adaptation of Shoeless Joe. Harry Potter is great too.
My favorite book adaptation will always be The Hunger Games. The movies are respecting at 100% the original story, the characters are a bit more developed but that’s a really great thing. Francis included every details, from the tiniest to the biggest one, he’s a visionary, he brings this world to life, and so did Gary, who gave a beautiful movie to the fans ! I love every parts of it.
When I’m writing those words, i have in my left hand the phone, and on the right one, the remote ready to play the last movie of this amazing saga.
I believe that you can’t put an entire trilogy or saga into one whole thing, because not all the movies are good adaptations of the books, but I think MJ Pt 2 was one of the best adaptations
Twilight was my first fandom, and it led into the Hunger Games. I’ll always love them both. But the Hunger Games is an awesome adaptation. Great actors, a good story, and the sets, amongst other things we love.
Everything started for me with Twilight ? I loved TFIOS, THG & If I Stay but my favorite adaptation has to be Divergent ❤️ <4
My favorite adaptation would have to be The Hunger Games. It also is my first fandom. ❤
I think my favorite movie adaption would actually be Prince Caspian of The Chronicles of Narnia. While they did change several things about the movie, I believe they did well emphasizing C.S. Lewis’ life lessons in the book.
Definitely The Maze Runner. Smaller budget, relied more on the acting and character development rather than CGI, and it’s truly a thrill ride the entire way through. Plus, the cast throughout the series, so far, has been so well-cast.
My favorite adaptation is Harry Potter. Love the cast and it was awesome seeing the younger actors grow up throughout the series.
My favorite is The Hunger Games, followed closely by Harry Potter. To me they’re the penultimate examples of the genre–rare cases in which the perfect storm of brilliant novels, heavily-involved authors, and just the right group of actors, directors, producers, studios, etc., etc., came together to bring the stories to beautiful cinematic life. They’re the kind of phenomenal series and sets of characters that become a huge part of your life and literally transform it for good.
Harry Potter and Hunger Games are tied for my favorite adaptation. They both did an amazing job bringing the characters and storylines to life with amazing casting, writing, and visuals. It’s too hard to pick one over the other especially since both had such compelling stories and really strong leads and supporting characters. Yep, definitely a tie followed closely by The Fault in Our Stars which almost made it a 3-way tie for me.
My favorite adaptation is The Hunger Games. I’m tempted to say Twilight because that is where it all started for me but even though I was a big fan, I have to admit that the movies could have been much better. The Hunger Games on the other hand was adapted beautifully. They stayed so true to the books. It was obvious that everyone involved, both in front and behind the camera, truly respected and loved the story. Fantastic cast as well!
I love both The Harry Potter & The Hunger Games adaptations they both have a special place in my heart.
I was a fan of the Twilight saga!