Book vs. Film

Disney's sequel to Alice in Wonderland (2010), Alice Through the Looking Glass is to be released this coming Friday. Many people know that these versions do not follow Lewis Carroll's story blindly. Actually no film ever follows their book a 100%.

Growing up with Harry Potter, Narnia, and many other wonderful fantasy series, I have seen many of them acquire film versions. Like many of my fellow fans, I walked out of the theater mostly disappointed, but there are a few times I walked out really liking it. Then there are some that are in the middle.

Now my view on them have changed. Here a couple of things I have learned:

1. A film cannot follow the book page to page, otherwise we would have a hundred hour film.

2. Films are another platform to tell stories, but they are very different from books from how things are told to the emotions they wish to bring to the surface.

Why I didn't like certain versions? Well, that is obvious because most fans enter the theater and leave disappointed because it was nothing close to the book. Some filmmakers view that when an author signs off their work to become films they believe that the film is the filmmakers' story now, not the author's. In meaning, the filmmakers can do whatever they want with it.

I don't believe that. Films are just film version of the book they were adapted from. It is another way of telling the same story. I am not saying they don't have creative rights to do what they please, but they have the rights to tell the story in a way that will get across to the audience better in terms of film.

One example of this is in Golden Compass. The Gyptians told Lyra that Mrs. Coulter was her mother. Plot twist is revealed, but I would have liked some realization moments and some moments of bonding between the two when they know the other knows the truth. In the film, they let Mrs. Coulter tell Lyra providing a stronger emotional plot twist like in Star Wars V with Vader revealing he is Luke's father.

I have just mentioned a reason why I like some films. Another reason is that some films actually do a very good job in telling the author's story like Twilight (Not a fan, but it makes a point), first three Harry Potter films, and Narnia 1 film. I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them at the moment.

Also some I have just found better then their books like Stardust and Alice in Wonderland (2010).

Books and films are very different ways of telling stories. Books are a little more lenient into adding on to the story with more detailed moments that may not have huge merits to the overall plot, but simply provide amusement or world building. Films cannot do this. They have to take things out to make it into a two hour film or in Peter Jackson's case three hours.

Sometimes a book can tell a story that doesn't have a plot that is fine for a book, but for films. For example Voyage of the Dawn Treader as a book tells a sea voyage adventure looking for the seven lost lords, but as a film this maybe a bit boring and it starts dragging. So they add the seven swords and a green mist villain to make it more interesting. The religious fable Noah's Ark was turned into a movie. People complained because of all this excessive stuff for the sake of drama. The original story as valuable as it is, is just too short to be a film. It needs more to make it a movie and to be interesting. It didn't sacrifice the principles of the story, but just had to add more for the sake of Hollywood.

Film versions must also cater to non-readers as well. Non-readers tend to enjoy film versions that the readers do. Sometimes we must look at the film as is and what they tried to do with the material they had. I tend appreciate the film as is, even though I dislike the various off points it had from the book. Filmmakers should find a way to cater to both non-readers and readers equally.

These are my thoughts on the matter. I hope it has brought some new light to your views on books and films. If not then you are welcome to share your thoughts and I will be happy to respond. Just keep in mind that we are all entitled to our own opinion and I don't want strong negativity against each other. This is supposed to be a friendly conversation. Let the conversation commence: