Books vs Films

I’ve asked myself the same question a number of times; why aren’t theatrical releases as good as the books they’re based on?

Of course there have been a small number of films that can almost be dismissed from this category, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings for instance, but watching a film just doesn’t seem to fill me with the emotion and fixation that a book does.

I recently ventured out to watch the theatrical adaptation of Nicolas Spark’s ‘Safe Haven.’ The film has currently culminated over £45 million pound at the box office and although I can admit to shedding a few tears as the credits rolled, I left feeling somewhat disappointed; a feeling not uncommon when discussing this area.

I understand that the information given in a novel is hard to cram into a two hour feature. What I don’t understand is why with today’s technological innovation is it still so hard to offer a satisfactory version of the much loved books.

In all honesty, what I think it comes down to is the fact that each individual creates their own version of what is written on the pages of much loved books, whether it be the appearance of a much loved character or a fictitious town.

For the readers of these books, the story has already been told and know same person will see it the same. 

Are there any books that you think could be made into a successful film? Or any that should be left alone in the imagination of each individual reader?