Film – Yellow Belly

Books vs Films

April 26, 2013 Samantha Thomas Leave a comment

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?

Life of Pi film review

February 14, 2013 Alice Rose Leave a comment

The film version of Life of Pi graced our screens last December after being adapted from the book by Yann Martel.

With CGI tigers and an island full of meerkats, the film definitely looks appealing. But what actually happens in Life of Pi?

Well, the story begins as a middle aged Piscine (Pi) Patel is approached by a journalist who was told he had an excellent story to tell.

Pi then tells the journalist about his life in India as a child

when his family owned a zoo, but they had to sell it and decided to move to Canada.

The family travelled by ship but a storm resulted in it sinking, with Pi being the only survivor.

It moves on to become a story in which Pi manages to cope on board on a small boat with Richard Parker (a Bengal tiger), and how he (Pi) battles with his spiritual beliefs whilst he drifts in the ocean.

Upon seeing the trailer, I did suspect that the film might have used too much CGI and it would look fake. However when I did actually see the film this wasn’t the case at all. The visuals were stunning, and the opening looks beautiful.

What was also brilliant about the film was that it stuck to the book; using little details which drew you to remember key points in the story. Suraj Sharma showed so much emotion and was the perfect person to play the role of Pi.

So to all those considering going to watch Life of Pi, it is definitely recommended. The film will stick with you for a long time afterwards. But make sure you watch it in 3D for the full effect!

Film