Top 10 Tuesday time! The weekly meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week it’s….
The Top 10 Best (And Worst!) Movie/TV Adaptations
Best:
- Pride & Prejudice 1995, BBC Version: For me, this is the ultimate in adaptations. The casting is awesome (I know they were hooking up in real life, but seriously, how much chemistry did Colin Firth as Darcy and Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth have in this? It’s amazing!), the costumes and scenery are gorgeous and I really enjoyed how it told the story.
- The Hunger Games. I watched this recently and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I loved the book and I think Jennifer Lawrence is perfect as Katniss. I know you can never truly please everyone with an adaptation of a book that is hugely successful but I think this one did a great job. Catching Fire is my favourite novel so I’m looking forward to seeing the movie version of that too.
- The Lord of the Rings. I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t actually read all of these books. I’ve read the first two, each of which I read just after seeing the movie but I fell at the final hurdle and didn’t bother to read The Return of the King. However I think the job that was done bringing such epic books to the big screen was enormous. These movies were fabulous to watch.
- To Kill A Mockingbird. Um….two words. Gregory Peck. That is all.
- Bridget Jones’s Diary. The first one – I have to admit, I’m not as fond of the second one. But this one is fabulously funny and the fact that they scored Colin Firth to play Mark Darcy (who is basically based upon Colin Firth’s portrayal of Darcy in the above P&P adaptation) was just genius. Renee Zellweger utterly rocked it as Bridget – her casting caused an uproar as Zellweger is a famously sized 0 American. But her English accent was awesome and she put on a lot of weight to play Bridget…twice.
Worst
- Confessions Of A Shopaholic. I love Becky Brandon and the decision to make her American was pretty much an abomination. This is the reason I am so wary about book adaptations – when they change everything! Why make a movie based on a book if the final product doesn’t actually resemble the original? This one was just “meh” all around.
- Pride & Prejudice 2005 movie. Keira Knightley as Elizabeth…. I couldn’t get past that at all. In fact I’ve never actually watched this entire movie. I did try but it sounded more like an episode of Gilmore Girls than a period piece. It bored me and I didn’t like any of the characters. It may be I am already too firmly established in my love of the BBC version but this one I just do not have any time for.
- True Blood. Omg I wanted to love this. And I know that so many people do. I watched the first season and I honestly thought it was brilliant. I looked forward to seeing all of these books brought to life in the TV series. I love the books, I think they’re great (until you get to the last couple, but it’s finished now!). But somewhere in S2 I realised that this had deviated from the books and now, watching this, the books are totally unrecognisable. And for me, the books are just…better. I am watching a bit of S6 but it sums up a huge problem I have with the TV series: TOO MUCH BILL.
- Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason. After the first movie, which was great, this one was an epic disappointment and no where near as good as the second book.
- The Last Song. A movie part that was created for Miley Cyrus – does it get any worse than that? I’m not a big fan of Nicholas Sparks, his books or the movies based upon them. But this one has got to be probably, the worst of the worst. Ever.
Honourable mentions for best: Emma, Sense & Sensibility, The Silence of the Lambs, Gone With The Wind, Game of Thrones (I haven’t actually watched this all the way through yet and nor have I completed the books so I couldn’t include it in my best 5 but it seems to be amazingly well done), Brokeback Mountain, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Shawshank Redemption.
(Dis)Honourable mentions for worst: Twilight et al, Dear John.
There are so many book-to-movie or tv adaptations that I’ve never seen. I’m always really wary about them so maybe today will help me put together a list of really good ones to check out!
All The Books I Can Read 
Must say I hated the movie version of I Don’t Know How She Does It for same reason you hated Confessions… – changing it from London to New York was a bad move.
I know sometimes you need to alter things to make the transfer from word to visual but changing core details really really BUGS me! Especially when it’s unnecessary.
I heart the second Bridget Jones book but never got around to watching the movie adaptation…except the fight scene between Colin Firth and Hugh Grant (because that’s always amusing :D)
My TTT
The fight scene is HILARIOUS.
The fight IS awesome. Those two are hilarious together. But they really messed up that movie because the second book is really good.
That’s too bad because I think I laughed harder reading the second book than the first…
True Blood – HATE it. The adaptation aspect is so bad that I can’t get past it. The last couple of seasons have been so over the top and campy that they truly suck (pardon the pun). Just no.
Game of Thrones is excellent and I’m glad to find someone else who didn’t like the Keira Knightley Pride and Prejudice. I can’t stand the rain scene.
Lol, I totally agree about TB. They’ve made everything so over the top and ridiculous and changed so many characters and things that didn’t really need changing – it’s still a good story in its original form.
I really don’t love Keira Knightley. I’m not sure what it is. I wouldn’t even see the Anna Karenina adaptation she was cast in.
Thank you, I’m glad someone else doesn’t like the Pride & Prejudice (2005) movie. Keira Knightley is just terrible.
Agreed. Do you like the 1995 version?
There is so much Bill in True Blood. I agree, the first season was great and was so much like the book. Then, not so much. I understand they can’t do 13 seasons of True Blood (aging actors), but they didn’t have to make it so different.
My Top Ten
Yeah, the only thing that’s the same now are the character’s names. Nothing else in True Blood even remotely resembles the happenings in the books, which is a little sad. I wanted to see a lot of that stuff adapted.
Your Best Five is great except I can’t include Hunger Games — the book was much better. Sense & Sensibility is one of the best, as is Shawshank Redemption. You could make a best and worst list of Stephen King adaptations alone! I completely agree about True Blood, I read about the first 7-8 books and the TV show bears no resemblance to the books after the first few episodes.
I think The Hunger Games book is better too – in fact I’m not sure I’ve found an adaptation that IS better than the book. But I think they did a really good job! Shawshank is awesome, it’s a movie I just never ever get sick of watching.
I love Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. He was perfect. And I totally agree with Pride and Prejudice, both of your choices.
He really was. One of the best pieces of casting I think there has ever been!
The Hunger Games, To Kill A Mocking Bird, and Bridget Jones’ Diary were great adaptations. Thanks for sharing.
My TTT: http://www.bookythoughtsandme.com/top-ten-best-and-worst-book-to-movie-adaptation-experiences/
It’s amazing just how GOOD some can be! I wish all of them could be held up to the same standard as those 3.
Great picks! Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version) is seriously the best book movie adaptation ever!
Agreed! It actually got me into Austen…I hadn’t read the book way back when I watched it. Now I’ve read most of her books, only 1-2 left to go. And seen many more adaptations!
I have never been able to finish the 2005 P&P either. And I’m with you all the way on the Bridget Jones adaptations. The first one was great, the second one far from it.
I can’t read To Kill a Mockingbird without picturing Gregory Peck as Atticus. So. Good.
My TTT
I tried to be fair to the 2005 version because I love the story so much but I just could not get into it.
AH! True Blood. I definitely agree with you on that one. The first season was so good, and it stayed true to the books while changing a few aspects, but from there it just went downhill. I haven’t watched it in something like two years, and I’m kind of glad.
And then Pride and Prejudice! I remember seeing the 2005 version and I was like… OKAY. This is what all of the hype is about? And then I saw the 1995 BBC Mini Series. And i just ADORE IT. I watch it whenever it’s on TV, and the lake scene. The whole thing is just perfect.
My Top Ten
The 1995 version just eclipses everything 😀
I’m surprised a few people are agreeing with me about TB, I thought that I was pretty alone out there not loving it!
Oh yeah, P&P 1995 is my all-time favorite, but I really did enjoy the 2005. I liked Keira Knightley as Elizabeth, and in all honesty, Jennifer Ehle doesn’t portray Elizabeth as I pictured her.
And Bridget Jones’s 2 was kind of lame, I agree. But the first one – so amazing! Anything with Colin Firth is okay with me, though 🙂
Lol I do tend to feel the same way about Colin Firth.
Great choices this week, Bree!
Amen to your inclusion of Pride and Prejudice 1995 on the ‘Best’ list. In my mind there is no other adaptation of that novel. It’s best not to even mention the abomination that was spawned in 2005 in my presence 😛 I will say that after all the years of re-watching that mini-series endlessly, I had absolutely no idea that Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle were actually together during the filming of it. What an interesting surprise! It would certainly explain their outstanding chemistry.
I can’t wait to see Catching Fire! While I had my fair share of problems with The Hunger Games (Namely, the portrayal of Peeta and the unnecessary shaky cam in the first fifteen to twenty minutes of the film) I absolutely loved the choice of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss and Catching Fire was my favourite novel in the series. I have high hopes for that one!
Completely in agreement with you regarding Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bridget Jones’s Diary: The Edge of Reason. The first film was absolutely delightful and the second film was dreadful. Not even Colin Firth could save the sequel.
For the 2nd Bridget Jones, they cut out the best parts of the novel – threat to Bridget’s life and her relationship and the agony of her and Mark Darcy as they’re apart. Instead they tried to inject too much Daniel (I get why but it didn’t really work). It’s a classic example I think, of changing the story when it really wasn’t necessary.
If the other YA adaptations like Divergent, etc are half as good as The Hunger Games, I’ll be pretty happy!
So many in common! Loved LOTR & the BBC Pride & Prejudice. And To Kill a Mockingbird, while I totally forgot to add it to my list, is such a perennial favorite, both the book and movie.
Thanks for sharing a marvy list!
Sam @ Mad But Magic
Our TTT: http://madbutmagicya.blogspot.com/
Thanks for stopping by!
Bridget Jones! Can’t believe I forgot that one. It’s one of the few movies I like more than the book.
The 2005 version of P&P was on my “worst” list too! I’m not the biggest Keira Knightley fan generally, and I agree, I don’t think it really worked to have her playing Elizabeth. The movie did have some gorgeously scenic shots and the soundtrack was nice but the BBC version sticks much closer to the book.
I second BBC P&P! I watched that many times, all in the name of English Lit study! I haven’t watched the movie, mainly because I think it will cram too much in.
I detested the book Dear John, so I refuse to watch the movie, even for the man candy!