DISCUSSION | What Do I Value in Film Adaptations?

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today we're going to be discussing book adaptations. Whether it be television shows, movies, web series, etc., book adaptations are abundant. 

For today, I'm going to self reflect on my experience watching YA book to film adaptations, and ask myself,  "What do I look for in an adaptation?" As a reader, do I look for accuracy and staying true to the source material? Do I hope that the adaptation stays true to the heart of book, but am okay with certain changes? As a viewer, do I  care that a film is even adapted from something, or am I just looking for a quality film? When the two intersect, reader and viewer, what do I value the most?

As a critical reader and viewer, I want whatever media I consume to be first-rate. I've come to learn that what I value most in an adaptation is dependent on my relationship to the book. For instance, I read The Darkest Minds years ago, and frankly, did not enjoy the book that much. If I were to watch the film, I would hope that the film's plot followed that of the book, and that key scenes were the same or similar. However, I wouldn't mind if a character's name or appearance was changed. I also wouldn't mind if the plot was altered, if the adaptation maintained the core of the novel. This is not the same for an adaption of a book that I loved, though. When The Fault in Our Stars was coming to theaters, I absolutely loved the book. I was so worried that the movie wouldn't include certain scenes, even lines, from the source material. I don't care about this for The Darkest Minds, but I did for The Fault in Our Stars, because I had a much stronger connection to the source material at the time. When I'm watching an adaption but haven't read the book, I then simply look for well-produced and well-acted entertainment. I have never read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, so when I watch the film, I don't compare it to its source material. Instead, I take in the movie as a separate entity, as individual. When I do this, I tend to enjoy the film more, as I'm not nit-picking the movie, and instead taking everything all in. Even then, some film adaptations have fallen short.


It is not a secret that Young Adult Adaptations have had a tumultuous relationship with critics. Some films and franchises, like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games are critically applauded. Other adaptations, such as Twilight, Percy Jackson, and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, are critically reviled. Let's look at some of the most recent films based on young adult literature, and their Rotten Tomatoes scores, as of 8 August 2018. 

• Love, Simon - 91%
• Maze Runner: The Death Cure - 41%
• Every Day - 63%
• Midnight Sun - 17%
• Ready Player One - 73%
• The Darkest Minds - 19%
• Everything, Everything - 47%
• The Miseducation of Cameron Post - 80%
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - 63%
• Allegiant - 12%

As you can tell from this sample of 10 movies, YA adaptations are a mixed bag. The scores above aren't a grade, exactly, but the percent of critics that enjoyed the movie. Out of these ten, five of them were "fresh", or above a 60 percent approval rating. These "fresh" movies range from a 63% approval rating to a 91% percent approval rating. The other five, however, have much lower approval ratings, ranging from 12% to 47 percent. The average percent of these 10 movies is 50.5%. This isn't a horrible score, but shows that, at least with critics, there is much more room to improve upon when it comes to YA adaptations.

We might not all agree with critics, or even watch movies critically, but the evidence is clear: there are some bad film adaptations, and some quality ones. However, I would argue that these film critics aren't reviewing the movie based on whether the movie stayed true to the book. These critics are professionals and know what to look for in movies to determine is something was well made or not. Odds are, they haven't read the book the film is based on, and if they have, they would try to keep the two separate from each other. Since I am both reader and viewer,  it can be difficult to separate book from movie. When I do, I get the most rewarding results. 

I can with strong conviction that Love, Simon was an amazing film. I also thought the book, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, was equally amazing. When I watched the movie though, I didn't go in thinking, "I can't wait for this specific scene, etc.!" Instead, I immersed myself in the movie and attempted to not make comparisons. Because of this, I was able to shrug off changes made and just enjoy the movie for what is was. Since the movie also stayed true to the majority of the book, I am able to watch it with the book in mind, and still enjoy it! 

My resolution, from here on out, is to separate adaptations from the source material upon first watching. That way, I am not nit-picking the movie, and I am just watching the film for what it is. If the movie follows the book closely and is good, that is the best of both worlds! But if the film takes major detours, there is a better a chance I'll still enjoy it since I'm watching as a film and not an adaptation. If I watch the movie and dislike it, it's not because the movie made changes from the book, as that's to be expected. Instead, it will be because it simply was not executed well. 

What do you value when watching adaptations? 

Thank you so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

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