Allison: Top Ten Best/Worst Movie Adaptations

Top Ten Best/Worst Movie Adaptations

Best Movie Adaptations:

The Princess Bride
Why?: A magical literary treasure that was transferred basically verbatim into a movie. This movie will always make me smile. And I will never be able to stop quoting it while watching it.

Tuck Everlasting
Why?: I prefer the original version of the movie (from 1981) to the more modern one. I’m not exactly sure why but I just remember falling in love with it when I was in elementary school, and I saw it for the first time. I remember wanting to find the book that it was based on and read it immediately … which I’m pretty sure I did.

She’s The Man
Why?: “Hello, my life sucks!” Loosely based on William Shakespeare’s play, The Twelfth Night, this is my go-to movie whenever I need cheering up or when I’m visiting one of my best friends. I have lost count of the amount of times I have seen this movie. Side note: Where has this Amanda Bynes gone? I miss her.

Matilda
Why?: One of my favorite books from childhood that was nearly perfectly translated onto the screen. LOVE IT!

10 Things I Hate About You
Why?: A classic 90’s movie. The modern version William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew is another one that will never let me down.

The Lost Valentine
Why?: This movie pulled at my heart strings so much that the very next day I went out and got the book and read it in one sitting. The book is slightly different from the movie but, the movie has Betty White, and that is always a good thing.

Worst Movie Adaptations

Apocalypse Now
Why?: I was the weird person in my AP English class that actually really enjoyed reading Heart of Darkness. I just couldn’t get behind this movie though. Not a fan.

Garfield
Why?: Garfield is my favorite comic strip of all time but, I was so disappointed in the movie. I hated the fact that they used an animated cat, and it was done so obviously. Ugh!

The Cat in the Hat
Why?: No. No. No. No. No.

Christmas with Holly
Why?: Did not like the changes that were made to fit the storyline in the movie versus the storyline in the book. I just couldn’t get behind it very much, and that was so disappointing.

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What are some of your favorite book to movie adaptations?

Which ones did you feel were done so wrong?

Let me know in the comments and be sure to drop me a link to your top ten list!

As always Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke And The Bookish.

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Allison is 27 years old. She is always looking for new books, good music, quality/epic adventures, and a normal sleep schedule. She currently works with the elderly.

Comments

  1. Good Morning Allison!!
    Would you BELIEVE that I’ve only recently, like within the past few months, seen The Princess Bride? Shameful, because it’s one of the best, right? I love it so much. And I’ve heard it quoted for YEARS but it came on TV and I thought I’LL JUST WATCH THIS!! And I fell in love. But I actually didn’t realize it was a book until just now, and I feel terrible because I’m such a stickler for reading books first! Maybe I’ll get the chance to go back and read it someday before too long. (I probably knew it was a book somewhere in the back of my mind but had forgotten.)

    I forgot about all of the rest of these! My list is kind of crazy. I don’t watch too many movie adaptations because I’m ALWAYS afraid they’re going to be terrible, so I had to sort of tweak it to make it my own topic, which is basically my own top ten tuesday. Haha. Have a great day today!

  2. I have’t read all these books, but I can agree with Garfield and the Cat in the Hat (not sure what that was!)

    Liza’s TTT

  3. “Have you seen Heart of Darkness? Way better than Apocalypse Now.” I just had to take this opportunity quote Community.

  4. Great choices! Particularly good call on 10 Things I Hate About You–if I had remembered, I would have included it on my own list.

  5. I love Tuck Everlasting and Ten Things I Hate About You! I didn’t even thing to put Shakespeare adaptations on my list. Have you seen the previews for Joss Wheadon’s Much Ado About Nothing? It looks amazing.

  6. i recently saw Christmas with Holly & I too was disappointed. Such a bland adaptation, none of the good stuff was added. it was a waste of 2 hours. 10 things is one of my top 3 favorite movies, so I definitely agree there & with She’s the Man. fantastic updates to very old, classic stories.

  7. Looooooove 10 Things I Hate About You!!!! Did you see the tv show? I actually enjoyed that too! And yes, I miss Amanda!! 🙁

    My TTT

  8. I didn’t even think of She’s the Man or 10 Things I Hate About You! I have such love of both Shakespeare and awesome teen movies. I love it even more when one comes from the other!

  9. Wow! So many great picks! I didn’t even think of some of these. I loved She’s The Man and 10 Things I hate about you. I almost put Cat in the Hat on mine too. That movie was terrible!

  10. Love, love, love The Princess Bride (book & movie)! And I didn’t even think about 10 Things I Hate About You as an adaptation, but it is so good.

    I had no idea there was a 1981 version of Tuck Everlasting, but now I must find it. I read the book first in elementary school and loved it. But for years after, I couldn’t remember the name of the story until my friend invited me over to watch the newer movie version, and I was like “That’s it!” Such a great story.

    And The Cat in the Hat – I agree wholeheartedly.

    Ashling @ Reading, Writing, & Anything but Arithmetic

  11. She’s The Man!! Yes! I can’t believe I forgot that one. 10 Things I Hate About You is fantastic as well.

    Great top ten! 🙂

  12. I haven’t read/watched some of these. I agree with The Princess Bride- how could I have missed that one! 🙂

    My Top Ten

  13. “Inconceivable!”

    Haha that movie is such a classic. It almost made my list, and I TOTALLY forgot about She’s the Man! That movie is hysterical. I watched it with my dad one time and the entire movie he just stared at it like it was the craziest thing he’d ever watched. He laughed a few times.

  14. Amanda Bynes is one of my favorite actors too! And The Princess Bride causes me to laugh hysterically every time, its my fave book to movie adaption too! “Pit of despair” Motoya’s every line, whats not to love?

  15. Great choices this week, Allison 🙂

    I came *this close* to including 10 Things I Hate About You on my own Top Ten Tuesday list this week! It has to be one of my favourite teen films from the ’90’s. It’s so smart and witty and like Clueless, was a really new and innovative way of interpreting the original source material and making it accessible to a wider audience.

  16. Very interesting choices, I have got to read or at least peruse most of those books and take a peek at several trailers.
    @Ka’u Hawanawana

  17. Yay for the shout-out to Matilda! I love Matilda, and I think it does not get enough credit. And as a bonus, that actress did not grow up to be an actress. She grew up to be a sensible person who writes very sensibly about what it’s like being a child actress.

  18. I love love love 10 Things I Hate About You, but I wasn’t thinking about Shakespeare when I made my post! Bad, Angie! *slaps hand*

    Here’s Mine @ Pinkindle Reads & Reviews

  19. The Princess Bride and 10 Thing I Hate About You are both amazing! The only one I’ve watched on your bad list is Garfield…and I regret that, lol.

  20. Very confused as to why they thought The Cat in the Hat was a good option for a movie. Seriously. WHY?!?

  21. I have to admit, 10 Things I Hate About You is still one of my favorite movies of all time! It’s not necessarily a good movie, but it makes me very happy 🙂

    I have to disagree with you about The Princess Bride though. It was a completely awesome movie, but I thought it was very different from the book. For one thing, Buttercup is so much more of a ditzy brat in the book, it’s unbelievable. And I thought the feel was very different throughout.

  22. Oh man, I love She’s the Man. Amanda Bynes was so awesome in those days. Also, 10 Things is SO much better than the actual play. MATILDA, why did I not think to put that on my list that I did ages again. Why have I never heard of The Lost Valentine.

    Bleh, Heart of Darkness.