Today we want to talk about bookish movies. Lately, a lot of books are being filmed. As a book lover, this can be amazing, but also very risky. Everyone who reads a book pictures things a certain way. Can a movie capture what you imagine when you read a book? We want to talk about some of the bookish movies we’ve seen and what we think.

Harry Potter

The first one to come to mind is Harry Potter. All of the books were filmed and I have to say I’m a fan. The actors that played the characters fit the roles for me and I have a hard time seeing them in different movies. I guess that’s a thing when you play such a well known character. People start seeing you that way! The first movie is one that I saw before I had finished all the books that were already published. My only issue with these movies are the differences. I mean, I do get it. These books are action packed and it’s just not possible to fit everything in a movie without it being 8 hours long. I wouldn’t have minded though, haha.

Twilight

Besides Harry Potter, Twilight was another series that started my love for reading. I was excited when these were filmed, but I wasn’t as enthusiastic as with Harry Potter. The acting was a bit off at times and they actually changed quite a bit. At the time I actually enjoyed them, but looking back, there was a lot of space for some improvement. I wonder if I were to read them again, what I would think now? I have read so many books since then, it could’ve changed my opinion.

Vampire Academy

I saw Vampire Academy before I even had read the first book, so I actually enjoyed this one. It’s not the best movie, but it was amusing. It’s clear once you read the books that this movie could’ve been a lot better. This is an amazing series (even though I still need to read the last two books, oops…) and it had a lot of potential. This is an example of a book that didn’t quite make it on the screen. It’s also sad that it didn’t do well, because I think this series had a lot of potential on screen.

The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Staes is a book I didn’t even know about until the trailer for the movie started showing up on TV. I always want to read the book before the movie, so I got this book. I read it in almost one sitting! When I read this book, I just started really getting back to reading and this was so emotional! I cried a lot while reading this. Watching the movie didn’t get much better. I remember going to see it at the theater and at certain points everybody watching was sniffling and crying. I think we all left with swollen eyes. I was really happy with this movie. They stuck close to the book and everything felt right.

Me Before You

Me Before You was another book I saw everywhere when it was announced we were getting a movie. Just like The Fault in Our Stars, I cried my heart out reading this book. This book really breaks your heart! Once again, the movie stuck close to the book and the actors did an amazing job. Everyone in the movie theater was crying during this one and my mother wasn’t too happy I took her to see a sad movie, haha. Since then I have read the second book, but still need to read the last one. I don’t think I will ever get over this one.

The Hunger Games

I remember the hype for the first movie and a lot of my friends really wanted to see the movie in the theater. It was so much fun watching the first movie and afterwards pointing out all the differences between the movie and the book haha. I  loved these books and they’re pretty much what got me into the YA genre. In my opinion the movies are very well done and I love all the actors they used. I can not picture Katniss any different than Jennifer Lawrence. And while I wasn’t too sure about Sam Claflin at first, I think he did an amazing job being Finnick. The third movie is my favorite and possibly the most perfect movie adaptation I’ve ever seen. Every scene they added was perfect and brought a little extra to the story. Especially the scene at the bridge, that one just broke me and is one of the most powerful scenes I’ve ever seen. I can talk about these movies forever and really feel like rewatching them now haha.

Gone Girl

I might’ve picked up this book because of the movie. It starts like a regular mystery-thriller but there are some twists you do NOT see coming, like at all. I think this movie was very well done. The actors did a great job with these horrible characters. At the end of the book you’re not sure how to feel about the characters and I got the exact same feeling after seeing the movie. Both the movie and the book I would highly recommend.

The Maze Runner

I really enjoyed these books and Dylan O’Brien is one of my favorite actors so I was super excited for the movie. The first film, The Maze Runner was pretty well done in my opinion. I like the actors, they did a good job. For the most part they stuck to the book and I was absolutely ago with all of it. Even though Teresa was extremely annoying haha. The second movie was a hot mess though! They changed so much, it felt like a different story. I was pretty annoyed with it, looking back I think it was a pretty okay movie and had I not read the book I would probably like it. However I did read the books and was therefore pretty disappointed. The third movie took a while to be released and my expectations were prettyyyy low haha. But while it deviated from the book a bit, they kept the really important things and I really appreciated that. In the end I did enjoy the third movie as well as the first so my only real disappointment with this series is the second movie.

The Duff

If there was ever a book adaptation that was completely different from the book it would be this one. While I did enjoy both the book and the movie I would not think of it as the same story. It’s been a little while since I read the book and saw the movie but I clearly remember being confused by all the differences. So all in all not a great movie adaption, a pretty decent movie in itself but not that great as it could be.

 

Besides movies that are already out, there are a few in the works. What do we think of those? We will mention a few of those as well.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

I am so extremely excited for this one! So excited I reread the first book this week and am currently listening to the sequel. The trailer makes me so so excited and I’m happy we just have to wait about three more weeks. I really like the cast, Lara Jean looks perfect and what I’ve seen from the trailer I think I’m absolutely going to enjoy her. At first I wasn’t too sure about the actor portraying Peter, personally I always envisioned Miles Teller as Peter so I had to change that mental picture. But after seeing the trailer a couple of times I think I’m okay with this Peter and I’m sure he’ll do justice to one of my absolute favorite book boyfriends.

After

After by Anna Todd is one of my guilty pleasures (even though I’m not afraid to admitting that I loved them, haha). When I heard this was going to be filmed, I was really excited. I have been following the progress and they have recently casted Hardin and Tessa. I know we can’t be happy with everything they choose and such, but I was kind of disappointed in the casting. That is the problem with filming books, everyone pictures a character in their own way. I think I will end up watching it though. I am too curious. I need to know how they do the rest.

Throne of Glass & A Court of Thorns and Roses

I know a lot of people are happy that the rights to these series have been obtained. While I would love to see this on a screen, I am very afraid. These series are so beautiful and complicated, I am so afraid it won’t be done justice. The chance of this not working the way fans want is a lot bigger than it going right in my opinion. Fans are going to be very picky and I know I will be. This is going to be a scary one!

 

When you think about it, a lot of books have been made into movies! What bookish movies do you love? Hate? Are there any books that you think need to be movies? Let us know! We would love to discuss this with others!