Top worst and best book to Screen Adaptations

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Go check her website out!

Every time I hear the phrase “They’re making a movie/T.V. Show about X book”, I cringe. There have been so many horrifying adaptations that now I’m worried all of them will be the worst. On the other hand, there are some awesome ones as well. Today, I will be listing my Top 5 worst and best adaptations so far, no particular order. I had to cut down the list, but there are plenty more.

Worst:

Vampire Academy

Based on: The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

When I said there was no particular order to this list, I excluded this one. This one is the definite worst. Boy, this movie sucked. It was so, so bad. The whole movie is a cringe-worthy moment for me. This movie is a mix of bad acting, bad directing, and a bad, very bad script. I remember at some point they tried to gain funds from fans so they could continue to adapt the series. I would’ve paid them to stop. For now, it seems we’re safe from another horrible disaster, and I hope a second movie NEVER sees the light of day. If they want to adapt Mead’s series, I hope they start over, maybe a Netflix series?

The Lying Game

Based on: The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

I only read the first book on this series and didn’t like it much, but I feel like the adaptation was a little worse. What bothers me the most is that at the beginning Sutton just leaves instead of dying like it happens in the book. This changes the whole concept for me, and one of the things I liked about the book was how her twin Emma assumes her identity in order to solve her murder. Without that little spark, I wasn’t interested in the show and just watched a couple of episodes.

Fifty Shades of Grey movies

Based On: Fifty Shades Trilogy by E.L. James 

There was ONE reason I watched the movies and you can see it on the gif above. Jamie Dornan is the reason kept watching in spite of the bad dialogue and how annoying and just unbearable Anastasia Steele was. To be fair, this is not Dakota Johnson’s fault. I read the trilogy for a group read I had with friends. The first one wasn’t THAT bad, but as we moved forward I had a hard time finishing them. Not because of the sex, not because of the graphic descriptions, but simply because it was plain and boring and such bad writing. The movies couldn’t have gone better considering the source from which they came from.

Castle Rock

Based on: characters and settings from Stephen King stories.

I was so hyped to watch this. Bill Skarsgård is such a great actor. I was hyped from It and Hemlock Grove, he is really good at being creepy. I loved his role on the show. Also, Stephen King is a great writer, and the idea of a show not entirely based on a book but on his settings was appealing to me. I watched it as soon as it came out on Hulu, and guys, I can’t remember much of the plot. I really liked the aesthetic, the characters and the whole feeling the show gives. The plot was so slow, many of the scenes felt like they were there just to fill space. I was bored out of my mind watching this, but I watched it until the end because I really wanted to like it. This is not the worst show I’ve seen, if there ever is a Season 2 I will watch it, and there are definitely some good things about it. I added it here mostly because I remember how bored I was.

Beautiful Boy

Based on: Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff and Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff

The actors are amazing. The story seemed appealing, and some scenes with scenery are gorgeous. And this is also the only movie I have ever walked out off the theater for. Nothing happened. I watched more than half of the movie, and really, nothing happened. I walked out because I couldn’t stand the cycle it was moving in. The boy is happy, the boy does drugs, the boy is sad, his dad tries to help. Over, and over, and over again. I haven’t read the book and I don’t think I will never read it.

Best:

The Godfather

 Based on: The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Okay, I lied. This one is also in order. The Godfather is without a shade of doubt the best movie adaptation of all time. I know many scenes by memory from the three movies, I have read the book repeatedly and it is one of my favorite books ever. It is definitely my favorite movie trilogy. Not much more I can say. If you haven’t go watch the movies and read the book now.

The Hunger Games

Based on: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I might be cheating a little here because I haven’t read the books yet, but I really liked the movies. I read most of the first book, and I think the movie is actually better than the book. Katniss is one of my favorite female characters and Jennifer Lawrence did a marvelous job at portraying her.

Harry Potter

Based on: Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

You know this one had to be here. It might be the nostalgia talking, but I love these movies. Granted, there are many details that didn’t translate from book to movie, but I think we are better off not even trying to compare the two. I love them and whatever negative you have to say about them, I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear it.

Poldark

Based on: The Poldark novels by Winston Graham

This is a great show, and I think it does justice to the book (or at least the first one, which is the one I read). Some of the female characters are annoying, but that is true for a lot of characters. I loved the twists and turns and the actors are great too.

The Night Manager

Based on: The Night Manager by John le Carré

I liked the book, but I read it after I watched the show. About the miniseries, I just have two things to say: Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie. Please watch this series, I promise you won’t regret it.

The Handmaid’s Tale

Based on: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

I am going to be talking strictly about Season 1. I first watched Elizabeth Moss in Mad Men. I liked her, but she didn’t reach her full potential on that show. In this one, wow. She is truly amazing. The show is great, it’s eery because it feels true, like it could easily happen tomorrow. I feel like it could’ve been just one season, but who am I kidding, I so wanted to have more episodes to binge watch.

So, there it is. Have you seen any of these shows? What are some of your best or worst book to screen adaptations? Let me know and link your TTTs on the comments below!