Today Booking Through Thursday asks the following question:
What are your literary “pet peeves”?
My biggest pet peeve is when a film-maker takes a well-loved book and changes something in the story dramatically. This includes, but is not limited to, such things as leaving out essential parts of the plot, changing the plot, changing a character so much that you don’t recognize them, or leaving out major characters. Connected with this are people who then come along and think that what is portrayed in the movie adaptation is the real story, or people who claim that such major alterations are not really that big of a deal. I understand that not everything can be included in the short span of a movie, but when major things are changed or left out that are a large part of the story then I get a little annoyed!
Examples that come to mind are The Lord of the Rings movies. The movies in themselves were cinematic wonders, but Peter Jackson, in my opinion, wrecked the stories and left us with something that I don’t think Tolkien could have lived with himself. He left out major parts of the Return of the King, things that were definitely part of Tolkien’s vision. He left out Tom Bombadil and gave some of his lines to other characters. He made strange breaks in the stories. He changed the whole character of Faramir. And that is only scratching the surface. Then I read somewhere that he claimed to be a big fan of the books! I’m really dreading The Hobbit coming out on the big screen soon, because some of the things I’ve heard that he’s doing with it have me really worried.
Another recent one is Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Almost everything about this movie is wrong – the age of the main characters, the location of many of the events, there is no mention of the prophecy (which is one of the main things driving the complete series), and there is no mention of Clarisse or Ares (other than when the gods are arguing). I have no idea how any of the other books in the series could be brought to the big screen now, because there is just so much about the first movie that is wrong.
So, that’s my biggest peeve. It just means that now I try to read the book first before even contemplating seeing the movie. I’ll probably see The Hobbit, but I don’t have to like it!
Two weeks from everywhere 
I love Percy Jackson movie and it’s such a shame that I haven’t read the book. The same goes to JRR Tolkien’s. Based on what you’re saying, I thought movie makers should have more respect toward the authors and their works by making the movie version as accurate as possible. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier on!
If you do read the Percy Jackson books you’ll wonder if it is the same story. I was going to watch the movie first, but my daughter told me I should really read the book first. I’m glad that I did!
This is a pet peeve I didn’t even think of, but I completely agree. A movie that really upset me was My Sister’s Keeper. I couldn’t believe how they changed the ending and I was so mad I just wanted to turn it off. Thanks for stopping by my BTT. Happy reading!
I haven’t seen or read My Sister’s Keeper, but the changed ending thing can be so annoying and unnecessary! Apparently Jodi Picoult wasn’t thrilled by the change, either.
That would have to be my other main peeve. The books are always better, period. If it’s such a beloved story, why murder it to put it on the big screen? LOTR is a great example. The movies may be wonderful but they are NOT what’s in the books. Make what’s written or make something else but don’t chop up and change a book but still use it’s name.
Great post and thanks for stopping by my BTT
Yeah, I agree. Film makers should make what was written or come up with their own stories! Have a great weekend and happy reading.
Yes! Another of my pet peeves!
Well, there are some books and movies that are dramatically different that are both good. My two best examples are The Princess Diaries, because Julie Andrews is nothing like the grandmother in the book series, and A Walk to Remember, which wasn’t even in the right time period. Both of those movies are good (although I pretend like the second Princess Diarie movie doesn’t exist) even though they have dramatic differences from the book in both plot and character.
Then again, I will admit that the reason I deny the existence of The Princess Diaries 2 is that they changed so much for the first movie that the second was light-years away from the book. But that is an argument for another day.