Worst (& Best) Movie Adaptations - Page 2

pshrynk · 11-14-2008, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xenophon

Actually, the author of the book was Poul Anderson. Otherwise, Pshrynk is exactly on target with his description of the horror that is the movie.

Xenophon

I knew there was a "P" involves there somewhere. :sheepishgrin:

tsgreer · 11-14-2008, 04:21 PM

I would have to say one of the worse movie adaptations I've ever seen. Actually it's also one of the worst movies I've ever seen: Battlefield Earth.

The book was just straight-on pulpy sci-fi. The movie was horrible. One of the few movies that I wanted to walk out on. I didn't walk out on it because I thought it might get better. To this day I wish I would have walked out on it. Really. I feel so bad that I sat through the whole thing.

The director was really out there on this one. He decided to go for weird camera angles, bluish lighting, hammy acting. Not even up to the level of "so bad it's good or so bad it's funny."

Ick.

Best movie adaptation in regards to nailing the book exactly would have to be "No Country for Old Men." I read the book after seeing the movie, and a lot of the stuff was word for word. Book and movie were awesome.

andyafro · 11-14-2008, 06:35 PM

My Worst Book to Movie Adaption has to be I Am Legend (2007 film)by Richard Matheson, Classic Book(One of my Favourites) and 3 movies adaptions later and still can't even get it close to the book.

My Best Adaption is Solaris (2002 film) by Stanisław Lem a Great film and a great book.

Looking forward to the THE Z WAR by Max Brooks which comes out this year and Autumn by David Moody Which is half way through filming.

Andy

tompe · 11-14-2008, 06:51 PM

Worst: Leauge (based on League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)

Did not like the adaptation at all: Stardust, Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy

Best combined book and movie: The Abyss

Good adaptation: Sin City

UncleDuke · 11-14-2008, 10:30 PM

sin city was great

HarryT · 11-15-2008, 04:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsgreer

I would have to say one of the worse movie adaptations I've ever seen. Actually it's also one of the worst movies I've ever seen: Battlefield Earth.

The book was just straight-on pulpy sci-fi. The movie was horrible. One of the few movies that I wanted to walk out on. I didn't walk out on it because I thought it might get better. To this day I wish I would have walked out on it. Really. I feel so bad that I sat through the whole thing.

The director was really out there on this one. He decided to go for weird camera angles, bluish lighting, hammy acting. Not even up to the level of "so bad it's good or so bad it's funny."

Ick.

Agreed 100%. OK SF book, but one of the worst movies ever made.

Another "stinker" was, for me, the recent movie adaptation of Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass". It converted a wonderfully "deep" and thought-provoking book into a cheap "action" movie. I'd been looking forward to it for years, and was bitterly disappointed by it.

As far as GOOD movie adaptations, I'd go for the movie version of Barry Longyear's SF short story "Enemy Mine". Short stories do, IMHO, make better movies than novels, because inevitably so much has to be left out of the novel that it will leave the lover of the novel unsatisfied.

Laurens · 11-15-2008, 04:48 AM

Hands down the best adaption would be Fight Club. There's a quote in the DVD booklet about the author feeling slightly embarrassed about the book after seeing the movie.

mjh215 · 11-15-2008, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Agreed 100%. OK SF book, but one of the worst movies ever made.

Another "stinker" was, for me, the recent movie adaptation of Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass". It converted a wonderfully "deep" and thought-provoking book into a cheap "action" movie. I'd been looking forward to it for years, and was bitterly disappointed by it.

As far as GOOD movie adaptations, I'd go for the movie version of Barry Longyear's SF short story "Enemy Mine". Short stories do, IMHO, make better movies than novels, because inevitably so much has to be left out of the novel that it will leave the lover of the novel unsatisfied.

At least Battlefield Earth can serve some purpose as a candidate (Just checked, yup, they did one) for RiffTrax.

The ads for GC didn't look promising so I haven't seen it yet. Oh well, I guess I won't hurry on that one.

Enemy Mine is a personal favorite. I can't agree with you more.

As for short stories making better flicks I have to wonder about that. Sometimes that is the case. But many times I find they wind up dragging on with alot of filler scenes.

-MJ

vivlio · 11-15-2008, 05:10 PM

Worst Movie Ever based on The Worst Book Ever?
It's simple:
Battlefield Earth is the worst movie ever based on one of the worst books ever.
Only a moron would take literally and believe all the crap that Hubbard wrote.
Travolta did a great job in producing and participating in this abomination.It is the worst movie ever for me and unsurpassable.If you're on youtube check XenuTv channel,they're unmasking scientology.

I only feel sorry because Thomas Crouz the 3rd wasn't starring in the movie as well.

mtravellerh · 11-15-2008, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

As far as GOOD movie adaptations, I'd go for the movie version of Barry Longyear's SF short story "Enemy Mine". Short stories do, IMHO, make better movies than novels, because inevitably so much has to be left out of the novel that it will leave the lover of the novel unsatisfied.

I second that. Got "Enemy Mine" as a DVD and have seen it so often! It's just heartwarming. Good acting, too.

HarryT · 11-16-2008, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivlio

Worst Movie Ever based on The Worst Book Ever?
It's simple:
Battlefield Earth is the worst movie ever based on one of the worst books ever.
Only a moron would take literally and believe all the crap that Hubbard wrote.

I have to ask if you've actually read "Battlefield Earth"? Other than the fact that it's a little on the long side it is, to my mind, a pretty decent SF novel. Remember that Hubbard was an SF author with a well-deserved reputation before he went "religious".

It's fiction, by the way - you're not supposed to "take it literally and believe it".

Don't get it confused with the much later dreadful 10-volume "Mission Earth" series, which is garbage and which Hubbard himself probably wrote very little of.

bbusybookworm · 11-18-2008, 01:45 PM

Well for worst I've got two that come to mind

LXG - League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Completely changed the story and the character dynamics, making the characters into caricatures.

While I'll admit that it made a good popcorn movie, to anyone who had the read the original Graphic novels, it was an horrible adaptation and lost much of what made the books great.

I Robot - Which had nothing to do with the story with title and the story that was used was changed so much that it bears little resemblance to Asimov's writings.

For best, Definitely has to be Peter Jackson's Adaptation of Lord of the Rings.

I have to shamefully admit that I was never able to get through the whole series until I actually saw the first Movie, and spend the rest of the night reading through all three books.

While he has take liberties, to make it fit the medium, he's treated it with respect and tried to stay true to the original material. If you get the chance watch the extras on the extended editions. The amount of background work and detail is staggering.

NatCh · 11-18-2008, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbusybookworm

I Robot - Which had nothing to do with the story with title and the story that was used was changed so much that it bears little resemblance to Asimov's writings.

Heh, funny story about that one: It wasn't meant to be I Robot to begin with.

I had this from a friend of mine who at the time was running a site called FilmForce (I'm not sure what's happened to it since then, it looks like it may have been absorbed by IGN.com -- he was also one of the pair who founded TheForce.net -- he's not involved in either any more, having moved on to found Red5Comics).

Apparently, what we know as the film "version" of I Robot was a totally separate script entitled Hardwired (if memory serves me) but the company also owned the film rights to I Robot and apparently decided that they'd get more attention for their film if they called it that instead. So they changed a few character names, plot points, and sprinkled in some Three Laws references to make it "sorta" fit.

So I'm not sure I'm convinced that it should count as a movie adaptation.

I thought it was a pretty good flick if you take it on its own terms, but whatever else it is or isn't I agree that it's certainly not a good "adaptation" of it's nominal source text.

I agree with vivlio that Battlefield Earth is the worst film adaptation I've ever encountered -- it had less in common with its nominal source text than I Robot did, and it doesn't have the excuse of beginning life as another story entirely.

However, I rather enjoyed the book, and even still reread it from time to time. Different tastes, and all that.

Falbe Publishing · 11-18-2008, 03:03 PM

For worst movie, I found Eragon to be terrible. Not that the book is particularly stellar, but it's decent entertainment. The movie however was a cruel hack job that ignored most of the book.

I'd also agree that The Golden Compass movie was lame, lame.

DixieGal · 11-18-2008, 03:08 PM

We did this thread back in the early spring. I think almost everyone agreed that the worst book to film was a tie:

Battlefield Earth and Da Vinci Code

I still stand by my previous posts that books make lousy screenplays. A good short story works much better, because it is about a single event. Books cover too much character development and stuff for a simple 2 hr movie.

And so, I nominate Millenium as best film adaptation of a short story. It starred Cheryl Ladd at a time-traveling agent from a near and horrific future.

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11-14-2008, 04:21 PM	#17
tsgreer Lovin' the e-book life... Posts: 633 Karma: 2509 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Colorado Device: Ebookwise 1150, Sony PRS-505, Amazon Kindle, BeBook (with OpenInkpot)	I would have to say one of the worse movie adaptations I've ever seen. Actually it's also one of the worst movies I've ever seen: Battlefield Earth. The book was just straight-on pulpy sci-fi. The movie was horrible. One of the few movies that I wanted to walk out on. I didn't walk out on it because I thought it might get better. To this day I wish I would have walked out on it. Really. I feel so bad that I sat through the whole thing. The director was really out there on this one. He decided to go for weird camera angles, bluish lighting, hammy acting. Not even up to the level of "so bad it's good or so bad it's funny." Ick. Best movie adaptation in regards to nailing the book exactly would have to be "No Country for Old Men." I read the book after seeing the movie, and a lot of the stuff was word for word. Book and movie were awesome.

11-14-2008, 06:35 PM	#18
andyafro Connoisseur Posts: 98 Karma: 140 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: sony reader prs-500	My Worst Book to Movie Adaption has to be I Am Legend (2007 film)by Richard Matheson, Classic Book(One of my Favourites) and 3 movies adaptions later and still can't even get it close to the book. My Best Adaption is Solaris (2002 film) by Stanisław Lem a Great film and a great book. Looking forward to the THE Z WAR by Max Brooks which comes out this year and Autumn by David Moody Which is half way through filming. Andy

11-14-2008, 06:51 PM	#19
tompe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,452 Karma: 7185064 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Linköpng, Sweden Device: Kindle Voyage, Nexus 5, Kindle PW	Worst: Leauge (based on League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) Did not like the adaptation at all: Stardust, Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy Best combined book and movie: The Abyss Good adaptation: Sin City

11-14-2008, 10:30 PM	#20
UncleDuke books & doughnuts Posts: 882 Karma: 37857 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: usa Device: sony reader, kindle2	sin city was great

11-15-2008, 04:48 AM	#22
Laurens Jah Blessed Posts: 1,295 Karma: 1373 Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: The Netherlands Device: iPod Touch	Hands down the best adaption would be Fight Club. There's a quote in the DVD booklet about the author feeling slightly embarrassed about the book after seeing the movie.

11-15-2008, 05:10 PM	#24
vivlio Member Posts: 13 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: none	Worst Movie Ever based on The Worst Book Ever? It's simple: Battlefield Earth is the worst movie ever based on one of the worst books ever. Only a moron would take literally and believe all the crap that Hubbard wrote. Travolta did a great job in producing and participating in this abomination.It is the worst movie ever for me and unsurpassable.If you're on youtube check XenuTv channel,they're unmasking scientology. I only feel sorry because Thomas Crouz the 3rd wasn't starring in the movie as well.

11-18-2008, 01:45 PM	#27
bbusybookworm Tech Junkie Posts: 1,027 Karma: 10080 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Earth Device: iPad, MotoXStyle, OnePlusOne	Well for worst I've got two that come to mind LXG - League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Completely changed the story and the character dynamics, making the characters into caricatures. While I'll admit that it made a good popcorn movie, to anyone who had the read the original Graphic novels, it was an horrible adaptation and lost much of what made the books great. I Robot - Which had nothing to do with the story with title and the story that was used was changed so much that it bears little resemblance to Asimov's writings. For best, Definitely has to be Peter Jackson's Adaptation of Lord of the Rings. I have to shamefully admit that I was never able to get through the whole series until I actually saw the first Movie, and spend the rest of the night reading through all three books. While he has take liberties, to make it fit the medium, he's treated it with respect and tried to stay true to the original material. If you get the chance watch the extras on the extended editions. The amount of background work and detail is staggering.

11-18-2008, 03:03 PM	#29
Falbe Publishing Gadget Slave Posts: 264 Karma: 600001 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Battle Creek, Michigan Device: Sony PRS505SC	For worst movie, I found Eragon to be terrible. Not that the book is particularly stellar, but it's decent entertainment. The movie however was a cruel hack job that ignored most of the book. I'd also agree that The Golden Compass movie was lame, lame.

11-18-2008, 03:08 PM	#30
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	We did this thread back in the early spring. I think almost everyone agreed that the worst book to film was a tie: Battlefield Earth and Da Vinci Code I still stand by my previous posts that books make lousy screenplays. A good short story works much better, because it is about a single event. Books cover too much character development and stuff for a simple 2 hr movie. And so, I nominate Millenium as best film adaptation of a short story. It starred Cheryl Ladd at a time-traveling agent from a near and horrific future.