As a well-established reader, I’ve come to have quite the opinion on book-to-movie adaptations. I think that you can either love them or hate them – or fall somewhere in between, like me.
To be fair, there are plenty of adaptations that I like a lot. Like, “The Hunger Games” (2012) franchise or Guillermo del Toro’s recent “Frankenstein” (2025), Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” (2010) and, of course, the “Harry Potter” (2001-2011) movies.
But besides these adaptations, I’ve come to feel like lately, the heart of the novels themselves just isn’t present in these films anymore. They’ve begun to feel trope-y and more like a convenient way for film studios to keep the content coming.
Because of this, I’ve begun to dread the possibility of some of my favorite novels potentially getting turned into blockbuster hits.
Compressing Hundreds of Pages Into Two Hours Doesn’t Work
I think my biggest gripe with these adaptations is the lack of time. Because movies have to be compiled into something you watch in one sitting, they often can’t fit in every little detail that constitutes a 500-page novel.
This sounds reasonable to some, but as someone who clings to each and every last one of these little details, I feel their absence like a hole in my heart.
I want these films to include all of the details and fine-tuning that make up the characters that I fell in love with while reading, but it’s often just not feasible.
If it is possible, producers have to split the movies up into separate parts, which then count on the first movie to be a big hit in order to produce more behind it. What if this consistency falls away by the time they get to the third movie? Then I’m just left disappointed.
I saw this happen in Brett Haley’s recent adaptation of “People We Meet on Vacation” (2026), a novel by one of my favorite authors, Emily Henry.
The movie itself was delightful, and big parts of the plot were still intact. However, like almost all adaptations, some details were omitted. While these might not be considered major parts for watchers or even other readers, they were moments I would have loved to see on-screen. Hence why I’m so apprehensive about my favorite novel of hers, “Beach Read,” getting adapted into a film as well.
Once I start realizing that things have changed from the book, the magic of film adaptations just about ends there for me.
The movie’s still good, but now I’m just left thinking about how the book is better. Sorry, not sorry.
Adaptations That Are NOTHING Like the Book
In the same vein as leaving out key details from these beloved novels, there are some adaptations that are completely untrue to their inspiration, which to me seems absurd. What’s the point of using a book to direct your movie if your movie will be nothing like the book? At that point you’re merely using the title as an attention grabber.
There are a plethora of movies that have done this, and every time I see one, I’m just left feeling very confused.
Yes, I did recently see Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of “Wuthering Heights” (2026) by Emily Brontë. I won’t say it was a bad film – because it wasn’t. I actually thoroughly enjoyed it, but I will say that it was wildly different from the book.
The best advice I can give other readers who watch the film is to view both the book and the movie as two completely different things. But it raises the question of why the film was created in the first place if it wasn’t even meant to be true to the source. Wouldn’t it have been easier to make a film of their own and avoid all discourse surrounding it?
I’m not a film director, so unfortunately I don’t have an answer to that question. It’s merely food for thought.
Another film I find to just be bizarre when considered as a book-to-movie adaptation is the original “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief” (2010). Logan Lerman, I love you, but unfortunately those movies are an awful excuse for an adaptation. Despite being over a decade old now, I still just can’t believe those films happened.
I mean, just use the book as a script, people. It’s literally written for you.
TV Shows, You Have My Attention
Now when I catch wind that a novel is going to be turned into a TV show, I’m much more willing to tune in.
I believe that with TV shows, there’s a little more wiggle room, mainly because the story gets more time. Just look at the “Game of Thrones” (2011-2019) universe.
I think if I had to choose whether my favorite novel got turned into a film or a television show, I’d pick the show. I’ve seen more successful shows than unsuccessful ones, and I’m not all that bummed when they’re bad, because, luckily, advertisements for them aren’t as pervasive as movie ads are on streaming services.
I just think that with a properly done TV show, you just have more chances to get it right. I mean, people are pretty happy with the results of “Heated Rivalry” (2025) and “The Summer I Turned Pretty” (2022-2025), no?
I also think TV shows tend to be more successful in remaining faithful to the books because audience members can interact a lot more with producers as they work. Nowadays, especially with weekly releases of an episode per week, every episode aired is met with feedback across multiple platforms and is more than likely reaching these production teams directly.
There’s a better chance to point out things that are wrong and fix them in time for the next season with shows as opposed to films, where critics really only get one chance.
Original Content Is Not a Bad Thing
Honestly, I think the easiest way to avoid disappointment between the entertainment industry and readers is by creating original content.
I don’t read books in hopes that one day they’ll get adapted into a two-hour-long production. I read them because half of the time the plot and ideas are new and exciting, and I watch movies for the same reason.
I want to know what else humans can come up with and put on the big screen. Adapting classic novels or the latest #BookTok romance recommendation often isn’t the way to do that.
I want something new, fun and different, not the same novel redone for the thousandth time.
Creativity and originality belong both to authors and screenwriters. I love when the two coexist, but I love it even more when novels and films are great on their own.
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