Most great books eventually get turned into movies, usually for those who can’t quite get through a long novel or series. But somehow, the movies never seem to live up to the books, especially in the eyes of devoted readers.
Take The Fault in Our Stars, Death Note, Twilight, It Ends With Us, or The Woman in the Window. All of these films fell short of the expectations of both viewers and fans of the original stories. There are a lot of reasons for this, but the biggest one is simple: not everything from a book can make it into a movie. Whether it’s due to time constraints, content ratings, or creative decisions, key details often get left out or changed.
And let’s be honest, no one’s going to sit through a five-hour film just to experience every plot twist and piece of character development. Still, you might be wondering: couldn’t filmmakers at least stay true to the writing style and emotional depth of the book? I agree, they should. But the problem is, the original author is rarely the one writing the screenplay or directing the film.
Take Twilight, for example. While the first movie (which hasn’t aged particularly well) was seen by many as decent, the rest of the series disappointed fans in multiple ways. That might be because author Stephenie Meyer only had a hand in the first film. Without her involvement, the later movies lacked the spark and connection to the source material.
That said, not all adaptations are terrible, just the vast majority. Maybe viewers expect too much. Or maybe directors haven’t yet mastered the art of turning literary brilliance into cinematic magic. Either way, the debate continues.