Sequels, adaptations, remakes, revivals, etc

[Valarya]

I love a good film and I love a good book but I must sacrifice one for the other. There are a limited number of great works in either medium so I hate having to kill one off. For instance Hunger Games is a highly regarded series and the film adaptation is also well-received.

It's very very hard for a film adaptation to please a reader... but I find it can be doubly exciting to just "let go" and enjoy the film for what it's worth. That is, of course, as long as it's somewhat on par and not a big steaming pile of dung. I enjoyed both the Hunger Games trilogy and the movie. Same with Lord of the Rings. While they changed some pretty important things, it's just wonderful to see one of my favorite worlds on-screen. It makes me feel like a kid, and I don't see anything wrong with kiddie entertainment.

Same with the Harry Potter series. Some scenes made me quite irate, but it only lasts for a moment, until I realize that I just have to enjoy the film for what it's worth, and revel in seeing another favorite world come to life.

I found the Game of Thrones adaptation to be unwatchable. They just simplified the storytelling and put it in visual form. Having read the books which are written by one of the best character writers why would I want to see people pretending to be the characters? I realize it is to be expected of television however, visually, the scope appears small in scale. Some more than others but everyone from the main actors to the extras has the self-consciousness of a rehearsal.

I don't think anyone could have done it better than HBO. At least each book is given 10 hours on screen... I quite enjoy them, even if they -are- a watered-down version, much for the same reasons as stated above.

While I love film.. book adaptations will never 'replace' the experience of falling in love with the world and characters when you read something for the first time, it's just an extension of that.