From the Page to the Silver Screen

Okay, there seems to be a number of movies being made from YA books this year, a fact I am pretty excited about. I've seen some posts on Facebook and twitter, where people are wondering if they can actually go see the movie of a book they really liked, because, and I quote, "It doesn't follow the story that well."

I won't lie, I too have fallen trap to this way of thinking. This idea that a movie absolutely must follow the book exactly. I've actually come out of movies-made-from-books disappointed. The prime example -- and when I learned that my way of thinking about movies-made-from-books was flawed -- was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

I was so excited to go. I loved all the Harry Potter books. I was pretty mad after that movie, and it wasn't for the reason you might think. See, they got the snake all wrong. ALL WRONG. That was not how I envisioned the snake!

And I was mad, and I let that ruin the movie for me. It was then that I realized that books are not movies, and movies are not books, and each has it's own separate entertainment value. Since then, I have enjoyed every movie-made-from-a-book I've seen.

What? How? Why?

I just don't care if they match. They don't have to line up! That's the beauty of creating the same idea in two different mediums.

Here is a short list of films coming out this year that I just can't wait to see. The real reason? I loved the books for their entertainment value, and I want to experience them again in a different format. That's the real joy of movies-made-from-books. We get to experience our favorite characters, settings, and stories in an entirely new light.

• Vampire Academy -- February 7
• Divergent -- March 21
• The Fault in our Stars -- June 6
• The Giver -- August 15 (oh my heck, I LOVED this book! I can't wait to see this movie!)
• The Maze Runner -- September 19
• Gone Girl -- October 3
• The Hunger Games, Mockingjay, part 1 -- November 21 (I did not realize they were doing this third book in two parts. I guess we'll see how it goes!)

So don't wonder if you should go to a particular movie because you think it won't align with the book. Accept that it won't, and go experience the story again through a new lens.

What do you think? Do you enjoy movies-made-from-books even if they're a bit "off" from the written story? Why or why not?