Book to Movie Adaptations

       I am currently relaxing at a Tim Hortons before I go to work. It's not a bad environment here, a little busy, easy to eaves drop (something I love to do), but still quiet enough for me to enjoy perusing the interwebs for interesting reading material.

       I found the interesting material via a website called i09.  They have offered me some spoilers on a long awaited sequel to Sin City, the Robert Rodriguez adaptation of book one, two and four of Frank Millers graphic novel series of the same name. I really enjoyed the first movie. That being said I already have reservations about the second one as it is being shot in 3D. But that's not the point of this post (don't worry I will tackle 3D another day). Today's interesting tidbit happens to be about movie adaptations.

       I enjoy a well made movie adaptation, Lord of the Rings for instance was a very well done adaptation in my opinion. In my opinion LOTR was done so well because the books were so slow, the movie changed a three book series about walking through beauty into a rich colourful land with battles AND walking. The first Sin City adaptation was done very very well. Mr. Rodriguez kept all of the best parts of the novels, he was able to tie everything in together without making it seem too muddled. I am currently waiting excitedly to start reading David Wong's John Dies at the End (hopefully it will be the February book club book). The movie trailer looks excellent and I am very interested in reading the book first.

       Take the movie Blade Runner, it was quite different from the book. The book in it's own right was excellent, but the movie surpassed anything I could have imagined. It is in the top 3 of my favourite movies of all time, easily. I read the book AFTER I saw the movie. I'm not sure that I would have though the book was so mediocre if I had read the book first.

       Or would I? Reading the book first will give you an impression of the expanse of the movie as well as the world it is in. Watching the movie first takes out all of the lulls a book may have, it gives you punch for punch the most concentrated version of the story. Or does it? I have a personal favourite adaptation  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The book was by Hunter S Thompson and the film was directed by the amazing Terry Gilliam. Terry Gilliam took a messed up twisted piece of literature and turned it into a messed up twisted piece of film. It was a perfect adaptation, at least to me it was. I can't speak for anyone else.

       So what does this mess of information mean? Well it means I have just ordered the rest of the Sin City Graphic Novels. It means I will devour them just as I did the first four. It means that hopefully it won't suck when it comes to the big screen. I guess that's all it means.