Why I prefer books to movie adaptations

I am a visual person, but I prefer reading to watching movies. Part of it stems from being an introvert homebody, but mostly because I find movie visuals (3D effects and CGI notwithstanding) too limited compared to the richness of my visualizations based on the written descriptions. That, and in some cases the cast actors don’t look anything like the book characters which are more often than not described in great detail in writing. I find that quite annoying. 😐

Let me give you a concrete example:

Daniel Radcliffe does not look like the Harry Potter I was imagining. At all. In fact, how much more different can he look from that boy on the book cover? His hair is flat, a direct contradiction to the messy, all-over-the-place book description. His eyes are not green (or at least not as vivid green as described in the book). And his body type’s all wrong; Harry Potter is supposed to be this thin, lanky guy whereas Daniel’s a bit on the stocky side. And he’s just way too cute, period. Not that book Harry’s ugly, but you get my drift (I hope). And don’t even get me started on Hermione, she wasn’t even supposed to be pretty until much later on in the story. Not that I don’t love Emma Watson, but I digress.

I love twists and turns and small overlooked details that in the end add up to a stunning revelation and sadly, most movie adaptations leave me hanging in that aspect. Of course, not all the plot details can be translated into the big screen. Understandable given time and production constraints, but still a bummer (for me at least).

One of my favorite book series is The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. And City of Bones, its first movie adaptation, will be out later this year, in August. I just know I will might get disappointed somehow, especially since I really like that book. But because I’m a masochist like that, I will still be watching it (preferably on a date with him, if he gets here in time for its release).

For starters, I am not quite convinced of the movie casting:

Character lineup (L-R): Simon, Jace, Clary, Alec, Izzy

Let’s see, how do they stack up (physically) against the characters I imagined? In a nutshell: Simon is okay, Jace is not that lanky and is much hotter, Clary‘s hair should be a brighter red, and Alec and Izzy should both be much taller.

Jace Wayland. One of the most unforgettable male protagonists in YA books. I am sorry but Jamie Campbell Bower just does not do his character any justice (physically at least). For one, his physique does not match and two, he does not exactly give off that dangerous, I-am-the-best-goddamn-Shadowhunter-so-do-not-fucking-mess-with-me vibe that is just trademark Jace. I was expecting more of the likes of Alex Pettyfer.

Actually, Alex (plus rune tats) would have been a perfect match to my imagined Jace Wayland. If it’s any consolation, Jamie does looks really dangerous in that pic, but in a sorta scary, maniacal way that is soooo not Jace at all. 😐

This screencap photo of him and Lily, however, has promise:

Lily Collins is actually not bad as Clary Fray. She is just the right size and looks innocent enough but with enough edge to hint of a hidden inner steel. I just wish they’d made her hair a brighter shade of red, like that in the cover of City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2). That is, after all, one of her (and her Shadowhunter clan, the Fairchilds’) trademark.

I have no problem with Jemima West as Isabelle Lightwood–aside from her height, that is. In the books, Izzy is made out to be this intimidating, badass Shadowhunter of almost Amazonian proportions. So seeing her being dwarfed by Clary (who’s described as petite) of all people just leaves me scratching my head like, WTF? Too bad, since Jemima does look the part, height issues aside. Her solo shots in Shadowhunter gear nearly matches my imagined Izzy. Same goes for Kevin Zegers as Alec Lightwood.

Now, that turned out more of a rant than anything. I guess I am more of an idealist than I initially thought. Oh well. So why not just stick to books and leave the movie adaptations well alone, you say? I can’t. Or let me phrase it better, my undying curiosity won’t let me. I only watch movie adaptations of those books I love, or at the very least like. There’s always the wonder that something great (the book) is gonna be brought to life. The anticipation. The hope that maybe, just maybe, this time the movie would stay true to the book, its characters and plot.

So far, only The Hunger Games has not disappointed me too badly. Jennifer Lawrence did well as Katniss Everdeen, though I initially thought she’s too tall and big-boned to play the part (see, I imagined Katniss a bit on the lean, wiry side, being a hunter in a poor district and all). Nevertheless, she delivered and for that I am quite thankful. Liam Hemsworth perfectly fit the role of Gale Hawthorne. Together with  Jennifer/Katniss, they look like a pretty formidable duo. Which is perfectly aligned with their complicated relationship in the book, so kudos for that. Josh Hutcherson makes a pretty good Peeta Mellark too. It’s just too bad Jennifer kinda towers over him; it doesn’t exactly add points to the Katniss-Peeta love team. I mean, just look at this:

Roles they play in the movie (L-R): Effie Trinket, Gale Hawthorne, Katniss Everdeen, Katniss’s imaginary little brother Peeta Mellark

It puzzles me how they could overlook something like this while creating a love team, especially with a much much taller actress. Or if it even was a consideration in the first place. Granted, Katniss was not wearing heels in the movie (at least most of the time) but still their awkward height difference was very noticeable. That niggle aside, I was pretty much content with The Hunger Games movie adaptation. 😉

Okay, so it may appear that I may have height issues with cast actors. No, I have nothing against not-so-tall actors. I just have problems with their height when they look awkward and short relative to the other actors in the movie.

That, and I really just feel awful when actors or actresses don’t look like their book counterparts. Granted, they are movie adaptations and not movie translations, so I guess some very slight modifications would be tolerable. But I feel like it takes away from the character as a whole since the author took pains to describe them in great detail in the book and then they look almost nothing like it in the big screen, get my drift? 🙁

Anywho. This ranting has gone long enough. How about you, how do you feel about movie adaptations of books you like or love?