20 Of The Worst Book To Movie Adaptations Ranked According To Rotten Tomatoes

20 Of The Worst Book To Movie Adaptations, Ranked According To Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes ranks the worst book to screen adaptations of all time, including The Dark Tower, A Wrinkle In Time, All The Kings Men and more.

You Are Reading :[thien_display_title]

Popular books are often adapted for the big screen in an effort to further expand their audiences. This is a great way to make books more accessible for those who can’t read them, or who simply don’t want to. It’s also a very important development in the entertainment industry, because some stories are important, and should be heard by as many people as possible.

Of course, the primary purpose of adaptations is to entertain. Books often contain more source material than can be condensed into a two-hour movie, so the task of adapting a story can be challenging. Some adaptations, such as Harry Potter, succeed with flying colors and please their existing fanbase. Others, however, do not live up to the standard set by the book.

Updated on February 24th, 2021 by Kristen Palamara: The film industry continues to take inspiration from the literature world and adapt book after book into new movies and movie series. Countless movies are based on books and sometimes fans even agree that the movies are just as good if not better than the books, but a lot of the time fans appreciate the book more but can appreciate the movie too. But, there are also several movies that try to adapt their stories from books and fail in the audiences’ eyes. We’ve added some more of the worst-rated movie adaptations according to Rotten Tomatoes, some did okay with critics in the end but fans of the original books have felt very differently.

20 The Hobbit (2012) 64%

Although The Hobbit received a relatively positive critical response to its first chapter, to say that it deviated from J.R.R Tolkien’s fantasy novel would be an understatement. The book is a perfect balance of action and exposition, making for a tale that, despite its clunkiness, is very entertaining.

Warner Brothers split the 310-page novel into a three-part trilogy, overstuffing the relatively simple original plot with additional characters and plotlines. These choices left a sour taste that hasn’t aged well in the mouths of many long-term Tolkien fans that hold the book close to their hearts.

19 Paper Towns (2015) – 58%

Paper Towns is one of John Green’s popular young adult novels about life and love in the high school years and after the success of The Fault in Our Stars, it would make sense to make more movie adaptations out of Green’s other works.

But most fans and critics agreed that Paper Towns missed the mark and only comes in at a 58% Rotten Tomatoes score. The movie adaptation of Paper Towns wasn’t able to represent the magic and charm of the book and is one of the lowest John Green adaptation as The Fault in Our Stars and Let It Snow are both scored at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes.

18 Twilight (2008) 49%

Twilight is the first chapter in the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer, a collection of books that follows the human-vampire love story between Bella and Edward, along with many other relationships. The first theatrical entry of the popular series set a low bar for the remaining four, trading the romantic magic that Meyer crafted for a poorly scripted mash of cringe-worthy scenes that made for more comedic material than serious cinema.

The remaining installments of the series follow the same formula as the first, which only led to a similarly poor critical response. Many book fans found the portrayals of their beloved characters to be shallow and misguided, leaving the movie itself and the rest of the series to be a failure.

17 The Great Gatsby (2013) 48%

Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby is a classical romance story that has been celebrated as one of the greatest novels ever written, so naturally, a movie adaptation would be in the cards. The book has now been adapted four times, most recently in 2013.

Similar to its predecessors, the 2013 film received unfavorable reviews from many, especially book lovers. Despite attaching Leonardo Dicaprio and Tobey Maguire, the film sacrifices substance for style. However, the book will be going into the public domain in 2021, which means that more adaptations are undoubtedly on the way.

16 The Book Thief (2013) 47%

Based on Markus Zusak’s war novel, The Book Thief is an ambitious adaptation that unfortunately fails to translate the heart of the story to the screen. The book is lengthy and contains ideas that are too big to present to any audience other than children.

Liesel Meminger is orphaned and sent to live with Hans and Rosa Hubermann, where they must pretend to agree with the Nazi regime for their own safety. When the Hubermanns take in a Jewish fugitive, their lives are put in danger, but Liesel finds ways to expand her imagination and worldview. The story is narrated from Death’s point of view, which doesn’t quite come across in the same way onscreen.

15 The Girl On The Train (2016) – 44%

The Girl on the Train by Paul Hawkins is an engaging psychological thriller about a woman who tries to solve a mystery as she sees a shocking moment between a couple that she’s never met but sees on her train ride to work every day.

She tells the police what she saw after one of the people in the couple is missing, but she has to investigate more as her alcohol consumption might have affected her memory. The book has great reviews, but the movie missed the mark and wasn’t as exciting or compelling as the novel.

14 A Wrinkle In Time (2018) 42%

Much like some of the other books on this list, A Wrinkle In Time is a novel for young readers. The story follows a girl on an intergalactic search for her missing father. The main themes are love and the constant fight between good and evil.

Most of these important pieces of the novel appear to have been washed away in the movie, as it prioritizes flashy visuals in favor of the source material’s endearing qualities.

13 Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2013) 42%

Being the first entry in the young adult series by Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief was incredibly successful when it hit the shelves. It tailored to its younger audience perfectly by mixing mythological tales with teenage adventures, making every young reader long to be a demigod themselves.

Unsurprisingly, the series began its journey to the big screen with two films that were not only box office flops, but seem to ignore the source material altogether. For one, the characters are four years older than they are in the books.

12 The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) – 38%

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is a work of fantasy that balances science-fiction and romance. The popular book follows a man who has an odd and fantastical genetic disorder that causes him to time travel throughout different periods and he has no control over where and when he goes.

On one of his journeys, he meets a woman and falls in love and the two have to try to figure out how their story can continue with his condition. Only a few years after the book’s release, a movie was made based on the story and overall fans weren’t happy with the adaptation.

11 The Giver (2014) 35%

The Giver is yet another movie adaptation that ignores the concepts that set the original story apart from the rest. The 2014 film is the first screen adaptation of Lois Lowry’s 1993 novel. The Giver is a popular young adult novel that focuses on a dystopian world that often asks the question of what it means to be an individual in a society of conformity.

The novel is a moving and emotional journey, but the film feels hollow, and the sci-fi twists included for visual pleasure take away from the heart of the story. The characters, too, feel like empty shells, and not because of the colorless cinematography.

10 The Lovely Bones (2009) – 32%

The Lovely Bones is a seriously heartbreaking novel by Alice Sebold that tells the story of a young girl who was raped and murdered by a predator. The book, and movie, sees her watching her grieving family try to cope with her death and trying to accept it herself in her own personal Heaven.

She also watches over her killer and reckons with wanting everyone to move on and wanting revenge on her killer as she watches her father try to track him down. Although popular, it’s a difficult story to read and even more difficult to watch.

9 Love, Rosie (2014) 32%

Cecelia Ahern’s bestselling novel was initially called Where Rainbows End, but the film – and subsequent editions of the book – is called Love, Rosie for the signature with which Rosie signs off on all of her correspondence to her best friend, Alex.

The thick book spans decades, but the film cuts the story down by more than half. It also reduces the real humor of the story to tacky one-liners and cheap jokes. Apart from the chemistry between Lily Collins and Sam Claflin, the film is almost cringe-worthy in its frivolity.

8 A Walk To Remember (2002) – 27%

There have been countless Nicholas Sparks novels adapted into movies with varying degrees of success, and A Walk to Remember is on the lower end according to Rotten Tomato scores. The most famous Nicholas Sparks adaptation is easily The Notebook, which is an extremely popular romantic drama movie that arguably surpasses the book’s popularity.

The movie and the book are similar as both follow two completely different people who end up falling for each other, but their relationship is complicated by other factors that are revealed throughout the story. It seems that fans enjoyed this movie, but it didn’t receive good reviews especially compared to other Sparks’ movie adaptations.

7 The Dark Tower (2017) 16%

From the genius mind of Stephen King, The Dark Tower series is a captivating collection of novels of fantasy and horror. For those who haven’t yet read the books, the movie adaptation will turn potential fans away from the series altogether.

The main issue with the film is its attempt to fit such a large volume of information into a single film. As a result, the plot and messages are thinned into oblivion. Even the appearances of Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey don’t help.

6 Eragon (2006) 16%

Based on the first installment of The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, Eragon came on the heels of a fantasy rush that included the likes of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.

In the case of Eragon, the plot was completely altered. The magic of the world within the books was lost entirely, leaving only a shell of what could have been an incredibly successful franchise.

5 Vampire Academy (2014) 16%

Though the books are not exactly capital-L Literature, the film degrades the story to something even campier – and not in a good way. The story of Rose Hathaway and her life at St. Vladimir’s Academy is dulled and its special effects give it a cheap, waxy look.

The vampire flick doesn’t utilize any new or unique tropes, and given the year of release, the movie could certainly have used something to help it stand out from the rest.

4 The Scarlet Letter (1995) 13%

The Scarlet Letter is a novel that explores the severity of adultery and the public shaming that goes in hand with it. The story is fraught with emotion, given its prevalence of pain, guilt, and revenge.

Unfortunately, the 1995 adaptation cannot be saved by its all-star cast. The film suffers from a case of overstuffed, over-sexualized romance, which ends up sending a message that contradicts that of the book.

3 The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones (2013) 13%

Cassandra Clare’s popular book series had fans waiting for an adaptation for years. In 2013, a film adaptation starring Lily Collins finally made its way onto the big screen, but it was a box office flop.

Furthermore, it failed to please book fans. The colorful prose was replaced with a boring, forgettable story that focuses too much on the drama and glamor rather than the story and its intriguing mythology.

2 All The King’s Men (2006) 12%

All The King’s Men by Robert Warren Penn consistently finds itself among the lists of greatest books of all time, and in 1949 the first of its screen adaptations was produced, earning a score of 95% on the Tomatometer.

Despite the critical success of the first adaptation, Sony felt the need to recreate the story in another form, which managed to miss the mark of its original material entirely. With a clear absence of any of the political depth the book was built on, it fails miserably as a faithful representation of a great book.

1 Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016) 11%

Divergent started out strong in 2014, in what will be remembered as the year of teen drama film adaptations. Though the first film has a low rating of only 41% on Rotten Tomatoes, it did quite well at the box office and with fans.

However, the sequel declined to 28%, and the final chapter scored only 11%. The special effects seem to get worse with each installment, an effect exacerbated by their increasing prevalence in each film. In fact, the last film was received so poorly that its second part was completely abandoned – though the decision to even continue the franchise, with two finales instead of one, is questionable.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/worst-book-adaptation-movies-according-to-rotten-tomatoes/

Reviews -