Shelf to Screen Reviews: An Introduction

A regular feature I’ll be posting is something I’m calling “Shelf to Screen reviews.” These, simply, are reviews of movies that are based on books. It’s less of a critique of the book or movie and more evaluating how true the movie stayed to the book, whether in spirit or in actual plot line. Of course, some critiquing of the movie itself will come into play as well.

As book lover who has cringed through many a movie rendition, I’ve come up with four categories that all movie versions fall into, which I’ll be using in the Shelf to Screen reviews. These are as follows:

Category One
Just…forget the movie ever existed. The book may have been great, but the movie picked out all the worst parts, added in some of its own terrible flair, and ruined it. Just go back to reading the book and continuing to petition for a movie version as if the original movie never happened.
Example: Eragon (seriously, don’t get me started on this movie)

Category Two
The movie was pretty great. So great, that it’s basically identical to the book, which was also probably pretty great. I’m not gonna come out and say “Just watch the movie and don’t bother with the book,” but if you’re short on time, the books with Category Two movies are the ones to skip (#sorrynotsorry).
Example: The Help

Category Three
These movies held to the spirit of their source material remarkably well. They cut some scenes or plot lines, but in general it’s understandable why these changes were made, and overall the movie still feels like the same story as the book. That being said, definitely go read the book because there’s probably a bunch of stuff you’d be missing out on.
Example: Harry Potter

Category Four
Alright. This is the category that every author hopes the movie version of their book will end up in. The book was amazing, and the movies did an amazing job with it. Just, all around amazing. Meaning that, yes, there were probably some changes because the book packs so much in, but the movies took the spirit of the book and made it its own. It doesn’t feel like a mere reproduction of the story, but is a reinterpretation of the story that takes advantage of what movies can offer to make the most of the new medium.
Example: The Lord of the Rings

Now, Category Four sort of requires great source material, but other than that, most of the categories focus on how well the movie adheres to and interprets the book. For example, the Harry Potter series is Category Three, but so are the first book of the Maze Runner series and Pride and Prejudice. But obviously these are all very different types and levels of literature. So even if I personally disliked the story, I can still judge the movie based on its connection to the source material. (For the record: I like all three of those examples. But I still consider them very different.)

Of course, this is all based on my opinion, and I’d love to hear your views on what I decide. Comment on the review posts, or find me on Twitter @chelseap_14.  And let me know what book-inspired movies you love, hate, or love to hate!