I LOVE Alfonso Cuarón’s sci-fi action movie Children of Men. I’ve watched maybe six times and every time, the ending always almost brings me to tears. So when I learned it was adapted from P.D. James’ book of the same name, it was a no-brainer deciding what my next book would be.
After finishing the book, it wasn’t difficult to reach to the conclusion that I enjoyed the movie better.
While James’ book gives a more in-depth look at how human infertility and humanity’s slow death march towards extinction affects the sexual dynamic between men and women and almost demented ways humans try to cope with a world without children or a race of dead men walking, I feel the book dedicates WAY too much time describing the failing of human civilization and the Regrets and guilt of Theo Faron. It’s not even until after 2/3 through the book where it feels like the plot and story are properly paced and stuff of consequence actually begin to happen.
The film’s adaptation by, comparison, feels consistent in its pacing and the world building and woe-is-mes of Theo feel more compact a take up less of the audience’s time.
What books do you feel were worse than its film adaptation and why?
I honestly feel like they're really such different stories that it doesn't even feel fair to compare them. They're both good in their own ways, it's hard to rank one as "worse" or "better." They just have different charms.
I absolutely agree. I adore the book, but it’s drastically different from the film in so many ways that there’s no point comparing them because the strengths of one is the weakness of the other. The movie’s meant to be beautiful and whimsical and charming, with a fearless heroine as the protagonist and a romantic figure as Howl. The book’s got a tighter plot and plenty of levity, with a clueless but lovable idiot for the protagonist and a self-absorbed but lovable idiot as Howl.
Agreed. The movie also has some stuff about war and how it makes monsters of men regardless of which side they're fighting on or what their intentions are, which is Miyazaki's own personal touch, and a plotline that's completely absent from the novel. The novel meanwhile is much more about Sophie's internal growth and struggle to accept herself, which doesn't really come across as strongly in the movie.