Entry #8: The most terrifying movies of all...

Many-a-time has a movie-goer left the cinema, their mind in a state of panic. Their hearts pounding, their sweat running cold. Perhaps it was "It", or maybe "The Exorcist", or even "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark"; or for some people, it just might be "War of the Worlds", "Ender's Game" or "Eragon". But is their reaction out of fear, or out of anger?

Why are book-based movies typically so vehemently disliked? There are many reasons, but to truly see why, we must "Dig Deeper".

To begin, in my own opinion, I've found that the biggest problem is simply that movies like these are never long enough to express the lengthy stories they attempt to adapt. For an example of success in this regard, look no further than "The Green Mile". An extraordinary adaptation, albeit not exactly of a book, but a similar format. This adaptation is so incredible, in part due to the skilled actors such as Michael Clark Duncan and Tom Hanks, but also in its length. The first movie I'd seen that was three hours long, this movie had exactly the time it needed to express the story it wanted to tell. An experience that has lingered with me since the moment I began watching.

The experience I received from a ~324-page book condensed into a 2-hour movie? Much less extravagant. That being said, I enjoyed the "Ender's Game" movie, but was severely disappointed by how much better it could have been if so much of what made the story so great had to be removed. As for "Eragon", imagine my disappointment at ~544 pages being utterly squashed into 1 and 3/4 hours.

Most simply of all, a visual interpretation is a far cry from one's imagination. When reading a good book, one can visualize the scene in its entirety, including minuscule details such as wall decorations. With movies, however, everything is visualized for the audience. Often times with vast differences that conjure disgust from those that enjoyed its source material.

When it comes down to it, books and movies are just far too different to consistently overlap with success. It seems an imprecise art to do so, and as such, I do not envy truly talented directors that have been ridiculed for such a failure...

...Oh! And don't even get me started on video game-based movies!