Film adaptations of our favourite books can be worrisome: will they cast the right people, will the story mirror what we have read, will they change the ending? We asked you this question- “Which book’s film adaptation would you like to see dumped in the bargain bin?” and oh boy, did you have some answers! We ended up with over 1500 votes for over 50 different adaptations which were found to rattle our Reading Addicts.
Unfortunately we couldn’t include the answer “All of them!” that some of you offered, but instead we have collected and collated all your other answers and here are the results.
Eragon- Christopher Paolini
With over 170 of your votes, the adaptation of Paolini’s first Inheretance Cycle Book proved so shockingly bad that you just had to tell us!
Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief- Rick Riordan
Next up is the diabolical film version of Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief. The movie adaptation offended many of you, unfortunately.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children- Ransom Riggs
The film version of this wonderful book was not quite up to scratch for many of you.
One Shot (A Jack Reacher Novel)- Lee Child
Many of you were amazed at the bad casting of the protagonist, Jack Reacher, with Tom Cruise being far from what you were expecting.
City Of Bones (Mortal Instruments Series)- Cassandra Clare
Nearly 100 votes came in for the movie adaptation of City of Bones but it fell short of your favour.
Beautiful Creatures- Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
‘They changed the ending, they missed details, they basically ruined it!’ You all cried. This is one movie to miss!
My Sister’s Keeper- Jodi Picoult
Another where the creative freedom was taken rather too liberally and they changed the ending! Disaster!
Divergent- Veronica Roth
Apparently this film adaptation leaves a lot to be desired, and you lot were very unhappy with the way your favourite book was treated as it was turned into a movie.
The Time Traveler’s Wife- Audrey Niffenegger
A big disappointment to those of you who have read the book, and one some of you regret watching.
Vampire Academy- Richelle Mead
It seems the Vampire Academy was ruined by filmmakers and some of you will never forgive them.
11. Memoirs of a Geisha- Arthur Golden
12. Queen of the Damned- Anne Rice
13. The Hobbit- J. R. R. Tolkien
14. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin- Louis de Bernieres
15. The Host- Stephenie Meyer
16. Harry Potter- J. K. Rowling
17. Interview With A Vampire- Anne Rice
18. A Walk In The Woods- Bill Bryson
19. The Girl On The Train- Paula Hawkins
20. The Da Vinci Code- Dan Brown
And after the featured top 20, here we take the list to the full 50 books:
Ella Enchanted- Gail Carson Levine
Along Came A Spider- James Patterson
Blood And Chocolate- Annette Curtis Klause
The Shining- Stephen King
The Golden Compass- Philip Pullman
A Series Of Unfortunate Events- Lemony Snicket
Needful Things- Stephen King
The Maze Runner- James Dashner
World War Z- Max Brooks
Pride And Prejudice- Jane Austen
The Vampire Lestat- Anne Rice
Twilight- Stephenie Meyer
The Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold
Chronicles of Narnia- C. S. Lewis
The Horse Whisperer- Nicholas Evans
Gone Girl- Gillian Flynn
The Reluctant Fundamentalist- Mohsin Hamid
The Last Airbender- Dante Basco
The Lord of the Rings- J. R. R. Tolkien
PS I Love You- Cecelia Ahern
Clan of the Cave Bear- Jean M. Auel
Inkheart- Cornelia Funke
The Neverending Story- Michael Ende
Bag of Bones- Stephen King
Sahara- Clive Cussler
Great Expectations- Charles Dickens
Unbroken- Laura Hillenbrand
The Book Thief- Markus Zusak
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan- Lisa See
Inferno- Dan Brown
10 of 2024’s Most Anticipated Reads
The For Reading Addicts Book of the Year 2023
Are You Willing to Unite Against Book Bans?
Roald Dahl Censorship Creates Grotesque Versions of Classics
For Reading Addicts Book of the Year 2022
I’m not quite sure how “The Last Airbender” made the list – it was indeed an awful film adaption, but of a TV series not a book! (Somehow it’s been credited with one of the TV voice actors as the ‘author’?)
Also I wholeheartedly agree with the Narnia films being on the list. “Prince Caspian” made me so angry at how they’d changed all the characters to nastier versions of themselves. I can’t even bring myself to watch “Dawn Treader”.
Oh dear, that was an oversight indeed! Whoops! I wonder if those who voted for it realised..? ~Rosie
I certainly want do over with Potter!
Circle of Friends (Maeve Binchy); the ending was completely different from the book. 🙁
I’m surprised that “Dune” wasn’t on the list, awful movie, great book by Frank Herbert.