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?

  • viking_samurai@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    How dare you disrespect the masterpiece of cinema that Congo is.

    C’mon, it’s got Bruce Campbell! A gorilla that does sign language that’s played by a woman in a gorilla suit! Laura Linney shooting a laser gun and saying great one liners like “put them back on the endangered species list”

    Ok yeah, it’s kinda trash. But I love it.

        • SnipesCC@alien.topBEnglish
          1·
          10 months ago

          Tim Curry is such gold in everything that you could have him play lead (the metal, not the most important character) and discover the secret alchemists have been searching for for centuries.

    • petantic@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      Overall I like your comment, but what did you want from the gorilla? A real gorilla that they taught sign language to?

    • deadandmessedup@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      If they would’ve cast Bruce Campbell in the Dylan Walsh role instead of giving Bruce a one-scene-and-done, the flick would’ve had a lead who knew how to play against the ludicrousness.