Everything wrong with Shadowhunters

Sometimes, book adaptations should be forgotten and ignored. This is the case with Shadowhunters, a TV show from Freeform which is based on the books of Cassandra Clare. Although She has writen about the Shadowhunter's world many times, her first series -The Mortal Instruments- were the most popular. Because of her recognition and success, she was offered the incredible chance to have a TV show inspired by her saga. It was a disaster.

Poster of the movie

Before we start talking about the series, we should remember the first time that these novels were adapted. In 2013, a movie called City of Bones was released. It wasn't a blockbuster, but it was okay. Many fans agreed that the casting had been excellent, as well as the special effects. Some changes had been made from the book, but everyone though they were necessary and tolerable. However, the movie didn't make enough bennefits, and Constantin Film Production decided that there wouldn't be a sequel.

Fans were devastated, but soon another oportunity came up. When the TV show was announced, all the readers felt excited and thrilled. The first teaser seemed very good, and the emotion kept growing. The first hint that something was wrong appeared with the trailer. The special effects weren't as good as in the film, and the main actress -Katherine McNamara- didn't surprise in a good way the fans. But the readers still had hopes and believed in this adaptation.

By the time the first season had ended, many fans were already pretending it had never happened. Important changes in the plot had been made, and the characters had different interests and personalities. This show had more diversity than the movie, which is always a good point, but something just didn't work with so many differences from the books. While the movie had a darker perspective, the show seemed more childlike. The characters were hunting demons and weird creatures, but the spectator didn't feel scared or concerned because the story was more optimistic and juvenile.

Official photo of the Shadowhunters show

Cassandra Clare, the author of these novels, was asked about her opinion on these changes, but she said that she doesn't make that kind of decisions. She also said that the fans shouldn't argue about whether the series or the books are better, because they are just different. However, it is difficult to ignore the huge contrast between the two adaptions and the book itself.

To end, I would like to discourage the readers of the book to give it a try. I know you may think that it is not that awful but trust me: It is. If you haven't read the books, there is a chance you might enjoy it, but the odds are you will dislike it anyway. Some of the actors are great, but the storyline is just too bad.

Gif from the movie City of Bones with the main characters:
Jace, Clary, Isabelle and Alec

Scene from the pilot of Shadowhunters

Tim Burton: A role model for directors

Poster from the film "Alice in Wonderland"

Although I have enjoyed many adaptations from books, one of the most entertaining and original was Alice in Wonderland´s film by Tim Burton. It was released in 2010, and it had mixed critics. However, I found it very intriguing and captivating.

Tim Burton picked a well-known novel and decided to give it a new perspective. He took the important aspects and he put them in his production so he would be faithful to the world that Carroll, the writer of Alice´s adventures in Wonderland, had created. But at the same time, he added some changes that made the story unusual. This way, not only he made an interesting film, he made a movie with his personal style.

This isn´t the first time that someone had adapted this book. Disney made an animated film in 1951 that had a great success, and a videogame was made by Spicy horse called Alice: madness returns, which had a darker perspective. However, Tim Burton managed to create something new and breath-taking. In his film, the story felt real and unpredictable, and had more characters than other adaptations.Sadly, he          wasn't the director in the sequel of his film, Alice through the looking glass.

Cover of the book from
Lewis Carroll

Videogame called
"Alice: madness returns"

Poster of "Miss Peregrine's Home for peculiar
Children" in french

However, Alice in Wonderland isn't his only successful movie which was based on a book. In 2016, He made another film called Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children. The characters were a group of kids with special habilities, who were being hunted and killed by misterious creatures that only Jacob Portman, the main character, wass able to see. These movie had many critics as well, not only because of the changes that Burton made from the novel writen by Ramson Riggs, but because there was only one actor who wasn't white.

In conclusion, I would say that Tim Burton does a great job with adaptations. While he tells the essencial aspects, he changes the details in his own way to make the film feel new. His movies have always been full of controversy, but they are unique and uncommon, which is the goal of every director who wants to adapt a book.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The Awesome Movie Adaptation

The first volume's cover.

   In 2004, a guy called Bryan Lee O'Malley released the first volume of a 6 parts graphic novel centered around a Canadian 23 year old called Scott Pilgrim, Scott Pilgrim's precious little life. The graphic novels were all about him meeting the new girl in town called Ramona Flowers and having to battle her 7 evil exes to go out with her. I know, weird. However, throughout the book, O'Malley tells us the story of someone having to recognise his past errors, accepting himself and reaching maturity in doing so.

  It was in 2010 when a movie based on all six volumes and called Scott Pilgrim vs The world was released. Were it not for this movie, I would have never known of the existence of one of my favourite comic books ever. In fact, I first watched the movie two years ago and decided to read the comics, then re-watch the movie, re-read the comics and re-watch the movie a third time. Yes, I am a bit obsessed. But in doing so I discovered that the move is way more awesome than first time I saw it.

Two posters for the movie.

  The thing so great about it is that it feels like actually being a comic and not a movie, even though it is recorded by real actors. Many of the lines are extracted directly from the comics and is able to adapt their drama and humour alike. The characters themselves are greatly portrayed by their respective actors.  Not only that, but the special effects are so amazing and colourful that they seem like they were drawn by O'Malley himself (here's an scene so that you can check it out yourself). Even many transitions are exactly like in the comics. The only things that are different are the pace, due to the movie length, and the ending, as it was filmed before the last volume came out. Despite this, it still keeps a similar tone to the one found in the comics.

   I really recommend that you watch the movie when you have time, because it's very good even as an independent movie despite it passing a little under the radar. And, who knows, you may end up looking up the comics (which you can read here) and enjoying the movie even more and in its full form.

                                

 

Next we have "The Girl on the Train"

Emily Blunt as Rachel ( The Girl on the Train)
Image: Bustle

When I bought it, i thought it was going to be more a book like so many others. But I was wrong.

The Girl on the Train was a success for several reasons. A story of mystery and suspense in the back of a murder that gave back to my head and the many who also followed him. They are friends and  three women, the protagonists of this thriller, with problems, worries and concerns, told in the first person, as if it was a diary.

Each one developed a perspective of events that were taking place , and at the same time allow the reader to reflect on the possible implications that every word or action could have, find out more about a secret, an intimacy or a track that we could let us until the killer, as if anyone who reads was the confident and best friend of that character. All this made the drama even more intriguing and addicting, which I strongly recommend to all who enjoy stories of cut the breath!

Obviously the Hollywood industry wanted to take advantage of this literary success, translated into movie, a year after the release of the book of Paula Hawkins. The result was a confusing approach, with profiles and habits of the three women changed, important details of the book overwhelmed, which made some of the scenes and transitions not to do so. The location where the story takes place were abdicated by the film director, replacing London (in the book) by New York ( in the cinema), among other things.

In my opinion, this was a bad example of adaptation of a literary work for film. The imbalance of quality is evident, what makes me rethink if many times it is worth investing so much money for a purpose so disappointing as this...



Video: Youtube

David Magalhães