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?

  • d94ae8954744d3b0@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    I disagree. I think with that you get the appreciation for dreaming/fantasy/creativity/individuality/etc, which is great, but without the cautionary tale warning against navel-gazing, drug addiction, isolation, spending your life in your mom’s basement, etc. I liked that Bastian had to learn painful lessons the hard way rather than having everything neatly resolved for him. I felt like the book ended with him prepared to tackle the challenges he would face growing up.

    And I liked that Bastian was a fat, ugly little schlub, not a handsome, slender boy like Barret Oliver. His challenges felt more substantial to me: he wasn’t just mildly bullied and emotionally neglected, he was emotionally abandoned, an absolute magnet for bullies, and his misery and hopelessness were well on their way to turning him into the caricature of a neckbeard incel.

    Admittedly, I’m not sure The Neverending Story in its entirety would make a good movie, and I think there are weird pacing issues and some larger storytelling issues. But I feel like there’s a lot of depth and value to the second half that has been completely discarded.