Worst Book-to-Movie Adaptations

The Giver (2014) The story focuses on a boy, Jonas, who lives in a Community ruled by a Committee of Elders. All is based on the concept of Sameness. There's no color, only black and white. There's no emotion; sexual "stirrings" are blunted with daily medication.

In the movie, Jonas is played by an Australian heartthrob to create a teen romance. Sigh.
The Golden Compass (2007) The Phillip Pullman series is one of the most beloved among fantasy readers. But the movie version completely misses some of the most interesting parts of the books.

"Gone are the allegories and religious undertones, instead we get a hodgepodge of action sequences. No wonder it sank like a brick," says Total Film.
The Scarlet Letter (1995) Demi Moore simply can't carry the character of Hester, whose inner turmoil serves as the main vehicle of emotion in Nathaniel Hawthorne's opus. In the movie version, she is little more than a sultry seductress.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001) Total Film says "casting Nic Cage, whose overblown attempt at portraying an Italian is so bad it's almost farcical" was the movie's biggest misstep. Ouch.
The Time Traveler's Wife (2009) Sappy romantic movies are bad enough, but when an entire list of characters is completely ignored then we have problems. So much is lost with Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana at the helm.
The DaVinci Code (2006) "The book was fast-paced and kept you turning the page because the clues were always buried just under the surface and your mind was racing to catch up. The movie was dark, flat, and made the whole thing seem way too obvious," Crushable says. And we agree.
The Great Gatsby (2012) A remarkably short book is turned into a giant, over-the-top production with entirely too much sparkle and champagne and too many forlorn looks from Carey Mulligan. Despite all that jazz, the movie still misses the complexity of F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic characters.
Alice in Wonderland (2009) Tim Burton is a master of his craft, but sometimes Johnny Depp can actually ruin a movie. In Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," he turns the Mad Hatter into a disturbing freak of a character. The entire movie misses everything charming and warm about Lewis Carroll's timeless tale.
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) Don't get me wrong; the movie as a standalone is great fun. But the movie as an adaptation is downright criminal. Truman Capote's novella is about a damaged socialite in her late teens who may or may not be a prostitute. Unfortunately, she was never meant to be the airy, naive character played by Audrey Hepburn.
Watchmen (2009) I don't even know where to start with this movie, but how about the fact that Alan Moore's characters of disillusioned superheroes are meant to be middle-aged and washed up?
Battlefield Earth (2000) "John Travolta, buried in alien makeup and an incomprehensible script, offers up a film tribute to the sci-fi novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and makes life hell on earth for audiences," writes Rolling Stone. Hear, hear!
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