Pen to Film

Considered by many as the greatest book to movie adaptations is the Lord of the Rings. The first movie, The Fellowship of the Ring, takes care to follow the books, but I must note that a few things had to be cut short and I really did miss them. Yup I'm one of those who miss Ol' Tom, Goldberry, the Whites, Old Man Willow, and Glorfindal. I also miss Merry and Pippin's complex plan to convince Frodo to let them come along and the Reckoning of the Shire. But more on that when we get there. Other then that it is great. Aragon is perfect, Butterbur is funny, and the story moves at a fairly accurate pace. Other then that I have no complaints and think it definitely lives up to its reputation. Especially extended edition.

It has come to my attention that you can preemptively surmise the rank of a movie before it comes out by who produces it. If it is by Warner Brothers or some collaboration of big name companies it is most likely to be a Minor category movie (to see how my rating works in depth see my earlier post). If it is by Disney it is probably going to be in the Medium category and perhaps a Minor if your lucky. If it is by Nickelodeon, Dreamworks, or please forbid both you'll be lucky if the keep the characters names the same. I guess my point is every movie company has a track record and you better hope your book is in good hands.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a medium. And while it may have about as many changes as Prince Caspian it did not do the unthinkable sin of changing the character's personality. That's beside the point, in this movie they keep the main story arc ( Caspian searching for the seven lost lords) and exaggerated or shortened details about each island visited. Eustace was perfect, the whiny brat who doesn't even call his parents mum and dad. They expanded on the island of nightmares and Lucy's wish for beauty like Susan's. I didn't really get why they so explosively changed the way they found out Eustace was a dragon. I do think Reepicheep and Eustace's relationship was well done, all in all it was a good movie even if it doesn't quite measure up to The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.