Did the director visualize the The It Ends With Us story well?

Expectations of Movie Adaptations

When it comes to book adaptations, there are both good and bad things. Good things are that the movie captures the heart of the book. The most important part of the movie is the premise of the book and the casting. The characters are what make the book great and special. The fact you could relate to them. Casting is very important for movie adaptations because it brings the characters to life. The characters should look the part, and be good actresses/actors. 

Image courtesy of the hollywood reporter

They should bring their all for the character's personality, emotion, how they speak, etc, should be perfect. Another thing is that the movie should show the whole point of the book. The theme, the settings, the plot, the whole premise. Not living up to these expectations, makes a bad book to movie adaptation. 

It Ends With Us Movie Adaptation

I read a book called It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover over two years ago, and I have a lot of mixed emotions about the book. I didn’t really like this book, but I still had a lot of expectations when Colleen Hoover announced that The It Ends With Us was coming out with a movie. Me as well as other readers had opinions for the casting, and the casting didn’t meet any of our expectations. I knew the movie was going to be bad when they cast Blake Lively for the role of the main character Lily Bloom. Lily Bloom is a 23-year-old red head, and Blake didn’t fit the role at all. For starters, Blake Lively is not naturally a red head, she is blonde.

They could have found another actress with red hair and in her 20s. Instead they picked someone that doesn’t fit the description. Lily Bloom is 23 in the book, and Blake is 38. She’s too old to be playing this role. I understand why they would pick Blake though, she is a famous well known actress and the movie would get a lot of attention for her being chosen as the main character. I don't know what it is but she just doesn’t fit the role for Lily. 

The important thing of picking an actress/actor for a movie is the appearance and if they’re perfect for the role, not if they would bring the movie more fame. I mean maybe her audition was great, but there were actresses out there that would have been a better choice. The outfits were also a problem in the movie and were totally out of place on Blake in the movie.

image courtesy of paragon jackets

Also, an actor that was not perfect for a character was Brandon Sklenaer for the character Atlas Corrigan, the childhood love interest in the movie. This is not how I imagined him at all. I imagined his hair to be thinner but in the movie it is too thick. Also, Atlas is in his 20s too, and the actor is 35. They could have chosen someone else for Atlas. Maybe someone who looks younger or fits the role better. The main love interest Ryle Kincaid’s appearance, played by Justin Baldoni, was fine and his sister’s, Alyssa, who was played by Jenny Slate was okay too.

I just don’t like the younger Atlas chosen for the flashback scenes. He looks too old to be playing a 15-year-old. The girl who plays Lily in the flashback scenes looked like she was fifteen at least, even though she was way older. Some of the scenes are changed in the movie. Like,  when Ryle first abuses Lily and he goes to his sister, and she tells him that he has to tell her about the death of his younger brother, but in the movie, Alyssa tells Lily about the death. I don’t know, I just think that it should have still been Ryle to tell Lily about his brother.

Conclusion 

Anyways this movie was not good, and it was mostly because of the casting. Our expectations weren’t met. A good author should bring fans' opinions to consideration if they want them to watch the movie which Hoover didn’t do. 

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Lina Ahmed is a 21 year old at Algonquin College student in the professional writing program. She loves spending time with friends and family. Her favourite genres are romance, sports romance, fantasy, and romantasy. She loves to write and loves talking about her favourite books. She spends her free time reading, writing, and watching movies. Lina likes sharing her writing ideas and loves to compare books with their adapted movies. She’s currently working on a romance book, and wants to get published in a few years from now. Lina Ahmed’s goal to be one of the most successful published authors ever. 

Pride and Prejudice 2026: What’s one more adaptation?

Do you like classics? The Regency era? What about romance? If the answer is yes, then you’d enjoy Pride and Prejudice. Whether you start by reading the novel, watching the 1995 television series or the 2005 film, you are guaranteed to love the story. Pride and Prejudice is a widely loved novel by Jane Austen and has been adapted at least 16 times, the first being in 1940, and is now being adapted once more into a television series on Netflix.

A Favorite Story’s Comeback

It has nearly been five years since the previous adaptation, Pride and Prejudice: A New Musical, was released. The film hardly spiked any interest, unlike the major success of the Pride and Prejudice film from 2005 and now we are getting a brand-new adaptation. 

Image courtesy of Netflix

Back in July, Netflix announced a brand-new adaptation that is currently in production. From best-selling author Dolly Alderton and director Euros Lyn we can expect to see a six-part mini-series as early as next year. 

Around the same time, Netflix announced their cast list, upon the list are big names in cinema and tv, such as Olivia Coleman, Jack Lowden and Emma Corrin. All of which were cast in the bigger roles for this production. Additionally, Netflix also released the cast list for the rest of the bigger roles for this story at the Tudum event.

What Fans Want to See

Fans typically know what they’re getting into when it comes to Pride and Prejudice, which is what many are expecting. They want hatred, love, tension, something they can swoon over. 

Image courtesy of Penguin Classics

What’s really needed is the portrayal of each of the characters to be as they were designed in the novel and to have the character details shine through in the future series, so that the fans can really fall in love with every one of the characters represented. 

Better yet, what fans want to see above all is a proper love story with sweet and romantic love declarations. They want to swoon over yet another Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, adding them once again to their list of characters that they can never get over. 

Sparking Controversy

After hearing the news of the new adaptation, many fans speculate if they need to make another one or whether they should leave their beloved story alone for the time being. Many fans are still hung up on both the 2005 film and the 1995 series. Leaving many to question if anything could ever beat their favorite remakes. Maybe the same will happen this time around. 

Image courtesy of Modern Library

But one of the many questions that keep coming up when discussing this new adaptation is about the casting. Are they really the best people that they could find for this series? While happy over the casting of Olivia Coleman as Mrs. Bennet, fans are upset over the cast of Mr. Darcy (Jack Lowden) and Elizabeth Bennet (Emma Corrin). Claiming that Lowden looks nothing like what they would expect a Mr. Darcy would look and same goes for Corrin and Elizabeth Bennet.

Fans want their remake done right and trying to surpass the success of past adaptations might prove to be a challenge for Netflix. Especially after such a negative impact from the fans over the cast, it leaves us to wonder as to whether or not this new adaptation will really be good and surpass expectations.

Keeping An Open Mind

With this upcoming adaptation and having watched the past successes of the others, it is probably best to keep an open mind. While it is one of the most popular stories in the world, it is something that will be different. Especially since fans of the 1995 adaptation were also questioning whether or not the 2005 adaptation would be a success, and it just so happened to become one of the most talked about Pride and Prejudice adaptations today.

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Alyssa Simard is currently a student at Algonquin College’s Professional Writing Program. She spends her time with her family, reading, watching shows and movies. She prefers to spend her time getting absorbed into fictional worlds, whether they’re her own creation or one that she’s read or watched. Her dream is to one day become a published romance author and share her love for reading and writing to the world.

A Tale of Two Plots: Understanding Alterations

PHOTO BY ANDRIJANA BOZIC ON UNSPLASH

Plot is a crucial aspect in both books and their adaptations, but how much of it gets altered or removed in the film process, why, and how does it impact the overall story? These questions often arise when there’s a live action made, and going behind the scenes is one way to find answers and see the decision-making process in full perspective.

What Does The Book Have…

Stories follow a series of events that shape the broader narrative, like life, you never know where it will actually go. That’s the plot.

In books, authors can expand timelines and character development over the course of many chapters, writing details and descriptions that can fill up entire pages. It’ll slow down the pacing of the novel, but it’s better than skipping through important information and leaving the reader lost and confused, or it might even make the pacing easier to follow, depending on your reading style.

PHOTO BY BRANDI REDD ON UNSPLASH

Either way, taking the opportunity to put worldbuilding into the plotline provides a foundation, context and restrictions, helping the reader immerse themselves in the fictional world. It gives an understanding of the magic system (if there is any), culture, history, politics, environment, rules and many more that make the world authentic and realistic, because no one wants to read a work so untrue that they cannot imagine it.

Using the thoughts, feelings, and the way characters visualize their surroundings is important too in the context of worldbuilding and plot development. It showcases the protagonist’s internal and external conflict, making the reader empathize with them. Their lifelike manners help keep the reader engaged throughout the events in the story, showing how the individuals face conflict and overcome it, their motivations, and their growth and change up until the end. And readers might relate to the character flaws and struggles, and further be invested in the journey.

…That The Adaptation Does Not

Movies cannot be exactly like the books; it’s virtually impossible.

In adaptations, there are limitations, including a shorter runtime and more visual elements. Due to the two-hour runtime in movies, they need to condense the plot and timeline and even remove characters, subplots and information originally in the book. In doing so, it leads to differences in events, which are noticeable to the audience who have read the story first. Cutting significant and memorable plot points is frustrating for readers. But in reason, it makes it more palatable for a broader audience and those who haven't read the novel and keeps it engaging.

PHOTO BY JEREMY YAP ON UNSPLASH

Another difference is that there is more show than tell in films; showing a character's internal conflicts relies on dialogue, body language, and actions. Due to this, their thoughts are often left out entirely or externalized as the individual, rather than arguing with themselves, might choose to dispute with another character.

The decision to make the original not original is often due to the amount of money. As a film’s main element is visuals, it can be costly if there is a need for special effects, mass destruction and fight scenes. Removing subplots and minor characters is a way to keep to the budget.

Though it’s necessary to compress a book, details get lost in the story. However, if studios had the opportunity to create a movie with an unlimited amount of money, then there’s no doubt they wouldn’t be able to keep to the original or at least make it more accurate.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the plot is an important element in both a book and its adaptation. It drives the narrative forward through exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution/denouement and adds a more immersive environment for readers and watchers. And though there are differences, it’s understandable that everything in a story that makes it so magical cannot be put with the same amount of depth into a live action.

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Erin Murray is currently a second-year student in the Professional Writing Program at Algonquin College. She enjoys listening to moody instrumental music when writing, and once the temperature drops, loves carrying around a cup of tea. She’s had the on-and-off hobby of writing stories since high school, and dreams of having her own WIP traditionally published in the future. When Erin is not at her laptop, she’s thinking of a new novel idea or daydreaming about the one that is underway.

Intro

Plot, characters, dialogue, action, drama, humor. Do all these elements make or break movies, TV shows, or books? Adaptations can elevate a story, turning imagination into reality, or they can lose all the special things that made them close to the heart. Here, we’ll delve into the inner workings of book-to-film adaptations, examining those that are in the works and the debates surrounding those that shouldn’t be. This blog explores the angles of adaptation and leads to the question: should every book be an adaptation, or are some better left on the page?