Showing posts with label YA books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YA books. Show all posts
Last weekend I saw the movie, Divergent. This movie is based on the book of the same name by Veronica Roth. If you haven't heard of this book and/or movie, then you've probably been living under a rock...on Mars.
Divergent
The Book (description from Amazon): One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior's society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions. Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she's determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous.
The Movie: The film left out a few key scenes and minimized roles of some supporting characters (for time reasons I'm sure), but it was fairly true to the book. I thought the casting was good, although I did take a very minor issue with Theo James. Don't get me wrong, he was very easy on the eyes and convincing as Four, he just seemed a bit too old for Shailene Woodley.
It is set in a futuristic Chicago that doesn't have any water surrounding it so that was interesting to see. I have an issue with heights, so there were quite a few scenes that made my palms sweat (especially having recently visited the Hancock Tower and knowing just how high it is at the top).
The first half of the movie was riveting, but the second half dragged a bit. I thought the book did a better job with the climax and conveyed a sense of real danger, whereas it felt like the last half of the movie was just prepping you for the sequel.
My hubby graciously accompanied me. He had not read the book. I could tell by the look on his face that he took issue with something. Turns out it had nothing to do with the movie itself, he just didn't buy the premise. I've heard this from a few other friends also which is why I recommend reading the book first. If you like the book, then you'll like the movie.
P.S. A friend was once asked to describe me in one sentence. He said that I was Jack Nicholson's character from A Few Good Men when he says, "You can't handle the truth!" So as much as I would like to be Dauntless, I'm obviously Candor :)
The Movie: The film left out a few key scenes and minimized roles of some supporting characters (for time reasons I'm sure), but it was fairly true to the book. I thought the casting was good, although I did take a very minor issue with Theo James. Don't get me wrong, he was very easy on the eyes and convincing as Four, he just seemed a bit too old for Shailene Woodley.
It is set in a futuristic Chicago that doesn't have any water surrounding it so that was interesting to see. I have an issue with heights, so there were quite a few scenes that made my palms sweat (especially having recently visited the Hancock Tower and knowing just how high it is at the top).
The first half of the movie was riveting, but the second half dragged a bit. I thought the book did a better job with the climax and conveyed a sense of real danger, whereas it felt like the last half of the movie was just prepping you for the sequel.
My hubby graciously accompanied me. He had not read the book. I could tell by the look on his face that he took issue with something. Turns out it had nothing to do with the movie itself, he just didn't buy the premise. I've heard this from a few other friends also which is why I recommend reading the book first. If you like the book, then you'll like the movie.
P.S. A friend was once asked to describe me in one sentence. He said that I was Jack Nicholson's character from A Few Good Men when he says, "You can't handle the truth!" So as much as I would like to be Dauntless, I'm obviously Candor :)
Also the previews at Divergent made me very excited for The Maze Runner movie which stars Dylan O'Brien from Teen Wolf.
Tiger Eyes
The Book (by Judy Blume): Seventeen year old Davey has never felt so alone in her life. Her father is dead—shot in a holdup—and now her mother is moving the family to New Mexico to try to recover. Climbing in the Los Alamos canyon, Davey meets the mysterious Wolf, who is the only person who seems to understand the rage and fear Davey feels. Slowly, with Wolf’s help, Davey realizes that she must get on with her life.
The Movie: The key word above is "slowly" and that sums up the film too. I devoured all of Judy Blume's books when I was a tween and Tiger Eyes was actually one of my favorites. But when I saw that this movie skipped theaters and went directly to Lifetime, I suspected it wasn't going to be that great...and I was right. The actress who plays Davey (Willa Holland) was good at conveying the range of emotions one would feel in those circumstances, but she didn't have any chemistry with the actor who played Wolf (who looked like he was a good fifteen years older than her even though he is actually only six years older). If you are looking for a coming of age story and/or recently lost a parent, you might find it tolerable. Honestly, I only made it half way through the movie before I turned the channel.
My final verdict: Read the book. Skip the movie.
Ender's Game
The Book (by Orson Scott Card): In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, is drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training. Ender's skills make him a leader in school yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers, Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. Is Ender the general Earth needs?
The Movie: Asa Butterfield expertly plays Ender; he makes the character watchable and you are definitely rooting for him. Harrison Ford kind of phoned it in, but he was adequate. The theme of the story is about strategy and ethics and what makes a great leader. I thought the movie spent too much time on the strategy game at the Battle School and also maybe fell a bit short as to showing how Ender (a 12 year old) could command the entire fleet in a battle against an alien race, but the rest of the movie was interesting and the final battle was riveting. Also, the ending throws out a few twists.
My final verdict: Orson Scott Card has made anti-gay remarks, therefore I will not read the book nor will I recommend it, but if you like space and/or aliens then enjoy the movie
Vampire Academy
The Book (by Richelle Mead): St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .
The Movie: I have not read the book. After watching twenty seconds of the trailer, I figured I would rather watch twelve football games in a row than see the movie (for those of you who don't know, I can't stand watching sports...except for MMA). Anyway, Mandy Wan over at foreveryoungadult.com wrote an extremely entertaining (and scathing) review which I'm guessing is fifty times more enjoyable than the movie. Check it out:
http://foreveryoungadult.com/2014/02/10/a-highly-scientific-analysis-of-vampire-academy/
I recently watched two movies
adapted from YA books, Beautiful
Creatures and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
Beautiful
Creatures
The Book (by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl): Lena, a caster (witch) will have to choose
between the light and the dark on her 16th birthday. She falls in love with a mortal, Ethan,
triggering a long standing curse in her family.
The Movie: I understand that
the pace of the southern lifestyle isn’t exactly fast and furious, but it
seemed to take a long time for anything to happen. And once it did, I still didn’t feel any
urgency or suspense. The special effects
were sparse and not that great. But the
main problem was that the two leads, Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich)
and Lena (Alice Englert), had good chemistry, it was just the wrong kind; it
felt more like buddy chemistry than fated lovers chemistry. Alden Ehrenreich brought a lot of energy to
the role, but his attempt at a southern accent was so thick and exaggerated that
at times I needed subtitles. And he
crossed the line from quirky to goofy which is just not swoon worthy. On the other hand, the supporting cast reveled
in their eccentric characters. The movie may be worth watching just for Emma
Thompson’s performance alone. She was good
as the wanton and wicked southern belle gone bad.
Rotten Tomatoes critics rate
this movie as 46% fresh with comments that it has “charming leads,” but is “plodding”
and “watered down.”
My final verdict: read the
book and skip the movie.
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
The Book (by Cassandra Clare): Fifteen year old
Clary accidentally runs into Shadowhunters: warriors dedicated to ridding the
earth of demons. Clary is pulled into their world with a vengeance when her
mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon.
The Movie: First off, I’m
guessing that this film had a much larger budget. The special effects were great and there were
lots of them. Being set in New York City
already lends to a faster pace and the plot kept moving quickly with lots of
action. The cast was excellent with
crackling chemistry between the leads (Jamie Campbell Bower and Lily Collins). Robert Sheehan was a perfect choice for the
awkward best friend and Jonathan Rhys Meyers is always deliciously
villainous. The film is fairly similar
to the book with mostly minor changes and a much more dramatic final sequence
involving a lot more characters. I liked
the movie and thought it was fun to watch.
Rotten Tomatoes critics rate
this movie as only 12% fresh with a comment that it “borrows ingredients from
seemingly every fantasy franchise of the last 30 years -- but can't seem to
figure out what to do with them.”
However, the audience rates it as 61% fresh. The books have garnered criticism for having
the exact same plot as Harry Potter,
but that obviously doesn’t put people off because it has been a very successful
series.
My final verdict: read the
book first then enjoy the movie.
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