But before we jump into that, a few things. First of all, I want to skip the most obvious choices. That means this list won’t include movies like The Hunger Games, Twilight, or The Lord of the Rings. I’m also not discussing any Marvel or DC Comics superhero adaptations because that’s a whole other beast. I’d rather take a look at slightly less-known yet still great book adaptations from the last few years. Which takes me to another point: The list part of this will by no means be comprehensive. I know that there are other great adaptations out there that people know and love. I’m also going to keep it as objective as possible. Taking a look at some of the changes that were made, as well as the show or movie’s official scores on sites like IMDB and the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. But subjectivity is bound to seep in — it’s kind of inevitable. So without further ado, let’s get into what makes a book adaptation good.
Best Recent Book Adaptations
Those were some of the best recent book adaptations that stayed true to the essence of their source material. But this is far from the end. There are many more adaptations in the works that we haven’t seen yet. Plus there are tons of books that we’d love to see adapted into the screen someday. There are people who love adaptations that stay true to the source material. Others also enjoy those that stray from it. It’s another compromise to be made in the adaptation process — how much can a story change for the reader before it loses its essence. Whole plots and characters often disappear from shows, but when the message or feeling — that essence — remains, you can say it was a successful adaptation. Take for example a poor adaptation: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. It certainly didn’t keep the more childlike fun yet educational essence of the book. Or the characters’ sassy personalities. Rather, it became a more action-heavy film that tells you very little about the characters themselves. Now that we’re all on the same page of what a good adaptation is, let’s take a look at some of the best book adaptations from the last few years. Those that keep the essence of their stories, especially when changes have to be made. Of course, from now on, SPOILERS BELOW. I’ll try to keep them as minimal as possible, but seeing as I will discuss some book to movie/show changes, it’s kind of inevitable. The audience really likes it too, giving it a 9/10 on IMDB and an average audience score of 98% in Rotten Tomatoes. Pachinko has an IMDB score of 8.5/10 and an average audience score of 95% in Rotten Tomatoes. The Hate U Give has an IMDB score of 7.4/10 and an average audience score of 82% in Rotten Tomatoes. Shadow and Bone has an IMDB score of 7.6/10 and an average audience score of 88% in Rotten Tomatoes. Little Women has an IMDB rating of 7.8/10 and an average audience score of 92% in Rotten Tomatoes. Itaewon Class has an IMDB rating of 8.2/10 and an average audience score of 79% in Rotten Tomatoes. The Underground Railroad has an IMDB rating of 7.3/10 and an average audience score of 76% in Rotten Tomatoes.
