Books into Movies Conversions, I am Afraid of You.

watch first:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fye5Nwe4qeI

The Hunger Games movie trailer came out on Monday. YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm happy.

I'm excited.

I'm slightly terrified.

But mostly pumped.

I love the Hunger Games. Love them. I just think the books are well written and heart-wrenching and bone-chilling and I have a clear obsession. But I'm scared that the movie adaptation is going to ruin the story for me.

I constantly wonder to myself if a movie version of a perfectly wonderful book is just a ploy to make more money. Actually, I know it is. Does it ruin the artistic integrity of the story? That depends on what kind of story it is in the first place. Many popular books have been turned into movies or a television series, but only a few have been tastefully done AND been extremely popular.

Take The Help, for example. A wonderful, interesting, and highly emotional book for me. The movie version turned out to be an extremely accurate and realistic retelling of the book. I was pleased. Because the movie followed a few good rules:

1) Kept the characters and plotline the exact same.

2) Stayed true to the author's basic intention with the novel

3) Didn't try to sensationalize the movie and turn it into a popularity contest. Yes, the movie was popular, but not overdone.

I think that if a movie producers tried to portray the story for what it is instead of what they want it to be, the whole process would make everyone happy. Instead, we usually see oversexed, overbudgeted, and understellar actors and actresses to fill the beloved roles of our favorite book characters. To portray a beloved character is hard enough, but to ask an actor or actress who doesn't care about the role or hasn't read the books is downright stupid. I'm sorry, but nobody wanted Daniel Ratcliffe to play Harry Potter when we first saw him. I mean, the kid had blue eyes. Rowling states throughout the entire series that Harry has his mother's GREENeyes, and then they pick a short kid with BLUE eyes. They didn't even bother fitting him with green contacts. They can spend millions of dollars on food and trailers and other useless crap, but they can't take the time or spend the money to buy a little pair of green contacts?!

It still makes me mad. Obvi. I luv tlkng in abbrevs.

To make my main point, I am skeptical about all book to movie conversions. And I'm terrified that The Hunger Games is going to not be good. And the purpose of making a book into a movie (besides making tons of money and attracting rabid fans) is to bring the book to life in the best way possible. I think that directors have forgotten the main purpose for the project. I'm afraid. And judging by the recent trailer of Breaking Dawn, I have a good reason to be afraid of these movies.

And yes I am going to still see it. That Jacob kid is cute. Also jailbait.