Movies' take on books


By KRISTEN SHIPLEY,Central York High School

Garrison Keiller once said, "A book is a gift you can open again and again."

Nowadays, not only can you open a book over and over again, but you can also watch a book over and over again. Lately, it seems as though more and more books are being adapted into movies, but do the movies live up to the high standards a book sets? In my opinion, they do, in most cases.

Most recently, "The Hunger Games" hit the big screen, based on the book series by Suzanne Collins. This movie has crazed the nation, and it stemmed from a 374-page book about a futuristic world in which they sacrifice two kids from each district to fight to the death. I hope the sequels "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay" will be just as good on the big screen.

Erik Ramirez, 16, and a Central York High School student, also read the Hunger Game series before heading to theaters. "I thought the books were great, and they represent how human nature can sometimes be lost while trying to survive," Erik said.

Personally, I also read the entire Hunger Games series before going to see the movie, and I loved every minute of reading it. Reading the books beforehand made me even more enthused for the movie, which turned out to be phenomenal.

Recently, a different take on a book-turned-movie hit theaters. Steve Harvey's relationship self-help book, "Act Like a Lady: Think Like A Man," was adapted into the movie "Think Like A Man." The movie grossed $33.6 million opening weekend, according to What sets this movie apart is that the book doesn't have specific characters, but rather, explains the behaviors a man might do and gives advice on how a lady should handle them. The book's advice translates to the all-star cast, who portrays the behaviors from the book and builds a story around it. The book is also heavily incorporated in the plot, which makes for a good story. This movie was one of the best I have seen, and it was amazing to see the book come to life. The movie also featured talented actors such as Taraji P. Henson, Megan Good, Michael Ealy, Terrance J and comedian Kevin Hart.

I feel the best way to get the full experience of a book-turned-movie is to read the book and then go see the movie. By doing this, you fully understand what is happening in the movie and can come to your own conclusions about how well the movie was produced. When reading the book, you get a preview of the movie in your head, by using your imagination. Although many movies claim they try to stay true to the events of the book, expect some of the minor (or major!) details to be missing.

"Movies lack some of the important details from books, but they are still pretty accurate," said Simone Phillips, 15, Central York High School.

For me, the excitement comes in seeing one of your favorite books come to life on the big screen.

More books on the big screen

Will "The Hunger Games" movies replace the "Twilight" phenomenon? The last movie in the "Twilight" series, "Breaking Dawn Part 1," was released November 2011, and it captured the essence of the book at an accelerated pace. The second part of the film will be released Nov. 16 and will complete the "Twilight" series.

Speaking of science fiction, how can you not mention the Harry Potter series? Even though I have not read any of the books, I have witnessed friends go crazy over the movies and books for years. The first Harry Potter book was published in 1997, and the movie followed shortly after in 2001. Jeremy Davis, 13, of Glenwood Middle School in Howard County, Md., favored the "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" book, because he felt like "the filmmakers did not capture all of what J.K. Rowling was trying to get across."

On the other end of the genre spectrum, Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" was released earlier this year. "The Lorax" is an animated children's movie that stresses the importance of taking care of the environment.

"The Lucky One," based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, is a romantic tale about love and luck. The movie was released April 20 and made $22.5 million opening weekend, according to