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Young adult movie franchises have become the biggest thing in the film industry over the course of the last decade and a half. It all started with Harry Potter way back in 2001 and what followed was adaptions of Twilight, The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner and many others. Collectively these films have raked in billions of dollars for the film industry, you may turn your nose up at them but its looks like they are here to stay for the near future at least.
The Golden Compass isn't the worst
Young Adult movie adaptation neither is it the best, it is however
the most disappointing. Phillip Pullman's series of books are
breathtaking in imagination and scope and deal with weighty themes
which the studios felt will not do well with an American audience.
The Dark Materials are deeply critical of organised region and the
studio felt this would not sell well at all to an American audience
(Christian groups were very vocal in their criticism) and demanded
the religious themes of the book to be toned down for the film. So
what we got was a pretty but shallow adaptation of novel which debates
complex themes for a young audience.
For me the best Young Adult franchise
of modern times is The Hunger Games (Harry Potter follows a close
second). The Hunger Games franchise discusses themes of government,
rebellion, totalitarianism in a way that is easy digestible for
teenage audiences. The franchise is head and shoulders above other
series such as Twilight, Divergent and The Maze Runner.
For those United Kingdom dwelling
citizens who are the same age as me it is likely that you'll know
Louis Sachar's novel Holes rather well (you might have studied in the
US as well...I wouldn't know). The film adaptation is an enjoyable
one and it also features Shia Labeouf when he wasn't such an
insufferable arsehole.
Ohh The Golden Compass! That's been on my radar for ages, I can't believe it's 8 years old now! Great choices :)
ReplyDelete- Allie
You can probably take it off the radar, especially if you have read the book. It's a disappointing film
DeleteI always like Catching Fire of The Hunger Games franchise by far! Great if you like it as a pieces.
ReplyDeleteYes. I's say that is my favorite to
DeleteI'd*
DeleteLOL, Holes...I forgot all about the days when LaBeouf was a child actor. I'd argue that he was still rather insufferable though :-P
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen Golden Compass, but I do like those Hunger Games movies :-)
Haha, you'd probably have a few people agreeing with you. At the moment he is just so pretentious he is deeply unlikable.
DeleteI picked Hunger Games as well. I remember all the people freaking out about The Golden Compass when it first came out. I wanted to see it based on that, but then it got bad reviews, so I skipped.
ReplyDeleteI think it was because the books were just so great. I also saw a stage production of the trilogy (starring Michelle Dockery) which, according to my parents, had my brother and I on the edge of our seats.
DeleteAnother nod for Holes. Gotta see that. The Hunger Games - meh. The Golden Compass was not any good. Didn't work for me at all.
ReplyDeleteNo. That's what happens when you take book's main themes out for a film adaptation
DeleteI really loved the golden compass books but was terribly disappointed with the movie. It's not normally my genre but I sped through the books and loved every second.
ReplyDeleteYour comments won't allow me to post from my Wordpress account - www.assholeswatchingmovies.com
They are magnificent.
DeleteHave not read the books but the movie looks over reliant on CGI, kind of had a similar look to the Narnia series and that just didn't appeal to me.
ReplyDeleteWandering through the Shelves
Yeah, that pretty much sums up the film. The book on the other hand is poorly represented by the film.
DeleteHunger Games is a fantastic franchise, though in terms of movies I preferred Catching Fire (books: The Hunger Games). Golden Compass had some potential; it looked like a story that was going to work but the movie didn't live up to its promise.
ReplyDeleteThe story would work perfectly if the studios had any guts. They didn't.
DeleteHoles is a fun adaptation with Shia before he went off the rails quite good and Sigourney Weaver terrific as usual. I hated the Hunger Games and have yet to see Golden Compass.
ReplyDeleteHe certainly went off the rails and them some. He's quite a character.
DeleteThe Golden Compass didn't interest me one bit, there was something I found off putting about it. I think you already know what I thought of The Hunger Games and Holes. Oddly enough it was the movie Holes that first turned me onto Sigourney Weaver's filmography. I hadn't really noticed her on Ghostbusters, and I saw Holes before I watched the Alien franchise so I didn't know she starred in those movies at the time..
ReplyDeleteMike's Cinema
I certainly saw Holes before Alien, but that was back when I wasn't quite int movies as I am now. So, my first appreciation of Weaver probably came when I binged watched the Alien Franchise.
DeleteI actually never saw The Golden Compass but the book was phenomenal. Just brilliant writing! Hunger Games is awesome. I like Catching Fire better. Holes I really need to see. So many of my male students love it.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, the book is perfect.
DeleteI've only seen THE HUNGER GAMES, which I like a lot.
ReplyDelete