Which was better? The book or its film adaptation?
Is the book always better? Young Post compares the books versus the movies of some of this year's biggest hits. Plus, we take a closer look at what's in store for literary film in 2015
We're a bookish lot at YP HQ - but we can't resist a good movie. This year saw some of our favourite books make the leap from page to screen. Some were fantastic, exactly-what-we-imagined-in-our-head adaptations; some rather missed the point. Young Post breaks down some of the biggest releases of 2014.
The Giver
The film generally followed the plot of the book, but missed a lot of the suspense and surprise that made it so memorable. The performances by the older actors are great, and capture the conflict from the novel. Unfortunately the same can't be said for the younger cast members, who struggle to create characters that the audience can identify with, unlike their literary counterparts.
Divergent
The dystopian feel and Dauntless compound in particular reflect the book well, but character development is lacking.
Christina's harsh honesty, Will's playful charm and Al's softer side are all under-developed in the movie, which means we don't care as much about what happens to them.
However, Shailene Woodley, as protagonist Tris Prior, does the character justice, successfully striking a balance of determined yet uncertain of her abilities.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
First things first: Peeta is missing a leg in the book, but they skip past this altogether in the movie. That's kind of a big detail to leave out!
President Alma Coin is much colder and more forceful in the books, and this affects the way Katniss is portrayed too, making her look more assertive in the movie than she comes across in the novel.
And while Katniss and Gale's relationship seems very intense and undecided in the book, in the movie, Gale seems resigned to the fact that Katniss is with Peeta, and Katniss doesn't do much to change this impression.
The Fault in our Stars
John Green's most famous story could have been written for the silver screen.
His bittersweet tale of teen cancer patients, their lives, loves and surprisingly frequent laughs is full of so much detail, the casting director must've had an easy job.
As protagonist Hazel, Shailene Woodley is utterly convincing as an awkward, cynical teen who gradually softens as Ansel Elgort's Gus worms his way into her heart.
Just like in the book, their ill-fated relationship will leave you sobbing, yet ultimately uplifted.
What's to come in 2015
The year's not even over yet, but we're already (too) excited about next year's books to hit the big screen. Here are the top film adaptations we're waiting for.
Insurgent
It will be interesting to see how they portray Four's mother, Evelyn. In the book she is very hard to read, and it's difficult to tell where her loyalties lie.
A lot of the characters that were cut in Divergent, such as Uriah and Marlene, have quite big roles in the book, so it would be nice if the movie reflects that. From early movie posters, it seems that Uriah at least will be featured.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
Everyone must be wondering how things will develop between Katniss and Gale, particularly after Katniss realises that a weapon Gale helps develop is what eventually (SPOILER!) kills Prim. In the book, Gale is open and aggressive about his hatred for the Capitol, and shows little sympathy for ruthlessly killing Capitol citizens. This wasn't that obvious in Part 1, so it will be interesting to see if they give him a nastier streak in Part 2.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Take the most famous work by the greatest social commentator of 18th-century Britain, add zombies, and you have a brilliantly inspired story.
Make it into a film … things can only get even better!
The Jungle Book
You may have seen the 1960s Disney animated classic, which focuses on just a few of Rudyard Kipling's short stories.
A live-action version set for release next autumn has the potential to be a modern masterpiece, featuring the voices and faces of stars such as Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba and Lupita Nyong'o.
Paper Towns
If the filmmakers do as good a job adapting this as they did of John Green's TFIOS, fans are in for a real treat.
Nat Wolff, who plays Isaac in TFIOS, is the male protagonist here, and his love interest Margo is model Cara Delevingne, who has been impressing critics with her acting skills. Colour us curious!