It's obvious anymore that if there is something popular in the world and part of pop culture, and it hasn't yet been made into a movie, it will be. It's not a trend only of recent times, but it's been done in Hollywood for over 50 years and probably as far back as you can read up on. This weekend sees the release of a couple big movies. The one I'm most excited for is Elysium which is Neill Blomkamp's highly anticipated follow up to 2009's District 9 and starring Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, and District 9's lead actor Sharlto Copley. The other one I was excited for until hearing reviews, though I'm sure I'll still find it funny, is the new R-rated comedy of the summer starring Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston called We're the Millers. Not sure why Sudeikis' credit has seeminly been listed below, under, and beneath Aniston's all this time leading up to the film, as Sudeikis is on the upside of his roller coaster and Aniston is slowly coasting at the end of hers. She hasn't had a hit movie, or a worthwhile film in years, if not ever, so why are they making a big deal about her when the movie seemingly centers on Sudeikis' drug-dealing character? Minor aggrevations but vital points in my world of film... Last and probably least is Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. Though it probably will be just as good, or bad depending on how you look at it, as the first film, I thought it would be a good idea to run through my top ten films based off of children's book series. There are a lot of movies based off of children's books, but there are a slightly shorter list of those based off of entire series. I was able to find a few favorites, so here they are for you families out there looking for movies with companion books for the kids to read!
10. Goosebumps (1995-1998)
I know this is technically a TV show but there just weren't enough things to put on here that I really, genuinely enjoyed. Some may say I missed The Chronicles of Narnia but I wasn't much of a fan as someone a long time ago ruined that series for me by bringing the religious comparisons to my attention. Goosebumps however is what made the list, and understandably so for me as a horror fan. I was obsessed with the Goosebumps books as a kid, and even as I write this now I kind of wish I still had my huge collection of them. I was sheltered as a kid and anything remotely violent was pulled from my little fingers, but these never were because my parents would be happy I was reading. I was also a big scaredy cat, so the fact that I liked these books was really a compliment to the writing of R.L. Stine and his horror stories for children. When they started making these into short TV movies though, it was some of the coolest stuff I'd seen. It scared the crap out of me, and was my only experience with "horror" film until I saw Halloween as a teenager. I plan on going back and enjoying this show soon, as well as the books as they're all now loaded onto my Kindle.
9. The Secret of NIMH (1982)
This was one of those books I actually had to read for school as a child. I believe it was the third grade after I'd been forced to read a different book in the second grade because I was too scared of spiders to read Charlotte's Web. This time I got to read along with the class, and I particularly enjoyed this book with the talking animals and such. At the same time, it's a really good story and it's touching and still holds up to this day. The movie is kind of dated animation wise, and it hasn't held up quite as well as the book but it's still popular with some kids today. This is one of those cartoon movies that isn't in the Disney list of old animated classics or anywhere near a list of animated classics but I think it should be considering how popular the book still is. If you like talking animals, this is for you. My love with this eventually led to me reading the Redwall series by Brian Jacques which also was incredibly awesome and I would like to revisit at some point in my adulthood now that 300 page, small print books don't scare me. Much like the rest of my selections as well, this book and especially the movie touch on a lot of darker elements and I remember the film being quite terrifyingly animated for a children's movie. Much like The Black Cauldron or something, definitely a darker cartoon.
8. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
I hadn't actually known that this was a book series until well after I had seen the movie. I saw the movie for the main reason most everyone else saw the movie and that was Jim Carrey. A man of many faces in his acting career, was the obvious choice to play Count Olaf from the book series of the same name, as he is seen constantly changing his appearance to fool the children he has taken the responsibility of. Upon seeing the movie again as an adult, it really touches on some disturbing and quite adult topics but it wouldn't really be apparent to a child. The movie is a dark family comedy that can be enjoyed by everyone, especially with the antics of Jim Carrey on screen. I would go as far as saying this is one of his best roles. Unfortunately I have never read the books, but it is quite a large series and it's quite surprising that they haven't made any more into films. I don't know how dark or humorous the books are, but kids seems to regard them more as a comedy than a dark action book so I guess eventually I may have to take the journey and find out for myself! Also, thanks for providing inspiration for this Tuesday's list title.
7. The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising (2007)
This is a little flick I picked up during my employment at Blockbuster. It was a random choice to take home one night because the cover was pretty cool. What I watched was a pleasantly surprising movie, and I was really shocked when I found out that it was based on a popular book series by Susan Cooper. The movie is quite dark even though it seems like a fantasy tale appropriate for children, but actually ventures into pretty riveting territory. Seeing that this was a pretty unknown release, I was surprised when I found how much I enjoyed it. It really should have been paid more attention to because I really would have liked to have seen more of these and it turned into a series. I have definitely add the books to my to read list, but I can't see me enjoying those quite as much as I did the film. I haven't really met a single person that I tell this movie about, that has actually seen it so I know it's a bit obscure and slid under the radar probably due to the large amount of other movies from books being made during this time. It is a movie I always recommend to kids looking for their next fantasy adventure film outside of Harry Potter or similar titles. They always come back pleased, so I recommend to all of you who may have not seen this movie to give it a shot, you may be just as shocked as I was!
6. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was the first adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, but was not the last as a remake was made under the same title as the popular book. I'm a fan of the classic, as I think Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka is more psychotic and chaotic but not so much on the surface as it is in his words. Johnny Depp's interpretation of Wonka in the remake film was a lot more outward and quirky, as most of his characters seem to be these days. Also the newer adaptation is by Tim Burton, whom I've quickly become sick of in the last couple of years and we'll talk a bit more about further down the list. The 1971 version still holds a special place in my heart as it is one of those films that was shared with me by my parents as a child, and even though I always saw the fantastical elements then, now as an adult you see the underlying creepiness of Wilder's Willy Wonka. If you've only seen the remake, which I hear is actually a closer representation of the book, but have never seen this classic, you ought to get on it right away. You really can't beat Gene Wilder in his prime, and some of the lines he has along with the old look of the film can really make your skin crawl, or at least feel like it's covered in Shock Tarts.
5. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The oldest movie on my list, is probably one of the oldest adaptations as well and still to this day sees new adaptations of the original works at a relentless pace. There is something about L. Frank Baum's series of books that have enchanted so many people, and still pleases people to this day. I have never read the original books by Baum but I have read quite a few takes on the classic tales as well as most of Marvel's new Oz comics. The movie is one of the few films in my opinion, that has stood the test of time and hasn't aged a bit. Even though it has the classic old look to it, and even the black and white scenes at the beginning and end, it still is as relevant today as it was more than 70 years ago. The Wizard of Oz will be a film classic for many years to come, and there surely will be even more adaptations of the world which we've all come to know and love. Last year saw Oz: The Great and Powerful and was a general crowd pleaser, so I'm sure there is still a lot more to come on the front of Oz-adaptations. No matter how many are made though, there won't be anything that comes close to touching this classic that is surely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all-time.
4. The Hunger Games (2012- )
This is the series right now, hands down. Ever since Harry Potter moved on with his life after Hogwarts, a new hero (or should I say heroine) has emerged onto the scene and her name is Katniss Everdeen. I only read the books to appease the desires of some of my friends who would not stop recommending them to me. After the franchise that was Twilight had wreaked havoc in bookstores and theaters around the world, I was really hesitant to pick these up. However, The Hunger Games is probably the book I've read the fastest in my lifetime. Some of that was due to how easy it was to read, but mostly because I was truly incapable of putting it down. Then the movie came out and I decided to not read the third book so I could save half of the film franchise as a surprise. The movie was a pretty faithful interpretation of the book and I was really happy with the outcome. Of course you will always have those who were disappointed, but I think this is a series that deserves the wild amounts of recognition it gets, and I really hope that the film franchise continues to build steam and proves that you can have a teeny-bopper love story AND a well-written, engrossing book as source material.
3. Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Known for its zany and sometimes downright outlandish ideas and characters, Alice in Wonderland has become so much more than a book or a movie. The writing of Lewis Carroll has become a pop culture phenomenon, so much so that just like The Wizard of Oz it has spawned several different adaptations from books to movies, and even television series. The reason I like Wonderland is because of how crazy it is, and how dysfunctional it can be. There are a lot of reasons that the populace is in love with it, mostly because of its strange locales and characters, but it is of pretty great quality as well. My favorite adaptation would definitely have to be the Disney film of the same name, and still to me is one of the best animated movies to be made. It's so colorful and wild, and to an adult has quite a punch to pack, but even for kids it's a fun and appropriate movie to watch. Recently we saw Tim Burton tackle a live action adaptation with Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter which I absolutely loathed, but most liked because Depp and Wonderland simply cannot be hated. Alice in Wonderland has also made its way into drug culture quite a bit as the hookah smoking caterpillar and pretty much everything else in Wonderland is just downright odd.
2. How to Train Your Dragon (2010- )
I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am that this series caught on in theaters. I never knew this was based off of a children's book series either until after I had seen the movie and done some research. Dreamworks Animation created a big hit with this and probably hasn't seen anything like it since their Shrek series swept the world by stinky storm. There's been several straight to DVD specials and even holiday special with this series, but now there is finally a sequel set to come out next year. It's so awesome that a movie with dragons and such is actually of such quality too, as it has one of the best stories I've seen in a family film in recent years. I'm pretty sure I cried when I saw the movie, it just cut straight into my heart because of my love for dragons as a kid and even a teenager, and then subsequently my incredible ability to put myself in the shoes of a main character when watching a movie. I would really like to see this series take off and breathe fire all over the competition, so here's hoping that How to Train Your Dragon 2 is as fiery as its predecessor and continues the success of this wildly popular Dreamworks Animation series.
1. Harry Potter (2001-2011)
Was there any question that a child of the Potter generation was going to leave this off the list, or not have it at the top (or bottom)? Harry Potter is probably the biggest example of book adaptations done right. As year after year these films were churned out to the masses and somehow never seemed to disappoint. Changing actors and adding them, and trying different directors out each time. Though not all of the books could fit into the movies, considering there'd probably have to be twice as many films, they were really faithful to the characters and the environments and basic plot of each book. It's an incredible spectacle of film when you go back and watch them all now back-to-back and see the progression that not only the child actors made into becoming adults, but how the world grew and became darker and darker as each story was told. The books I have still not finished all the way through, as I've been on the fifth one for years now, but I can imagine it's just as epic of a story on paper as it is on film. I know most all of you have seen this series, but as a substitute for seeing the new Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters this week, but out your DVD/Blu-ray collections of the greatest children book series ever adapted. Expecto Patronum!
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