Film vs. Fiction: How ‘It Ends With Us’ Translates to the Big Screen
Justin Baldoni’s new adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel challenges the adage that “the book is always better than the movie”
If you’re a classic or popular fiction fan, it’s almost inevitable for your favorite books to become movies. While these adaptations are highly anticipated, it isn't easy to balance creating a good screenplay and staying faithful to the original text. Die-hard fans may expect the film to stick to every detail, setting, and character description from the book. In contrast, others are more open to the creative interpretation of the director, producers, and actors.
I tend to fall on the side of die-hard fans. As someone with a vivid memory, I remember every detail of books I’ve read. When I watch a film adaptation of a book, I can’t help but notice every difference from the original text. Although I want to separate the film from the book in mind, this awareness often leaves me feeling dissatisfied or overly focused on the incongruency.
As a result, I prefer to watch film adaptations of books I haven’t read or wait to hear from other fans about how authentic the adaptation is before seeing it in theaters because the book is often much better than the movie. However, after…
