Film Adaptations Come In All Shapes and Sizes

Image acquired from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby

This past week, I watched two films based on stories I love: “V for Vendetta” based on the comic book series by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, and “The Great Gatsby” based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel of the same name. This article isn’t really about those two films or books specifically, but it got me thinking about adaptations. Films like the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy or “Sin City” are inherently brought under a higher degree of scrutiny than most other kinds of films–if for no other reason than the fact that they have a built-in audience that, in most cases, adheres so closely to the source material that it believes any deviation is heresy. I get this sort of reaction all the time when I go see a comic book movie. As a comic book fan, I’m often asked, “So, how closely did they follow the comic? Is that actually how Batman met Robin?”

Film adaptations are a category of film that contains a spectrum ranging from adherent translation to films that only share a name with the source material. But there is another dimension to the spectrum, one that lies in the middle somewhere but that is a bit more nebulous. It’s the dimension that carries most comic book film adaptations, classic mythology, or long-running series like Sherlock Holmes or James Bond. Here’s how I explain it: characters and stories that have been around for decades and have seen various interpretations and iterations are impossible to translate into a 2 hour film, or even a series of films. Superman’s been around since 1938, therefore a direct adaptation of Superman is not only improbable, it’s impossible. Film-makers instead pick and choose their favorite stories, mine the decades of comics or short stories or serials, and form a story around those ideas. In these instances, it’s all about that nebulous, intangible essence of the story that is more critical than actual plot points. Sometimes, of course, this is not necessarily true: Uncle Ben must die for the Spider-Man story to be the Spider-Man story. However, Superman’s parents have been dead in some iterations and alive in others. What’s important is that Spider-Man learns that with great power must also come great responsibility and Superman learns to stand for truth, justice and the American way. How they get there, the order in which they meet characters or how their costumes look are less important than the themes.

I think most people know this, but it’s shocking how few people understand that’s how adaptations of serial fiction works. It’s something to consider as you go see films starring a blonde James Bond in a film not named after an Ian Fleming novel.

By the way, as somebody who LOVES talking about film, feel free to share your favorite adaptations (or least favorite, as those can be fun as well) in the comments section!