24 Movie Adaptations That Really Let The Books Down

Percy Jackson, We're looking at you.

We asked BuzzFeed Community to tell us what movies didn't do justice to the books they were adapted from. Here's what they said!

1. Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Warner Bros. Pictures

"I still can't believe they cut the entire history of the Marauders, it was such an important part of the story."

—mayaabeysekera

"So much was taken out that it was a shell of the great book it was, and a huge letdown."

—saml46833894a

2. Dumplin' (2018)

Netflix

"This was the first book I ever read with a fat main character that actually got it. Julie Murphy created such a relatable, honest, and deep character. The writing was fantastic, but none of the charm translated onto the screen."

—savannab4ccfc6232

"It literally cut out the middle of the book when she was dating a guy. The guy was in the movie for like 15 minutes which was just really disappointing."

—woodlinbeast

3. The Lovely Bones (2009)

Paramount Pictures

"The book was SO good, and I was so excited for the movie to come out with such a great cast – I normally love all the actors' work! But the story just didn't translate well onto film."

—dividedalmond1

4. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)

Universal Pictures

"The film missed out such large chunks of the book that most of it failed to make any sense. Such an amazing cast let down by a terrible script."

—vickyjkeys

5. Ready Player One (2018)

Warner Bros. Pictures

"To say I was disappointed is an understatement. Many things happened in the book were completely cut out, and it completely ruined the movie. I was so sad."

—rusty22

6. Twilight (2008)

Summit Entertainment

"I really enjoyed the book series, and felt that the movies were such a letdown. In the end, I decided I had to watch the whole series just so I could laugh at it."

—potterheadboy

"In the movies Edward Cullen has about as much warmth as a bag of frozen green beans."

—ImagineAmbassadors

7. A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

"Despite having such a star-studded cast and directors, it was such a bad film. It kind of feels like the Percy Jackson movies in a sense where it was so cheesy and childlike. The movie was great visually and that’s about it, the dialogue was so awkward."

—sophiarias

"The movie was okay, but it was missing out on my favourite character, Aunt Beast! Such a disappointment."

—sapphireloaf

8. Divergent (2014)

Lionsgate

"I read all the novels and was so excited to see the films. But OH MY GOD. they completely changed the narrative and unnecessarily added storylines. I remember leaving the theatre absolutely livid about the outcome of the movie. Years later I’m still disappointed, even a bit frustrated right now just writing about it."

—edgarg4462e39a0

9. The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)

New Line Cinema

"Nothing, and I mean nothing, is as bad as this adaptation. A gloriously inventive love story was decimated into a Hollywood cliché with questionable casting and bad writing. To anyone who has ever seen the movie – PLEASE READ THE BOOK."

—kristinb409186d8d

10. The Beach (2000)

20th Century Fox

"Alex Garland is a phenomenal writer and I had such high hopes for the film but it was typical Hollywood fodder! The book is a lot darker and explains Richard’s gradual road to psychosis. The film doesn’t give the air time it deserves and just sort of glides over it."

—alexam41515c2ed

"One of the rare instances when the book is actually a lot more violent and dark than the movie. And making the main character American rather than British took out a lot, too."

—ingor2

11. The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)

FilmRise / Vertigo Releasing

"The book had loads of emotion and you really got to know and connect with Cameron. The movie completely cut out the first half of the book and was just a quick run-through of events in the second half. I was so disheartened. The book was amazing but the movie was just okay."

—ariirii17

12. My Sister's Keeper (2009)

New Line Cinema

"Changing the ending in the film stopped it from being a jaw dropping-ly twisty tale (and therefore an excellent story) into a bland, predictable hackneyed tale. It became yet another version of a film we’ve seen a million times in different forms. Beyond disappointing."

—helens4187f37f6

"The fact that they didn’t have the balls to keep the book's original ending really pissed me off."

—rainaf4e29d925f

13. Water for Elephants (2011)

20th Century Fox

"The book was so good and there were a few really intimate and beautiful scenes that they did a terrible job with in the movie."

—janellestc

"It was a halfway decent movie, but pretty terrible compared to book."

—rainaf4e29d925f

14. The Woman in Black (2012)

Momentum Pictures / CBS Films

"As a horror film it was alright, but as an adaptation of the book so much was changed that it barely felt like it was based on it at all."

—emilyw4e084a1ff

15. The Girl On The Train (2016)

Universal Pictures

"So much of the book was clearly based in suburbian England it was completely lost being unnecessarily transferred to The States. Completely lost its charm."

—robertw4274b91d7

"Emily Blunt is a perfect human being, but she did not fit the description of the truly depressed and rock bottom main character."

—courtneyp21

16. Gone Girl (2014)

20th Century Fox

"The book was creepy and so good, and the movie lacked any depth at all. AND SO MANY THINGS WERE CHANGED! I just like to pretend that movie was never made."

—katiem4ab0be32b

17. I Am Legend (2007)

Warner Bros. Pictures

"The ending was totally different from the book. By changing it, the message was completely lost. The fact that they filmed an alternate ending that followed the book more closely and then swapped it out still infuriates me."

—rachelc43

18. The Great Gatsby (2013)

Warner Bros. Picture

"I know everyone loves it, but it really disappointed me. I feel like the movie didn't dwell too hard on really intense moments (like when Tom sucker-punched Myrtle). And then there was the fact that his dad DIDN'T GO TO HIS FUNERAL. That was a very emotional moment that they just skipped over."

—cierra2162

19. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

20th Century Fox

"The books were amazing, so I was really looking forward to the movie coming out. It didn’t follow the book at all, and the sequel was even worse! The plotlines were so different, and the characters weren’t always accurate either."

—danceram1

"Dammit BuzzFeed, we aren’t supposed to speak of this adaptation. The first book series I was OBSESSED – I remember being over the moon when I saw the teaser trailer. And then I saw the film."

—brieannad

20. The Kite Runner (2007)

DreamWorks Pictures / Paramount Classics

"It was atrocious, only shallowly resembling the overall story of the book."

—tagurit

21. The Golden Compass (2007)

New Line Cinema

"The movie changed the plot at the end of the book, preventing the further books in the series from being made into movies without changing the rest of the plot dramatically, and it's just a bad representation of a good book."

—sarahm43729e4a6

"It was stripped of the deeper themes it was a generic fantasy movie. And despite lacking a resolution there were no follow up movies to act as a conclusion."

—jbmasta

22. The Hobbit (2012)

Warner Bros. Pictures

"There are a lot of dodgy adaptations, but this one hit close to home. They took such a concise, perfectly contained book and stretched it out soooo much. Plus there were loads of out of place jokes which really didn't match the tone of Middle Earth. Add this to the fact that you're always going to compare them to the near-perfect Lord Of The Rings films, and you've got a recipe for a big soupy mess."

—jenevieveb

23. The DUFF (2015)

Lionsgate / CBS Films

"The book is amazing, but the movie had a different plot that was way worse than the plot of the book. It ended up feeling boring and clichéd."

—simonebaldwin171

24. The Stepford Wives (2004)

DreamWorks Pictures

"They somehow managed to turn a terrifying novel about feminism into a comedy about robots. It still angers me to this day!"

—bookcrazy1234

Some submissions have been edited for length/clarity.

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