10 Times Hollywood Ruined Our Favourite Book Characters And 11 Times They Absolutely Nailed It

"She totally ruins what would have been my favourite film of all time!"

Recently we asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which book-to-movie character adaptations they loved, which ones they hated. Here are some of the best suggestions:

Sam Cleal / Via Buzzfeed

1. Ginny Weasley from the Harry Potter films.

Warner Bros. Pictures

"Movie Ginny is trash and I will always be angry about it. In the books she’s fiery, brave, and witty. She calls Ron out on his sexism and makes the whole Quidditch team laugh. In the movies she’s bland, has no chemistry with Harry, and just seems passive with a few instances of bravery peppered in."

—aideno3

"Never has there been a bigger character assassination than Ginny Weasley."

— abbyj6

2. Tris Prior from the Divergent films.

Lionsgate

"I was a huge fan of the books so it was pretty disappointing when the movies completely destroyed her character. She became this one-dimensional walking trope, and she lost all of her passion and her independent spirit which made Tris so important in the story."

— carterb4dc282be3

"The movies did not portray her as the badass she truly is. They made her seem like she was completely reliant on Four, it was super disappointing."

— kundanika126

3. Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Warner Bros. Pictures

"Johnny Depp's portrayal of Willy Wonka was just wrong. He was too creepy and it did not suit the character at all."

— jodiesanter

4. Annabeth Chase from the Percy Jackson & the Olympians films.

20th Century Fox

"First of all they made her hair brown instead of blonde, and they also made her her less of a badass. She should've been the smartest and fiercest character of all, with a comprehensive knowledge of Greek mythology. Instead she wasn’t a stand out fighter and she didn't know much about anything."

— 1larocquecat

"Annabeth doesn’t really admit that she likes Percy until the third book, but in the films they play up their romantic relationship super early on."

— brookef4242250f3

5. Leah Burke from Love, Simon.

20th Century Fox

"In the book Leah was a badass drummer who was a great friend and didn’t need anyone’s help. In the movie she was whiny and in love with Simon (also not in the book). There’s even a spin-off book about how amazing she is, and the movie just did her so dirty."

— cassoconnor

6. Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter films.

Warner Bros. Pictures

"The movies turned Ron into a bad character, just used him for laughs, and gave some of his parts to Hermione."

— k48303d118

"In the books he’s a flawed yet lovable character. In the movies, however, he’s stroppy and childish with not many redeeming qualities."

— jackm41c327628

7. Edward Cullen from the Twilight films.

Summit Entertainment

"He's too perfect and honestly looks too grown up for the book description. He's supposed to have a boyish charm that just wasn't shown in the movies. His hair colour is all wrong too!"

— anickashevokas

8. Peter Pan in Peter Pan.

RKO Radio Pictures

"Book Peter Pan has eerie beginnings, and is torn over his relationship with Wendy. The live action film is a decent representation, but Peter is meant to be scary-looking with all his baby teeth still in and a creepy attachment to the lost boys. He's not the cuddly Disney guy he’s made out to be!"

— oliviah4c48581ba

9. Emma Bloom from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

20th Century Fox

"None of the characters are good adaptations, but it's specifically Emma I hate. They completely switched her powers from fire to weightlessness, and she looks literally nothing like the book Emma. Also, she's so timid in the movies, while in the books she's a spitfire (pun intended) who doesn't take crap from anyone!"

– tigresssss13

"I hate that they made the fire-wielder the weakest one in the movie. I mean, she could literally make fire with just a touch and instead they made her into a timid, kettle-warming secondary character. Ugh."

— ohmyger

10. Sam from The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Summit Entertainment

"I loved the book, and I always pictured Sam as a bit more free-spirited and alternative than how Emma Watson portrayed her. I mean, does Emma Watson look like she'd spend her weekends enacting The Rocky Horror Picture Show?"

— tanitab

"Emma was so tone deaf in every manner and aspect. She only had two facial expressions, as she was too busy trying to get her terrible American accent out. She totally ruins what would have been my favourite film of all time!"

— atiyaschizz

Sam Cleal / Via Buzzfeed

11. John Ambrose McClaren from To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You.

Netflix

"Jordan Fisher turned out to be the John Ambrose I never thought I needed. At first I was kinda mad that they recast the character, but Jordan nailed it!"

— ddarlingdean

12. Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter films.

Warner Bros. Pictures

"Richard Harris was EVERYTHING you could ever wish for as Dumbledore. Like, he literally was him mind, body, and soul. I was soooo heartbroken when he passed away. On the contrary, Michael Gambon was the worst. He’s one hell of an actor, but he had nothing of the book Dumbledore in him. I’ll never forgive him for the 'calm' way he asked Harry if he put his name in the Goblet of Fire. Ever."

— thereisnolumos

13. Benedict Cumberbatch from Sherlock.

BBC One

"He perfectly captured Sherlock's mean, snarky, witty humour, as well as his sensitive, vulnerable side. He was the perfect Sherlock, hands down."

— shawnmendesisthebest

14. Amy March from Little Women.

Sony Pictures Releasing

"Florence Pugh as Amy was absolute perfection! I was never an Amy fan until I saw the 2019 film, and I've actually really liked her character ever since."

— zubylee1

15. Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games films.

Lionsgate

"No one else could play Katniss like Jennifer Lawrence! She had the same intensity and attitude as in the books; she was just the exact way I saw her the whole time I was reading the books. Such a good character adaptation!"

— sarahm0427

"People complained that she was cold and standoffish, but she was a teenage girl living in poverty having to provide for her family due to her mother’s mental illness. It makes sense that she’s not all sunshine and rainbows!"

— lucyt410579ade

16. Elio Perlman from Call Me by Your Name.

Sony Pictures Classics

"The book delves deeply into Elio's thoughts, telling the story through how he thinks and feels, rather than lots of action and dialogue. For Timothée to capture all the emotion of the character, and reveal the story to the viewer through his mannerisms and glances etc. was phenomenal."

— rachaelvaletina97

"Their chemistry was unparalleled, and especially Timothée's acting was incredible."

— shawnmendesisthebest

17. Charlie Kelmeckis from The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Summit Entertainment

"The book tore my heart in a good way. They cast Charlie perfectly – Logan Lerman took me on the journey and I completely fell in love with the character all over again."

—atiyaschizz

"Logan was the perfect Charlie. He got the awkward oblivious teenage boy down!"

— tobinjil

18. Starr Carter from The Hate U Give.

20th Century Fox

"Absolutely mesmerising and exactly how I pictured the character whilst I was reading the book. One of my favourite adaptations thanks to Amandla Stenberg!"

— gemrose

19. Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings films.

New Line Cinema

"He's not only exactly as I pictured him, but Sam has just the right amount of love and care for Frodo, optimism for their journey, and contempt and mistrust for Gollum."

— 321missmaximoff

20. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice.

Focus Features

"Keira Knightley's performance was genuine, and the difference between Elizabeth and Caroline Bingley – who is definitely her foil in the books – was made quite clear. She was Elizabeth, and she breathed new life into the character for me."

— ceoliverco

21. Bella Swan from the Twilight films.

Summit Entertainment

"Contrary to popular belief, Kristen Stewart NAILED Bella Swan. She was awkward, tortured, clumsy, uncomfortable in her own skin, but also selfless and a romantic. And when she made the transformation into vampire, she exuded confidence and beauty and heroic. Love KStew!"

—xiapepper

"Kristen Stewart did a great job, it's not her fault Bella was written like... that."

— r4e91a24c1

Note: Some entries were edited for length and/or clarity.

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