My Top 5 Literary Characters Brought to Life On-screen

Since you all already know what a nerd I really am, I’m just going to continue with my geeking out. I’m a big fan of Top (Any Number) Lists and I’m also a big fan of the Game of Thrones. Since the first episode of season two of Game of Thrones is on Sunday, I thought I’d share my list of my favorite depictions of literary characters on-screen, since the characters are what make that show awesome.

5. Samwise Gamgee portrayed by Sean Austin in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. This might surprise Lord of the Rings fans, as most prefer some of the other more notable characters, and also surprise some of my friends, as I’ve been known to obsess over Orlando Bloom, but Sam is such an endearing character; he’s proof of the importance of friendship. I thought Sean Austin really perfected the character and I have no complaints about his performance.

4. Scout portrayed by Mary Bedham in To Kill A Mockingbird. Scout is one of my favorite characters of all time. She’s an awesome kid, with her sweet and thoughtful innocence. The movie from 1962 is possibly the best book-to-movie adaptation and Mary Bedham is the perfect Scout.

3. Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in the 1995 mini series, Pride and Prejudice. One of the first times I spent with my aunt and uncle in Montreal as a teen, I told my aunt how much I loved the book, Pride and Prejudice. We spent every night for the rest of my time there, watching the BBC Pride and Prejudice which she had on vhs (?). Colin Firth is Mr. Darcy. No arguing with me on this one. Seriously, he was an epic embodiment of one of my favorite literary leading men. And although he was incredible in the King’s Speech, he will forever remain Mr. Darcy in my eyes.

2. Speaking of the King’s Speech, Helena Bonham Carter was incredible in that film as well. She’s always incredible, but no one could have portrayed Bellatrix Lestrange as well as she did. She’s creepy, crazy, and somehow endearing at the same time. It didn’t matter that appearance wise, she wasn’t who I pictured for Bellatrix (I’m pretty sure I pictured a done-up version of my first grade teacher…), because her acting was so incredible and the way the make-up crew fixed her up was perfect. She made me love hating Bellatrix and that’s why she made the list.

1. And my most favorite literary character turned on-screen-persona is Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryan. Daenerys is not my favorite character from the books although she is high up there, but between the make-up, costume, and superior acting skills of Emilia Clarke, the Dany in the HBO series is by far my favorite literary character portrayed on-screen. I think Emilia Clarke did an incredible job portraying Dany in season one. From her sweet innocence at the beginning of the season, to her subtle realizations of her immense power throughout the season to the end when she displays strength in tragic circumstances, Emilia Clarke is one with my vision for Daenerys.

Which are your favorite portrayals of literary characters? And Who’s excited for Game of Thrones?

Also, notice that no one from Hunger Games made my list… although I was very tempted to include Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman.

My Hunger Games Thoughts

The first time I read a book and then saw the movie adaptation was when I read and saw Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone.  I remember being immensely disappointed by all of the little details I loved that were left out of the movie. As I’ve grown older, I’ve seen countless movie and television book adaptations, and I’m almost always disappointed: A Game of Thrones, Twilight, many of the Harry Potters, Pride and Prejudice, The Time Traveler’s Wife, and Memoirs of a Geisha, just to name a few.

Fortunately, I’ve come to realize that books and movies are completely different entities, and I can’t expect to feel the same way about a movie as I do about its book.  Both books and movies can take you to a new world, but books offer more character insight and development than a movie could possibly provide.  The way a book delves into the psychology of a character is something that is rarely achieved in a movie, and character development is practically nonexistent in faster paced action movie.

Although my feelings about both are good, I’m separating my feelings about the book from my feelings about the movie. I can’t entirely judge the movie on a non-book basis, because I knew the story beforehand, but I feel that there are certain things that make or break a movie and I’m going to evaluate the movie on these criteria.

Visual Appeal: In order to like a movie, my eyes must be pleased by what they’ve seen. In this aspect, Hunger Games did not disappoint. From the set-design, to the citizen’s make-up, to the incredible costumes, to the stunning cinematography, Hunger Games provided visual pleasure at every turn. I mean seriously, Katniss’s dress during her interview with Caesar was amazing. And despite not understanding how anyone could camouflage himself or herself, Peeta’s ability brought to life on-screen was delightful.

Good Acting: The reason people don’t rave about made-for-TV movies is because the acting tends to be pretty terrible. The casting director of Hunger Games, (Debra Zane,) knew what she was doing. I don’t think I was disappointed by a single performance. The most notable one though, is Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman. If he doesn’t win an academy award for Best Supporting Actor, or at least get nominated, I’d be really surprised; he rocked that role. I was shocked that Josh Hutcherson was such an incredible Peeta. I never rooted for Peeta, but his performance changed that. He made me swoon. Also deserving of a standing ovation: Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss), Lenny Kravitz (Cinna), and Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket).

Realistic Special Effects: I really can’t handle when I’m watching a movie, and I can’t loose myself in it, because the special effects are not believable and over-the-top. There were so many places for the special effects to go totally wrong in the Hunger games. And they never did. I thought all of the special effects, especially with the Game Control Room were awesome. The mutts weren’t over the top with creepy human eyes, but were instead believable. Either there were some great editing choices, or a great plan from the beginning.

A Good Score/ Soundtrack: The most memorable aspect of Jaws is the score. Seriously, whenever I hear those notes, (usually while swimming in the ocean), I am paralyzed with fear (and must immediately remove myself from the sea). The score for the Hunger Games might not trigger the same psychosomatic response, but it definitely assisted in portraying the emotions of the characters, the tension of the games, the dread of the reaping, and the excitement of the capital citizens for the games. Without it, the movie would be incomplete, and considerably worse.

An Interesting Storyline: While I can’t speak for how easily understandable this movie is if you haven’t read the book, I will say that it does have an interesting premise with fascinating characters. The plot is well structured with a few terrific twists. It keeps you guessing about how it will end and tugs at your heartstrings. It makes you question human nature and what you yourself are capable of.

I thought this movie was really awesome. It surpassed my expectations and left me so excited for the next installation. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to wait FOREVER for the next movie! Did you know it doesn’t come out until Thanksgiving 2013?

After I saw this movie, I immediately went home and reread both Catching Fire and Mocking Jay. (I read super fast!) So to conclude this post I thought I’d post the things I’m most looking forward to in the adaptation of the second book, Catching Fire (which I hope is only one movie but I get why it might need to be two.)  If you haven’t read the second two books, stop reading my post NOW (and go read the next two books!), the list below contains spoilers:

1.    Finnick and Johanna: Seriously my favorite characters of the whole series, and I can’t wait to find out who they cast. I have a secret dream of being Johanna but I don’t know if I would be comfortable on set in my birthday suit. ☺
2.    The development of Katniss’s relationship with Cinna. Their relationship in Catching Fire is one of my favorites.
3.    Some Katniss and Gale action. I know that Liam Hemsworth isn’t the best actor, but I think he makes a pretty good Gale. When I first read the series I was upset that Katniss doesn’t end up with Gale, but upon further review, I realize despite how important he was to her, they weren’t right for each other. Nonetheless, I like their relationship a lot, so I look forward to its development.
4.    The Victory Tour and all the Effie and Haymitch greatness I hope it includes.
5.    The Arena in the Quarter Quell, oh how awesome it could be!
6.    Katniss’s wedding dress turning into a MockingJay. I hope this is as stunning in the movie as it is in my head.

I hope my thoughts on the Hunger Games didn’t bore you! I would love to hear your thoughts if you saw it, and what you’re looking forward to for the next one.

Happy Wednesday!

(PS: The images are linked to the websites they’re from.)