You didn’t just read the book, you lived the book. You waited for months to hear what the author was doing next. You watched every book trailer ever made on YouTube. And you’ve read it, cover to cover, at least five times, if not more. So naturally, when you heard there was a movie coming out, you panicked.

‘We have to go see it!’

‘They cast WHO as the lead character?’

‘It’s going to be so good!’

‘There’s no way it’ll be as good as the book’

The list of reactions goes on and on and on. We’ve all been there. As exciting as our favorite book hitting the big screen is, it’s also absolutely terrifying. What if they cut out your favorite supporting character? What if they cut out your favorite scene? What if the movie is just plain bad? You want to be excited, but you’re apprehensive, however, with good reason. There have been more than a fair share of horrible book-to-movie adaptations produced just within the last decade. Luckily, there have also been a fair share of outstanding adaptations that give you hope for future. So, without further ado, here is my list of the top 3 worst and best book-to-movie adaptations of all time.

Worst Film Adaptations:

#3 The Hunger Games (book 1): There wasn’t anything horribly wrong with the movie. It was enjoyable. I re-watch it occasionally on Netflix, but did it live up to the book? No, not even close.

The Good: The costumes and set were incredible. Elizabeth Banks (Effie), Woody Harrelson (Haymitch), and Stanley Tucci (Caesar Flickerman) provided fantastic comedic relief. The CGI effect and set were beautifully done.

The Bad: The movie had a completely different vibe than the book. The characters seemed a lot more mature (physically and mentally). For example, Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta), and Liam Hemsworth (Gale) look too old to be playing their roles. Part of what makes the Hunger Games experience so horrific for Katniss is how young she (and everyone else participating) is. For example, the scene in the cave where Peeta and Katniss mock Effie by eating with their hands and shouting at what they think are cameras, shows just how young they are. That element of youth didn’t come across at all in the movie. The other main issue I had with the movie was that the book itself really wasn’t ideal to adapt. A majority of the book is Katniss’ thoughts and opinions on her world, which isn’t very easy to transmit on screen. So a lot of Katniss characterization was lost, as we could not see her thoughts. I suppose my main problem with the movie was that a lot of characterization was lost, which significantly affected how the rest of the movie was interpreted.

My Impression: All I can remember is walking out of the theatre after first seeing this film and feeling disappointed.

#2 Divergent: The only thing enjoyable about going to see the premier of this movie was that it was my first midnight movie premier. Otherwise, I really didn’t like it.

The Good: The score for this movie was fantastic.

The Bad: First of all, a majority of the initiation scenes were cut from the film. Without these scenes, the audience lost a lot of Tris’s characterization. Tris in the book was a round character, while Tris in the movie fell flat, to say the least. We also lost a lot of the Four-Tris relationship development. I remember hearing someone outside the theatre say, “Well, if you didn’t read the book, you probably wouldn’t have been able to tell they loved each other!” Their main relationship scenes were included, but their relationship felt extremely forced. Secondly, Uriah was not in the movie. He was the major bridge that helped Tris feel more comfortable with her dauntless self and provided good comic relief. Finally, the science behind how simulations work was completely different. In the movie you were supposed to logically get out of whatever predicament you were faced with in the simulation. By killing yourself to get out of it, you were marked as divergent. In the book, to complete the simulation, you had to calm your heart rate down and realize that it was all fake. Getting out of the simulations too quickly showed divergence.

My Impression: This film was okay, but it cut too many important scenes and felt really rushed. I was waiting the entire time to really get into the movie, but I just couldn’t.

#1 The Percy Jackson Series: These movies have received scrutiny from almost everyone I know who saw the movies and read the books. Even if you haven’t read the books, this movie is nothing special.

The Good: It was easy to follow and fairly well-cast.

The Bad: The screenwriters have changed almost everything about the books. Yes, it is essential when making a movie to cut out parts, because most people do not want to sit through a five hour re-enactment of the book; however, there is a right and wrong way to accomplish this task. Both movies that have been made so far have made so many drastic changes in plot that I can summarize them all in this one statement: Percy is supposed to be 12.

My Impression: Was the movie (not in relation to the book) good? Not really. Was it an accurate representation of the books? No. Were the characters similar? Vaguely. Would I recommend watching it? Maybe…but probably not.

Best Movie Adaptations:

#3 The Harry Potter Series: Were there parts I didn’t like? Yes. They did cut things that I wish they didn’t, but overall these movies rocked!

The Good: The casting for these movies was perfect.  Their acting was brilliant. Each character grew and changed so accurately to their characters in the book. It was able to instantly draw me into the plot, just like the books. The music has become iconic, so even people who are super fans know when you’re whistling the Harry Potter theme. And words cannot express how amazingly beautiful the set was. All in all, this is one of the best adaptations, because independently from the books, it was an amazing movie series, and it was (overall) very accurate to the books.

The Bad: Ginny Weasley in the movies was a lot more passive than in the books. The plot for the fourth movie is significantly different from the book, which is primarily because Winky the House Elf wasn’t in any of the films! And speaking of missing characters, where is Peeves the Poltergeist? Another missing element to the movies was S. P. E. W. and basically every other silly (but unnecessary) element of Hogwarts (one example being everyone singing the Hogwarts school song to a different tune). And finally, there were a lot of topics that were just never mentioned (back story of the marauders, the love shield Harry put on the Hogwarts by dying to protect it, the history of the Shrieking Shack, the list goes on and on).

My Impression: Yes, the movie did change a lot of things, but there were seven, fairly lengthy, books to compact into movies, and the major themes were represented very well. Do I wish that they would’ve included more scenes and details? Yes. But, they were fantastic movies, enough said.

#2 The Fault in Our Stars

The Good: With the exception of a few differences, this movie was one of the most accurate book-to-movie adaptations I’ve ever seen. Its soundtrack was beautiful and very well arranged. Both Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort are incredibly talented and did an amazing job in the film. All the cute, witty, and inspirational quotes were included and delivered perfectly. I was actually kind of glad that Kaitlyn (Hazel’s friend from the book) wasn’t in the movie, as she really only served one purpose: to show that there was a little bit of normalcy in Hazel’s life, and that she wasn’t completely cut off from the world. I cried during the movie almost as hard as I did while reading the book.

The Bad: The “Desperately Lonely Swing Set” wasn’t sold. Hazel discovers Augustus’ letter much more easily in the film than in the book. Otherwise, I really don’t have any complaints.

My Impression: I laughed and cried almost as hard as I did when I read the book, which is something I did not expect. If you haven’t seen it because you’re worried it will slaughter the book, don’t worry; it did not disappoint.

#1 The Perks of Being a Wall Flower: This movie is my number best book-to-movie adaptation because:

1. The cast was to a tee perfect.
2. The plot, (though somewhat different from the book), was very close, and very well written.
3. The score was absolutely stunning. Almost every song mentioned in the book was in some way incorporated in the movie (and those songs are fantastic songs by the way). The tunnel song is different in the movie and the book; however, the one chosen for the movie (“Heroes” by David Bowie) was an amazing pick, and the filmography was so beautiful I cried.
4. Things that are different in the movie that in the book don’t make me compare the works against each other (until I decide to write this review) but rather made me appreciate both.
5. The movie made me feel almost exactly how I felt after reading the novel—infinite.

That wraps up my best and worst book to movie adaptations. There are so many awesome books being made into movies nowadays, so what are you waiting for? Get out there and see all your favorite books on the big screen, and decide for yourself whether they do the book justice.