Book-to-Movie Adaptation Reviews: Warm Bodies and Beautiful Creatures

Over the long week-end I finally had some time to watch Beautiful Creatures and Warm Bodies. The only reason I read Beautiful Creatures and Warm Bodies was because I saw that it was becoming a  movie. I like to "read it, before I see it."
In this post, I will be discussing what was good and bad about the movie/book.
Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies #1) by Isaac Marion

You can read my review for this book here.
Like all book-to-movie adaptations, the movie takes parts of the book out. In the movie, R does not get married and have kids before meeting Julie (the love interest). The director, Jonathan Levine, was brilliant to take out this part of the novel. The majority of young adults (including me) are not very open to having a character marry one character and fall in-love with another.
Next, in the book, R is wearing a tie and a nice button up shirt. In the movie however, R is just wearing a white tee with a red hoodie. The movie R, has a younger feel and appearance to him, which is another bonus to the movie.
The movie was definitely more funny. However, in the book, you understood the characters more; you understood how Perry was slowly starting to loose hope for a cure, and how the death of Julie's mom really caused a toll on both Julie and her dad. Also, Isaac Marion went more in depth with the connection R and Perry had. The movie does not really touch those aspects.

Overall: I think I enjoyed the movie as much as the book.
Buy Warm Bodies on DVD at: Amazon

Beautiful Creatures (The Caster Chronicles #1) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
You can read my review for this series here.
Unlike Warm Bodies, the Beautiful Creatures movie was not a big hit. In the movie, they changed the playout of the plot. Ethan finds the necklace first, and then meets Lena. I'm sure there were more changes to the adaptation, however, I could not finish the movie. It was just so boring!
The book was very long. Although personally I thought Margaret and Kami could have shorten certain parts, there was still a lot of content to cover. Out of the first section I watched, the movie does not do a good job of explain Casters to a mortal (in this case Ethan). This leaves the people who have not heard the book very confused. Also, in the book, Lena's poetry is very significant, she expresses herself through poetry. However, in the movie, when Lena shows Ethan her collection, the cool lights and special effects take the attention away from the actually words.

Overall: The book was better than the movie.
Buy Beautiful Creatures on DVD at: Amazon

4.5 out of 5: Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Redemption (The Caster Chronicles #4) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Summary:

Is death the end . . . or only the beginning?

Ethan Wate has spent most of his life longing to escape the stiflingly small Southern town of Gatlin. He never thought he would meet the girl of his dreams, Lena Duchannes, who unveiled a secretive, powerful, and cursed side of Gatlin, hidden in plain sight. And he never could have expected that he would be forced to leave behind everyone and everything he cares about. So when Ethan awakes after the chilling events of the Eighteenth Moon, he has only one goal: to find a way to return to Lena and the ones he loves.

Back in Gatlin, Lena is making her own bargains for Ethan's return, vowing to do whatever it takes -- even if that means trusting old enemies or risking the lives of the family and friends Ethan left to protect.

Worlds apart, Ethan and Lena must once again work together to rewrite their fate, in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series.

Review:

What I found with this series is that the beginning is really slow. I think that is the only thing stopping me from giving this book a 5.

As usual, the ending of the series, creates this happy and sad feeling. This book was no different; the words placed on the last page are in a very cool format. It was the perfecting ending for The Caster Chronicles.

This book was separated into 3 different sections, this allowed the plot to pick up faster than the other books. Yet, the climax did not explode and the huge solution to Beautiful Redemption was not as difficult as I thought it would be.

However, I did enjoy the poems that Lena writes in her head throughout the book. There were lots of minor things (back stories) that connected this last book to the books before. This technique will warm the reader's heart, and it allows the series to feel whole. Also, there is a nice minute lesson Ethan learns that can be applied to our daily lives.

I don't think you could ask for a better ending. I could practically hear the soundtrack playing in my head by the end of the book.

Find Beautiful Redemption on: Goodreads | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com

4 out of 5: Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Chaos (The Caster Chronicles #3) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Summary:

Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What — or who — will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself — forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.

Review:

What I'm discovering is that this series tends to follow a pattern for each book. The book starts of very slow and it's really hard to get into and in my mind I am thinking this book is a 3. Then, as this book progresses, some parts are really sad and so perfectly written that it makes it difficult for me to give this book just a 3.

All the other books in this series has a somewhat finished ending, this book did not. But, I think that this cliff hanger is what makes this book the best in the series, so far.

Another thing that could have been improved is the mystery. The big solution to the riddle Eighteen Moons was fairly predictable.

If you have read Beautiful Darkness, there was a lot of tension getting in the way of Ethan and Lena becoming a couple, but in Beautiful Chaos, new characters enter the couples spotlight. If you loved Ethan and Lena, don't worry, because a good chunk of the ending is reserved for them.

Find Beautiful Chaos on: Goodreads | Amazon.ca | Amazon.com