Top 5 Anticipated Adaptations of 2014

There are plenty of posts out there about just what books-turned-films are coming out this year, so if you want to know what all of them are, a quick google search won’t hurt. What I want to talk about is the ones I’m personally looking forward to the most. Some of them I haven’t read the books yet, some I’ve read too many times to count; either way, I’m excited for what’s on the docket and hope they all satisfy–and of course the ones I haven’t read, I hope to before I see that movies at least.

I’ve already discussed my feelings on adaptations, but quick review: I support them, doing my best to believe in their potential, because you can’t really know if it’s going to fail until you actually see it. Plus, I think it can be really exciting to see something you love translated into another medium, so even though sometimes (maybe oftentimes depending on your feelings) the results are disappointing, it feels like an adventure either way.

The Fault in Our Stars–June 6, 2014 / I remember reading this book in less than twenty-four hours when I got it, and even though I haven’t read it since then (I’m still recuperating), I’m still pretty excited to see how it comes out on the big screen. At first I was skeptical of Shailene Woodley’s casting because I’d only seen her in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, which didn’t give her a lot of great stuff to work with in my opinion. Now, though, I’m feeling much more receptive to the decision, to the point where her presence makes me excited for another adaptation coming out this year.

The Hobbit: There & Back Again–December 17, 2014 / I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the last two installments of The Hobbit, despite the fact that it’s clearly its own “extended edition” of the original book. This is definitely not a complaint, though. I’m always interested in additional material, so long as it’s interesting, (mostly) relevant, and well-executed. I think it’ll be fun to see this story come to a close, especially with the cliffhanger of an ending we were left with in The Desolation of Smaug. Bonus: More Smaug! Who was a darn good romp, wouldn’t you say? Very sly and classy.

Divergent–March 21, 2014 / I honestly haven’t read this yet, though I do hope to before I see the movie, but the combination of Shailene Woodley and another dystopian plot has me interested. I’m at the point where I have pretty much zero interest in a love story within the plot, but I’m still interested in the overall dystopian concept dividing people by personality into “factions.” It just sounds like an interesting concept.  Plus, I’m interested in the change in chemistry between Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as brother and sister, rather than their characters in The Fault in our Stars.

 The Maze Runner–September 18, 2014 / This is another I haven’t read yet but hope to before the film comes out (I certainly have time). And actually I know even less about this than Divergent. What I do know is that I am all about the casting for this. Dylan O’Brien and Kaya Scodelario? Yes please. However, I’ve heard good reviews of the book from friends, so I’m pretty confident that it’ll be worth both the read and the watch.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt. 1–November 21, 2014 / How could this not be on the list? I’ve read all the books repeatedly and already seen the first two movies. I’m not exactly excited for the two parts of the finale, but I’m still excited to see the beginning of the end of this film series. I expect this film (and part two) will be pretty emotional–it was certainly the most heartbreaking book of the series for me–but I’m interested in how they transfer the various struggles and split it effectively into its first half.