4 Cult Book Characters That Were Completely Ruined in Movies, Ranked
The changes were of no benefit at all to these characters.
When adapting a book for the screen, filmmakers often present their own version of the characters that bear little resemblance to those described by the author. And while sometimes they manage to outdo the writers and make the story more appealing to audiences, more often than not, the movie characters become just pale shadows of their book counterparts.
4. Nick Carraway – The Great Gatsby
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, Nick Carraway is no less important a character than Jay Gatsby himself, but in Baz Luhrmann 's 2013 adaptation, all the attention is on the latter.
Even though he is played by Tobey Maguire, the screen version of Carraway fails to evoke any strong emotions in the audience. Perhaps it was difficult to outshine Leonardo DiCaprio 's charisma, but it's sad that the character got lost in the background in the movie.
3. Randle McMurphy – One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Despite the iconic status of both the film and the novel, Ken Kesey's character does not have much in common with the Randle McMurphy as portrayed by Jack Nicholson in the 1975 adaptation. The book and screen characters differ both in their appearance and behavior.
Director Miloš Forman portrayed the character as a tough criminal whose goal is to escape from the psychiatric hospital at all costs. On the other hand, Kesey's Randle is an ingenuous guy, someone you can easily sympathize with.
2. Jack Torrance – The Shining
And again, Jack Nicholson.
In Stephen King 's original novel, Jack Torrance is a recovering alcoholic who is trying to get better but is slowly going insane because of his inner demons. Nicholson's character has a slightly crazy look already at the beginning of the movie, making viewers believe that he is bound to go nuts in the isolated hotel.
1. Ginny Weasley – Harry Potter
On-screen Ginny is literally the opposite of Ginny from J. K. Rowling's iconic book series. The original Ginny is stubborn, brave and tough, able to even put the Weasley twins in their place when they get too annoying. Her movie version, however, is expressionless and bland.
A good illustration of this difference is the scene of Harry and Ginny's first kiss. In the book, she kisses him in front of a cheering house after winning a Quidditch match. But in the movie, Ginny kisses Harry quietly in the Room of Requirement, where the two characters are on their own, away from everyone.