While there are movies that did a commendable job transforming to the silver-screen, some books should rightly be left untouched.

Here are some movies that couldn’t live up to the glory of their sourced literature:

1. The Great Gatsby (2013)

The movie based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, The Great Gatsby’s on-screen adaptation was a depiction of never-ending high class parties and long stretches of soundtrack. While the visuals were spectacular, the depth of the story got lost in this one.

2. The Golden Compass (2007)

This fantasy movie stemming from Philip Pullman’s splendid trilogy is a failed fiasco that leaves the audience wondering if anything went right in this movie at all. Leaving behind the actual substance of the story, the movie comes across as an ill-fitting cluster of action sequences.

3. The Da Vinci Code (2006)

This Dan Brown bestseller transformed into a real bummer on-screen when the filmmakers spoon fed the clues to the audience in an attempt to make the complex plot understandable. But laying it out just ruined all the mystery for us.

4. Eat Pray Love (2010)

This memoir of a novel by Elizabeth Gilbert tracing her journey across the world has been embraced by everyone as great inspiration and a highly influential book. However, the movie was just about a woman finding solace in travel and spirituality.

5. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

This comical space odyssey by Douglas Adams was reduced to just catchy humor in its movie adaptation. Foregoing the required visual effects and creative stature of the novel, the movie seemed like an endless sci-fi limbo.

6. The Cat in the Hat (2003)

When Dr. Seuss’ beloved character came to life on the big screen, the witty fervor of the book was totally gone. What we got was Mike Myers as a cat in a huge hat, and a movie that had little to do with the actual story.

7. The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)

Established as a romantic movie, the book by Audrey Niffenegger had so much more to offer that just couldn’t fit the two-hour time frame of the film. The actual gist of the story got saturated in the adaptation.

8. Memoirs Of A Geisha (2005)

Arthur Golden’s tale about a maiden village girl’s journey of becoming a famous geisha despite hardships was just glitz and glamour on the big-screen. The highlight of the movie was just the sexy costumes and flamboyant choreography.

9. Eragon (2006)

This widely loved fantasy book by Christopher Paolini was clearly not meant for the big-screen. A lot of eminent characters were shelved from the movie adaptation and the only focus in this one was the dragon.

10. The Bonfire Of The Vanities (1990)

The movie adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s hard-hitting novel about the American society was in shambles on the big screen. Setting for a disappointing humor flare to the serious social satire, this movie was a total letdown.

11. The Scarlet Letter (1995)

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s cult classic novel showcased sin, passion, betrayal and shame. However, the movie based on it failed to capture the richness of the plot and moral turmoil of the characters and turned out to be a disaster.

12. The Giver (2014)

The timeless appeal of Lois Lowry’s book was completely lost in translation to a movie when they did away with the central plot and showed the experiences of the cast in an emotionless world instead. The story that was supposed to raise hope lost all its significance in the movie.

13. The Hobbit (2012)

Lord Of The Rings fans were so amped-up for this addition to the franchise bu to their dismay, the 300-page book was split into three films, losing all its essence. Even though the visuals and cast of the movie were strong, the movie failed to do justice to the book.

14. Ender’s Game (2013)

Orson Scott Card’s prominent sci-fi novel’s movie adaptation had a stellar cast, but the movie fared poorly on pace and storytelling. They even screwed up the portrayal of the game-changing ending of the novel. 

15. City of Ember (2008)

The novel that chronicles the journey of a young girl from an underground dystopian city to the surface gave the giveaway too-soon in the movie. Hence, it tanked.

16. Beautiful Creatures (2013)

The agonizingly long and complicated romantic fantasy on Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s famous novel is based on a love-life curse. With all sorts of supernatural creatures, this film was anything but impactful.

17. Inkheart (2008)

Cornelia Funke’s groundbreaking story weaved around the love and power of reading depicted through characters from the mythological and fiction world. However, the movie was a dismay of the same magnitude.

18. Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015)

The controversial erotic trilogy by E. L. James has an undeniable worldwide fan-base. Much to the sorrow of people who eagerly waited for the movie adaptations, the film failed to capture the anticipated chemistry and raw desires between the protagonists.

19. Gulliver’s Travels (2010)

One of the most loved classics, a modern twist to Jonathan Swift’s satirical novel for a movie was the worst decision ever. The film ran on a completely different track than the novel and was a major flop.

20. The Time Machine (2002)

This movie based on H.G. Wells’s globally appreciated sci-fi novel was a downer as it had an unconvincing cast and boiled down to just another action packed movie, letting go of the actual story.

Read these countless times, but spare yourself the pain of watching their movie adaptations.

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