3 disappointing book-to-film adaptations

Turning a well-beloved book, or book series, into a movie is no easy task for any filmmaker. While novelists have the luxury of hundreds of pages to flush out their characters and plots, filmmakers generally have under three hours to tell the story. Also complicating matters is that books allow readers to imagine the settings, the fantastical elements and the characters. Even critically acclaimed and financially lucrative films based off of popular novels have their fair share of detractors (i.e., the Harry Potter series). Director Neil Burger has been charged with the task of bringing the wildly successful young adult dystopian novel, "Divergent," to the big screen. The novel, and its subsequent film, is set in future Chicago where people have decided to segregate themselves into extremely rigid factions in order to avoid war. The protagonist, Tris Prior, finds out that she is a "Divergent" and is treated as a threat to the system in place and must fight for her survival. By most accounts, it appears that Burger was not up for the challenge. While the general public has not yet seen the film adaptation, it is already getting universally panned in its pre-screenings by movie critics across the United States with only 24 percent of these critics giving the film a positive review, according to RottenTomatoes.com. Though it is yet to be determined if "Divergent" (and its subsequent sequels) will be successful in the box office, Burger's film is just the latest of many popular novel- influenced flicks that were not received warmly by movie critics. Here are three others: Eat Pray Love (2010)In her memoirs, "Eat Pray Love," Elizabeth Gilbert is a 30-something who grows tired of her life and marriage and decides that she needs to travel the world to find herself through (presumably) eating, praying and loving. While the book was lauded for its wit, candor and message that many found empowering, the film adaptation of the surprise best-seller failed to resonate with critics or moviegoers, with many citing the portrayal of Gilbert as unlikable and selfish as the reason they did not enjoy the film. According to RottenTomatoes.com, only 36 percent of film critics gave the film positive marks. Even more damaging, however, is that the audiences generally agreed with the critics, with only 42 percent of moviegoers enjoying the film, according to the same site. Lead actress Julia Roberts has had a long consecutive string of bombs, box office and critically, since the release of the film. Coincidence? Best line about the film: "Eat Pray Love is a two hour and fifteen minute ad for being rich; it's a smug, patronising travelogue that — despite its already apt title — could have also been called First World Problems: The Movie." — Simon Miraudo, Quickflix The Da Vinci Code (2006)Dan Brown's fictional thriller, "The Da Vinci Code," was perhaps only matched in its popularity by its controversy. The lead character, Robert Langdon, a symbologist from the United States, has his expertise called upon when a murdered curator at the Louvre leaves cryptic clues at the scene of his death. Langdon soon finds himself involved in an international conspiracy with clerical hitmen from a covert Catholic organization charged with protecting (at any cost) secrets that could be damaging to Christianity. Understandably, the Catholic Church, as well as other Christian groups, were less than thrilled with some of the themes and plot lines of the book. While the novel inspired heated rhetoric from many parties, the film was largely forgettable. Langdon's internal deciphering of symbols did not translate well to the big screen, and Tom Hanks seemed to be poorly cast in the lead role. Only 25 percent of critics responded favorably to the movie and a mere 57 percent of audiences enjoyed the flick. Best line about the film: "Any movie with a skulking albino assassin begs for campy, self-aware treatment, but Howard and scripter Akiva Goldsman serve it all up straight-faced." — Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com Ender's Game (2013)BYU product Orson Scott Card's novel "Ender's Game" was originally published in 1985. Despite being written more than a quarter of a century before, the book was ranked as the No. 1 best-selling science fiction novel of 2012 by Publisher's Weekly. The timeless popularity of the book finally led to a film adaptation in 2013. The novel takes place in the distant future where humankind is struggling to survive after numerous wars with a vicious alien species. Desperate to perpetuate humanity, leaders begin training and testing young children in war games to enlist their help. In these games, Ender Wiggin is found to be a tactical military genius and called upon to help lead humanity in its fight against alien invaders. While the novel was named the No. 3 best science-fiction book of all-time by NPR readers, reception to the movie was ho-hum. The film received a mediocre 61 percent positive reviews from critics and made just under $62 million box office sales — less than half the cost of producing the movie. Best line about the film: "The film's own dilemma might be best expressed by Ender, who challenges Graff, "What are you going to do? Waste millions on a loser?" It's a dilemma Ender's Game can't resolve." — Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters What book-to-film adaptations did you find disappointing? Dylan Cannon is a regular contributor to KSL.com. He can be reached by email at dylancannon86@gmail.com or via Twitter @DylanCannon11.

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