Every time I watch a movie based on any other
medium I will always have a friend complain about how it is completely
different from the original. One great example is with the new movie The
Hobbit. People complain about how there
is not enough material in the source book to make it into multiple movies and
how additional material will make it unfaithful. This is one of many films or
television shows that people complain about not being faithful to the original.
Others that I can think about at the top of my head are the Resident Evil film
series, The Walking Dead T.V. series, and any movie reboots of television
series.
I
get annoyed with people who make complaints about the unfaithfulness to the original.
These new adaptations of stories are not supposed to be canonical retellings,
but new stories in new universes based on these original characters. It is like
the multiverse theory but applied to fictional worlds. In these different
retellings different things happen because in that universe that is how it went
down. So in the Walking Dead T.V. series, the reason that Shane lived longer
than he did in the comic was because in this universe he lives this long. In
fact, in some hypothetical world it is possible for Rick to have died and Shane
become the main character.
When
making a new adaptation of a fictional world a new universe is created. Those universes
are entitled to change the story as seen fit. The only thing that is needed to
remain constant is the basic feel of the story. So next you want to say “That
wasn’t like the book” think about it. Do you really just want a retelling of
what you already have experienced or do you want a whole new story based on the
one you are already familiar with.
