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I came across the "Damsel" adaptation not too long ago and it was honestly disappointing compared to the book - they stripped out a lot of the nuance from the main character to make her more generic. On the other hand I really liked "The Midnight Club," which actually kept that weird, creepy atmosphere of the original without stretching things out too much. You're right that it depends a ton on the director and whether the script respects the soul of the thing or just the basic plot.
I watched a few adaptations and honestly it's super hit-or-miss, it really depends on whether the story works well for TV or not. Some get dragged out too long, others lose the thing that made the book cool, but when it works it's really nice having the characters come to life. Did you watch any adaptation in particular?
MathieuRoux asker
Yeah, I loved the series about carnivorous plants! No joke, I really liked the one based on the fantasy novel - it matched perfectly with how I pictured the book!
Do you have an example in mind that really disappointed you or surprised you in a good way?
What I've noticed is that adaptations that keep the book's overall vibe but aren't afraid to change the details tend to work better than ones that try to stick to everything literally - it's like wanting to be 100% faithful often kills the magic. What nobody else mentions is also the question of the audience: a series on Netflix is going to reach people who've never read the book, so it has to work on its own without relying on the original text. Not easy!
Yes, exactly! "The Diplomat" really surprised me in a good way - they took some brilliant creative liberties with it. And you're right about the atmosphere versus sticking literally to the book, it's the perfect balance!
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