10 Bad Film Adaptations Of Great Books

10. Cloud Atlas

Many novels deal with fantasy and/or science fictional elements, but Cloud Atlas truly stands out amongst the crowd.

The book consists of six interconnected stories across multiple timelines, from the nineteenth century to a distant post-apocalyptic future. It was nominated for multiple awards when it was published in 2004 and won the Literary Fiction Award at the British Book Awards.

Its success was bound to attract interest in a film adaptation sooner or later, and in 2009, Tom Tykwer announced he and the Wachowskis were working on a screenplay. Despite multiple issues securing financing, they were able to assemble an impressive ensemble cast consisting of Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Susan Sarandon and Ben Wishaw.

Unfortunately, the film garnered a polarising response from critics and audiences. While it was praised for its cinematography and editing, many found it difficult to follow what was happening through the multiple storylines and believed that it failed to deliver on the emotional responses it was trying to evoke.

Combine this with a failure to turn a profit at the box office and you are left with an ambitious film that tried and failed to live up to its source material.