1. His Dark Materials
What else could be at number 1 but the biggest disappointment in the last decade of book-to-film adaptations and perhaps one of the biggest disappointments in cinema history. Philip Pullmans magnificent series follows the journey of Lyra Silvertongue and Will Parry as they navigate the multiple worlds of and myriad characters of a magnificent fantasy universe, becoming embroiled in a cosmic battle over the fate of the multiverse. Pullman expertly fuses all the traits of classic fantasy adventure with a thematic complex built around moral and metaphysical philosophy, theology, authority, free will and resistance, love, loss and armoured polar bears. Fundamentally, however, these books are endlessly cinematic a core of engaging individual characters caught up in forces they cant begin to comprehend; parallel worlds written evocatively and with imagination that, done properly, would be a joy to see on screen; and a huge emotional range, including some of the most joyful and the most heartbreaking passages youll find in any book, anywhere. The books are ideal for making good-quality, successful films. Indeed, there was a film that claimed to be the first entry in this particular series, masquerading under the Americanised title of The Golden Compass. The fatal flaw with this particular film was the fact that it tried to play safe with potentially incendiary material. Indeed, the producers explicitly and overtly avoided the difficult and controversial aspects of the book particularly those relating to religion and instead launched piles of money at an all-star cast and the production of cack-handed special effects. Thus, while the plot largely followed along the lines of the book (barring the inexplicable cutting of the brilliant and tragic ending, an essential component in making total sense of everything that came before) and the characters had all the right names, but the spirit and the thematic structure of the book was completely lost. The film is little more than an abomination, only worth a watch for the magnificence of Sam Elliots magnificent moustache. Id rather pretend it didnt happen. Personally, Im glad they never got to make the sequels in the first filmic incarnation, as this gives someone the chance to try again and to really do things properly and with the necessary daring to really pull it off. Given the right treatment, treated respectfully and tactfully and presented with their integrity intact, I have no doubt that they would rival the Lord of the Rings in scope, ambition, exhilaration and emotional impact. Agree or disagree? Which literary franchises would you like to see kick-started? Let us know in the comments section below.
Calum Lindsay
I'm just a boy, sitting in front of a blank page, asking it to write itself. Never more at home than when I'm being sent on a journey by a good piece of cinema, I've lost count of the hours spent trying to persuade people that Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson is the finest actor of his generation. When I grow up, I want to be Elwood P Dowd, but I'd settle for being George Bailey.
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Calum