I hate this movie with a passion - Ella Enchanted (2004) Discussion

[–] farewelltoforever 18 years ago

Anne has done a diverse number of roles. Sure she's done a couple of fairy tale and disney movies there, but that's not ALL she's done. She's done other kinds of roles in between. Do your research before you complain about people's acting and their roles. Geez.

The movie is not supposed to be exactly like the book anyways. It's fun to watch the movies after reading the books, because you get to see the twists people have made.. but only if they're good twists, and I thought ella enchanted had good twists. Even if it was cheesy. I have to agree with you on Anne's singing, it was lovely.

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[–] tiggerina03 18 years ago

yes- i know that she has done other movies such as the Devil Wears Prada- but i can put out my opinion. that is what this website is about.Holes was a great movie and it was exactly like the book. WHY NOT BE JUST LIKE THE BOOK? im glad that you agree on her singing.... in my opinion, the movie didn't do the book any justice. I mean- how can there not be any gnomes????

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[–] richboysellincrick 18 years ago

I agree.
The movie did NO justice whatsoever to the wonderful book.

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[–] tiggerina03 18 years ago

THANK YOU!!!!! Someone agrees with me..... this book deserves much better

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[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] celiselott 18 years ago

Ok, let me start by saying that I completely understand how frustraiting it can be to have one of your favorite books turned into a movie and it not be true to it. However, you really shouldn't say it's a bad movie just because of that. I love Ella Enchanted the movie because I enjoy satire and the entire movie is satirical. I want to say again that I understand your sentaments about book movies (I got pretty mad about a lot of things in the Lord of the Rings - however, I still believe they are good movies because they are well done) but I think it might be more fair to the movie if you accept that it's not like the book and enjoy it for what it is. You don't have to, just a suggestion :-D

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[–] tiggerina03 18 years ago

ok- umm i can see where you are coming from but you see alot of things in the Lord of the Rings books had to be cut out or else the movie would have been 7 hours long- not including special features!! I really don't think i can enjoy it! even though i'll try my opinion will stay the same!! and alot of people hate movies with a passion- it all comes down to your point of view

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[–] iluvbubblz 18 years ago

wat ever. i really hate this movie with a passion aswell. it does no justice to the book. the book was made for older readers, so they should have made the movie for a older audience. i think it totally sucks.

but hey if you enjoy it, go ahead and watch it, everyone is entitled to their own opinion...and this is mine.

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[–] dani00000 18 years ago

THAT SNAKE MUST DIE!!!

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[–] celiselott 18 years ago

Ok but I'm not talking about time. They changed characters - the whole Faramire (I'm sure that's spelled wrong)scene in the second movie where he takes them to Osgiliath took up time rather than saved it, and it destroyed his character. That's my point. They did things like that. And like making Frodo a whimp.

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[–] crow_jane 18 years ago

Oh, I totally loved Peter Jackson for these films and think that alot of people are being too precious with their dear favourite book, but what he did to Faramir is inexcusable. Faramir was good and wise, had been taught by Gandalf and was closer to him than his own father. Do we see any of that? No, Faramir is just a quieter, bitter Boromir. If it wasn't for the brilliant David Wenham doing what he could the character would have been entirely pointless (and don't get me started on all the time wasted on Arwen+Aragorn soul-mates FOREVAH while totally cutting out Faramir+Eowyn's mature and sweet relationship).

OT: THEY'RE STILL BRILLIANT MOVIES THOUGH!!!

Further OT: Princess Bride: changed a heap from the book. A HEAP. Still wonderful.

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[–] Buttercup243 17 years ago

Crow Jane -

Did we read the same Princess Bride book and watch the same movie? Because I'm pretty sure that the book was incredibly similar to the movie. There were many times when direct lines taken out of the book and placed in the movie dialogue.

There are changes yes: the zoo of death becomes the pit of despair, Inigo Montoya tells a shortened version of his story to Westley instead of there being a flashback, and a few other tiny details.

However, the spirit of the book and the movie were the same. That was not so with Ella Enchanted in any way shape or form. The two are almost completely different. They changed the personalities and characteristis of characters, added unnecessary "plot" developments, and, for that matter, changed the plot as well.

To compare the changes in the Princess Bride to the changes in Ella Enchanted is a complete insult to William Goldman.

BTW, William Goldman wrote both the book and the screenplay for the Princess Bride, so if it is different, the author chose the adaptations not a third party.

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[–] crow_jane 17 years ago

Reading comprehension for the lose.

Did you miss the part where we were talking about Lord of the Rings, or are you just slow?

(They weren't tiny details, they were big chunks. And that was *good*. Seriously, learn to read, I was saying the adapatation of The Princess Bride to screen was good. As was Lord of the Rings, but some of the changes were annoying)

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[–] HeyPeronella 17 years ago

The author of Holes wrote the screenplay too. that's why it was the same.

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[–] wickedchica89 17 years ago

Holes was really good, yes... and i didn't know that it was the same author... i wonder that if Gail Carson Levine had written Ella Enchanted's screenplay then would she have stuck to her original story... I'm not sure that she thought much of it in actuality... I've read somewhere that she wrote it just for a class... and it became a hit.

i like them as separate pieces now. i LOVE LOVE LOVE the book, and i disagree with whoever said that it would make a short movie... there's a lot you could do to make the movie last longer than it takes to read it...anyways i think it would have been a magnificent screenplay if it had been like the book.

key points...

in the book:

Protagonist: Ella
antagonist: curse (and Hattie/Dame Olga/somewhat Olive if you really want a person in the role)

that's all you need. there didn't need to be an evil uncle or a snake (shiver) that just made me think of Robin Hood... (although i thought Cary Elwes was pretty good... he wasn't needed!!!) the whole lawyer elf thing... WHY!!!???

Slannen was (if i remember correctly) the maker of the gorgeous magnificent elf carvings... that Ella's father STOLE!

which brings me to another point that made me sick about the movie.... what happened to Ella and her father?!?!?! they were NOT all lovey dovey! she hated him! and the Areida thing (as much as i loved Parminder... and she could still play her if they did it like the book) they completely underplayed the character... she was Ella's lifeline to sanity when she was in the finishing school (NOT A COLLEGE!) and my personal opinion of the Hattie in the movie was that she was just annoying... she wasn't cunning or devious... she just was bossy and annoying... like Olive was supposed to be....

and i HATED that they changed the whole ball thing... it was amazing in the book... why not just leave it like that.

and I agree with the person (people) who said that Ella was distorted... the book was about empowering young women... the movie was shallow to say the least, and although i like it enough as it's own thing... and not related to the book... i do think that it gives the wrong message.... Ella starts out rebellious and political... and then gets a boy and it makes everything ok... i don't like that! i like the Ella from the book... she's much more developed and interesting... and... oh yah... there was no BENNY THE BOOK!!! and Mandy was an OLD WOMAN!!! (and she was NOT a bad fairy... she just didn't do big magic!) and they TOTALLY left out Lucinda's growth experience....

darnit... i just went and got myself all mad... over a book... nice

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[–] DanCreed 17 years ago

Christ, this film was awful.

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[–] ahenz 17 years ago

I'm sure Gail had some say in it. There are many reasons why a story is changed when made into a movie.

The point of having an elf wanting to be a lawyer was to teach that a person should have the right to do what they want in life. And they probably wanted a profession that would be far from entertaining. Kinda like Herbie from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer He wanted to be a dentist instead of make toys.

And Ella was empowered in the movie. She was in the beginning and she was in the end. SHe was the one to got the Prince to take more responsiblity with his kingdom. So she is still political. Maybe not rebellious so much, but you don't have to be rebellious to be a strong woman. Ella is only rebellious because of the fact she is forced to obey.

She did rebell against her curse. She got sick of having to put up with people making her do things against her will, and thought of a way to break it. And then when she was freed from the prison, she could have ran. But instead she went to the coronation to try and save the Prince's life.

Like I said before, there are many reasons why things are altered when their media form changes. The musical Wicked is COMPLETELY different from the book, but both the book and the musical are fantastic.

Fans of the the comic book Hulk were upset too when the movie came out because it was different from the comics, but when taken on its own, it's still a great movie. Having not read the book, I can say that Ella Enchanted is a pretty good movie too.

As I stated in another thread, a timeless tale with a modern twist.

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[–] BarronsGirl 18 years ago

Excuse her, is it her fault a lot of her roles have a lot of the same character? Not really, she's just trying to make a living. And some actors are just best at what character type they always play. Raven Symone has a tendency to seem the same way whenever she acts, not always but a lot of the time its like "classic Raven" but seriously, its stupid to freak out on that, she plays those characters very well(back to Anne there).

And I can see why you would not like the movie if it isnt even close to the book, I'm there with the Harry Potter movies, after the 2nd one they just got bad...the books are so much better..but..they make the movies so that people who havent read the books can still enjoy the story.

I personally really liked her singing in this movie, I hadnt heard her sing before and i thought she sounded really pretty, and I love that song.

~:Not all of us can look like Barbie:~
:So I try to be happy looking like:
~:Me:~

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[–] Falconwings14 18 years ago

I found this movie disappointing. Even if I hadn't previously read and loved the book, it still would have fallen flat on its face. It was just so cheesy...and rushed. Lucinda's appearances were too brief considering how key to the story she is. The fantastic cast was entirely wasted. And the singing...yes, it was pretty, yes she has a nice voice and yes she sang well. But I was cringing all the way through. It was the cheesiest and most unnecessary musical number I have ever seen.
The character of Ella was butchered for the purpose of cosy family comedy. The beautiful romance between Char and Ella was tainted by the grating fangirls, yet again for the purpose of comedy. Overall, so much was sacrificed for so little result.
I only hope that one day someone remakes this movie with the grace and grandeur it deserves.

***
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Jack/Ianto - my anti-drug!

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[–] mima-dee 18 years ago

While I completely understand your frustration with book to movie transitions, you shouldn't base your opinion on that. If you hate the acting, plot, and all other things people have metioned, that is alright. However, you shouldn't base your entire opinion on comparison between literature and theatrical releases. They aren't the same at all. Books are more about description and detail, you can't really do that in a movie. Also, I read the book after I saw the movie and enjoyed both as seperate works of fiction. They are both fantastic and I just pretend they're similar but not the same.

Don't judge a movie based on it's likeness or difference from the original book. If you really just hate this movie as a whole, I understand your opinion and don't expect you to change it. However, if the book is the only thing standing between you and your enjoyment of this film, reconsider. Just watch it as a movie as if you don't know the story or anything like that. Give it a chance.

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[–] Falconwings14 18 years ago

Alas, once I realised that the film was going to be nothing like the book, I did settle down and try to watch it as just an entertaining movie. Unfortunately, that was where most of the disappointment lay. It was just so...cheesy. I know I keep using that word but it was. And it wasn't the good kind of cheese either, because I can take that. Often I enjoy a bit of cheesy entertainment. But this was just bad. There was no charm.

The cast had some wonderfully impressive names on there, like Eric Idle, for example. What did they do with him? Give him thirty seconds at each end of the film to do a bit of narrating. Run-of-the-mill narrating. Although Cary Elwes raised a smile as he battled to bring a third dimension to the average baddie Sir Edgar, but even that was a completely wasted talent.

As a seperate work of fiction this movie still failed to impress me. The highlight was Hugh Dancy as Prince Char, and although it sounds extremely shallow of me, I would have switched the film off out of boredom if he wasn't there to provide some delightful scenery. I think his was the only character I believed as well.

Maybe if I had watched this film a couple of years ago I would have loved it. I guess I've just out-grown schmaltzy family entertainment.

***
Careful sir, that's harassment!
Jack/Ianto - my anti-drug!

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[–] livetoread_ak 18 years ago

you might want to watch The Other Side Of Heaven. Anne was great in that

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[–] floopowder014 18 years ago

Okay, I've never really technically seen the whole movie, but I've seen enough from previews and YouTube and heard enough from friends to know it does no justice whatsoever to the book. "Ella Enchanted" was my favorite book when I was younger, and to see filmmakers completely change the tone and story is a disgrace. My friend who wants to be a screenwriter when she grows up and I, who want to be a cinematographer, VOW to make a better version of this movie someday that lets Gail Carson Levine's lovely tale shine. We have both read the book at least a million times, so we're sure (once we've gotten our training and experience in filmmaking) that we'll know what we're doing, but I'm open to suggestions now from fans of the book who want to see its story done right. :)

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[–] wickedchica89 18 years ago

YES REMAKE PLEASE!!!! lol i think i got the book when i was in fourth grade (i'm a senior now) and i fell in love with it.. i even memorized the first chapter i read it so many times... anyways when the movie came out my mom and i went to see it in theatres, and when we got out i swear you could have seen smoke coming out of my ears i was so mad. i had expected the movie to at least resemble the book... it really wasn't Ella Enchanted.. it had the same names and the whole thing about an obedient girl, but other than that it was a completely different work.

HOWEVER

after i got over the initial shock of seeing my favorite book torn to shreds by whoever wrote that movie... i decided that it was, in fact, an ok movie... yes, it was cheezy, yes the acting was completely over the top in most places, but overall it was a cute movie, and so i decided to get over my dissapointment and buy it... i watch it every now and again, and i DO think that Anne Hathaway has one of the most beautiful voices i've ever heard... and i love her from the Princess Diaries, and the Devil Wears Prada.

i do think that a remake should be done... i'd love to be in it. (i'm an aspiring actress) i think that this time it should acctually be "ella enchanted" because it would probably make a lot more money because it would appeal to a wider audience... not just young girls. so let's do a remake and let's make it more accurate to the book... the book's not all that long (unlike Harry Potter, which even though i know they couldn't fit in EVERYTHING i don't understand why they cut so much out of the fourth movie... it made me mad) anyways Ella Enchanted would have been a much better movie if they had kept the original storyline.

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[–] celiselott 18 years ago

Um, just a general thing about the so called "cheesiness" (I'm not sure I spelled that right -shrug-). It was supposed to be cheesy because it was making fun of Disney. It was satire. It's hilarious. Besides, it was sweet. But I suppose you're entitled to your opinion, even if it's wrong ;-)

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[–] tiggerina03 18 years ago

YES!! I totally agree that a remake should be done for this movie!!
I also read this book in fourth grade- I am a sophmore now- and I HATED how they butchered a perfectly good story about a girl who becomes independent. i think the movie made her seem weaker than she actually was. Ella wasn't just trying to break the spell so that she could save the man she loved, she was trying to break free from something that made her dependent on other people. I think I also hate this movie with a passion because it focused too much on her love life. I think that women need to feel strong about themselves and do things for reasons other than men!

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[–] rdbazell 18 years ago

Anne Hathaway was in the movie "BrokeBack Mountain" and "Havoc" and these movies are totally different from The Princess Diaries and Ella Enchanted.

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[–] tiggerina03 18 years ago

yess.... but do you see her as a big character in ANY of those movies??? I can't see her doing any movies other than princess fairy tale movies. Yeah, so she was in The Devil Wears Prada and personally Merryl Streep was what made the movie watchable..... I don't know. Anne was ok in the first Princess Diaries but honestly I didn't think that she did justice to the character... I mean in the book, Ella was strong willed even though she did have a spell cast on her to always obey other people. She was brave and I didn't see any of those characteristics that made Ella who she was in the movie..

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[–] dollydaze78 18 years ago

In Brokeback Mountain, she was a "big character" (she wasn't the main character, but her role was major), and she DID do a good job in it. I haven't seen Havoc, so I can't pass judgment on her, but I'm pretty sure she's the protagonist.

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[–] kathbro2 18 years ago

I didnt really mind anne hathaway....BUT THIS WAS POSITIVELY ONE OF THE WORST MOVIES EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it was nothing like the book. iv never been so disappointed with a movie

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[–] jewish_walter 18 years ago

your totaly right. my girlfriend asked me to read the book and of course i did. i was realy suprised but very happy to discover that this is one of my favorite books. awful awful movie.

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[–] sublimer13 18 years ago

Let me say this: I was THRILLED that they were making a movie out of one of my most favorite books ever... I was unable to see it in the theatre, but I saw it in the eighth grade... It was ABYSMAL. I was like "WTF?!" I mean, they changed EVERYTHING. :'( And Anne Hathaway doesn't fit the role of Ella. Needeless to say, I was unable to get through more than forty-five minutes. Yesterday, I read a summary of the film, and was shocked by the piece-of-crap they decided to make. The only book-to-film translation that pissed me off more was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

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[–] raerunn 18 years ago

I totally agree with you about everything even the movie the Prisoner of Azkaban, that also sucked. I love the book, it is one of mine and my sister's favorite books. When I saw it was going to be a movie I was so excited, but when I found out Anne Hathaway was going to be in it I was so mad, and the movie fell way below my expectations anyway. Maybe they will do a remake that acctually follows the book?

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[–] piperfreeze517-1 18 years ago

The Movie was horrible to almost everybody who read the book, it tore the wonderful storyline to pieces. Anne Hathaway would have been perfect for the part if only there had been a better director and script. What was produced was so shockingly awful, I almost wish it could be illegal, but that's how they went for it, and it sucks real bad. But hey, what can a girl do but just go and enjoy the book. (that is until my copy falls apart from being read so many times)

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[–] pineapples-from-space 18 years ago

Ella Enchanted is my favourite book. I have read it at least 10 times, no joke. but i really think they screwed up this movie. the whole "ooh eveil uncle trying to kill him" thing really sucked. there wasnothing like that whatsoever in the book. and that snake!!! AHHH i hated it! it was so damn annoying.
but the worst part was the all singing, all dancing "dont go breaking my heart" number at the end. yuck. yuck. yuck. i absolutley hate it when they do that at the ends of movies. its so cheesy and fake, it makes my want to tear my hair out! argh!!!

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] pineapples-from-space 18 years ago

the problem with posting on message boards is you can never really be sure if someone is being sarcastic..Hal_Hunt, i sure hope you are! haha :-)

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[–] Papercups 18 years ago

I read Ella Enchanted when I was 10 and loved it to bits. When my friend lent me the tape of the movie, I just couldn't understand it. Yeah, sure, I know books-to-movie things don't go so well but they changed EVERYTHING. It completely went away from the plot, i mean, it could've been a completely different movie, they could've called it something else.

The snake/uncle, fan club, thing was bearable (just) but I couldn't get over how they exploited Ella's character. She was a sweet, strongwilled girl who had a gentle nature. She wasn't rebellious or into campagingin against elves (where did they come from???? were they in the book? i haven't read ti for awhile) and no way was she that political.

Also, the whole obedient thing was taken to the extreme. It was far too exaggerated, they could've done without the sound effects and the whole sudden jerk thing. in the book, it was subtle because ella didnt' want everyone to know and in the movie, it just spoiled it completely.

Someone had said that it was mushy and cheesy because it was a disney film, well, just because it is made by disney, that's no excuse for it. We should expect all works (especially movies "based" on books) to be a polished product because that excuse is frustrating and slack.

Finally, Anne Hathaway. I loved Princess Diaries (something that stuck to the plot!!!! well, excpet the michael tihng) and all her movies especially Devil WEars Prada. But yes, she is essentially playing the same role in every film when she has the lead, where she transforms from a simple girl into some model. And yes, she does a good job of it but Ella didn't need it in this film. She had a good personality, didn't need to be transformed, she just needed the curse to go away. I don't get why they made her a cynical cow and then turned her into a weak-at-the-knees, lovey-dovey girlfriend of the prince. Way to feminise her by making her inferior. grrrr...

Her new movie is Beocming Jane where she falls head-over-heels for some guy. From the reviews i've heard, it sounds slightly different to the other ones and hopefully will be better.

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[–] ryanreynoldsfan721 18 years ago

With book-to-movie, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It worked for:

Holes
Hoot
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

I know the movie's nothing like the book, but it's a good mvoie by itself. I remember after i saw the movie i was like, "that was nothing lioke the book!" but it ws a good movie reagardless.

Berg: I need a place to sleep!
Irene: And you thought why not on top of Irene?!

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[–] PrincessRhea 18 years ago

This movie is nothing like the book but that aside it was excellent

"Romeo, Romeo, Romeo I drink to thee."
-Juliet Capulet

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[–] Papercups 18 years ago

THe movie was ntohing like the book...and it wasn't good. it comes down to preference. it didn't do the book justice, that's what i'm getting at because it would've been an amazing movie if it had. Another thing is, I guess because so much of the book is from Ella's perspective, it's hard adapting that to a movie. If we think about all the books which focus predominately on the main character's thoughts and development, they've turn out to be pretty *beep* films.

I'm not against movies which aren't like the books. I liked the fourth Harry potter film but that was nothing like the book but this particular movie was done so badly, i was cringing at its every turn.

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[–] mewringo 18 years ago

You have to understand that my siggy is true for almost every book turned into a movie. Look at The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Eragon *starts crying cuz i was dramatized*, and Ella Enchanted. The only books turned into movies that i can stand watching is the Harry Potter movies because they have to cut some parts out or they would become the neverending movies. Oh yeah, just gotta say this, the snake was creepy!!!!!!

They kill every book when they turn it into a movie! *begins to weep for the poor books*

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] qt_w_booty007 17 years ago

i totally understand ur passions...i LUV that book almost as much as i luv The Two Princesses of Bamarre but control urself.

just think about it. this is hollywood. this is hollywood used to 1 1/2 movies. this is hollywood used to 1 1/2 movies that hardly ever follow the book. get used to it. u saw it didnt u? so realli, ur helping them by buyin a movie ticket, or subscribing to that movienetwork tv channel or watever. anywhere u've seen that movie, uve helped them so shut up.

secondly, it wood hav been a VERY short movie if they followed it completely to wat happened in the book. lets face it, altho i luv that book, i can read it in 78 minutes (ive counted - yes ive got nothing 2 do w/ my time). so mayb ur thinking, "fine, follow the book to the letter, and u can add SOME new things".. once again its hollywood. they r not gonna listen 2 ur complaints and try 2 plz u, so stop ranting. ur one person in the millions that actualli like the film.

but the book is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than the film hands down anywyas so wats it matter? go bac to reading.

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[–] RobynLari 17 years ago

Tiggerina, I definitely agree with you. The movie was completely horrible- I love the book, and it could've made such a great movie. What on earth did they do to it?? Everything was totally different from the plot- all they kept were the names. I hated the stupid random singing and dancing scenes too... I don't think I liked a single thing in the whole debacle. It's like a slap in the face to everyone who has read the book.

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[–] tigerhan 17 years ago

Agreed, the movie was just horrible. I was so excited when the movie came out, but when I saw it, it left me extremely disappointed. At least the plot could have been the same. The changes were so dramatic that I wish they had just renamed to movie. Ugh, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth just thinking about it.

http://blog.nbc.com/CreedThoughts/

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[–] rachel-mary 17 years ago

Thanks to everyone who suggested reading the book! I watched the film and thought it was OK, rather silly but enjoyable; came on here and saw everyone ranting and thought I'd read the book to see and now I understand why you all hate it so much! The book is literally so much better, more subtle, funnier and more clever. I don't really understand why they even gave the film the same title as so much was changed! Practically the only things that are the same are character names and that Ella must be obedient. Honestly, everyone, read the book! It's great and puts the movie to shame.

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