While 2018 was a rollercoaster, one of the best things about it was all of the amazing movies that came out. Last year brought us original movies like Black Panther and A Star is Born – and also some really good movie adaptations of books too, like Love, Simon (based on Becky Albertalli’s “Simon vs. the Homo-Sapien Agenda”) and Crazy Rich Asians (based on Kevin Kwan’s 2013 novel of the same name). Creating a good book-to-movie adaptation can be hard because you have to please both loyal fans of the book and newcomers whose first impression is the film. Like 2018, this current year will bring us a lot of book-to-movie adaptations.
Here are three that I am most excited about!
Five Feet Apart (March 13)
Based on Rachael Lippincott’s novel of the same name, Five Feet Apart has already earned a lot of comparisons to John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. Starring Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson, Five Feet Apart is about the love story between two sick teenagers who must not come within six feet of each other because of the risk of infection. It looks like a real tear-jerker, so prepare to cry into your popcorn.
It: Chapter Two (September 6)
Continuing from the Stephen King film that scared the pants off of everyone in 2017, It: Chapter Two follows the Losers’ Club 27 years after the events of the first film when Pennywise comes back to terrorize them. It stars familiar faces like Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy as the grown-up versions of the original characters.
After (April 12)
Based on the infamous novel by Anna Todd, After follows the blossoming love story between ‘good girl’ Tessa and ‘rebel’ Hardin. If you do any research on this novel, you will find out that After was originally a One Direction fanfiction about a bad-boy version of Harry Styles – much like Fifty Shades began as a Twilight fanfiction. Whether you love or hate the fanfiction-turned-novel idea, Todd has clearly found a lot of success and that is enough to make me curious for the movie.
Disclaimer: this movie has received some criticism for portraying an unhealthy relationship – so watch with caution.
Don’t forget to read these books before seeing the movies (or don’t, if you would rather be surprised at the theatre). Here’s to hoping that 2019 brings as many quality movies as 2018 did!