“Never judge a book by its movie.” - J. W. Eagan.
That is the one quote I tend to live life by. Any book that is soon to make its film debut, I tend to read beforehand. That way I can enjoy the story how it was initially meant to be enjoyed, and then watch the story being portrayed in another way. Take The Time Traveler’s Wife for example, I studied that book for my A Level English exams, poured over every extract and analysed every reference. My classmates and I had a date to see the film the week it came out;
long enough from the release date that the crowds would have died down, without having to wait too long ourselves. We sat ready to watch the only book that had ever made us cry be played before us, and were very disappointed with the final outcome. The story didn’t match up with the heart-wrenching novel and vital characters had been removed from the plot. It was an utter letdown, and therefore became the lowest standard that all other book adaptations could be compared with.
Dear John however, is nothing like The Time Traveler’s Wife. The plot stays true to the story written by Nicholas Sparks with the exception of minor facts such as Alan going from being Tim’s brother in the book, to becoming his son in the film. This opened a confusing area of questions surrounding the location of Alan’s mother, which seemed to never really be answered.
The pairing of Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried as lovers John and Savannah seemed quite unlikely to me, however both suited their parts perfectly and therefore portrayed a realistic and moving relationship throughout the film.
With the exception of the ending, which has been reworked into a stereotypical ‘happy ending’, for the couple, I see little evidence that the film has been created by someone other than Nicholas Sparks. I think Dear John is a brilliant film and definitely worth watching, even if you haven’t read the book. However, I do always recommend that you read the book. Especially as I fear that reading is becoming a dying art, with the best literature being turned into various films and TV adaptations. This is the reason why some are beginning to deem books as too time-consuming and not worth the hassle.
It is true that reading can take a lot of time if you’re busy. However, you can read a good book in a day if you have the time and the interest to. I always keep a book in my bag to read whenever I’m stuck on a bus or train, to pass the time. There is no greater joy than reading fiction and being able to live stories and lives that may be out of your reach.
