My Top 5 Fantasy Recommendations

Let’s talk about fantasy movies and T.V. Shows today.

“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.”

Dr Seuss

Fantasy as a genre is so fundamental to storytelling, whether it be through the screen or through books that you simply cannot imagine stories without it. It is probably one of the first story genres most of us are exposed to. ( Remember Cinderella? Snow White? Peter Pan?) Fairy Tales, myths, legends and whatnot; they’re all fantasies at their core. If you think about it, every single book or movie fulfils some specific fantasy; provides some escape. That is why we love stories in the first place, humans adore escapism! (Stop all research, I’ve figured it out! )

Fantasy is officially defined as a genre of imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure, especially in a setting other than the real world. Imagination, magic, adventure AND a different world? Kid me is already losing her mind(and not gonna lie, adult me is not much different, just better at hiding it.) It’s not hard to see why fantasy as a genre has not only, persisted but thrived through the ages. It may be escapism, but for most of us, it is like coming back home.

So, instead of going on and on about the obvious things we all get, I will jump right into my current top 5 fantasy recommendations, in no particular order, across movies and TV Shows. As always if you do end up giving any of them a shot please do tell me. (You can comment on my blog, email me or contact me @musingsofwhimsicalsoul on Instagram) I would love to hear from you!

Also, a disclaimer, before we jump into the list: Though, for many of these stories the problematic aspects of both the stories and the creators are now widely recognised, just for today we live in a ‘fantasy’ world where all the people are wonderful and unproblematic, to be on theme.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA SERIES

The Narnia movies are a childhood favourite, for me as well as a lot of people who grew up in the 2000s. For the unaware, they are a series of movies based on C.S Lewis’ novels by the same name. Three movies came out over 2005-2010 with the story being primarily about the four Pevensie children and their adventures in the magical, mystical world of Narnia. With a pretty stellar cast, it is the perfect fantasy series for children as well as fantasy novices; it is simple enough to understand yet magical enough to escape into.

THE HARRY POTTER SERIES

Who doesn’t know about the massive cultural phenomenon that was and is the Harry Potter series? The 8 movies based on the 7 novels by J.K. Rowling, were a defining era for not only fantasy as a genre but for movies and fiction as a whole. It was the first fantasy series I invested completely into and I also grew up with Harry Potter and his adventures at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It also has an exceptional cast and remains the most beloved and popular fantasy movie series.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS SERIES

The Lord of The Rings trilogy is probably the one that shows the grandeur of the fantasy genre the best in this list. It is an epic adventure saga, based on the eponymous novels by J. R.R Tolkein, considered the father of modern fantasy. It features an ensemble cast and is set in the fictional world of Middle-earth, following the hobbit Frodo Baggins as he and the Fellowship embark on a quest to destroy the all-powerful One Ring. I love Lord of The Rings but I’d recommend giving it a watch after the simpler fantasies just because it is a bit complicated but SO intelligent and worth it. It is an adaptation made with love, and for someone who couldn’t even finish the books(Sorry, I was so little and there were so many nature descriptions, there is only so much about trees a 10-year-old can take) everything fantasy should aspire towards.

THE GAME OF THRONES 

A cultural phenomenon and television’s answer to high fantasy, the eight season drama was based on the “A Song of Ice and Fire” books by George R.R Martin. Featuring a huge ensemble cast, it marries together politics and magic in a near-perfect result. It was a very defining series in television and for many years had people on the edge of their seats. I would be remiss to not mention that yes, the conclusion is uh, disappointing, for lack of a better word, but the first few seasons are truly the best of fantasy TV and make the show a worthwhile watch.

SHADOW AND BONE 

The latest offering on this list, Shadow and Bone came out on Netflix in 2021 and is based on Leigh Bardugo’s two series of books in the Grishaverse: the Shadow and Bone trilogy and Six of Crows duology. It is very classic young adult fiction; a young soldier discovers she has mysterious powers that can change the world, a country in turmoil, a group of people who can do “magic” and the chaos all that brings. I loved the series and already look forward to the next season. If you’re into teen/YA fiction, its the perfect fantasy series for you, I highly recommend it. (Also it has Ben Barnes in it, in case you need the push!)

THIS POST’S QUESTION: What is your Top 5 list of fantasy recommendations? Comment below with what you think about it, I’d love to hear from you!

The Thing with Book to Movie Adaptations

Let’s talk about Book to Movie(and TV show) adaptations today.

Imagine this. You read a great book and it is now one of your favourites. Once you’re done with it, you looked it up. You find that there’s a movie(or TV show, just assume I said TV show even if I don’t say it explicitly here on out) based on it and excitedly you clear your schedule and decide to watch it. Things can only go two ways from here.

The first scenario is this: You watch the movie, it rocks your world and it was the best thing ever to see what was, till now, in your imagination come alive. It was exactly as you imagined and you were crying-laughing after. You recommend it to everyone you know and thank whoever you believe in for its existence.

The second scenario is this: You watch the movie and it is such a travesty to watch what you love and cherish so much be tarnished this badly. It is devastating and you swear off the movie and let everyone who will hear you know that the movie does not count.

And in case you’re wondering, there is no middle ground. If you’re passionate enough about a book, you’re either obsessed with the movie or hate it, there is no in-between. The polarizing nature of the subject that is Book to Movie/TV adaptations is what makes them a bit of a controversial topic. It is also why we’ll discuss both the case for and the case against Book to Movie adaptations today and maybe if all goes well, you’ll at least have an understanding of the other point of view. Let’s begin with the case for Book to Movie adaptations and talk about why they such are a great thing.

The case for them is easy to get. You have a story, which is already written, already loved, already structured and broken down and already has a fanbase. All you have to do is adapt it to your medium. Not everyone likes to read or can read in the language of the original book, but movies and TV shows are a universal medium and subtitles can solve all those problems. If done well, it brings new fans to the books and brings a resurgence and major growth to the fanbase of the series. It allows for sequels and if you put in the effort, the people making it can earn a lot of money and fame and the fans can find a lot of gratification and joy, so everyone’s happy. If you make a great adaptation, the fans will keep the movies alive, elevate them to ‘cult’ status and make them a part of the ‘pop culture.’

I think the best example of a book to movie adaptation that has achieved this is the Harry Potter movies, which are not perfect but made people realise how lucrative this could be and paved the way for many future book adaptations. Other great movie adaptations are The Hunger Games movies, the Maze Runner movies, The Chronicles of Narnia and in a bit of an unpopular opinion, the Twilight movies. (I think they were great adaptations, I just don’t think they were that great books, Sorry Stephenie) The best TV adaptation that I have to mention is of the Song of Ice and Fire books,i.e Game of Thrones. (but only the initial seasons when they were actually adapting from the books, not what happened after)

The case against might either be very obvious to you or not obvious at all. (Depending on what adaptation you have watched, oops.) Adapting a story for celluloid or for a TV show is hard. You might have to modify structuring, add scenes or delete scenes and it is effort. There is also quite a lot of pressure because the books already have fans and those fans have certain expectations. If you do it wrong, those fans will let you know. it will be rejected, will tank and will earn hate and notoriety. It might even drive away fans; the movie might be so bad that people develop the wrong opinion that the books too, are not good and might end up missing out on what was a perfectly good book. Also as a reader, you develop a very personal relationship with a book and sometimes there’s a bit of possessiveness in that. You don’t want the book to become a ‘mainstream’ fanbase because it is yours and almost too sacred to be touched so you don’t want it to be adapted.

I think the prime example of a book to movie adaptation that has proved this is the movie adaptation of the Percy Jackson books, which was an utter and complete tragedy and only ever gave us Logan Lerman. (Thank god, they’re making a new TV show for the books now because the movies were just disrespectful) Other such movie adaptations are the Divergent books and the Mortal Instruments books. (I’ve heard the show is better but I’ve outgrown the series honestly, so haven’t watched it myself) The best (or rather actually worst) TV adaptation that I can think of is Thirteen Reasons Why. It was a thought-provoking, decent book which spoke of mental health and it ended up as a very dramatic social issue exposé which was just traumatising and attention-seeking.

So, by now, either you’ve picked a side or found more material to fuel your already set opinion, or hopefully, just understood both sides better. The bottom line with adaptations is this; if you do it well, a Book to Movie adaptation is a great, amazing thing but if you do it badly, it is disrespectful and sad. It’s all about finding the balance and bringing great stories to more people because stories are important and wonderful and in the words of Joan Didion, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live”.

THIS POST’S QUESTION: Are you for or against Book to Movie/TV show adaptations? Comment below with what you think about it,I’d love to hear from you!

Surprise Lesson In Living In The Present.

Let’s talk about life currently and being in the moment, today.

Hello, wonderful people of the Internet! (A rather paltry attempt at being jovial and chummy, I do sincerely apologize.)

I will begin talking (Or typing, technically.) today as I seem to do always, with an explanation.About an hour back, I finished up the post detailing the first day of my amazing European vacation last month, the first in a daily narration of the entire fifteen-day vacation, with pictures and everything.(Lots of  pictures of the Eiffel Tower, no less, yes, day one was Paris.)

Just as I was about to click on Publish, I decided to address the niggling feeling eating away the back of my head since I had begun sorting through the pictures to add to the post.The feeling being, I felt a little criminal and a lot ridiculous for making 15 posts about a month old vacation when there’s so much happening right absolute now. (Not this very moment but you get my drift, right?)Now, what are these many things, you ask? Among many things, these include but are not limited to, finally deciding on a college, going to said college, maybe moving out to live in a hostel/dorm for the first time in my life, maybe moving to a city I’ve never been to, and meeting a gazillion new people, all by the end of this month.(That is a lot of commas.Thank you, English Grammar for being so simple and sorted.) Which, is actually only 11 days away. (Since it’s nearly the 20th in  speck I call home in this world.)Which in turn, increases the magnitude of all the emotions I’m feeling and dealing with.

And when I feel a lot of emotions I write on here.I bring them out.I involve every single person reading this in the silly woes of a teenaged girl and I keep you in the loop with what is up with me and what I am up to.Which is what I decided to do, this time too.So, I am putting the entire Europe vacation diary on hold and I’ll talk about what’s current and new and what’s happening now and how I’m feeling about it.So, this is your warning, heads up, whatever you’d like to call it. Emotions and changes are going to be sold by the penny next post on.Brace yourself.

So, what am I up to now? To be perfectly honest, it’s a lot of things that are embellished ways to say “nothing huge”. My phone hasn’t been working for the past week.When you have holidays and nothing to do, that isn’t the best of situations.I have to admit though,It hasn’t been all bad because of that.I’ve had moments where I’ve been glad I didn’t have my phone because I’m more efficient, fast or just simply had more attention to pay(Attention is something you learn to appreciate more than most people if you’re me) to other things.Meanwhile, I’m also reading the Song Of Ice And Fire series, by G.R.R. Martin (If you have or are too, please comment below.I loooooove talking about it.)I’m also watching Game Of Thrones(Again, If you are watching let’s talk) alongside as I finish each book.(Yes, I know the entire world has seen it, I  respected the fact that it’s an adult show, okay?) I’m doing some college-related shopping, packing, contemplating(A veiled way to say paranoidly overthinking) and mentally prepping for majorly three things.

One. The changes that are soon coming in my life.I have a track record of not being the best at dealing with change while it’s happening.I almost avoid thinking about it so this time I have decided to be a ‘grown-up’ about it and will deal with it while it happens instead of bottling it all up till I have an explosive meltdown.

Two.A new setup.I understand school as a construct, I’ve been involved with it for 14 years.College is something I have a rather as I believe, misconstrued image of, attributed to books and movies and I do and do not at the same time know what to expect.I’ve to learn and adapt and grow and I’m gearing up to do it in the best way possible.

Three and most importantly, socialising. As a rather antisocial and a pretty socially inept person this is the one that is the most daunting for me.But I’m also contradictorily, a  person who enjoys talking to people and getting to know them and is excited by the prospect of making all the lifelong friends I am going to make.So me, a shy extrovert needs the preparation to open up to people and get ready to do what humans are notorious for: socialise.

Apart from that, I’ve basically been utterly and undeniably bored.And that’s it, folks, it’s what I’ve been up to and that’s what you can expect from me now on.Cheers and see you later!

THIS POST’S QUESTION : What is something you’ve done recently that you’re proud of ? Comment below with what you think about it,I’d love to hear from you!

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