Watching Cell, adaptation of the Stephen King book

[genxlib]

1. It has always been a mixed bag with King

I have a theory in general that books are simply too much content for a movie. The inevitable compression and plot changes generally make it hard to completely express what is best about a book.

Oftentimes, short stories make the best movies because they can keep the plot intact and just flesh out the visuals.

King is the best example of this where many of his book movies are not great but his short story movies are some of the most beloved of all time; Stand By Me, Shawshank Redemption, etc.

There are a few exceptions like the Shining and the Green Mile. But it is probably no accident that I thought the Green Mile book was a lot longer than it needed to be.

It seems like the industry has transformed in recent years and have started using books as the basis for entire seasons. Shows like Mr. Mercedes and 11/22/63. To me this always feels like a better match up of content to video running time.