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Adapting a popular, high-quality science fiction novel might seem like a sure way to a successful movie or even a movie series, but that's not always the case. While some stories work well in the novel form, they don't do so great once adapted into a movie.
Sometimes it's because the story works with elements that are hard to transfer to the screen, sometimes because the creators changed the original beloved story too much and the fans didn't appreciate it. Whatever the case, some of the best science fiction novels in history have gotten screen adaptations that are far from stellar.
6 The Stepford Wives (2004)
Despite what some viewers might presume, not every sci-fi story has to take place in space. The Stepford Wives is set in a small city where the local women are behaving in a strange way. The main heroine Joanna who just moved to Stepford with her husband is becoming more and more suspicious of her surroundings and other people. The original novel written by Ira Levin is both intelligent and intense, but the movie failed to replicate its wit.
Despite Nicole Kidman's best effort, The Stepford Wives is a forgettable adaptation of one of the greatest sci-fi classics. Those who loved the book and want to see a better movie based on it should watch the 1975 version directed by Bryan Forbes and with Katharine Ross in the leading role.
5 The Giver (2014)
Some of the best sci-fi novels are difficult to adapt into a movie because they rely on the characterization of the heroes and the inner workings of their minds and don't offer that many action scenes. The Giver takes some creative liberty with the classic by Lois Lowry, least of all the fact that it makes the main characters older than they are in the books.
So even though the movie has a strong cast, including names such as Meryl Streep or Jeff Bridges, it didn't leave an impression, and it only earned 67 million dollars.
4 The 5th Wave (2016)
Chloë Grace Moretz has starred in many high-quality movies that got excellent reviews. However, the 2016 adaptation of the novel by Rick Yancey was a miss. The original novel has a strong atmosphere in which it's unclear who will live or who will die. It also takes time to establish what the characters, especially the main heroine Cassie, are going through, and it digs deep into their minds and emotions.
The movie fails to do so and offers a surprisingly forgettable tale about a young girl in trouble with some scenes of destruction thrown on top. While The 5th Wave might attract viewers who are the same age as Cassie, it has little to offer to anybody else or to those who have already read the books. Considering its lukewarm acceptance, it doesn't come as a surprise that the following two books in the series haven't been adapted into movies.
3 The Dark Tower (2017)
Stephen King is the king of horror literature, but The Dark Tower is one of his greatest pieces of work - and it's science fiction, among other things. The 2017 adaptation was heavily anticipated by the fans, but the end result was far from glorious. Perhaps because the creators tried to squeeze the complex story into a 95-minute movie and also made some considerable changes that didn't sit well with the fans of the original story.
Whatever the case, the movie got bad reviews both from the critics and the general audience, so it's not going to be getting a sequel. Those who want to know more about the world King created and aren't in the mood for reading can check out the 2020 TV series The Stand which has a connection to the book series and stars known names such as James Marsden or Whoopi Goldberg.
2 Mortal Engines (2018)
While Mortal Engines isn't entirely horrible thanks to the actors and the beautiful visual, there's no denying the story is lagging, and it's easy to see where it's going. Maybe it's because the books by Philip Reeve are on the shorter side, considering their focus on the younger readers, so the movie had to fluff up the plot a lot.
Whatever the case, Mortal Engines turned out to be a financial flop as its budget was 100 million dollars, but it only scored 83,7 million dollars in cinemas. Those who hoped to see more of the series on the big screen won't, therefore, get their wish and will have to turn to the books instead.
1 The Darkest Minds (2018)
The Darkest Minds seem to take on more than it can chew. Not only does it try to build a complex world but also introduce multiple heroes and create a story about how they all get together and go on a journey that will change their lives forever. That would be a lot of content even for a TV series, let alone a movie that lasts under two hours. As a result, The Darkest Minds is flowing on the surface but never really digs deep.
The book by Alexandra Bracken, on the other hand, is still fast-paced but takes the time to establish both the world and the characters, so they're much more relatable and sympathetic. Luckily for the movie, it only cost 34 million dollars to make, so its box office gross of 41 million dollars wasn't an absolute failure.