There is a sense of whimsy about this week’s theme and I love it! Secret doorways and worlds are mostly fantasy related to me and I adore fantasy! True, the book genre is more successful compared to the movie genre but that’s okay. For this week I’ve found three recommendations about secret doorways and/or worlds that I consider mediocre. It’s not that they are bad, they just… haven’t been made with care. Ironically, all three have a 5.8 or 5.9 rating on IMDb so they truly are mediocre.
3. THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES (2013)
As you might tell from my first pick I’ve chosen the young adult route. I’ve also picked movies that are book adaptations that deal with teens finding out there is a fantasy world hidden in plain sight, next or inside the real world. In The Mortal Instruments that is the world of demons and angels, sort of. Anyway, this is not the worst movie considering the show was much-much worse. But there is definitely something to be said about the crappy adaptations based on The Mortal Instrument series. It’s just.. not easy to adapt. The secret world is interesting and fun, there’s even a secret city so that’s also cool.
2. PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF (2010)
There are some adaptations that work better than others and I think this is it. It’s not perfect and there’s definitely room to grow but it’s also more middle grade than young adult. At least the book was, the movie is more mature in that sense. I have fond memories regarding this movie and I for some reason even remember quoting this movie trailer before seeing the movie because I thought it was hilarious. Now it’s not so much funny but a bit sad but I blame my age. Ah, the secret world revolves around gods and their demigod kids.
1. CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT (2009)
This is probably the least known or talked about. A very random movie in its core but actually quite fun. I wished for a sequel for this but alas, it never happened. The movie sort of flew under the radar and despite remembering the fact that I liked it, I’ve more or less forgotten everything else about it. Sad but true. The secret world is of vampires (and other creatures) of course and you know, I might even revisit this sometime soon. Mostly because I need to know if my fondness for it is true or I imagined it.
THIS AMAZING SERIES IS CREATED BYÂ WANDERING THROUGH THE SHELVES
4
I didn’t realize Mortal Instruments had a TV show too? I’ve only seen Percy Jackson, which was okay but I was so distracted by Brandon T Jackson and Alexandra Daddario’s casting because they were too told to be playing teenagers.
Oh yeah it’s better that you didn’t know about the show. 😀 Percy’s casting was all over the place, the book is much less.. grown up.
Disney is planning a Percy Jackson show and they are working closely with Rick Riordan who wrote the books. I’m so excited that we can finally forget the adaptation you mentioned ever happened.
YES! I know it’s in the works but don’t want to jinx it with the current situation in the industry. Who knows when we’ll finally get this.
Oh dear I’m 0 for 3 with your picks but then I’m not a huge fantasy person and since you said they are all mediocre I sense I’m not missing anything.
I almost sat this one out not being a friend of fantasy but once I thought of my first I saw a way in and came up with three, one’s even animated a genre that I usually avoid but I watched it all the time as a kid.
Alice in Wonderland (1933)-Alice (Charlotte Henry) goes down the rabbit hole and tumbles into a crazy world where Cary Grant is the Mock Turtle, Gary Cooper the White Knight, W.C. Fields Humpty Dumpty, Edward Everett Horton the Mad Hatter and a raft of familiar but less famous performers other characters.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 & 2 (2011)-The final two films in the Potter series and perhaps the best find Harry, Hermione and Ron battling Voldemort to destroy the Horcruxes.
Peter Pan (1953)-Animated Disney film where the magical boy Peter Pan and the faithful Tinkerbell whisk the Darling children off to the enchanted world of Neverland where they help him battle the wicked pirate Captain Hook.
Yes, it’s a shame they don’t make a lot of fantasy movies and the ones they do make aren’t really good so… a true shame. But all your picks are good even though I haven’t seen the first and last ones, I’ve seen the remakes and am familiar with the plot of course.
I thought that the Percy Jackson movie was okay and I forgot that Mortal Instruments had a movie! Great list!
Haha! Yes, Percy was actually pretty okay considering.. And thanks!
I hadn’t seen any of these. I actually interviewed some of the cast of Mortal Instruments but missed the screening so I haven’t even seen the movie, ahah.
Oooooh, I saw it ages ago but since I’ve also read the books and seen the show, everything is muddled in my head. 😀
OK, I am 0 for 3 this week and don’t even recall hearing about them. You picked 3 unique films which is nice to read about these films since Narnia and Harry Potter were the favs this week.
Oh wow… I wanted to skip Narnia and Potter because I knew they were going to be popular. So glad to have introduced you three movies. 😀
I’ve seen all and yes they are all mediocre. Fantasy is just so hard to adapt.
City of Bones is also the only one that I’ve read the book the movie is based on and I just don’t get the appeal of it.
It’s literally the worst book of the entire Shadowhunter universe. Her later series gets a bit better, the first series was just awful throughout.
This is probably the first time I’m glad I haven’t seen any haha.
Well they all have some good stuff but not much… 😀