Becky's Book Reviews

The book has made waves on an international scale, but just how does the film adaptation of The 5th Wave compare? Disclaimer: Review originally appears on Channel24 , one of Women24's sister websites. This review should really be titled: “I watched The 5th Wave so that you don’t have to.” As a book lover, I suffer from the eternal delusion that somehow, somewhere, someone will perfect the art of adapting a book to screen.  This fantasy of mine is a curse because I really should know better by now. Yes, I’ve seen glimpses of brilliance on the odd occasion, but overall, many a book lover (myself included) would tell you that THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER.  And never has it applied more to a movie than this instance. In light of this, here’s my advice: If you are going to watch the movie, read the book first ( check out my review here ) .  If you’ve read the book, don’t watch the movie (unless you’re very curious, in which case even then, you should wait till it’s out on DVD)....

The rebellion is out in full force, but does the final instalment end with a blazing inferno or just a warm fizzle? You decide. What it's about: At the end of the saga, Katniss Everdeen realises that the stakes are no longer just for survival—they are for the future. Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland Director: Francis Lawrence Release Date: November 20, 2015 Our Rating: *** Review first appeared on Women24.com . Check out what our sister site, Channel24 had to say about the movie. Final instalments in a movie franchise can be a tricky thing. Conclusions in a movie franchise split into two parts are even trickier to pull off. For one, it’s the movie that reveals whether the decision to split the movie was a good one, and secondly, it’s the definitive and deciding measure as to whether or not the franchise is successful as a whole...

Although the essence of the book is there, Insurgent diverges almost completely from the book.   Disclaimer: This review originally appeared on Women24 as well as Women24's sister site, Channel24 Veronica Roth’s Divergent books is one of my favourite series to date.  Having devoured both the books and the Divergent film adaptation (which I surprisingly really enjoyed), I’ve been looking forward to seeing how the Insurgent movie would play out. While it isn’t without its flaws, Insurgent is probably one of the better book-to-film adaptations I’ve seen. I admit this grudgingly because I’m a book purist at heart and, as such, tend to appreciate films that remain as true to the novel as possible. This is exactly why I spent half my time enjoying the cinematic and visual fest and half my time thinking “this is not how it was in the book.” With Robert Schwentke in the director’s seat this time around, Insurgent isn’t so much of a direct adaptation as it is an interpretation of the ...

You’ll fall in love with this movie the same way Hazel fell in love with Gus: slowly, and then all at once.   Disclaimer: This review first appeared on Channel24 , one of Women24’s sister sites. Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Laura Dern, Nat Wolff Director: Josh Boone What it’s about: Hazel and Gus are two extraordinary teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them on an unforgettable journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous, given that they met and fell in love at a cancer support group. The movie explores the funny, thrilling and tragic business of being alive and in love. What I thought: Let me start off with a quote in a feature article I recently wrote about why you should read The Fault in Our Stars before you see the movie: “...there are books...which you can't tell people about, books so special and rare and yours that advertising your affection feels like a betrayal.”  There’s been a lot of hype ...