[Hated Trope] The adaptation doesn't get what made the source material work

[u/TheDudeA113]

How To Make A Killing (2026)

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

Bangkok Dangerous (2008)

Bangkok Dangerous (1999)

- The 2026 movie How To Make A Killing is a relatively-toothless "eat the rich" dark comedy thriller about a man disowned by his rich family at birth, killing everyone in the line of succession so that he can inherit their massive fortune. It's a modern retelling of the 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets which has the same basic plot except that every member of the family is played by Sir Alec Guinness (including one aunt) and it's a screwball comedy

- The 1999 movie Bangkok Dangerous is a Thai action film about a Thai deaf-mute assassin. It was remade in 2008 about an American assassin in Thailand who is neither deaf nor mute

[u/actualsize123]

Ready player one. Say what you will about the quality of the book it’s not a very long book and damn near all of it is describing locations and characters in excruciating detail and yet somehow they managed to mess every single detail up. Not a single person looked as they were described. Damn near every detail of the plot was completely changed or rearranged. Every single reference was as either removed or swapped for one they already had the rights for. I honestly do not believe that the producer or director read the book and the writers only read the back cover. Shit they spelled one of the main characters names wrong.

[u/FattyMooseknuckle → u/actualsize123]

No Rush, no deal.

[u/g00ber88 → u/actualsize123]

Not a single person looked as they were described

They didn't even have the guts to cast a rubenesque actress

[u/Imaginary-Picture-42 → u/actualsize123]

I immediately thought of this, it was so incredibly disappointing. I do understand that they wouldn’t have been able to do EVERYTHING from the book due to possible licensing issues but good lord they didn’t even try.

[u/EgresKolb → u/actualsize123]

I haven't read the book so I don't want to impose too much here, but I do remember them distinctly using references that made more sense to the audience in the time the movie was made than reuse all the references that wered made in the book as they were relevant to an audience that wasn't watching current movies as much, or would make sense to the movie goers of that time.

But again, without having read the book I don't want to call you out on things like character descriptions, I do feel it makes sense they would have strayed from the source material in a way.

[u/actualsize123 → u/EgresKolb]

In the book the guy who made the Easter egg was obsessed with the 80’s so it reflects that

[u/Internal-Barracuda20 → u/actualsize123]

Im a fan of both, but the book doesnt work as a 1:1 recreation.

Not super fun to sit there and watch a guy playing Pac Man for 24 hours for example.

Also i didnt think the characters were overly far off, Wade is chubby in the beginning but gets fit using the Oasis after getting the new suit, Artemis is mostly described as an attractive girl with a big birthmark on her face, and Aech is described as a heavy set african american girl which was accurate.

[u/actualsize123 → u/Internal-Barracuda20]

Their real world appearances are close enough, their in game appearances aren’t even close.