Young-adult films, often termed as YA, is fiction marketed to adolescents and young adults. So in honor of The Divergent Series: Insurgent being released this week I thought it would be appropriate to bring you my top 10 favorite young adult novel films of all-time. So without further ado...
10. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
This is a really smart and clever movie, plus Kat Dennings and Michael Cera do a great job of not playing the same characters that they play in other movies. Two lonesome teens who make a love connection as they prowl the streets of New York looking for their favorite band's secret show, as well as for their drunk friend Caroline. Norah (played by Kat Dennings) is sick of being the doormat for her catty friend Tris (played by Alexis Dziena), so rather than look like she's arrived at yet another concert without her unreliable ex-boyfriend-with-benefits Tal (played by Jay Baruchel), she grabs a stranger and pretends he's her date. Unfortunately, that stranger is Nick (played by Michael Cera) -- whom Tris just dumped. Oddly enough, though, Nick and Norah seem to have a real connection. But is Nick still too hung up on the princess? The only way to find out is to spend all night combing Manhattan in a yellow Yugo. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist has a rating of 74% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. I Know What You Did Last Summer
I know it's not a great horror film and it's very cliched, but the performances alone are enough for you to check out the film. Four teens are in great danger one year after their car hits a stranger whose body they dump in the sea. I Know What You Did Last Summer has a rating of 36% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. The Lovely Bones
This film is just absolutely beautiful and Stanley Tucci gives the performance of a life-time. Fourteen-year-old Susie Salmon (played by Saoirse Ronan) is just experiencing the pangs of first love when she's viciously murdered by her neighbor Mr. Harvey (played by Stanley Tucci), a predatory wolf with a deceptively mundane appearance. As her family slowly begins drifting apart while struggling to make sense of their loss, Susie bravely attempts to find her footing in the hereafter. Meanwhile, down on earth, Mr. Harvey is feeling confident that he's covered his tracks well enough to get away with the crime, and begins honing in on his next victim -- Susie's younger sister, Lindsey (played by Rose McIver), who's beginning to suspect that he's not the harmless suburbanite he portrays himself to be. The Lovely Bones was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and it has a rating of 32% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
This was my second favorite book out of the series and it did the book justice and it continued to build on the tone that was set in the Prisoner of Azkaban (I'll get to that later). Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe) wondering why his legendary scar -- the famous result of a death curse gone wrong -- is aching in pain, and perhaps even causing mysterious visions. Before he can think too much about it, however, Harry boards the train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he will attend his fourth year of magical education. Shortly after his reunion with his best friends, Ron (played by Rupert Grint) and Hermione (played by Emma Watson), Harry is introduced to yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher: the grizzled Mad-Eye Moody (played by Brendan Gleeson), a former dark wizard catcher who agreed to take on the infamous "DADA" professorship as a personal favor to Headmaster Dumbledore (played by Michael Gambon). Of course, Harry's wishes for an uneventful school year are almost immediately shattered when he is unexpectedly chosen, along with fellow student Cedric Diggory (played by Robert Pattinson), as Hogwarts' representative in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, which awards whoever completes three magical tasks the most skillfully with a thousand-galleon purse and the admiration of the international wizard community. As difficult as it is to deal with his schoolwork, friendships, and the tournament at the same time (not to mention his feelings toward the ever unfathomable Professor Snape (played by Alan Rickman), Harry doesn't realize that the most feared wizard in the world, Lord Voldemort, is anticipating the tournament, as well. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction and it has a rating of 88% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. The Fault in Our Stars
This is a very powerful and emotional film with some spectacular performances. Hazel (played by Shailene Woodley) and Gus (played by Ansel Elgort) are two extraordinary teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them - and us - 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 Fault in Our Stars has a rating of 81% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
This is one of the more emotional films in the franchise and it is just visually beautiful. There was a time when Hogwarts was thought of as a safe haven, but thanks to Voldemort (played by Ralph Fiennes) 's tightening grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds, that simply isn't the case anymore. Suspecting that the castle may even harbor an outright threat, Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe) finds his investigation into the matter sidelined by Dumbledore (played by Michael Gambon)'s attempts to prepare him for the monumental battle looming ever closer on the horizon. In order to discover the key to Voldemort's defenses, Dumbledore enlists the aid of resourceful yet unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn (played by Jim Broadbent), who may have a clue as to their enemy's Achilles' heel. Meanwhile, teenage hormones cause the students at Hogwarts to lose focus on their true mission. As Harry and Dean Thomas (played by Alfred Enoch) clash for the affections of the lovely Ginny (played by Bonnie Wright), Romilda Vane (played by Anna Shaffer) attempts to woo Ron (played by Rupert Grint) away from Lavender Brown (played by Jessie Cave) with some particularly tasty chocolates. Even Hermione (played by Emma Watson) isn't immune from the love bug, though she tries her hardest to suppress her growing jealousy and keep her emotions bottled up. But there is one student who remains completely aloof from the romance blossoming all around, and he intends to leave a dark impression on his classmates. With tragedy looming ever closer, it begins to appear as if peace will prove elusive in Hogwarts for some time to come. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and it has a rating of 84% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The four Pevensie siblings -- Lucy (played by Georgie Henley), Edmund (played by Skandar Keynes), Susan (played by Anna Popplewell) and Peter (played by William Moseley) -- in World War II England who enter the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe while playing a game of 'hide-and-seek' in the rural country home of an elderly professor. Once there, the children discover a charming, peaceful land inhabited by talking beasts, dwarfs, fauns, centaurs and giants that has become a world cursed to eternal winter by the evil White Witch, Jadis (played by Tilda Swinton). Under the guidance of a noble and mystical ruler, the lion Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson), the children fight to overcome the White Witch's powerful hold over Narnia in a spectacular, climactic battle that will free Narnia from Jadis' icy spell forever. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Sound Mixing, Best Best Makeup and Best Visual Effects and it won the award for Best Makeup and it has a rating of 76% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban
This film was just spectacular and it completely shifted the tone of the entire franchise for the better. Sirius Black (played by Gary Oldman), has escaped from the title prison after 12 years of incarceration. Believed to have been the right-hand-man of the dark wizard Voldemort, whom Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe) mysteriously rendered powerless during his infancy, some of those closest to Harry suspect Black has returned to exact revenge on the boy who defeated his master. Upon his return to school, however, Harry is relatively unconcerned with Black. Run by Albus Dumbledore (played by Michael Gambon) -- who is widely regarded as the most powerful wizard of the age -- Hogwarts is renowned for its safety. Harry's nonchalance eventually turns to blind rage after accidentally learning the first of Black's many secrets during a field trip to a neighboring village. Of course, a loose serial killer is only one of the problems plaguing the bespectacled wizard's third year back at school -- the soul-sucking guards of Azkaban prison have been employed at Hogwarts to protect the students, but their mere presence sends Harry into crippling fainting spells. With the help of his friends Ron (played by Rupert Grint) and Hermione (played by Emma Watson), and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin (played by David Thewlis), Harry struggles to thwart the Dementors, find Sirius Black, and uncover the mysteries of the night that left him orphaned. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was nominated for 2 Academy Awards including Best Original Score and Best Visual Effects and it has a rating of 91% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
This film revamped the franchise and it is the darkest film of the franchise so far. After winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (played by Josh Hutcherson) return home to District 12. However they must embark on a "Victory Tour" to all of the other districts, leaving behind their close friends and family. The day of the tour, President Snow (played by Donald Sutherland) threatens Katniss's best friend and pretend cousin Gale Hawthorne (played by Liam Hemsworth). During the tour, Katniss senses that rebellion is brewing in the districts, but the capitol is still firmly in control as the world prepares for the 75th Annual Hunger Games (known as a Quarter Quell), a competition that could change Panem forever. The Hunger Games Catching Fire has a rating of 89% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows Part 2
This film brings an end to one of the greatest books of all-time and one of the greatest film series of all-time. The final chapter in the Harry Potter film series follows Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (played by Rupert Grint) and Hermione (played by Emma Watson) as they prepare for the final battle with Lord Voldemort (played by Ralph Fiennes), who is determined to destroy harry once and for all. In order to defeat the powerful wizard, they must find and destroy Voldemort's last and most elusive Horcrux (that is, the enchanted piece of soul allowing him to remain immortal) before his nefarious plans come to fruition. This film is awesome and it was sad to see this franchise go. harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Art Direction, Makeup and Visual Effects, the film also has a rating of 96% on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what are some of your favorite young adult novel films and what do you think of my list? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
10. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
This is a really smart and clever movie, plus Kat Dennings and Michael Cera do a great job of not playing the same characters that they play in other movies. Two lonesome teens who make a love connection as they prowl the streets of New York looking for their favorite band's secret show, as well as for their drunk friend Caroline. Norah (played by Kat Dennings) is sick of being the doormat for her catty friend Tris (played by Alexis Dziena), so rather than look like she's arrived at yet another concert without her unreliable ex-boyfriend-with-benefits Tal (played by Jay Baruchel), she grabs a stranger and pretends he's her date. Unfortunately, that stranger is Nick (played by Michael Cera) -- whom Tris just dumped. Oddly enough, though, Nick and Norah seem to have a real connection. But is Nick still too hung up on the princess? The only way to find out is to spend all night combing Manhattan in a yellow Yugo. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist has a rating of 74% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. I Know What You Did Last Summer
I know it's not a great horror film and it's very cliched, but the performances alone are enough for you to check out the film. Four teens are in great danger one year after their car hits a stranger whose body they dump in the sea. I Know What You Did Last Summer has a rating of 36% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. The Lovely Bones
This film is just absolutely beautiful and Stanley Tucci gives the performance of a life-time. Fourteen-year-old Susie Salmon (played by Saoirse Ronan) is just experiencing the pangs of first love when she's viciously murdered by her neighbor Mr. Harvey (played by Stanley Tucci), a predatory wolf with a deceptively mundane appearance. As her family slowly begins drifting apart while struggling to make sense of their loss, Susie bravely attempts to find her footing in the hereafter. Meanwhile, down on earth, Mr. Harvey is feeling confident that he's covered his tracks well enough to get away with the crime, and begins honing in on his next victim -- Susie's younger sister, Lindsey (played by Rose McIver), who's beginning to suspect that he's not the harmless suburbanite he portrays himself to be. The Lovely Bones was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and it has a rating of 32% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
This was my second favorite book out of the series and it did the book justice and it continued to build on the tone that was set in the Prisoner of Azkaban (I'll get to that later). Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe) wondering why his legendary scar -- the famous result of a death curse gone wrong -- is aching in pain, and perhaps even causing mysterious visions. Before he can think too much about it, however, Harry boards the train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he will attend his fourth year of magical education. Shortly after his reunion with his best friends, Ron (played by Rupert Grint) and Hermione (played by Emma Watson), Harry is introduced to yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher: the grizzled Mad-Eye Moody (played by Brendan Gleeson), a former dark wizard catcher who agreed to take on the infamous "DADA" professorship as a personal favor to Headmaster Dumbledore (played by Michael Gambon). Of course, Harry's wishes for an uneventful school year are almost immediately shattered when he is unexpectedly chosen, along with fellow student Cedric Diggory (played by Robert Pattinson), as Hogwarts' representative in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, which awards whoever completes three magical tasks the most skillfully with a thousand-galleon purse and the admiration of the international wizard community. As difficult as it is to deal with his schoolwork, friendships, and the tournament at the same time (not to mention his feelings toward the ever unfathomable Professor Snape (played by Alan Rickman), Harry doesn't realize that the most feared wizard in the world, Lord Voldemort, is anticipating the tournament, as well. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction and it has a rating of 88% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. The Fault in Our Stars
This is a very powerful and emotional film with some spectacular performances. Hazel (played by Shailene Woodley) and Gus (played by Ansel Elgort) are two extraordinary teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them - and us - 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 Fault in Our Stars has a rating of 81% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
This is one of the more emotional films in the franchise and it is just visually beautiful. There was a time when Hogwarts was thought of as a safe haven, but thanks to Voldemort (played by Ralph Fiennes) 's tightening grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds, that simply isn't the case anymore. Suspecting that the castle may even harbor an outright threat, Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe) finds his investigation into the matter sidelined by Dumbledore (played by Michael Gambon)'s attempts to prepare him for the monumental battle looming ever closer on the horizon. In order to discover the key to Voldemort's defenses, Dumbledore enlists the aid of resourceful yet unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn (played by Jim Broadbent), who may have a clue as to their enemy's Achilles' heel. Meanwhile, teenage hormones cause the students at Hogwarts to lose focus on their true mission. As Harry and Dean Thomas (played by Alfred Enoch) clash for the affections of the lovely Ginny (played by Bonnie Wright), Romilda Vane (played by Anna Shaffer) attempts to woo Ron (played by Rupert Grint) away from Lavender Brown (played by Jessie Cave) with some particularly tasty chocolates. Even Hermione (played by Emma Watson) isn't immune from the love bug, though she tries her hardest to suppress her growing jealousy and keep her emotions bottled up. But there is one student who remains completely aloof from the romance blossoming all around, and he intends to leave a dark impression on his classmates. With tragedy looming ever closer, it begins to appear as if peace will prove elusive in Hogwarts for some time to come. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and it has a rating of 84% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The four Pevensie siblings -- Lucy (played by Georgie Henley), Edmund (played by Skandar Keynes), Susan (played by Anna Popplewell) and Peter (played by William Moseley) -- in World War II England who enter the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe while playing a game of 'hide-and-seek' in the rural country home of an elderly professor. Once there, the children discover a charming, peaceful land inhabited by talking beasts, dwarfs, fauns, centaurs and giants that has become a world cursed to eternal winter by the evil White Witch, Jadis (played by Tilda Swinton). Under the guidance of a noble and mystical ruler, the lion Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson), the children fight to overcome the White Witch's powerful hold over Narnia in a spectacular, climactic battle that will free Narnia from Jadis' icy spell forever. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Sound Mixing, Best Best Makeup and Best Visual Effects and it won the award for Best Makeup and it has a rating of 76% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban
This film was just spectacular and it completely shifted the tone of the entire franchise for the better. Sirius Black (played by Gary Oldman), has escaped from the title prison after 12 years of incarceration. Believed to have been the right-hand-man of the dark wizard Voldemort, whom Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe) mysteriously rendered powerless during his infancy, some of those closest to Harry suspect Black has returned to exact revenge on the boy who defeated his master. Upon his return to school, however, Harry is relatively unconcerned with Black. Run by Albus Dumbledore (played by Michael Gambon) -- who is widely regarded as the most powerful wizard of the age -- Hogwarts is renowned for its safety. Harry's nonchalance eventually turns to blind rage after accidentally learning the first of Black's many secrets during a field trip to a neighboring village. Of course, a loose serial killer is only one of the problems plaguing the bespectacled wizard's third year back at school -- the soul-sucking guards of Azkaban prison have been employed at Hogwarts to protect the students, but their mere presence sends Harry into crippling fainting spells. With the help of his friends Ron (played by Rupert Grint) and Hermione (played by Emma Watson), and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin (played by David Thewlis), Harry struggles to thwart the Dementors, find Sirius Black, and uncover the mysteries of the night that left him orphaned. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was nominated for 2 Academy Awards including Best Original Score and Best Visual Effects and it has a rating of 91% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
This film revamped the franchise and it is the darkest film of the franchise so far. After winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (played by Josh Hutcherson) return home to District 12. However they must embark on a "Victory Tour" to all of the other districts, leaving behind their close friends and family. The day of the tour, President Snow (played by Donald Sutherland) threatens Katniss's best friend and pretend cousin Gale Hawthorne (played by Liam Hemsworth). During the tour, Katniss senses that rebellion is brewing in the districts, but the capitol is still firmly in control as the world prepares for the 75th Annual Hunger Games (known as a Quarter Quell), a competition that could change Panem forever. The Hunger Games Catching Fire has a rating of 89% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows Part 2
This film brings an end to one of the greatest books of all-time and one of the greatest film series of all-time. The final chapter in the Harry Potter film series follows Harry (played by Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (played by Rupert Grint) and Hermione (played by Emma Watson) as they prepare for the final battle with Lord Voldemort (played by Ralph Fiennes), who is determined to destroy harry once and for all. In order to defeat the powerful wizard, they must find and destroy Voldemort's last and most elusive Horcrux (that is, the enchanted piece of soul allowing him to remain immortal) before his nefarious plans come to fruition. This film is awesome and it was sad to see this franchise go. harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Art Direction, Makeup and Visual Effects, the film also has a rating of 96% on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what are some of your favorite young adult novel films and what do you think of my list? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
No comments:
Post a Comment